November 9, 2013
Well, after a week of beautiful weather our final day in Leleuvia was squally; so much so that it looked like we might miss the lovo we’d deliberately stayed around for. We didn’t mind the rain, but we can’t go ashore in heavy winds as we don’t like leaving the boat unattended, nor do we appreciate wet splashy dinghy rides. After watching and waiting anxiously, the wind finally died down to an acceptable 8 knots just in time to make it in for dinner. We put on our rain panchos and headed in.
The buffet was as good as we remembered, well worth the effort to get here in spite of the wet weather.
During the dinner we had a couple of downpours that were impressive, but by the time we headed back to the boat, it lightened up. Later, the wind picked up and it rained heavily again; so we had gotten lucky with our timing. What a nice way to cap off a great time Leleuvia.
Below, a few miscellaneous photos that didn’t make it into the previous galleries but I like too much to discard. Click to enlarge and scroll through them.–Cyndi
Note from 2018: I’ll mention here that we visited Leleuvia once again in August 2018, and while the island is as beautiful as ever, the resort seems to have lost some of its spark. It’s still a very welcoming place, but they’ve cut back on the staff and meal options, the food is now rather expensive, and the bar has been moved from the center of the dining area to an out-of-the way spot, now much smaller with no bartender.
It almost seems like the owner feels having a bar is a necessary evil, something that should be hidden away and drinking not encouraged—we were never even asked if we wanted a drink with our rather expensive buffet lunch, and when I did order one they behaved as though that was an strange and unexpected thing. And they oddly seem to have gotten rid of their main office—the resort’s business affairs now taking place at a commandeered table in the dining room, but I’m hoping that’s temporary.
They’ve also taken out (or lost and not replaced) some of their moorings—there are only 1 or 2 left, but a resort vessel will still come out and show you where you can anchor, and they are still very welcoming to the yachties.
Still, this place is definitely different; maybe there’s a new owner? I don’t know, but I do hope whatever’s going on here is temporary and it returns to its wonderful normal self. Time will tell. I really hate to end all these glowing Leleuvia posts on a negative note, and I don’t want to discourage anyone from coming here as Leleuvia is a fantastic place. Just be warned that, for the time being, not to expect too much from the resort part of the experience.
