This was our third stay at Buckingham Place, a beautiful place on Rekawa Beach, which Marc says is his favorite beach -- and it truly is stunning. It's part of a turtle refuge, and last time we saw the marks of the mother turtles coming up to lay their eggs; none this time, but the beach is protected. Nick Buckingham owns the place, and the first time we visited, it was substantially smaller, one tiny pool and no large dining space, and Nick was home in the UK, something to do with his health. The first time we went there was also a friendly pony named Ginger who would haunt you as you lay by the pool, bopping you on the head with the big jaw. She was no longer living when we returned on our second trip.
Nick is a very good host, attuned to the social needs of his guests, along with all the things that make you feel welcome. Last time they hung a gigantic banner in our room, blocking the upper part of the large windows, that said "Welcome Back!" When they cleaned our room the next day, we assumed they'd remove the banner, but they didn't, so Marc finally just took it down. This time their approach was more subtle, and again it was never touched during our long stay:
Our welcome drinks included watermelon juice and a bottle of Pinot Noir. Kalpa, the General Manager, assumed we'd come to the restaurant for dinner, but it had been such a long, difficult trip that we just wanted to crash, which we did. Getting to our room felt like a soft landing after a hard journey.
The first night the peacocks woke me up throughout the night doing their peacock-screaming, but it was ok. We didn't see nearly as many peacocks, monkeys, or monitor lizards this trip, compared to the last trip, but we did see some of each.
I'd been excitedly looking forward to egg hoppers for breakfast, but the first morning I had the chili eggs with spicy coconut sambol and bacon curry, which further helped Etihad feel like a distant memory.
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Marc in the large dining space |
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being watched |
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I read Tommy Orange's new book, Wandering Stars, and did a lot of basking. |