Bahamas – Day 3. Why it’s cloudy today?
We woke up this morning around 9, threw our blinds open and found… cloudy skies. Whomp whomp. As Hallie would say, “Why it’s cloudy today?”
We got up and went for breakfast at Commonwealth again. That’s three out of our last four meals at Commonwealth. Breakfast was the same as the prior day and very good again. More pregnant people. There was a couple we saw walk in who seemed very particular about their table (they had to see three before settling on one). We continued to see them and their particularism throughout the next day and a half as they were shown multiple tables in multiple restaurants around the hotel.
After breakfast we went to pool and lounged. All day. It was cloudy, but just nice to sit. We also spent a lot of time in the hot tub. At some point we walked around to the Grand Hyatt spa, the Espa, but we couldn’t use the facilities because we couldn’t sign the release form. Oh well.
Around 2:30 we went to Costa for lunch and told them to call Chef Sid and see if he was around. We were seated and five minutes later the couple from breakfast were seated near us, changing their table at first. Chef Sid came out and told us he was going to make aguachile and guacamole. The aguachile was basically red snapper that was raw but marinated in citrus and served with cucumber, red onion, shaved radish and all in a coconut-lime water. Tzvi really enjoyed it. We also ordered some other food as well (Mexican street corn and another green salad), and then the manager of the restaurant came over to say that the chef wanted to “invite us for a cocktail” so we both had mango margaritas. When the bill came, the only thing on it was the corn and salad. It was a lovey meal, and so nice of the Chef.
We went back to the pool and sat until about 5:30. We headed upstairs and waited for Shabbat to end at 5:57. We called home and Hallie was still alive so all was well. I went to the gym and Tzvi went back to the Espa for a steam. Then we got ready for dinner.
Tonight’s dinner was at Fi’lia, an Italian restaurant that is also technically part of the SLS but basically in the casino. From the moment we left lobby of our hotel we could tell that many more people were around and that people were more dressed up. I think there were definitely more people at the hotels, but others come from other places as well. Fi’lia is well designed, a stylish modern restaurant. We were seated at a booth for 4, so we sat next to each other in the booth. When we sat down there was a small potted plant on the table. Our server came over to bring bread and pour olive oil out onto a plate – always a good start – and then picked up the potted plant and started to cut fresh oregano from it into the plate. It was so great.
We studied the menu for a while and ultimately decided that, as it was our last night of vacation, we would order everything. Well, almost. We started with a tableside Caesar salad, that wasn’t really made tableside, because the man making it, whose name was Magyver (or something that sounded a lot like Magyver), couldn’t get the cart close enough to our table. Not a problem, I got up and stood watching him make the salad for five minutes. The salad was delicious. The best part was probably the fresh croutons that he also made tableside by spreading garlic on bread nad then grilling it on a small grill on his cart. We also had a charred eggplant dip appetizer that Tzvi liked, and polenta fries with ketchup that were great. For mains Tzvi had mushroom ravioli with cream sauce and breadcrumbs, which he loved and devoured, and I had spaghetti with tomato sauce and broccoli and cauliflower. Mine was delicious but it was one of the biggest plates of pasta I’ve ever seen. I was so full after three bites, but with Tzvi’s help we finished the whole bowl. Nothing wowed us on the dessert menu so we called it after that and headed into the casino.
Tzvi took $60 out of the ATM and I went to work with Roulette. The cheapest table had a $15 minimum bet, so I started with a machine that let you bet $2. I played a bunch of hands and won $8. We cashed out and I was ready to go for the real thing. I put down $1 on 15 different numbers, and would you believe it, I won! That’s $35. I kept going and won 4 hands in a row. Then they changed the table operator, which is where my luck hit a snag. I kept playing a bit after that, and ultimately we came out up $25. It was exhilarating.
After the casino we walked to Bond, which was just opening up for the night. We basically walked in and walked out. The music was so loud, it just made me feel old. I also didn’t really get it, because it seemed like all of the seats were roped off (I guess you need to pay for bottle service if you want to sit). So the only place you can go is the dance floor or the bar? There was a fun photo booth though and we took a bunch of pictures.
After that we looked around for dessert but couldn’t really find anything, so we went back to the Rosewood and took a table at the Manor Bar in the lobby. The bar is really nice with dark wood and all of the waiters wear cool plaid pants. I ordered a khalua and cream and Tzvi ordered a smoked old fashioned. The waiter described the cool process they use and the smoking gun, but we didn’t actually see it happen. While we were sitting the couple who were at Commonwealth the previous night came in, and we watched as the husband read the menu and described it to his wife for about 20 minutes. There was also a group of Grand Hyatt people who looked like they were on a convention. One guy was super loud with a really annoying high pitched voice, and one guy was wearing a white polo shirt, white shorts and white shoes and didn’t speak the whole time. Looked like a fun convention.
We sat for a little while and then went up to the room. Back in the room we found our bill waiting for us under the door. Eek. Tzvi took a look and discovered that our cab ride from the first day was on the bill! $78! Tzvi went down to the desk, told the receptionist what had happened, the man said “one moment, let me take a look,” and then he printed out the bill and handed Tzvi a new bill without the charge. I’ll just say, I don’t know what people on TripAdvisor are complaining about. That’s good service.
Tzvi came back, we lit the menorah, and then we went to bed.
Great day.
