October 14, 2012
There is a family from Spain who built a small restaurant on Tapana Island just off Vava’u. The only way to get there is by dinghy (either your own or you can arrange transportation). You must make your reservation early as they will then spend the day cooking tapas and their special recipe for paella for the number of guests they will have. There is a set price, and you bring your own alcohol. They ask that you be there around 6:30.
We had a party of three couples, and we all motored our dinghies over to the island and made reasonably graceful beach landings. It was sunset as we walked up to the restaurant, perched on stilts on a hill, rustic and tropical and romantic all at the same time. Some have described the restaurant as the Star Wars bar scene and they aren’t too far off.
I was standing and taking some pictures when I felt something hard run into my leg—it nearly knocked me over! I looked down to see I had just been head-butted by the family goat. He’s allowed in the restaurant, and he wanted to play. I let him butt me a couple more times, then Sabina came over and kept him entertained while I got more pictures. The owner came over and told him enough, leave the guests alone, and he did. I would say he was like the family dog, but the family already had a dog who was also around during the evening. He would have to settle for being the family goat.
We sat at a long table by the open-air windows, watching the dusk deepen while the candles were lit and our bottles of wine were opened. The Spanish tapas started to arrive, one after the other, and they were fabulous. This place could hold its own with any Spanish restaurant I’ve been to. The main dish was the paella, easily the best I’ve had.
After dessert was served, the husband brought out his guitar and started to play and sing. He was quite good! His wife soon joined in on the maracas, and then the assistant Tongan chef joined in on percussion. They now had a band going and were remarkably good. Soon, we all got up to dance, and from then on we were clapping, singing or dancing to the music up until it was time for the restaurant to close.
After hugging the family good-bye and thanking them for the wonderful evening, we used flashlights to make our way down the hill and to our dinghies on the beach. It was a rather surreal experience to be riding beside other dinghies in the dark of night with only our flashlights visible. We all made it safe and sound to our boats.
This evening was very special–we all agreed it was definitely one of our peak experiences in the South Pacific. -Cyndi
You can listen to the great music on this video…
