My kind of five-star hotel…

Revisiting places from ones past is often a disappointment.  That is why I’ve resisted visiting the small hotel where I used to stay on my visits to Dominica.   I pass by the Cheery Lodge Hotel (Est. 1900) almost every time I go into town.  However, I’ve been unsure if still operated as a hotel.  Most of the frontage at street level is now shops.   

But yesterday, the front door was open and I peeped inside.  The West Indian period-piece dining room was still there, albeit partitioned off to half its original size.  I called out but no answer.  Hesitantly, I climbed the staircase and called again.  This time I was greeted like a long lost son by the very same lady that greeted me over twenty years ago. 

Here’s a sketch that I made of my room when I last stayed there.  Creaking bed, creaking floorboards and a balcony that funnelled in all the sounds from the street.  Pinned to the wall were the following instructions for getting hot water from the shower:

1. Turn red knob clockwise/counter clockwise – no water will flow.
2. Turn blue knob on – water will now flow.
3. To regulate – Too hot, use more cold water or less hot water.

Now that’s my kind of Caribbean five-star hotel!