OUR PLACENCIA

1999

THE INN AT ROBERT'S GROVE

WEB SITE FOR THE INN AT ROBERT'S GROVE

( CLICK HERE TO LINK TO ROBERT'S GROVE WEB SITE )

On our 1998 trip to Placencia, we had been impressed with the friendliness of the people and the area in general.  We decided that Placencia was the place that we wanted to spend our 40th anniversary in May of 1999.

Since it was our 40th anniversary we started searching the up-scale resorts hoping to find the perfect place.  It boiled down to The Rum Point Inn and The Inn at Robert's Grove, as we wanted a place with Air Conditioning and a pool.  We finally settled on The Inn at Robert's Grove after e-mailing both for a quote covering the time we wanted to stay.

After making our reservations, we had to interrupt our May trip, to attend a family funeral, so we did not get to Placencia until June.

We rented a Trooper from KEVIN LEWIS' AUTO RENT BELIZE  and drove down across the Hummingbird Highway.  (CLICK HERE TO LINK TO KEVIN'S WEB SITE).

Our plane arrived late into Belize and then on the way out of Belize City we had a long delay for a Creole funeral. (reminded me of New Orleans)  So with the delays we found ourselves at the cut off to the Southern Highway at dusk. We made the decision to go ahead and try to get to Placencia that evening.  Everything was going great until we made the bend to start heading down the peninsula.  We had not traveled very far until we looked up and the entire roadway and surrounding land was covered with water and it was pitch black dark.  I had stopped and was just about to turn around, when a truck came from the south which allowed me to judge how deep the water was.  I figured that if he made it,  I could also make it in the 4x4 Trouper.  So,  very slowly, we made our way into the water, praying that we could stay on the road. we traveled  about 3/4 of a mile before we were back on solid ground and could go over 3-4 miles an hour.

When we arrived at Robert's Grove about 8:30, the office was closed for the night.  However, our room key had been left with Frank the Chef and Resident Manager.  We were welcomed by the entire crew on duty and had to put up with such good natured remarks as "we were going to send a boat for you if you did not get here soon".  The kitchen help were enlisted to take our bags to the room while we had dinner.

We really enjoyed the large, well furnished room we occupied at Robert's Grove. All of the rooms have plenty of storage area so you can un-pack for your stay. Each room has a King-size Bed, a balcony, A/C and Ceiling Fans. All beautifully and tastefully furnished.

The next morning we woke up about 5:30,  made coffee in our travel pot and went out on the balcony. There were two young men already cleaning up the beach and arranging the  sail boats, canoes, kayaks and lounge chairs for the guests of The Inn.

The dinning room opens for coffee at 6:00 am and breakfast, which is included in the room price is served about 6:30.  The breakfast is not just a sweet roll and coffee, each morning they serve such things as fresh fruit, fresh juice, bacon/sausage with eggs or hot cakes.

On our first day we drove into the Village of Placencia to renew friendships from the previous year. We stopped at J-Byrd's bar on the waterfront where Andy the daytime bartender holds court. We wandered around on the concrete sidewalk and then drove back up the road to Kitty's where we had lunch.

On the second day we took the Robert's Grove Snorkeling/fishing trip.  We had not left the dock when a large school of porpoise came by the dock so we eased into the school and a couple of divers who were with us slipped over board to try and swim with them. If they had not chased them off we were going to go in also.

We then headed to Laughing Bird Caye where we snorkeled for about an hour. We then went to another small reef where we snorkeled and then to Robert's Caye for more snorkeling and lunch.

While at Robert's Caye I fished on the outside of the Caye and caught and released 5 small (15-20 lb) reef sharks which really put up a fight in the shallow water on my light spinning tackle.

The next two days we did nothing that did not just have to be done.

On the next day we went fishing with Kevin Modera (see the 1999 trip story) where we caught small tuna fish (4-10 lb) on light tackle and had an opportunity to meet up close and personal, a pair of Whale Sharks. Kevin fixed us a marvelous broiled lobster shore lunch before bringing us back to the Robert's Grove Dock.

One of the highlights of Robert's Grove are the nights that Frank decides to put on an outdoor Bar-B.Q. Buffet dinner.  He will grill,  "in season", such things as Lobster, Crab, Fresh Tuna, Baby Back Ribs, Pork Chops, Chicken, and his special Italian Sausage  and put them on the buffet line with lots of veggies and breads. Everything is cooked on the open grill out by the pool where you sit under the stars to eat.  It doesn't get better than that.

We highly recommend the Inn at Robert's Grove as a first class Resort that would be just as first class anywhere in the world.

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