Thank you Fairmont Royal Pavilion for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

During my first ever trip to Barbados this April (my first time in the Caribbean!), I was astonished by the color of the water. It is something unlike anything I’ve seen before.  Vibrantly turquoise, the water is so clear, you can see every little fish that swims by.  Just watching this beautiful sea became one of my most favorite things to do on the island.  And what better way to spend time on your vacation than enjoy a great food combined with a stunning view of the beautiful, crystal-cear, turquoise Caribbean Sea?

The Palm Terrace Restaurant at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion Resort offers one of the best views in Barbados, as well as an amazing food.

And the resort itself is gorgeous, located on the pristine stretch of the beach, with beautiful, soft sand, and yes, just take a look at this gorgeous turquoise Caribbean water before I continue on about the food and the restaurant.   Let the tranquility fill you as you look at these pictures …

The night of our dinner was Lobster Night at Palm Terrace, with a little special extra menu addition to the main menu.  We did try a couple of items from their special lobster menu, but the majority of meals that we had came from their regular menu.   The prices are in the Barbados dollars (the exchange rate is 2 Barbados dollars = 1 US dollar)

There was also beautiful live music in the background with a really amazing performer:

Palm Terrace has an open-air setting, with huge white arches opening right into the Caribbean sea.  It has an old world feeling to it, and the ambience at night is breathtaking, with the sea being beautifully illuminated with lights.   Even at night, the Caribbean Sea, as seen from the Palm Terrace restaurant, remains stunningly turquoise, and you can occasionally feel a gentle cool sea breeze coming through the open arches.

We started our dinner with a couple of appetizers.  Take a look at these beautiful Seared Atlantic Scallops with Green Sweet Pea Panna Cotta, Coconut, and Prosciutto:

For salad, we had Local Goat’s Cheese and Beets, which was beautifully presented:

Next, we had an Octopus Carpaccio with Olive, Caper, Cherry Tomato Powder, Cumin Aioli:

Then we had a couple of items from their special Lobster Night menu.  Delicious Lobster & Crab Bisque:

And Lobster Creme Brulee.  Finger-licking good and beautifully presented.

As though the appetizers were not stunning enough, then came the main dishes.  Look how beautifully this fish is presented.   Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Lemon, Purple Mashed Potato, Mango Pearls, Sweet Pepper Aioli.

Amazing Chicken Roulade with Carrot & Corn Puree, Shaved Cauliflower, Crispy Brussel Sprout, Wild Mushroom:

Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Confit Tomato, Olives, Organic Zucchini, Smoked Eggplant Puree.  Delicious and stunning!

Right after this meal, we had the honor of meeting the Chef Kirk who has prepared all these beautiful meals for us.  The restaurant was so busy that night, he hardly had any time and we were so lucky to chat with him about food and Barbados in general.  It’s worth noting that Palm Terrace has two amazing and talented chefs both named Kirk.   Yes, 2 chefs with the same name.   During the Lobster night, we had a lucky opportunity of meeting one of two Kirks to thank him for such an amazing dinner.

Finally, as though we did not have enough food by now, it was dessert time.  It was gorgeously presented, just like everything else.

The dinner at Palm Terrace Restaurant was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.  The quality of food, the presentation, the uniqueness of it all – everything was top notch!  Combined with the beautiful view of the Caribbean Sea, which remained brightly turquoise even at night, this restaurant became one of my favorite places to eat in Barbados!

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Thank you Vana Belle Resort for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

If you are ever in Koh Samui, Thailand and want to experience fresh seafood without having to eat street food, one of the best options is the Breeze BBQ night offered by Vana Belle Resort, where I stayed during my March visit to Thailand.

Thailand is famous for its seafood, and enjoying fresh seafood when sitting outside, next to the beach is definitely one of my top things to do. That’s exactly what Vana Belle offers during their Breeze BBQ nights. You get an amazing BBQ of fresh seafood, prime cuts of meat (chicken, pork, and beef), and the delicious buffet selection of salads, side dishes and desserts right by the beach.  No wonder they call it the Breeze BBQ.

When on vacation, the view at the dinner is just as important as the dinner itself, and you get an unparalleled view of the Gulf of Thailand at Breeze BBQ at Vana Belle Resort while sitting right by the beach, at dusk, with the sun setting and the gentle breeze coming from water:

The trees around the dining area are beautifully decorated with lights and Thai lanterns, creating a great ambiance:

Before I continue on to describe the food, I want to share how stunning the Vana Belle Resort looks at dusk.   Sunset time was one of my favorite times to take a short relaxing evening walk from my room across the property, enjoying soft light and lush greenery.

The villas are charming, with beautiful architecture and landscaping:

This villa is right by the beach:

The Breeze BBQ at Vana Belle Resort is a true seafood extravaganza!  You get to eat pretty much any kind of seafood.  It’s all fresh, you just have to make your selection, and they will BBQ it for you.  There are different kinds of sauces that you can then scoop and eat with you freshly barbecued food.   You can get all kinds of shellfish:

As well as fresh fish:

You can also have prime cuts of pork, chicken, and beef:

And don’t forget, all of this takes place outside, right by the beach.  It’s almost like eating Thailand street food, but in a much, much better setting.  I got a little bit of everything, starting with this beautiful lobster:

I got one of each kind of fresh fish:

Tiger prawns or giant shrimp, not really sure what those huge things are, but I got a couple of those, and they were outstanding!

Mussels, scallops and squid.  It’s rare that I get to eat squid, so I really enjoyed it!

You can get crab, too:

You can go with prime cuts of pork, chicken, beef, if you don’t want or can’t eat seafood.  I didn’t get any of that since I had already too much seafood, but it looked good and fresh:

A plate of freshly grilled seafood:

In addition to seafood and prime cuts of meat, you also get a good selection of fresh salads to go with your meal.

You can assemble your own salad with all kinds of greens, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, different kinds of dressings, even quail eggs:

You can also try readily made Thai salads, such as this spicy meat salad:

Or this seafood salad with tomatoes and lychee:

There is also a good selection of hot side dishes, such as roasted vegetables:

Pineapple fried rice, one of my favorite dishes in Thailand:

And also, potatoes and corn.  Something for everybody!

And, of course, there is the dessert table!  Fresh fruit, Thai desserts, creme brulee.

This creme brulee was soo good!

And beautifully presented fresh fruit:

This was a beautiful Breeze BBQ night by the beach at the Vana Belle Resort.  The seafood choices were so extensive they would satisfy everybody’s taste: lobster, crab, mussels, shrimp or prawn, squid, scallops, fish, prime cuts of meat for those who don’t eat seafood, etc.  The side dishes and the salads perfectly complimented the grilled food.   Everything was set in a perfect location by the beach.  The beach area at night was quiet with just an occasional pleasant splashing of the waves, but the BBQ area was bustling with an amazing and caring Vana Belle’s staff and the guests enjoying this seafood BBQ.

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