Where have I been lately?
(Pineapple Beach Club, Antigua - Part 3)
I have a warning for you here……. I’m about to talk and food and beverages, so if you’re already hungry or thirty, this post may send you to the fridge.
So while you’re getting yourself a cocktail and/or a snack, I’ll talk about amenities on the resort, or “what the heck do you do when you’re there”?
Water Water Water
So, my favourite thing to do at PBC is to float around in the sea, closely followed by snorkelling. I could spend most of each day just doing that. There are 3 pools at PBC, and we have yet to be in one of them. We keep saying we will, and then never get around to it. They’re lovely, and many people go there, but the sea is just so warm and calm and the sand is so soft….. need I say more?
However, here’s a stock shot of the main pool, and my latest pic of the infinity pool. We’ll get into them some year…
Water sports are included at PBC – we bring our own snorkels, gloves, and fins, but they also provide them for free. However, here’s one of the few annoyances about PBC. Every day they rate the force of the surf (for safety reasons, blah blah blah)…… so when you get up in the morning, there are either green, yellow, or red flags flying. If the flags are red, it’s allegedly too windy to snorkel, paddle board, sea kayak, or go out in a Hobie Cat sailboat, and so the Water Sports cabin is closed...for the whole day, even if the weather improves. This is why I bring my own gear, as it is often nice and calm over at the good snorkeling spot, and, control freak that I am, no one is going to tell me when I can snorkel. (this will likely be quoted by others following some bizarre snorkeling injury)
But let’s all pretend that our stay will be a completely green flag stay. We’ve experienced this once in 6 visits. So here’s a pic of the Hobie Cats – they’re fun as you can go out with one of the staff (who actually knows what they’re doing) or try one yourself. This provides me with no end of amusement as I float around in my pool noodle (brought from home) watching alleged sailors make their first attempt at sailing in the Caribbean. As much as we love to sail, neither of us is confident enough to try it on our own.
In case you don’t like the water (although why are you going to PBC if you don’t?) – there are other things to do. I’ll confess, in an average stay, I’ll read about 10 books while lounging on the front porch, listening to the waves. I bring them on my tablet, downloaded from our library at home, however, there is also a cute library onsite where people leave paperbacks after they’ve read them, so there is always a good supply.
My traveling companion, an aspiring orchestra conductor, brings at least one score, his set of batons, a music stand, and a recording of the score on his phone, plays it on his headphones, and conducts his imaginary orchestra on the front porch. It makes him happy, and he’s not a water lover, so if this makes him love PBC, so be it.
There are other activities too! There’s a pool table, ping pong, pickleball, tennis, a gym, trivia games, a “people-sized” outdoor chess game, pool aerobics classes, and daily beach volleyball games. These are all really well-attended, and the addition of the several pickleball courts seems to have brought a new following of guests to PBC, so book early. (although, why wouldn’t you?)
Oh, and there’s the spa ….. The Tranquility Spa. We tend to visit our spa at home prior to vacations, so we’ve never been there…..however, it looks lovely, and the reviews are fabulous. So if you like having spa treatments while on vacation, you’ll likely love it. There are also two people who give massages on the beach for cash. They are not pushy, just present. They get rave reviews too.
Food and Beverages
Okay, I’m trusting that you’re fed and watered by now, so let’s talk about food and drinks. There are several restaurants and bars on the resort – have a look at this link:
https://www.pineapplebeachclub.com/experiences/dining/
The restaurant most often used is Topaz, the main dining room. Unless it’s really windy, seating is open air, and it’s located right on the beach. A warning about open air seating…..there are birds. They like it when people leave their tables with uneaten food on plates. Fortunately, there is also the occasional appearance of a cat or two, so they seem to balance each other out. This all can be weird until you get used to it, and focus on the sea view. So, back to the mechanics of Topaz. While I’m hearing rumblings about some future changes, I’ll talk about how it works now. Topaz is buffet only. Any of you who knows me knows that I abhor buffets. If I’m going on vacation, I’d like to be waited on. I worked hard for a bzillion years to be able to afford to travel, so that’s what I like. I have yet to go to the buffet on any cruise that we’ve been on, and it causes me angst if I end up at one by mistake while touring a ship.
However, I make the exception at Topaz. When we first went to PBC, I won’t lie, having to have dinner at the buffet was almost like a punishment. But that has improved a great deal – oddly since COVID, so it’s fine. Why do I mention this?
Here is the biggest annoyance about PBC. Their approach to Specialty Restaurants.
There are 3 specialty restaurants onsite for dinner. Two are included – the Italian one, Chef Pietro’s, and the Caribbean one, Pineapple Grill, and then there is the newest one, The Orchid Steakhouse, that costs $40 USD per person extra. All wonderful restaurants, with lovely waitstaff and gorgeous food. So, what is the problem?
Here is the dumbest rule ever. Reservations are accepted no earlier than 24 hours in advance at the Guest Services Desk. The desk opens at 8:30 a.m. and you’d better get there at 8 or there’s a lineup. So, say you arrive on a Sunday, late in the afternoon, after a long flight. Your dinner is at the buffet at Topaz, since you can’t reserve anywhere else. Ditto for Monday. This also means that on your first morning, you’re up early to get in line to reserve somewhere for Tuesday and maybe Wednesday if the staff is feeling generous. You can’t reserve for further ahead than that……. Ever. What does that mean for those of us who like to sleep late? Grrrrrr
Yes, this is a first world problem, I get it. But going to PBC is not cheap and I like to sleep in. There had been a beta version of a reservation app a couple of years ago, but it never seemed to have gotten off the ground. I’ve asked why and haven’t had an answer. So, I set an alarm every other day. (in addition to the alarm I set everyday to get to the breakfast buffet before it closes at 10) Note: there is no room service
I love the breakfast buffet – there’s no variety but it has everything I love, and there’s even wonderful Joanne who makes the omelettes to order, and hugs you on your first morning to welcome you back, and there’s tons of fruit and yogurt and pancakes and bacon and yum……… all this while looking at this…..
The lunch buffet is, honestly, hit and miss, but by then the Pelican Snack Grill is open (aka Sherry-Ann’s) and it’s fab. Nothing like a burger with grilled pineapple. Love it.
There’s one other option for lunch -okay, we’ll call it a restaurant – that we’ve been to once, hated it, yet everyone else loves it. It’s (aptly) called The Outhouse.
Located way up a steep hill, accessible on foot or by golf cart, it offers ribs (not great ones), jerk chicken that is meh, a couple of salads, beer, and that’s about it. The view is spectacular, seating is on picnic tables, and the kind of cool part is that the trees are covered in signs brought by people who nail them up to show that they were there. That’s it. If you already have a good view from your room, there’s no reason (unless you don’t care about food quality) to go there. Yet we feel uncomfortable when someone raves about it, since we must have missed something.
The 3 specialty restaurants are all very good and the Orchid Steakhouse is worth the upcharge. The 2 included restaurants change their menus often, and they are not open every day, so making reservations is not only annoying, but also a strategic exercise. However, here are some pics of the fare, including the fish from the buffet, and my beloved plantains, which I have often ordered across multi courses in the same dinner.
Booze Booze Booze
One of the advantages of an all-inclusive resort is not having to think about the price of drinks. If you want one, have one. If you want several, pace yourself.
Many people seem to be overly concerned about whether there is “top shelf liquor” or certain wines available at PBC. There is a wine list where one can purchase wine by the bottle, but honestly, even those of us who are picky about wine (and we are) just don’t care when at PBC. They have 3 varieties of red and white wines, a very passable Rosé, and I don’t know what the brand is, they’re all really good. They are also refilled as frequently as you’d like.
The beer available is a local brew, and it’s fine. The liquors are good too, and the Drinks of the Day are very tasty and inventive. They make a spectacular Mudslide and this year I developed a love of their Pomegranate Margarita. My travelling companion makes sure each bartender makes his martini as he likes it, and they’re most agreeable.
The food and beverage Manager at PBC is Kevin, and he’s very helpful and makes sure the wait staff do a great job. There are 3 bars and a coffee shop and they are open almost all the time. The main bar is the Sly Mongoose, between Topaz restaurant and the Pelican Grill snack bar. Here are some pics.
It’s a short walk from the Beachfront rooms so we usually drop by for a cocktail before and after lunch and dinner. The coffee shop serves every coffee drink you can imagine, so that’s usually my stop after breakfast.
One of the best parts of the main bar location is that it’s also where the nightly entertainment takes place – and where you can meet other guests. There are lots of Canadians around, as well as Americans and Brits. It’s very laid back and you can be as social as you’d like, or not.
Next week, we’ll talk about where to go if you’d like to leave the resort during your trip.
Happy Travels!!