TravelTalkOnline - Forums powered by UBB.threads

Dinner At La Cigale Whale Tail 8 hours ago We spent a wonderful evening with Rosemary and Don celebrating their anniversary, and thank them for taking us out for dinner. They met us at D's Beach Bar and had a cocktail with us before we headed out to La Cigale for dinner in one car. The setting of La Cigale is beautiful as we have never been there before and the conversation was interesting because of their vast experience of their years of visiting SXM. The service was top notch.

I will defer to Rosemary for a report on the culinary experience as she has much more experience with dining at high end restaurants and I will supply the pictures of the night.

I will give you my thoughts on my wife's and my dining experience. My wife and I shared an order of escargot and to be honest they were good, but I've had better. My wife's entree was Roasted Scallops with brown butter on Green Asparagus Risotto and Parmesan Crisps, which she said was very good. I had the Black Angus Beef Tenderloin Filet with mashed potatoes and Sautéed Vegetables. The steak had good flavor, but to be honest, I've had a more tender steak at Jax's and The Palms.
I'll leave it up to Rosemary to review their dinners.

We thank Rosemary and Don for a lovely evening.

15 4 140 Read More

St. John questions Marie Yesterday at 09:11 PM Planning a trip to St. John soon so I have a few questions. Stayed at Gallows Point 30 years ago and would love info from someone who has been there recently. Being 30 years older, I wonder if it is difficult to walk into the water to swim out to their floating ramp? Have bars/restaurants been built closer to Gallows Point so that it may be noisy now? Also, are there still open air taxi's available in Cruz Bay? If so, how much do they cost per person? Finally, are there many open-air restaurants in Cruz Bay? Many thanks....Marie

0 47 Read More

Thursday 3/20 RonDon Yesterday at 05:54 PM Breakfast at Tortuga again. Fun watching planes and people on the beach without the hassle of Sunset Beach Bar.

After a leisurely repast we headed to The Deli to get some rations.

Afternoon on lanai watching cataraman tours dropping drunken people into the waters off BSV. We noted3 today one directly in front of our lanai. Hubby yelled a a couple who tried to deposit empty beer bottles on the beach. “Take them back to your boat!” He got the bird chucked at him but they did take the bottles with them.

Not a selling point for staying here. Hope the future doesn’t bring more to ruin this lovely spot.

Resting up for our dinner plans with the Whaletail tonight. He will post pictures, I’m sure.

4 287 Read More

Secrets at Anse Marcel early April KellyO Yesterday at 04:42 PM We are returning to Saint Martin for the first time in a few years in early April for two weeks. We have been to Saint Martin several times over the years and our first visit was over 25 years ago. The Sunset Beach Bar at the time was a fellow from the US owner operator with no electricity or bathrooms and Bud cans were $2. There was a coke cooler with ice for refrigeration. There was a surfboard stuck in the sand and yes, topless women drank for free. That was a great marketing positioning statement. There were a couple picnic tables and a dozen or so bar stools and I never saw a cash register.

Has anyone stayed at the Secrets at Anse Marcel resort lately? We are booked there but can't remember if we have been to that beach previously. I am sure it will be fine but there have been some mixed reviews prior to the re-opening. Send us a note if you happen to be at Secrets during the first two weeks of April as well.

15 608 Read More

AA cheap frequent flyer seats Carol_Hill Yesterday at 02:49 PM We just booked AA frequent flyer seats for June for main cabin for 16K each, roundtrip from Miami to SXM! I don't think we've ever used only that many miles! If anyone is looking for a trip soon, you might want to take a look!

5 305 Read More

We are booked!!!! Carol_Hill Yesterday at 02:30 PM So happy to have a trip to SXM booked!!!!

We pretty much always go to SXM in June and usually book close to a year in advance. This year we had several things going on, which fortunately seem to have resolved themselves, for the time being anyway. So--we are booked for 11 days in June on AA.

Frequent flyer tickets in main cabin for 16,000 miles ROUNDTRIP per person from Miami to SXM

Confirmed at Beachside Villas in NUMBER 14!!

Trip insurance through Insure My Trip--purchased!!

Car through Alain Arnell--just waiting to hear back on a quote!!!

Life is good!!

10 677 Read More

Dinner At The Palms - Again Whale Tail Yesterday at 02:04 AM Our second dinner at The Palms this trip. I had the Drunken Ribs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes with the mushroom gravy on the side. Just as good as ever. My wife had Jerk Chicken Kabobs with pineapple salsa and a side salad with delicious balsamic dressing. For dessert I had the Hot Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream.
We sat outside on the patio and after dinner we had a unexpected visitor from the street.
Only in St Maarten

6 11 932 Read More

Discount Car Rental Experience Scotia Yesterday at 12:49 AM I just wanted to give a positive review of our recent experience with Discount Car Rental. Isabelle and Laurent met us outside at the arrivals area of the Princess Julianna Airport at the agreed upon time. They escorted us to the nearby waiting Hyundai I20 that we had previously reserved and were expecting. After an examination of the vehicle and signing the reservation form, we were on our way. The drop off was a quick flawless affair as well. Laurent met us at the airport departure drop off lane at the agreed upon time. After a cursory look over the vehicle and assurances that we filled it up with fuel, we were on our way. The final bill presented was the same as original quote without any extra surcharges or surprises. We will use Discount again on our next visit to the island.

5 638 Read More

Wednesday 3/19 RonDon 03/19/2025 11:04 PM Bkfst on lanai again, watching cruise ships pass by.

Then to Maho pharmacy. It’s bad enough I have knee pain but now I broke a bridge. Hubby wanted me to find a dentist but I’ll wait until we get home. No pain except my tongue rubbing on a post so I got some oral gel to numb it. I’ve done okay chewing on the right side.

Toes in the water from our unit. Chatted with some nice people walking the beach. Read a bit while hubby lazed out. Chicken sandwich before heading out.

Afternoon in Marigot Marketplace. It was very crowded with cruise people and busses. Bought a hat because I’d forgotten mine in the condo. Always good to have two. Chatted with a woman from England from ship P & O. We seem to be meeting lots of British. Gave a family direction to Fort Luis.

We had planned to eat at OPlongoir for great fries but instead went to Be Kool where we each had a glass of Rose and each, Dover Sole. So delicious!

OPlongoir will have to wait for another day.

4 557 Read More

Trip Report - February 2025 Clifford 03/19/2025 09:46 PM Seeking relief from a tough midwest winter we landed in St Martin on Groundhog Day. Walking down the steps to the tarmac we went in the new entrance on the south side of the terminal. Our AA flight from Miami was the third that day and arrived just after a large KLM plane. There were plenty of people in the arrivals area which is a very long hallway almost the length of the terminal. We had pre-registered in the US but still had to wait for a kiosk to open where we scanned our passport and had our picture taken. Then to a gate where our picture was taken again and we were ready to leave the terminal. No more agent to stamp the passport.
We didn't have checked luggage so we were out in the sunshine after about 40 minutes. There we were met by our driver from Nono Car rental. Nono drives you from Juliana Airport to your car on the French side of the island.

I switched off my phones primary SIM over to an eSim from Airalo. The eSim works on a second line on most phones. Airalo sells a Caribbean package called Island Hopper that covers 26 countries. You download before you leave home, install and it is ready to go when you switch on landing. It does not specifically state that it works on the Dutch side of St Martin but it did. It worked on the French side as advertised. I had the 2 GB 15 day plan for $15. It is data only so no phone number. Google, email, WhatsApp, text and other internet based apps. I had it on a 4g phone at LTE speeds of 4m down and 1 up so it is not very good for video chat. Carriers switched between Telem, Flow/Chippie, Digicel and Dauphin. Airalo is a China based company so maybe not for business or government work!

While our driver was leaving the airport I opened Google Maps and looked at traffic. Just about every route was green! My doubts about it's accuracy were proven wrong when we arrived at our resort in record time. Grocery stores are not open late in the afternoon on Sunday. Maybe that was why traffic was light.

Our day had started at 2am with a drive to Detroit. We had a nice breakfast in Miami but with Biscoff and soda most of the day we were "losing altitude" by sunset.

We headed to Orient Village for a light dinner. Le Piment wasn't open on Sunday and there are several new names for restaurants but we chose Maison Mere. It is roomy and under a roof in case of a shower. It seems to appeal to an older French customer which is a pretty good sign. We only stayed for a short meal but my wife liked the scallops and I had triggerfish. The fish was generous in size and delicious with a tureen of buttery sauce but that was it. No garnish of any sort. The plate looked a little pale.

We stopped at Petite Casino for fixings for breakfast such as milk, bread and eggs. The cheap Mississippi eggs of previous years were nowhere. Super U had a sign in French and English apologizing for the supply problem with eggs. Eggs were 6 euro everywhere so we went back to Petit Casino for our second dozen.

The beginning of our stay was at Residence Adam et Eve. We would have liked to stay longer than 4 nights but that was all we could get and we booked last August. We had the Master suite. My wife now insists we stay again so we booked for February 2026 while we were there since it seems the Resid is very popular.

After 4 nights we moved to the Alamanda for a week. Walk out the door and turn right you are at the back of Maison Mere and on to the rest of the Village restaurants and shops. Turn left out the door, cross their adequate parking lot and you are at Wai Plage, Orient Beach and the ocean. It is one of the latest to be remodeled. The furnishings were modern and comfortable. We would stay there again as well.

We are beach people so are up with the sun to enjoy beach walks, lounging and swimming. The Club O beach is our favorite and about 1000 foot walk from where we stayed in Orient Village. This year the old Papagayo Restaurant was removed from the seashore. It looks a little better but did not open up much beach. There is now much less sand at the extreme south end of the beach. This place was favorable because it is out of the wind with a calmer surf. No more. There was also 5 old villas removed from the shoreline. It looks better but the seating area has rocks and coconuts near the surface so it is uncomfortable sitting. St Martin needs to consider beach replenishment before they lose their income. Florida pumps a lot of sand to keep up with erosion.
There is over 300 chairs available on Club O Beach. I have heard they cannot expand the seating because of government restrictions. Two thirds of the Club Orient Beach is bring your own seating so Club O could double the number of chairs without restricting the b. y. o. seating. I had to arrive before 8 am to tag a couple chairs. Most were already tagged. When the Bare Necessities Cruisers showed up there were close to 1000 people. The parking lot now charges. It was always full and cars are jammed along the beach road all the way to the Village. The outhouse was improved over last year.

For a change we went to Galion Beach. Our first trip to the island was in 2013 and we went to Galion. Along the road in was a horse stable and the Butterfly Farm. The beach had a small snack bar. All that is gone. There are no facilities. It is a very beautiful beach. It is a crescent shaped bay over half a mile across open to the ocean but without the wind and waves at Orient Beach just to the north. There is a big sand bar stretching about half way across from the north end. It is reached off Highway 7 for the old entrance for Club Orient but turn right at the pond and follow the signs for SXM Surf Club.

Our other adventures included our annual climb of Pic Paradis. Pulling in to Loterie Farm we were surrounded by a dozen monkeys. They no longer seem to inhabit the jungle but seem to gather from the garbage cans, gardens and fruit trees of residents along Pic Paradis Road. The climb through the islands only jungle is more rewarding if you stop and listen for birds and animals, the running water from the creek and see the lines of ants crossing your path. Don't get ants on you! From the Pic you can see most of the island except more vegetation is obsuring some of the views. If you do make the climb wear good laced shoes. My wife wore her fake athletic shoes with the stretch no tie laces. It was a slow and painful descent for her.

Lotterie Farm has a restaurant/bar in a jungle tree house as well as a pool and DJ. DJ is not very loud during the day.
Our evenings were mostly at restaurants in Grand Case. Our favorite Bistronome was closed. It was the favorite of others too in it's short life. Stories were told that the proprietors are now looking to open in St Barts.

We decided to savor the sunsets.

Calmos Cafe has a tiny entrance across from the parking lot at the bridge near the lolos. The free parking lot nearby seemed to always be full. Moments before 6 we pulled in just as someone was leaving. Walking in to Calmos you see a large bar and a few tables. It's young, irreverent and much like a beach bar made from rough lumber and decorated with flotsam. It does have a roof and is open to the bay. It also has two smaller decks on a lower level right near the waves splashing on some rocks.

The sun sets in February just after 6 and sets behind the mountain between Grand Case and Happy Bay. After toasting the end of daytime we had Duck Confit Parmentier. If you Google a picture it looks like what my Scottish grandmother made as shepherd's pie. Grandma had a lot of shepherds in the family who ate a casserole with baked mashed potatoes on top. This was not like that. It was a 4 inch pie shell of baked mashed potato filled with the shredded duck and a covering of baked mashed potato. It was delicious and made a better presentation on a plate. It was an actual pie.

Our next sunset was at Lava. I think this is the largest restaurant in Grand Case. It is between the lolos and Ocean 82. Once again we got a lucky spot at the free parking lot near the bridge. Walked past a gate on the Boulevard manned by a St Martin policeman. I had seen many military looking gendarmes around but this was the first police.

Lava has a big entrance with views of the bay, the bar and a large table for a big group dinner. It has about a 150 foot uncovered deck overlooking the water. There are two 50 foot banquettes facing the bay with tables and chairs facing the banquette. I thought about sharing the banquette with my wife for a view of the bay but it would have been too cosy with the other tables. It could be set up for groups. The rest of the deck is bar stools along the rail and an area of low armchairs more for drinks and conversation. Lava is French/Mediterrean/Middle Eastern. We had the mindset of different main courses. My wife had the sea bass and I had the lamb. The sauce on mine smelled so good. The smoke drifting in from the lolos not as good. Try to get a seat closest to Ocean 82.
Our third sunset in Grand Case was at Ocean 82. You sit before walls open to the ocean. A roof overhead protects from the occasional shower. We had run out of luck with the free parking and drove close to Ocean 82 to the $5 lighted parking lot. The parking pass is refunded by the restaurant.

As we entered the restaurant a van from Grand Case Beach Club pulled up with a half dozen diners. We were seated one table in from the window. They don't seem to have a problem filling the place. Our seating was a little cramped but not unpleasant. We were informed the Local Red Snapper was not available due to a strike in France. I thought is was a little more local than Europe.
Started with the Traditional Escargot. Then a Whole Sea Bass in Salt Crust. It came out on a cart. The salt crust was a fish shaped case of salt and herbs cut open and the fish removed, flambeed if you wish and deboned. Dinner ended with a "Lemon" with Zuzu which is a dairy dessert enclosed in a lemon flavored shell. Entertaining and a great meal.

Strolling along Grand Case Boulevard we noticed the Catholic Church has finally been reconstructed. The windows and doors were open and it is very well lit inside. It really brightens up the block. Sunday Mass is at 9 am. Highlight is the Caraibes choir.

Next night in Orient Village we went to Ti Palm. The is the restaurant beside the pool at the Palm Court Hotel. It is between the two traffic circles just away from the beach and past the rest of the shops in the Village. We were seated right along the pool. My wife had a Palmentier of Lamb. It was constructed similar to the one a Calmos with a mashed potato pie shell. I had the beef tenderloin. For entertainment our Sicilian friend ordered the Authentic Alle Vongole Linguini. The host pushes a cart to the table with a giant wheel of cheese, scrapes some of the cheese from a bowl shape carved in the center of the wheel. Fires up a small burner, heats the sauce with clams, flambes and pours the linguini and sauce into the bowl carved in the cheese. It was stirred a few times and placed on the plate. I would go back just to watch that again.

This is the first time we didn't go to anything in Marigot or on the Dutch side of the island. Our car rental taxi drove us to Juliana Airport. Google maps traffic was correct again only it was dark red this time through Marigot. Our driver gave us the grand tour of the town but got us to the airport with plenty of time. Curiously the day before Valentines I saw no decorations. I thought that was different from previous years

We had downloaded our boarding passes at the hotel and for the first time just went upstairs to security.

There is now high speed internet on St Martin. At Adam et Eve wifi downloads were over 100 meg. Our suite at Alamanda had wifi 6 on Dauphin Fiber at 400 meg down and up. This means a lot not just for tourists but for businesses on the island.

For only the second time in 22 trips through that airport our AA plane to Miami was boarded from a jetway.

There's a lot of construction at MIA. Doors locked, escalators out of commission etc. It seems like you walk miles to Immigration.
Do you know there are some airports where you don't have to go through TSA twice on an international return? Miami in not one yet.

We sat in a line of 30 planes for an hour waiting for weather to clear for take off. There was six inches of snow on the driveway at home but we are already booked for next February in Saint Martin.

6 656 Read More