Vinissimo at Bliss feature

On Friday 11 Feb we went to a wine tasting that Vinissimo arranged at Bliss on the shore at Caravanserai. The tasting was just starting as the sun was setting in the background. This is Marina and Sylvain from the retail shop in Marigot and Sophie from the wholesale shop in Bellevue. Bliss has an extroadinary location with fabulous views over the rocky shoreline to the setting sun. The bar, dance area, lounge, and swimming pool are stunning. Next to them is the restaurant with a nice indoor area, a nicer covered patio, and an astounding deck on the shore with a half dozen tables under the palms. On a lovely warm night with soft breezes, there is no better place to dine. All photos will enlarge, if clicked. Use your back button to return.

Vinissimo assembled some fine champagnes, several lovely white wines, and Chateau Couloumey from Graves, Bordeaux. Pierre Bon (second from left) has restored the eighteenth century chateau and its 30 acres of landscaping and vineyard to their former glory. Walter Hinds, executive chef and part-owner of the restaurant, provided the venue and the appetizers. Mah Nyamu (in pink) came all the way from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. She exhibited paintings and illustrations that she has made here on St Martin.

Chateau Couloumey is on the Supplementary Inventory of historical Monuments and is open to the public from Easter until All Saints Day (1 November). It is a member of Gites de France and offers four guest rooms, each with private bath and views of the grounds.

Mah Nyamu came to St Martin from Reunion about five years ago. She has made some lovely illustrations of St Martin scenes and several large paintings. She also sings with Ronny and the Bandits.

Bliss The tasting was set up under this tent. This shot can only give a hint of the beauty of the spot. The pool is in the foreground, the bar is on the other side of the tent, and a small dance floor separates the bar from the restaurant along the shore in the far background.