The Lee Family: Day 1: Beaching and Lunch at Shanna's Cove!

We woke the girls up at 9:00am, so they didn't miss breakfast, but neither of them were very hungry. I figured they would be up and in their swimsuits at 8am, but who knows what time they actually went to sleep last night. One great thing about having a separate bedroom, is that I told them they could go to bed whenever they wanted to, but to be responsible. I decided that I would not nag them or tell them to go to bed at a certain time during our vacation. Instead, I'd be a hands-off mom until school started back up on Monday. I figured they should enjoy their spring break as much as they could.

We had breakfast in the main house and it was still really windy and a bit overcast but it was warm enough and comfortable to be in shorts and a t-shirt, which felt great after being bundled up for weeks at home. After breakfast, we hung out for a bit and then got ready to take a road trip to Shanna's Cove at the west end of the island. Shanna's Cove is run by a German couple who left Germany about 11 years ago. They bought up the land and built six cabanas and a main room and created a very comfortable and well-made resort. They bring in a chef from Germany or Austria, who cooks their three-course dinners at night and serve pizza, salads and sandwiches at lunch time. The resort doesn't allow children to stay at the resort, but it's fine for kids to visit for meals. Since it wasn't a terrific day to be on the beach, we decided to drive to Shanna's and have lunch.

Chip and Lisa invited their friends Chris and Allen to join us during our week together and they ended up being a super easy and fun addition to our group. Both are retired and Chris is an avid triathlete and just an all around interesting woman. Her husband, Allen is a retired doctor who was quiet and more reserved, but a lot of fun once he opened up. They are a super cute couple together and just easy to be with. It was great to spend time with them and get to know them over the week.

Chris and Allen had a car as well as Chip and Lisa, so we spit up into the two cars and drove the 45 minutes or so to Shanna's Cove. Unfortunately, the drive is pretty boring, since the entire island is basically old dead coral with strange 5 foot trees and vegetation, so there aren't any real views to speak of while we drive. The kids love the drive because they can sit in the back without seatbelts and have fun together without any change of getting in trouble with the law. Sofia has a tendency to have some motion sickness, so I checked on her throughout our drive up.

We arrived just after noon and Lisa, who is one of the friendliest and most personable people I think I have ever known, greeted Gabi and Frank as if they were long lost friends. She's so great at making connects with people and she just makes every one feel special. We found our seats and decided on our lunch meals. I decided on a salad, which looked really great. There was a couple sitting behind us who had salads, and they both looked terrific! Everyone else ordered pizzas, which all looked delicious. My salad was wonderful and I also had a piece of CK's pizza, which was really great. We lingered over our lunch and talked for awhile before walked down the pathway to the beach. It was just as windy on the beach as it as Fernandez Bay, but it was nice to visit the beach.

After the beach, we walked back up to our cars and headed back to FBV. We arrived and the girls and Charlie changed into their swimsuits and were on the beach in no time. Sofia was especially excited to be back "home" and just play in the sand and swim. It was still very windy and the water is shockingly chilly, but the kids completely do not notice. I don't know how they do it. The girls had a ball playing together in the sand and building sand castles and mini-pools. It was still very windy and a little chilly to watch them play, but great to just hang out on the beach and watch them.

Around 6pm, the girls decided to get out of the ocean and shower. Usually, I have to coerce them to get out and get ready for the drinks/appetizer hour that starts at 6:30, before dinner being served at 7:30pm. But, they wanted to be sure to get to the main house to meet Charlie, get a pina colada and play on their electronic devices together. CK and I made our way to the main house and met up with Chip, Lisa, Chris and Allen and had a drink while we hoped to see a nice sunset. There were clouds on the horizon, so it wasn't a great sunset, but still very pretty and great to watch from the patio. Soon it was time for dinner, which was delicious, especially the great big salad! I was still pretty full from lunch, but it was such good food and the dessert was also good. The staff rotates the meals every week, so each Monday the meals are the same, and we always laugh with Lisa, because she knows every menu for each day and especially knows the dessert for the night. I am convinced that Lisa, who is friends with absolutely everyone at the resort, should get the recipes for all the different meals and should create a cookbook that can be sold at the gift shop. I know it would be a huge hit!

After dessert, we hung out and chatted at our table, since it was too chilly to sit outside. Every time we visit Fernandez Bay there is a distinct feel of the visitors. In past years, most of the visitors hang out after dinner and talk or play cards or games. However, it seemed like the visitors this time would head back to their place as soon as dinner was finished. It was just such a different feel and probably due to the weather. After we visited for a while, we said our good nights and headed to bed. The girls stayed up and read for a bit and eventually went to bed.

The view from our patio!