We rece3ntly returned from 10 days in St. Martin. Things were pretty smooth.

FLIGHT DOWN:

Had a friend pick us up at the house at 6:00 AM on Saturday, March 16. Traffic was very light, and he dropped us off at Terminal A at the Philadelphia International Airport twenty-two minutes later.. Check-in was smooth, security not too bad; and the plane pulled away from the gate right on time, at 8:20 AM. The flight was packed - I only saw one empty seat. We touched down in St Martin just before noon, almost a half-hour early. There appeared to be no other planes ahead of us at immigration, so we went through the tent. had our passports stamped and picked up our bags without delay. The agent from Discount car rental was waiting for us, and we hopped in to our rented Kia Picanto and left. Traffic seemed lighter than usual - we arrived at our studio rental in Orient Village ( the same place that we have rented via Air B&B for the past 2 years ) at 1:20 PM.

After unpacking, we drove over to the Super U supermarket in Hope Estate for some grocery shopping. They were giving 1.05/1, USD to Euro, for cash. Returned to the rental and took a nap. Got up at about 7:00 PM, as I had made 7:30 PM dinner reservations at Le Piment restaurant in Orient Village - less than a 5 minute walk away. Food at Le Piment was pretty good. Prices were pretty high, and the service was better than last year.

BEACH:

We had about a 15-minute walk to OB. Went down every afternoon and rented 2 chairs and a parasol for $25. Other than a little rain on the first morning, the weather was magnificent. We did come back early on the first few days, as it seemed very hot and, even with generous layers of N. 70 sunscreen, I was afraid of getting burned. The water was bath-water warm, and there was not too much seaweed.

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH:

I walked up to the "Good Morning" bakery every morning, and picked up 4 croissants for breakfast. My wife had purchased coffee pods at Super U. I am a tea drinker, so I brought my own bags. lso, since I was not sure that I could get fresh milk on the island, I had purchased a one quart paper container of skim milk at Whole Foods a week before departure and froze it . It was still pretty much frozen when we arrived at the condo, but i would not do this if I had a connecting flight.

For lunch, I started the week by picking up a baguette every morning at the bakery. I would then pick up some cheese at the supemarket, and cold cuts at the high-end deli in Orient Village, On Dirait le Sud. but, we were just not that hungry most lunchtimes, so i started picking up a quiche at the bakery when I picked up my morning croissants. We then microwaved the quiche for lunch.

CAR RENTAL / GAS:

As previously noted, we rented a Kia Picanto for $38/day from Discount Car Rental. The agent was waiting for us when we came out of arrivals, and also waiting for us at departures when we left - no shuttle. I have not seen any Kia Picantos on the road in North America - they are small _ but OK for island use. It held 2 people plus luggage well enough. I spent $20 on gas. I purchased gas twice at the Cadisco Station in Orient Bay. Gas was 1.33/liter, one to one for US dollar cash purchases. So, 1.33 x 3.78 = $5.02 per gallon. I did see a Tesla parked in Orient Village, as well as 2 Citroen Amis, a 2 seater electric mini-car. But, electric cars have not yet caught on in Saint Martin.

RESTAURANTS:

As well as Le Piment, we had dinner one night in Orient Village at L'Atelier. I had the Tuna. Food and service was very good, but prices were hight. They were, however, giving 1 to 1 for USD cash purchases. We drove in to Grand Case on 4 separate nights. Twice to eat at a LOLO,as well as eating once at L"Auberge Gourmand and once at Bistro Caraibes. I had posted earlier about our disappointing meal at Bistro Caraibes. I had a very good meal at L'Auberge Gourmand, I had a fettuccini with shrimp dish. My wife had the duck, but said it was a bit dry.

We ate 3 times at Le Taitu, our favorite place. Only issue was that Jean said that he had been unable to get fresh tuna for almost 2 weeks. So, no tuna with soy sauce. We tried to get reservations at the Bistro Nu in Marigot. However, when I called. I got the new owner on the phone. He said that they were closed for renovations but would be happy to welcome us after April first.

FLIGHT HOME:

We wanted to stay for ten days, and the non-stop to Philadelphia only operates on Saturday; so we had to fly back via Miami. Not so much fun. The SXM-MIA flight was OK, and left on time. But the transfer at Miami airport, with the long walk to get to Customs, as well as the huge lines to get through customs were exhausting. Our connecting flight to Philadelphia left 2 hours late ( not sure why ). We landed in Philadelphia at 1:40 AM. I think that we were the last flight to land. Wife was worried that we would not find a taxi at that late hour. But, we saw 4 cabs waiting at Terminal A arrivals, so we hopped in and 25 minutes and $50 later we arrived home. I only worked a half day on Wednesday ( went in to the office at 2:00 PM ).

All in all, it was a great trip. Also, we had no water cut-offs all ten days. Weather was very nice. One funny story. I was at the Mini Casino Market in Orient Village. There was a ( very ) young girl in line, ahead of me. She had a credit card in one hand, and a bottle of wine in the other. When she got to the register, the clerk asked if she had any ID. "No" she replied. The clerk then looked at the boss man, who was working the other register. The boss asked the girl how old she was, "Eighteen", she replied. She then added " I just turned eighteen, today" The boss then nodded to the other cashier that it was OK to sell her the wine. At that, I wished the young girl a very "Happy Birthday".

I am waiting until flights open again for a March 2025 ten day return visit. My wife asked if there was any way to avoid returning via Miami, and still staying on the island for ten days.. Unless American starts daily non-stops from Philadelphia to SXM, we will have to return via Miami ( the connection via Charlotte always seems to be more expensive ).. Jim