I've been going to SXM for years and never had an issue with mold in any of the numerous places I've stayed. I stopped in SXM in September on a cruise and checked out Orient Beach, much to my happy surprise and was planning a weeklong stay during December this year. However, I've read in some condo and hotel reviews that there were some pretty bad mold issues. Having stopped overnight in SJU at the end of the cruise, the hotel we stayed in was so wet that, even with two dehumidifiers (and emptying them out before the end of the 1-night stay), the floors were moist and the smell of mold was an issue. I returned with a cough I attributed to the mold.

As much as I was looking forward to returning in December, the possibility of mold, mosquitoes and now bromates in the water are giving me pause.

I know mosquitoes are going to be there, as they always have been, and for the most part, they were manageable with repellent and being careful at dawn and dusk.

What are you hearing about mold, though? After the SJU experience, I'm "once-burned, twice-shy."

Thanks!