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| Ex Latino Bar at Beauvallon Beach, Mahe, Seychelles |
The Russians are Coming! Adieu Coral Strand?
Actually, the Russians have been here in full force for some time, but it's only now that their workings have started to affect us. They bought over the Coral Strand some time ago and have been giving locals the evil eye. Now they are closing the hotel for two months for renovations and I fear we may be discouraged from visiting when they reopen.
The Coral Strand has been THE meeting point for Seychellois and expats since it opened 30 years ago. Many a wet hour has been spent downing Seybrews at the pool bar. I've been coming back and forth to the Seychelles for many years and the one constant has been that there is always some bloke with his guitar singing "Mrs. Robinson" every Sunday evening for Happy Hour. Okay, the prices aren't happy, but the mood always is.
Both my kids learnt to swim in the pool and I've spent many afternoons lounging in one of the beach chairs pretending I was on holiday or chatting with other locals. The times of dancing the night away in the Takamaka Room are long gone, but it's still the most fun and sociable place to be on the island.
Where, all of us locals are asking, are we going to spend the next two months? And are we going to be "allowed" back? People are being pessimistic, but I say, we need to claim our rights. The Coral Strand is a Seychellois institution and we won't move!
Do svidaniya!
The Coral Strand has been THE meeting point for Seychellois and expats since it opened 30 years ago. Many a wet hour has been spent downing Seybrews at the pool bar. I've been coming back and forth to the Seychelles for many years and the one constant has been that there is always some bloke with his guitar singing "Mrs. Robinson" every Sunday evening for Happy Hour. Okay, the prices aren't happy, but the mood always is.
Both my kids learnt to swim in the pool and I've spent many afternoons lounging in one of the beach chairs pretending I was on holiday or chatting with other locals. The times of dancing the night away in the Takamaka Room are long gone, but it's still the most fun and sociable place to be on the island.Where, all of us locals are asking, are we going to spend the next two months? And are we going to be "allowed" back? People are being pessimistic, but I say, we need to claim our rights. The Coral Strand is a Seychellois institution and we won't move!
Do svidaniya!
Craft Stall on the Beach
After grandly proclaiming that most Seychellois blogs discontinue after a few entries due to lack of stamina, I must look as though I've gone the same way with mine. Many apologies. The weather has been glorious and I've been getting lost in island life / aka bumming around on the beach.I've now found a way to combine my bumming around with work: I've got a stall on the beach selling my crafts. It's great fun as I not only get to sell, but can chat with lot's of people from all over the world. Most of them are staying at the Berjaya Beauvallon Bay Resort, but there are others who spot my stall just walking down the beach. I can recommend the hotel (not getting paid for this!), simply because it's location is brilliant. It has better rooms and infra-structure than the Coral Strand and is livelier than the Fisherman's Cove, which is beautiful but so serene, it is morgue-like. Also, the latter is at the "bad" end of the beach.
So, if you're in the vicinity, pop around and say hi. Looking and chatting is free :-). And fear not, I won't get into any hard sales spiel; I'm pretty useless at that anyway.
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