We just retuned from 2 weeks in and around sxm and wish we were still there!
We flew in on Jan 19th and stayed the night at the Seaview in downtown Philipsburg. This may be an old property and not be very flashy, but you could have eaten off the edge of the toilet bowl, it was so clean, and we were only staying the one night.
The next morning, we folloed the ttol suggestion to a place across from DK Gems to buy rum and trundled our baggage down the boardwalk to the cruise terminal. The Sagitta is the newest sailing ship from Island Windjammers, a small company started by fans of the Barefoot Windjammer line. It just started sailing out of Philipsburg in December and holds a total of 22 passengers. As it turned out, only 12 were registered for the sail, so we were pampered by the 11 crewmates.
We sailed Sunday to St. Barths and grabbed groceries and a cab to Saline to get so full sun time. The weather was perfect! That night it was on to Nevis for the day and then on to St. Kitts, followed by Statia and Anguilla.
My wife and I decided long ago that we are not "cruisers," but this never felt like a cruise and was a wonderful adventure. The cook created outstanding meals based on local island recipes, and even cooked the fish, caught off the side by a fellow guest, as side dishes. The side trips offered on some of the islands were far above those we had seen offered by the average cruise and moderately priced. The crew was highly attentive and who doesn't love a boat that suggests you bring your own ligour to go with the mixes and beer that they provide at no additional charge. All in all it was outstanding!
On our return on the 26th, the rental car that came with our condo picked us up at the cruise terminal and took us to our vacation spot in Orient Village, in the apartments above the the bakery and 50/50, just down from the Tap 5. This was a perfect location, near restaurants and Orient Beach. Most days after that were spent on chairs by Club Orient in sand gravity mode.
We did rake Peggy and Paul's around the island nude adventure, minus Paul, who was in Holland. The seas were a bit rough, and the snorkeling limited, but is was a riot. We had done Tiko Tiko in the past and this was a totally different and fun experience. On the way back, we saw the Russian yaght "A" in Simpson bay, which was an amazing site - like a vessel out of a James Bond Movie.
We sunned, ate, shopped and had a very relaxing vacation, with a few trips to the local casinos to top things off at night. I have to say that the ttol suggestion of Bamboo Bernies for sushi was so on point, we ate there twice! Pedros was also a two time visit for luch, since they were doing a great jerk chicken and rib combo on the grill.
We did hear a lot of people talking about the gendarms! Several had been stopped leaving Club Orient and tested with a breathalyzer. The on the spot fine, with no ticket, seemed to be a standard $120. One man said he had one beer all day and still registered over the limit. The fellow in the condo next two us was also nailed leaving the gas station without his seat belt buckled, for $125. Just be aware...
Two stopped by Happy Bay for beers and lunch with friends, while we were there with P&P, and made those they saw put on suits. Again, just be aware...
We flew home on Feb 3 and I sat next to the architect for the new Hard Rock Casino Hotel complex on the plane. He had been looking over the site and will be down monthly over the next 20 monthes or so to oversee the work. He showed me the initial plans and talked about some of the changes he was recommending, based on the visit, but that is all another story to share in a later post. It will be quite the addition to the island!
It was a wonderful visit and we plan to be back in a few years to enjoy the island again. Next year we will be taking the kids and grandkids on trip, and they would not enjoy doing what we like to do on St. Martin!
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