G&T FOR ME

We are packing our bags this morning, and will head over to our second hotel of the trip following golf………yes, you heard it right, back to Batalha for our final kick at the can………..all three of us happen to agree that walking this course and pulling the old trolleys is cruel and unusual punishment. Our plan is to take one riding cart (I will drive of course) and the mountain goats will alternate pulling 1 of the trolleys ……..I go it one better after the ladies tee off on #1, and drag the extra bag on the trolley to Jutta or Sibylle’s ball from the tee box and then onward to the green. It works really well, and with the course being quiet, and with this formula, we are finished 9 holes in 90 minutes……..speed of play didn’t help my game for shit, and I am again down 2 after 9, not to mention the dislocated shoulder I have from pulling their bags around. I think they put some lava rocks in the bag on #4 and I have been struggling ever since. There is hardly anyone on the course that we can see……can’t believe it on yet another fantastic weather day. How lucky are we? Even with the riding cart in the mix, this course is still a bear to walk, and I can feel the ladies faltering a little under the strain, but all it takes is a little trash talk from me (stupid), and they are immediately focussed and have me closed out by #15. 16-17-and 18 become slamma jamma holes for me off the tee………16 and 17 actually go pretty well, but 18 became a bit of a problem……….par 5, dogleg right, and if you are hitting it well, it had better be a fade or you will be through the fairway at the end. I managed a beautiful double cross, and crushed that mother with a lovely draw, cleared the trees and the OB wall left, onto the road, and I think I managed to hit a home under construction about 360 from the tee. Undeterred, I loaded up another……….this would be the mother-in-law……..pretty much the same line, but even farther………..I could hear the yelling already. As I walked closer, there were two or three guys at various points on the building, framing, plastering, whatever, but all yelling at me in Portuguese which of course I didn’t understand, but actually knew exactly what they were saying………one fella appeared to be checking over his truck parked in the road……..looking for dents?……..either way I gave them the gringo wave and dropped one in the middle of the fairway, which was my intention all along. The ladies will tell you they were so embarrassed to be playing with such a hack. Round over, I am trounced at Batalha, and we are in the car off to our new hotel.

We arrive at Solar Branco Eco Estate, finding it up a steep narrow drive on a plateau with distant views of Ponta Delgada to the west, and some grain elevators way to the east that remind us of Collingwood. We do the check in with Rubin who has tons to tell us about the property which was purchased 5 years ago by an English couple who have totally renovated it, and added a rather unique feature that has given the property a second, more recognizable name, The Gin Library (more on that later). Jutta and I will be staying in a separate building known as The Ruin, and it is immaculate, brand new, and very cool. Main floor living room with kitchenette, and the bedroom suite downstairs, complete with an outside shower option. Other outbuildings include The Barn, and Pigsty East and West. Sibylle is in the main building and has a lovely second floor room with great views.

The owners are Ali and Caroline Bullock who came to Azores from a 12 year stint in Japan, and have very interesting bio’s. They run a very slick operation and have fantastic staff who are most friendly and helpful, 5 rescue dogs, 3 rescue cats, chickens, ducks, It is almost gin o’clock so we sorta unpack and make our way over the the library…….home to the largest gin collection in Europe…..1,250 bottles. Visit the website for details, but just know that whatever your desire, they have it. There is a swapping program where you can bring a gin from your home, or just one of your favourites, and Ali will swap you for a bottle of his house gin that he makes onsite. Way too many choices, but eventually we all have a G&T in our hand, and are loving every minute of the experience. Jutta booked an in-house sushi dinner for tonight, and local chef Joana, who does this only a couple of times a week, drops by to say hello and check on our gin choices and consumption. She wants to be sure we have room for one from the exclusive Japanese collection that is not available without booking the sushi dinner.
There are only 11 of us for dinner, and our plates look fantastic…….Joana is a star, and has me order a saki infused gin for my last and final of the evening……I hate gin, but not anymore! What a fantastic evening. Many people come here just for the gin experience and buy their tickets online, but anyone staying on the property gets 1 free G&T daily……..bet you can’t have just one!

I encourage you to check out The Gin Library online as there is just too much going on here for me to write about. We will be touring Ponta Delgada tomorrow. Until then.