Believe it or not, we do get out of Marigot Bay every now and then.

Last week, we hired a taxi to take us to the Pink Plantation for lunch (which we combined with our mid-trip grocery shop).

We went up, up, up in the hills on a very narrow road and got to a wall. The taxi said that was as far as she could go. The wall opened and . . . .

Breathtaking gardens with an even better view.  

And a 150-year old PINK French colonial home sitting in the middle.  It was just charming.

From this vantage point, we could watch the little boats below lazily sail by – and even see Martinique.

Lunch was served on the breezy porch and was delicious – we had fresh fish served with a variety of local vegetable dishes.  

My favorite was cristophine gratin (sometimes called cho-cho gratin), a West Indies specialty that features a squash/pumpkin-like vegetable, cheese, nutmeg, and I’m sure lots of butter.  I have never tasted anything quite so good!

We ended with flaming bananas foster – with locally grown bananas and locally made rum.

And the owner is an artist with a studio there, so we could shop, too (which we did!).

Just a lovely day.

If you want to go, here’s the website: http://pinkplantationstlucia.com/

They have a sister restaurant in Castries (where the cruise ships dock) called Coal Pot. We didn’t go there, but it is on our list to try next time.