It was great to be back on the island after a break that was much too long. (last trip was Dec 2015) We rented cars from Kenny's as usual and actually got to have a nice long visit with Lesley while we were waiting for our friends to arrive. We stayed at The Paradise Peak Hotel for our first 3 days. LOVED it and will definitely return. Hugh and Tess, the owners were lovely and excellent hosts. They include a daily continental breakfast and a glass of wine on the deck at sunset. The view is stunning! The rest of our crew arrived on Saturday the 18th and we moved to Villa Orchid on Guana Bay. This place was perfect for us: plenty of loungers by the pool and a consistent breeze off the ocean to keep you cool. Of course Guana Bay is on the Atlantic side of the island, so we had the usual wall of sargassum that has become an expected thing these days. They bring in a tractor every couple of weeks, but it’s a losing battle. I feel really bad for the vendors on Orient, as it’s got to be affecting their businesses, and I imagine it will continue to get worse.

Our group of 10 has been traveling together for 10+ years and many of those trips have been to SXM, so we spend more time hanging out at our villa pool and catching up than anything else. I do have a few things that I would put on a “Don’t Miss This” list though, so here they are:

-Juggies & Krave - We’ve always stayed on the French side in the past, and haven’t spent much time in Phillipsburg, but I guarantee we’ll be going back to Juggies and Krave on every future trip! For those that may not have heard of them, Juggies is “The Worlds Smallest Bar” and is located between the boardwalk and front street. Krave is right across the “hallway” from Juggies, and makes EXCELLENT smashburgers. The chef at Krave is Juggie’s son. Here’s the perfect plan for your visit to Juggies and Krave: As you walk into the patio area between Juggie’s and Krave, give a wave to Juggie, then go to Krave and order your burgers.(I’d suggest adding bacon!). Tell them that you’re going to have a drink at Juggies while your food is cooking. Go have a seat at Juggies, get one of his famous “milk-less” milkshakes, and ask him to tell you about the cows that produce the product for his “milk-less” milkshakes. Drink that one really fast (so you’ll have time for a second before your burger is done), get an ‘ice cream headache’, and then order another one. Go eat your burgers at Krave, then go back to Juggie’s for another round (or 2) plus more stories. It is a PERFECT way to spend an afternoon! We were lucky enough to be there for this impromptu concert!

-Day sail on NO1SXM - Since we had ten in our group we booked a private day sail, which included a full circuit of the island and a stop at Tintamarre. What a fantastic trip. Captain Pieter and Marian were excellent hosts and the trimaran was SUCH a comfortable boat. The breakfast, lunch, and snacks were yummy and Marian kept us supplied with beverages all day long. We were under sail (no motor) for the whole trip. I think they do a max of 14, so even if you didn’t do a private trip, it wouldn’t be crowded. Oh and we saw a spotted eagle ray while snorkeling at Tintamarre!

-Parrot Ville - I LOVE birds and was really excited to visit this place, and it did not disappoint! Lots of Indian ringnecks, parrots, conures, finches, cockatiels, a cockatoo, and even a toucan! (plus many other species). For $10 you get entry plus a small bowl of seeds and the birds land on your bowl, (or your head or shoulders). One of the guys came out with a handful of peanuts and handed them around to people and the birds went CRAZY over the peanuts. I had 3 land on me as soon as I had the peanut in my hand. It was so great to get to see all the birds up close and they all seemed very healthy. Periodically large groups of them would fly a couple of circles around the entire enclosure, I was thoroughly impressed with the place.

-Hiking - We hiked Pic Paradise, the coastal trail at Guana Bay, and Naked Boy Hill (also close to Guana Bay). All the trails had great views and if you get going by 8a the temperature is really pleasant!

-Loterie Farm- This was one of our favorite places to eat before Irma and I was so very happy that they were able to re-build! They have an excellent cocktail menu and the food is fantastic. We ate there twice and I had the chicken spinach curry both times!

-Sky’s The Limit- We ate at the lolos in Grand Case twice and tried two different lolos. Everyone agreed that Sky’s The Limit was the winner of the “battle of the lolos”. 🙂 Their johnny cakes were PERFECTION and they were really generous with the stuffing in the crab backs.

-DK Gems - So I know that everyone has their favorite jewelry store, and since it’s my trip report, I’m giving a shout-out to mine! First of all, it’s hilarious that I even HAVE a “favorite jewelry store”. I have exactly two rings: my original wedding ring and my “upgraded” wedding ring that I bought at DK Gems in 1995. I never wear earrings and all my necklaces have been hand-made by a friend. None of my stuff gets special treatment, I wear rings and necklaces 24/7 which includes in the shower, gardening, biking, climbing, etc. you get the picture. My ring from 1995 was showing some signs of wear after nearly 20 years of poor treatment and I had lost a couple of the stones, so I brought it back to see if the crew at DK could freshen it up, and OF COURSE they did! It’s as good as new, and now I’m considering an upgrade on our next trip. I’m slightly more responsible now, so maybe I can be trusted with a ring with some normal-sized stones, lol. (my ring has the teeniest little diamond chips all around the band) What do you think Rajesh?!

Those are the highlights! Happy to answer questions if you have them.