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| Large hotels along the San Andres waterfront |
San Andrés is an anomaly among most of the small Caribbean
islands we’ve visited. First, as I mentioned in my previous post, it’s got a
beautifully marked channel that draws you right in, undoubtedly intended for
the tankers that come in to the Texaco dock, but no less helpful for the
cruising boat. Then, there are all those tall buildings bunched up on the north
end of the island…definitely not a usual island site. San Andrés is to Colombia
what Florida is to the US, a vacation haven with white sand beaches, warm
water, and fruity rum drinks, but on a smaller scale. People are here to have
fun – dammit – to the extent that the beach was packed despite 35-knot winds
one day that made even walking along the promenade an exfoliating experience.
That said, the promenade was quite nice, extending the length of the beach on
the northern shore. The “city” is eminently walkable, with easy access to bars,
restaurants, and shops, along with the more mundane destinations for cruisers
such as ATMs and grocery stores. There’s even a movie theater where we tried
several times to see the new Star Wars installment, but they only show movies
in English every other Thursday night at 9:30 pm (which we only discovered
after showing up on several wrong nights, and then it was gone). Restaurant
prices were pretty good, and seafood is on most every menu, not surprising for
an island – La Regatta and Captain Mandy’s were our favorites. San Andrés is
also different from many islands in that the major bay is on the windward side.
A long reef protects the beaches and harbor on the north and northeast sides of
the island from the huge seas that can build when you’ve got days of 30+ knots
of wind. From outside, though, the reefs are more dangerous than protective, as
evidenced by the numerous shipwrecks.
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| But they also had beautiful beaches |
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| And who doesn't need a cocktail while they lounge in the sand |
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| This has got to be the smallest car we've ever seen |
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| But scooters and motorbikes are the vehicle of choice around here |
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| A reef is great protection...unless you run into it |
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| All that was on this little island were bars and tourists |
