December 18, 2020

Guam

After flying for 40 minutes to an island next to Saipan, we found ourselves in a buzzing and lively place – after all, the rhythm of life on these two islands is very different. Guam is clearly more active and developed. Well, for a tropical island. Perhaps the reason for this is the presence of the largest Pacific naval base of the United States. Perhaps, more entertainment for the military? Amazing local flavor – lying on the beach under the palm trees, looking up at the sky, and suddenly you see a giant gray B-52 slowly flying low. And the local bars are filled with strong young men in civilian clothes with short hair and the same iron medallions on the neck. In general, this was a strange feeling. We chose the hotel via HotelHunter from the point of view of location – to be on the first line, and preferably at the end of the beach to be less crowded.

There were more cafes, bars, shops than on Saipan, even a Hard Rock Cafe. There is a big choice of activities after a long day on the beach. We particularly liked Churrasco – a Brazilian steak house, serving various types of steaks cooked in large pieces on a long skewer (similar to shawarma) and served to customers at their request. Imagine, you are sitting at a table, someone is walking by and carrying another piece on the skewer, and you’re like, “What’s that? Sirloin? Nah, I’ll wait for fillet”. And it went on for the entire evening. Or there is another popular island specialty – Surf &Turf, steak and lobster. It is available in many places, but here it’s just amazing, you get a huge piece of meat and a side of a lobster tail for 10-ish dollars. Lobster dishes are popular and the prices are fair (for a delicacy, that is). We assumed that they are grown here, and we float over the vast lobster fields. Well, it is quite possible that there is a giant lobster living in the Mariana trench, and is just waiting to get even with hedonistically minded travelers… So, the steak houses there are in high esteem, and the portions are just dazzling.

But there is was another place in Guam that impressed us so much that e can’t forget it. It was Beach Bar at Gun Beach. It is hard to describe the magic of the place – was it the live music at sunset, when the sun sinks gracefully into the sea behind the bar. Or the slow service of friendly bartenders, creating a relaxed environment. Perhaps, there is a special ingredient in the local cocktails? But the fact remains – this place will not be forgotten, it will keep calling us to come back again and again, and most likely, leave the strongest impression of the entire trip. Overall, I highly recommend it.

The trip in general left us with mixed impressions. Seoul has a vibe of an Asian metropolis, and the islands charmed us with their relaxed paradise feeling. If you ask me if going to the other side of the globe is worth all the efforts, I will definitely say yes. Because there’s Beach Bar.

Advice: To choose a best beach in Guam you may visit 1001beach.

To book an excursion with local guide – use Excurzilla.