A short report in response to questions I have seen on this site over the last 2 weeks. We have been at Beachside Villas for 10 days and amazed at what the staff has accomplished since Irma. It appears there are now 4 units open at Beachside and they are working from sunrise to sunset to keep moving forward. We have eaten at Bavarian German several times and the food was great. Next up was White Swan twice and as always the food was good. We have also eaten at Rendevous in Porto Cupecoy and they have a reasonably priced happy hour. Also, we have eaten at 3 Amigos in Maho and Savannah Thai in Simpson Bay. We have had lunch and dinner numerous times at El Zafaro and happy to see Ed & Nicole are recovering and have units available to rent. Our island impressions; we have been tracking down island friends and helping where we can. They all offer a thank you for coming we need visitors to sustain the economy. One person told of the roof blowing away and he and the family laid on the bathroom floor praying they would make it through the night. We have driven to many of our favorite places to check on rebuilding. Chesterfields is closed and we spoke with the owner yesterday-he was on the roof with several laborers trying to get the roof finished. He told us he is going to try and reopen in a month or two. Next we walked and drove through the French side and it will be a long time before any sense of normalcy. We have checked on the Towers in Mullet twice and there are holes in the roof, windows out and not a person to be seen. We stopped and spoke with the staff at Daleos on Mullet Beach. They are open with food, beverages and chair rentals. Rosies on the beach is also open and on the weekend both areas were packed tight with locals and visitors. Having stayed 4-6 weeks annually at LaTerrasse in Maho we were overcome by the damage to all of the stores, condos, casino and Sonesta Hotel. Many of the merchants have told us they are looking at a 2+ year rebuilding process and will probably move to Simpson Bay or elsewhere. There seems to be good news for both Royal Islander properties-possibly reopening in the fall. Lastly walking by the airport terminal upon arrival-I could not get over the odor of mold and seeing there was still standing water in the building. If you are able to find a flight to the island there are many places to stay and your visit will be appreciated by the people of the friendly island.
