Hotel Rival, Cap Haitien

Steps to the beach are to the right of the gate.

I learned about Hotel Rival from Paul Clammer’s Bradt Haiti guide. I wanted to go to Fort Picolet so stayed in the hotel closest so I could walk. It is a clean hotel with a great view of the ocean and a nice pool. The bar area has nice ocean view seating. Ask for room #2 to get a large corner room with 2 balconies. The property, tucked into the hillside, shares a gated road with houses, so you have a quiet road to walk and see birds. The road to get to the hotel is a bit rough, but passes a small fort (Etienne-Magny) that I didn’t notice was a fort until I passed it later on a moto and saw the canons. The Crammer guide mentions a second fort that might have been what formed the wall along the road at the hotel gate.

It was odd that I seemed to be the only guest, and the staff weren’t at the front desk much, mostly saw them hanging out upstairs near the bar looking at their phones. I ordered a drink, they couldn’t make change for my $20US bill, so I gave them my remaining small bills and didn’t have any left for a tip. The room didn’t have electricity part of the time. The bathroom didn’t have amenities except towels and a bar of soap. I forgot to see if the shower had hot water since I’m not used to having any! According to the Crammer guide there is a restaurant, which must have been the bar area, but there was no indication they served food until I went up the next morning for the complimentary breakfast which was really good - an omelet, bread, butter, jelly, juice and coffee. Someone else was eating there so I must not have been the only guest.

Don't get excited about swimming at the beach. You can access it from stairs outside the hotel gate (the start of the route to Fort Picolet), but is a bit trashy (including a syringe - don't go barefoot, but I've seen worse). Knowing what runs off into the bay from Cap made me leery of going in the water. Plus people literally bathing there, and groups of men standing around watching, made me uncomfortable about being the only foreigner.

I am a low key traveler with electricity only part of the time at home, so the sparseness and partial no electricity was ok with me, but if you expect the amenities of the Roi Christophe or Mont Joli you might be disappointed. It is not within walking distance of anything except the forts. That and the ocean view was the only thing that made it worth $100 for one night. I think if they charged $70/night they'd have more guests, and thus could improve the service! So enjoy Hotel Rival for the view, pool, and access to forts!

Yummy breakfast and great view!

All rooms seem to face the ocean.

Nice pool!

Large room!

One of the balconies on room #2.

Fort Picolet, Cap Haitien

Thanks to Paul Clammer’s Bradt Haiti guide, I learned about Fort Picolet and stayed in the nearby Hotel Rival to go on an early morning hike to explore the fort. The 'path' to the fort starts outside the gate to the hotel, go down the stairs to the beach. And keep following the shore at the base of the hill. Wear sturdy shoes that you can get wet (there's medical and other trash on the beach - don't go barefooted). We departed about an hour before high tide and didn’t have to walk through water, but have heard that at high tide water might be up to your knees.

Clammer describes the walk as involving 'a bit of scrambling' which must be British for you need to walk over loose rocks of all sizes and hang onto your surefooted friend to get up and down the big rocks and steps along the shore. See the photos for how high you need to scramble. Would be difficult for someone with bad knees or unsteady in walking.

Once at the fort just climb the stairs and explore! The guide book says this is a French fort built around 1740. There are still canons there. Be sure to go up the little set of stairs on the wall they sit along, and down the other side, and you'll get a good view the waves crashing into the rocks below. On the other side of the fort is a metal structure that must have been a light house.

We started the hike at 6:30a and were back at the hotel at 8am. There are paths to follow if you want to explore more of the hillside. There was no one at the fort, and no one along the way harassed us. There are signs of recent Vodou practice at the fort, even a peristyle, and people were praying with candles at a huge rock that is on the way to the fort.

It is well worth the walk! And look for the cool crabs and snails on the way.

The view from the start of the walk near Hotel Rival

Climb up and over the rocks!

A big step up!

The steps from the beach up to the fort.

At the fort, looking back at Hotel Rival

The peristyle

A lighthouse?

Birding along the Bay of Acul

The gravel beach at the end of the road

If you want to see shore birds and waders, including glossy ibis and black-necked stilts, travel the road that runs along the west side of the Bay of Acul. It leaves National Rt. 1 less than 2 miles from UCNH in Haut Limbe as you head toward Cap Haitien, or about 9 miles west of Cap Haitien. The road ends at a gravel beach that has restaurant stalls. We were there early in the morning so didn’t get to see how many people come to use the beach, or how many food stalls operate. The only birds were English House Sparrows and a passing Great Egret and Cattle Egret.

The hub of bird activity is in the rice fields along the bay. Stop along the road and follow a path towards the bay. You should have a Haitien friend escort you into the fields, to ask permission to pass and explain to the local people why you are there. We drew a little crowd. We saw many glossy ibis, killdeer, lesser yellow legs, and cattle egrets. We also saw 13 bird species on the walk along the road between St. Louis and St. Michel, including a grassquit and 2 red-tailed hawks. If you enter your birds into eBird, be sure to mark the shore and rice field/mangrove survey as part of the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC)!

Rice fields and mangroves - there are many birds out there!

Walking the road between St. Louis and St. Michel

Hotel Mont Joli Cap Haitien

I had the opportunity to stay at the Mont Joli so I could meet with fellow ecologists and water scientists. The Joli is a cute hotel tucked onto the hillside above Cap Haitien – you can’t tell how steep the road is from satellite imagery or maps. It doesn’t occupy much space, but offers scenic views of the bay and town below. The restaurant is down the stairs next to the pool, and offers typical Haitian chicken and seafood plates plus burgers and pasta (please don’t eat conch/lambi – they are ENDANGERED!). Along with the typical limited options for vegetarians (pasta, french fries, fried plantains and rice), not too exciting, but it was good. There is seating on the main level near the bar for relaxing and meeting other hotel guests. The rooms have AC and hot water, along with a view of the bay. There’s a little gift shop in case you forgot essentials or want a t-shirt that says Mont Joli. If you are up it you can walk down the step hill to the Roi Christophe and nearby restaurants. Or hug the side of the road and walk up hill to see trees and maybe the scaly-naped pigeon that I saw on a property located above the Joli.

Musee de Guahaba

Along National Highway 1 in Limbe in northern Haiti is a small museum of pre- and post-Columbian artifacts found in northern Haiti. Medical doctor and amateur archaeologist Dr. William Hodges led expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the University of Florida, to unearth artifacts created by the Taino and other native groups who lived in Haiti before Columbus and Europeans landed, and in the 1980s created the museum to display them (more info here). While some of the wording is reflective of western attitudes of Dr. Hodges era, the museum is a nice presentation of the history of Haiti, including the colonial slave period. Hours aren’t posted, just stop and look for the caretaker who has the key. I gave him a small donation for letting me and my friend see the museum. He explained some of the paintings, and perhaps would have explained more if we had more time to spend there. Allow an hour if you want to read everything. We were able to briefly look at most everything in 20 minutes. Signs are in French and English, but unfortunately the red ink of the English has faded on many signs. While the stone, ceramic, and metal artifacts seem stable, the displays are showing age and the entire museum could use a cleaning and upgrade. I work in a nearby university – contact me if you are interested in training students and others as to how to preserve this museum!

 

Restaurants in Cap Haitian

Cap Deli veggie pizza and passion fruit juice

Cap Haitien has many restaurants – here are some. All seem to take American money and credit cards. Please don't order lambi (conch) - they are endangered!

Cap Deli - This restaurant is along the main road Buccaneer (Blvd du Cap-Haitien) that runs along the bay and port and as a pizza and burger joint is a good place for lunch within walking distance of Hotel Roi Christophe. It has covered patio seating upstairs with views of the port, or dining inside. See menu photos, lots of vegetarian options, slowish service but interesting views for waiting.

Lolos - Also within walking distance of Hotel Roi Christophe, Lolo’s has outdoor partially covered seating in a nice ambiance of Haiti art and outdoor lighting – a nice place for dinner. They make their own pasta! I’ve had the flatbread, and pasta with alfredo sauce, but my favorite was the pumpkin spheres because they are so different. They are gooey melted cheese balls with a pumpkin puree coating. Because there is only 3 and they are rich, they would be better with a salad, or small side of pasta. See menu photo, vegetarian options, not horribly slow service, nice ambiance for waiting.

Auberge Villa Cana – Walk through the hotel property towards the back and you will come to the restaurant (see this post for hotel info). I didn’t take a photo of the menu but remember it was typical Haitian food, and maybe burgers, with not many vegetarian options. The Haitian spaghetti with no meat was very good, and they have juices. Typical slow service.

Lea Market – This is a relatively new modern grocery store on Rue 5 Blvd (see facebook page) that has a deli (sandwiches and juices) and western-style foods (imported mainly from Europe) – cheese and dairy products, wine, good chocolate, packaged and canned foods. It is very clean. They don’t give goudes as change if you pay in American dollars, but you can use a credit card!

Hotel Roi Christophe restaurant - The restaurant has a nice setting on a covered porch in front of the hotel. They offer burgers and sandwiches, appetizers such as the mozarella and tomatoes pictured, typical plates of seafood, chicken, and goat, and ice cream for dessert! My cheese sandwich and french fries were good. Please don't order the lambi/conch - it is engangered! Service wasn't too slow.

Cap Deli menu side 1

Cap Deli menu side 2

Lolo's menu - front side

Lolo's - making pasta

Lolo's dining area

Lolo's yummy pumpkin spheres

Roi mozzarella and tomato appetizer, & granadia juice.

Roi ice cream

Roi menu 1

Roi menu 2