by Linda Baudoin | May 15, 2020 | Dining, Hotel, Nature
On a quiet early saturdaymorning walk you might have the luck to catch a glimpseof some fishermen taking in their nets. Most generally, Dominica fishermen rely upon small boats ranging from hand crafted boats carved from a single tree trunk by the native KalinagoIndians to small row boats, to slightly larger boats powered by single, 40hp outboard motors or less. Dominica fishermenuse fish nets, fish pots, spears and go out in their boats for the bigger fish.
The smaller, man-powered boats are seen daily bobbing, most generally a quarter to half a mile from shore.Using hand lines, these fishermen seek anything that will take their bait from barracuda, garfish, wahoo,snapper and other. Other fishermen can be seen checking fish pots. They go out in the sea and drop the fish pot in the ocean to come back next day or a few days later to pick their catch, many times they findlobster in the pots.Lion Fish are hunted with spear fishing. Most of the time by divers or free divers. If you come for a dive holiday this will be one of the options for you to learn!
Close to shore, others set and pull large nets to catch blue robinsand other hand-sized fish that swim close to shore in large shoals.What cannot be observed is those fishermen who have ventured 5 to 50+ miles off shore, in their single engine boats. They are seeking big fish,blue marlin and tuna.Leaving before daybreak, these brave men take their passions “out there.”You can buy fresh fish at the Fish market (where they will cut and clean it for you) or straight from the fishermen at the beach or the side of the street.We prefer to buy our fish from the fish market in Roseau where we pre-order and geta nice piece of fresh fishfor our guests!
No better treat then a fresh caughtseared tuna @ Hotel The Champs…
by Linda Baudoin | May 1, 2020 | Dining, Guest review, Hotel, Pool, Promotions, Rooms
If things loosen up again, you don’t want to stay home anymore. You deserve a nice and relaxing break on our beautiful Nature Island!
We don’t know when you are allowed to stay with us yet, but you can pre-book your StayCation now and make sure you will be one of our first guests. Off course we will welcome you with all our heart and all precautions to both keep you safe and give you the best time.
We are continuously monitoring and following the changes in recommendations and guidelines of the local governments and the local health authorities in Dominica, to continue working towards providing the best service possible while safeguarding the safety of our guests and associates.
Hotel The Champs is ready to receive guests with these precautions. Our Hotel is currently being adapted for staff and guests alike, so that it is safe to take a few days off when things are loosening up again. In order to receive guests as safely as possible and to minimize the risk of contamination, the hotel has been examined. The working protocols have been revised so guests and staff can remain 6 feet apart. This new situation required some flexibility of management, employees and guests, together we can do this.
Specifically, the hotel, restaurant and pool area have been adapted in such a way that guests can stay 6 feet apart. Barrier tables have been created in the restaurant, so that there is always a table in between guests. In addition, breakfast and diner can be served on your own private terrace if you prefer. At our pool area we put a smaller amount of sunbeds so guest can still relax in the sun with enough distance from each other.
Off course we do everything we can to put our hygiene as optimal as possible. Extra disinfection of the most-frequently-touched areas like door handles, light switches and remote controls. Posters are used to point out guidelines recommended.
If you have any questions or you want to pre-book a room directly, please don’t hesitate to contact us by WhatsApp or Cell# +1 767 616-3001 We miss our beloved guests, so we hope to see you soon!
by Edwina Simpson | Mar 14, 2020 | Dining, Guest review, Pool
We aren’t sure how many of you book your hotel stays through online travel agents or directly with the hotels themselves. There are advantages to both sides. We do love looking at our reviews as they’re real guest experiences which we are proud of and now are going to share some with you. Below is a selection from 3 of the biggest online travel agents: Booking.com, Airbnb and Tripadvisor.
There are many more wonderful reviews on these sites you should check out. We look forward to having you to stay (again?) so you can experience our special hotel on the nature island! We encourage you to book direct with us for the best deals.
by Edwina Simpson | Feb 22, 2020 | Dining, Hotel, Restaurant
Name: Tamara
Role: Breakfast and morning tasks as required. It’s a small hotel where we have to be flexible.
Tamara was given no warning of the interview and I hadn’t met her before so she was a little reserved at first but opened up easily and seemed very friendly and happy to talk to me.
Tamara standing in front of the fly curtain – made of bottle caps
(In case you’re interested there will be a separate post about the antique clock and barometer on the wall next to Tamara.)
How long have you worked here? Since December 3rd 2018
What’s your favourite item on the food menu? Waffles, but I don’t usually have breakfast at The Champs, I have oatmeal at home before I head to work, starting at 7am. I usually finish at 2 or 3pm.
How far away do you live? 25 mins walk mostly up the hill on the way, just behind IGA Supermarket in Picard. Of course after a day at work it’s a less tiring walk downhill to get home.
Where’s your favourite spot in Dominica? My home village is Cottage where I go and watch them play rounders, I used to play too but can’t really join in and practice because live here. Cottage is just north of Toucari Bay, so by public transport would take far too long to get to us on a regular basis reliably.
Cottage, just north of Toucari Bay (The Champs is just off the bottom of the map)
What are your hobbies? I make candies like ginger and peppermints and sell them at family and friend’s shop. I also make sorrel jam which is available at The Champs.
Breakfast and lunch breads are all made by Tamara as well as apple pie.
Stay tuned for more insights into our staff members!
by Edwina Simpson | Feb 14, 2020 | Dining, Hiking, Travel Tips, Waterfall
The second part of this daytrip includes the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site – Emerald Falls – but lets not forget from last week that after the hike to Salton Falls lunch is now in order.
Turn right out of Salton Falls and after about 2 minutes driving a straight road you will arrive at Pond Casse roundabout. You take the second exit/go straight across it and after about another 3 minutes you will see Zeb Zepis Bistro on your right.
Zeb Zepis Bistro
We’re big fans of this restaurant – a mixture of French and Creole influences; some really delicious and creative locally sourced food. Cash or local cheques only. Closed Mondays.
After lunch you can turn right out of the restaurant and head towards Emerald Falls; you will see a road that turns to your left and the UNESCO World Heritage Site – Emeralf Falls is after on your left, well signposted. But before you get there you will come across a vegetable and fruit stall on the left side of the road known as the Farmacy, the proprietor of which will no doubt introduce you to a fruit or vegetable you’ve never heard of.
The Farmacy
Emerald Falls is part of the Morne Trois Pitons National Park. You can buy a one time entrance ticket for $14ECD or $5USD of pay for a week’s pass to many other sites on the island for $33ECD or about $12USD. The path is well paved and walks gently round and down to the beautiful pool and fall of about 50 feet/15 feet.
Emerald Falls and pool
The approach to Emerald Falls
There are a few curio shops at the entrance you may want to check out on your way out. You simply drive back the way you came to The Champs Hotel. We will be waiting to hear all about it. You may wish to stop at the beautiful Mero Beach on your way home if you have time and fancy another swim (you can swim in both Emerald and Salton pools), or just wait for a swim at our pool with a cocktail from the bar.
We can tell you about Mero beach in another blog sometime…
by Monique Jacob | Jan 31, 2020 | Dining, Restaurant
Perched in the hills of Picard, Restaurant the Champs is the ‘perfect’ blend of Chef Kevin’s mouthwatering meals, five-star service with a smile, and relaxing panoramic views of the best Dominica’s North West Coasts have to offer.
The Champs caters to a wide range of discerning tastes and our restaurant aims to please, from Pizza Nights to Fine Dining, everything is made fresh, balancing a delicious fusion of international and island cuisine. Choose from a variety of in-house dining options: in our top-floor restaurant, on your guest room balcony or inside your room, or poolside. Every option offers some of The Champs’ signature views. What else could guests want when visiting the Nature Island?
The town of Portsmouth has a growing variety of options for foodies, be it lunch, dinner, cocktails and whatever the palette desires we can find it, even if it takes you off-property. At Hotel the Champs, we are here to satisfy the varying tastes of our guests, our friendly concierge team can recommend and make reservations for guests who want to go sample the local and international fare around the town. One option which we recommend is Zing Zing Restaurant at the luxurious Secret Bay Resort (Lise actually dined there for her 60th Birthday — Check out our earlier blog post).
Zing Zing is Secret Bay’s centrally-located, sit-down restaurant, which offers locally-sourced fare with a “no menu” dining experience set to jaw-dropping views of Tibay Beach. Zing Zing sets a romantic scene with a canopy-style roof, display kitchen and private dining room. The restaurant opens for dinner service on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:00 until 9:00pm, by reservation only. Source: SecretBay.dm
Dining around Portsmouth does not end at Secret Bay, guests can select from the 5-Star restaurants of the Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski to fresh-caught local seafood at Keepin It Real in Toucari. Just let us know what you’d like and we’ll get it done.
