THE past week or so has been wonderful for me as there have been an unbelievable series of old friends visiting Bermuda. Of course, it hasn't been so wonderful for my visitors as their holidays have taken place during the the horrible, cold, windy, rainy weather we have just recently experienced!

A lot of the husbands have been playing in a golf tournament and, for those of you have read my column for a while, they were dear, old friends of Gary's. A few of them had been staying at Grotto Bay and a group of the girlies had invited me to go to lunch there. I actually don't think that I've been to Grotto Bay since I was a young child. I think that the last time that I was there was for some sort of pirate party that took place in the cave and I can remember a very nasty looking buccaneer standing menacingly on guard at the entrance of the cave with a cutlass, blacked out teeth and a skull and crossbones tattooed on his upper arm. The whole scenario made me feel so terrified that I think I had nightmares for weeks afterwards! I can remember screaming at the top of my lungs and running back to the car begging to go home and I honestly don't think that I've been back there since.

In fact the other night when I was at the St. George's Dinghy Club someone won a raffle for a night at the Grotto Bay and I had thought that I'd rather spend the night in Monkey Rat's old army ambulance than do that. Well, I'll let you know that when I went there for lunch today I was more than overly impressed and wished that I'd won the raffle. The main building that houses the dining rooms, bar, lounge and lobby was recently completely revamped under the guidance of interior designer/architect Sam Rosenberg from West Palm Beach. The look and atmosphere are light and airy with the bleached pine walls and striking colours. There are massive palm trees (fake but tastefully so) dotted everywhere and bold fabrics, which complement the paleness of the wood.

All of this, of course, looks out onto that gorgeous stretch of ocean by the airport. I must say that I would be happy to ensconce myself in these surroundings for a fair part of the day ? and probably the evening too. My friends and I trotted down to the poolside restaurant (Bayside Bar and Grill) and unfortunately for me we had to pass the entrance to the cave (which still fills me with horror!) but it was worth it because the setting was absolutely delightful.

It was a warm, sunny November day but it felt like the middle of summer. The outlook is gorgeous and even though you have a great vista of the airport it's not as though you are sitting down on the runway at Logan or Heathrow. It is actually quite pleasant to see the planes arriving and taking off and I guess that the wind was in the right direction so there was absolutely no aviation noise.

The menu was what you would expect, nothing out of the ordinary, same old, same old but what came was good and also it was all of excellent quality, and extremely well executed (I mean sandwiches with ingredients like tons of sliced brie with a mountain of ham shavings) and my Caesar with grilled shrimp was great (the shrimp had been freshly grilled on the barbecue) and also containing homemade croutons, my criterion for a good Caesar.

The only criticism I had was being served wine in one of those flimsy plastic glasses that you get at the Supermarket. I know that you are down at the pool area but some upmarket decent, solid plastic ones would have been more in keeping with the setting. I admit to having an aversion to drinking out of plastic anyway but the flimsy ones kept blowing over in the wind and I don't know I just find them a bit tacky.

They will be keeping the Bayside Bar and Grill open on fine days during the winter months. So I would definitely stop by (check first) to have lunch or a cocktail. There is nothing much that I would rave about restaurant-wise in St. George's so this is a very good alternative pit stop.

Also they do a great Sunday Brunch in the Palm Court restaurant upstairs with zillions of different appetising dishes. It would be a good idea perhaps if you are picking someone up from the airport on one of those lunchtime flights to stop off there on the way back to sample it.

The Hibiscus Room restaurant could also be somewhere you might want to try out for dinner. They change the menu nightly and from what I've seen of the seven menus you are certainly spoilt for choice and you won't be breaking the bank. Such dishes as Ginger Sesame Scented Rack of Lamb ($23.50) or Roast Angus beef tenderloin ($26.50) are but a few of the main courses that you can choose from on varying nights. If you decide that you might want to go, it would perhaps be a good idea to call and see what they are serving that evening.

All in all I would say that my Grotto Bay experience was a very good one. My friends who were staying there were totally enamoured with the place and will definitely return, which in itself is a very good sign. Also in this day and age, with a lot of our hotels being owned by huge conglomerates, it is nice to know that this one is Bermudian owned and managed.

Very quickly, I must just tell you about a slightly humiliating experience that I underwent this past week. One of the aforementioned golfers called me up and asked me out on a date. I had been date-free for just a little while so was really looking forward to it. So much so in fact that I went to Kelly ? my all-time favourite hairdresser ? to get my tresses attended to, and spent hours deciding what I was going to wear. I nervously arrived at the appointed hour at the restaurant that he had chosen. I looked all around for him at a table for two but to no avail. I suddenly spotted him at a large table for ten (so much for the intimate little dinner!) and not only that but I was plonked in between two of the most enormous beer-gutted men I think that I have ever encountered (not even next to my date).

These men looked as though they had enjoyed many outings at the Beer Fest in Munich and it was almost inconceivable to imagine them swinging a club without their own personal brewery getting in the way. I think that I hid my disappointment quite well and tried to get into animated conversation with these two. It wasn't easy; the one on my right yacked on non-stop about his two Boxer dogs and how they were like sons to him and they would play football together and all sorts of other sports. A little bizarre I thought but I am a dog lover so basically anything goes. The gentleman on my left was intent on telling me all the ins and outs of his small insurance company in downtown Nowheresville. This needless to say was riveting and I couldn't decide which one I wanted to talk to most.

My "date" seemed to be completely ignoring me although he did at one point say to me that I looked really tired. That, in my estimation, is another way of saying that I looked really old (I know that one; I have used it myself on occasion). I decided, after that comment, that I didn't really like this guy at all. Luckily the evening went by very quickly which is surprising considering the quality and content of the conversation.

When we got up to leave I stopped briefly at a table to say hello to a couple of friends of mine and when I got outside the restaurant I saw the beer worshippers and my "date" whizzing off in a taxi. I guess that I must have been looking cadaverously tired! Oh well, easy come ? easy (quickly) go!

By the way if you haven't already done so, you must get this months magazine. Apart from other things, the article entitled "Taverns of Bermuda, Old and New" which was written in 1935 by my uncle Charles makes for hilarious reading. You will no doubt see that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and some time soon I would love to re-enact his journey. When I do it though I think that I shall cast the bike aside and have a chauffeur in constant attendance!

Here is an absolutely divine stuffing recipe for your Thanksgiving turkey. You can make it a few days in advance and just keep it chilled. Stuffing is actually my favourite part of a turkey dinner and this one is non- time consuming and you will be snacking on it for days after the event!

3 cups onions, coarsely chopped, 1-pound sliced bacon cut crosswise into 1-inch wide pieces, 3 celery ribs cut into 1/2-inch slices, 1 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 large garlic cloves, minced, 15-ounes baby spinach leaves coarsely chopped, 1X 9-inch round country style loaf of bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes and lightly toasted, 2 cups salted cashew nuts coarsely chopped, 1 stick unsalted butter, 1-cup turkey or chicken broth

Fry bacon in two batches stirring until crisp ? about 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towel and drain. Reserve 1/3-cup of bacon fat in the skillet and add the onion, celery, salt and pepper. Cook until soft, which is about 5 minutes and then add the garlic stirring for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the spinach, bread, cashews, butter, bacon and stock. Cool completely.