New Years Day 2012 started bright…. The rain has gone …. Sometime after 8.30! We wandered to breakfast about 9.15 N&L were already there. No children surfaced. We eventually work them about 10 as breakfast ended @ 10.30.
We had no real plans for the day other than massages and F had a manicure booked. We decided in the end to spend the day at the beach as it was sunny and the last day.
Lunch was at the Chill Out Cafe and it was impossibly slow. Apparently the staff were all hungover from the night before and there was only one chef! The food arrived eventually but not before F had left for manicure and come back. It took over 1 1/2!
The afternoon was also on the beach and we went back to the hotel at 4.30 ish for a swim and to relax. We decided to have dinner out.
We were greeting with the most amazing surprise from the housekeeping staff! All the beds had been decorated. Ours had a swan made of flannels decorated with bougainvillea leaves and some other flowers, M and F had an elephant, C and T a doll and most amazingly of all the staff had ‘borrowed’ Nick’s Father Xmas mask which he had worn on Boxing Day on the boat trip in Kochi and made a Father Xmas figure sitting in the bed, under the covers, with the TV remote control in his hand. It was wonderful. I don’t think many places would have made such an effort or had the courage to use something from one of the guests! It could not have been more appropriate.
We settled the bill and for the first time in India it was (just about) right and the process easy!
We decided to have a pre dinner drink and the head out to the Lotus Cafe recommended in the Rough Guide. The rickshaws had a hard time finding it as it was on the South Cliff. It was an great spot on top of the cliffs with nothing else around and the lights of the fishing boats at sea. It was very dimly lit and very quiet. Nevertheless they were serving food but again sort staffed as the staff had or were recovering from hangovers and the service was very very slow. Adults all elected to have Kerala fish (butter fish) in banana leaves and the kids a mixture of different things. Despite being slow a good meal. (L pointed out the fish was not well cooked half was through but it was very hard to see as there was so little light…. however as a result there was some mild ill effects the next day which was a pity).
All in all a good day.