Saba: Juliana’s
Our recent trip to Saba was absolutely perfect and Juliana’s Hotel had a big part in that! Juliana’s was a great fit for us and was exactly what we were looking for. The grounds are dense with hibiscus and other tropical plants, all frequented by hummingbirds so their logo is fitting.
The top three factors that were important to us in selecting a hotel:
- Somewhere quiet with a porch or deck with a great view.
- A place with a kitchen and fridge so we could prepare a few basic things.
- In walking distance to restaurants & shops.
Juliana’s met all of our criteria. It’s only a five-minute walk to the heart of Windwardside where you’ll find restaurants, dive shops, two small grocery stores, a bank with an ATM machine and various shops. We chose the Mango Apartment based on Sea Saba’s recommendation. It has a large porch with chairs and a table and a gorgeous unobstructed view of the water over the rooftops of the other cottages. We spent as much time as possible outside while we were there, gazing at the water and listening to the sounds of nature. We fell asleep every night to the sound of the bugs and tree frogs, so peaceful!
I spent every morning on our porch. I’m a morning person & it was so tranquil around 6am before the island woke up. I loved my mornings out here.
We finished everyday watching the sunset and enjoying the post sunset glow with wine, cheese & crackers. Rosco, the resident dog came to visit almost every evening hoping for a little snack. I MIGHT have given him a nibble for making the trek 🙂 He’s an old man and it was a lot of work for him to get up there. Plus we were missing our dogs, so we got our daily dog fix.
Tropics Cafe is Juliana’s on-site restaurant & breakfast is included with your room. The decor inside is cozy and there are tables, stools at the bar and an outer railing which is where we always sat. The view from there is amazing! Coffee, tea, water & juices are self-serve at the bar and Wim is there with a warm greeting ready to whip up his morning favorites for you. Don’t leave without ordering the coconut pancakes, they’re to die for. The breakfast sandwich and combo platter were other favorites as well as the Saba Spice french toast. You can’t go wrong here, everything is terrific! There’s a common table with games, puzzles and books about Saba. We really enjoyed the Saba Marine Park book and spent each morning reading about the dive sites from the prior day & learning more about the island.
Lunch here was delicious & comes up fast which is exactly what we wanted after a day of diving. The veggie wrap and the coconut shrimp wrap were our favorites! They make great fries too. We ate lunch here almost everyday then lounged around the pool until sunset, reading and napping. This was paradise! There’s free wine from 4:00-5:00 too, a nice way to end the afternoon.
Dinner starts at 7:00. We ate here twice, our first night when we were too tired to linger for long and then again on Wednesday night when they show the virtual hike film. The screen is set up on the far side of the pool. If you’re a nature lover or planning to hike during your stay I highly recommend the film. It’s only a half hour but we learned a lot about Saba, the different zones, the plants and the fauna. If you’re attending the film, get there at 6:45 to place your order and enjoy a drink. After the film, your order is ready. I had the creole snapper, amazing!
the view of Mount Scenery outside our back door
We loved everything about Juliana’s! Thanks Wim and team for a great stay, we’ll definitely be back!
Warm thoughts to all!