Monday, February 7, 2011

Wind Star Review 2

The staff and crew of the Wind Star could not have been more friendly and accommodating. The ship‘s British captain, Mark Boylin, frequently roamed the ship conversing with both crew and passengers. Hotel Manager Jeffrey Jack treated Ben and me with a bottle of wine when he learned we were celebrating our anniversary; his wife of just a year, Simona, ran the gift shop. The other married couple of note were our host and hostess Sam (basically, our cruise director) and Shauna (who minded the front office).

Our wonderful onboard naturalist, Carlos Picado, gave presentations on our shore excursions and Costa Rica in general, and was always available at our ports of call offering direction and guidance. Ben and I invited him to dinner at Candles one night to learn more about and from this local treasure.

The lounge served as both lecture hall and entertainment venue for the onboard musician/singer and two visiting local dance troupes. Besides the lounge, the only "congregating areas" were the dining room and the open deck space on top. On a small sailing ship, what more do you need?

I must say that food was excellent. Breakfast and lunch were served in the casual Veranda Restaurant. For breakfast we had our choice of buffet, short order selections, or even Eggs Benedict. Lunch was basically the same with several salad and cold cut options, plus short order burgers and pasta dishes. The dinner menu varied each night, but always featured a fish, meat, chicken, and vegetarian option. Needless to say, delicious fresh fruit abounded--mangoes, papayas, coconuts, melons--and I never ate a bad seafood dish. As referenced above, guests could also opt to eat at Candles for dinner, the Veranda restaurant-turned-intimate for evening meals. There was no charge, but reservations were required. We ate there twice and found the food and service excellent, especially the beef filet.

A limited room service menu was offered 24 hours, too.  Another nice perk is the free bottled water handed out to everyone before each excursion/day in port and on transfers to and from the ship.

Ben has posted all of our photos now, so check 'em out by clicking here!

Next up: ports of call.

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