After lurking on this site for a couple of years and even asking a couple of questions anonymously, I have finally registered and wanted to post a report for December 28th – Jan 4/06 trip. I hope this information is helpful to someone as other posts have been helpful to me. This was our 5th time in SXM but the first in three years.
Our DTW-CLT-SXM flight was 15 to 20 minutes early, which was negated by a mix-up with Marius of St. Louis Car Rental of where exactly to meet him. This was our first time using him and I assumed that he would be right outside the arrival gate with a sign however he was in the parking lot where I didn’t think of looking for him. I am probably to blame for this mix-up because I neglected to send an email asking him exactly where to meet. Otherwise, dealing with Marius was a pleasure, he had the best price, the car was as promised and I would not hesitate in recommending him. On to Le Grand Marche outside of Marigot, which I didn’t really like as a grocery store – the selection was limited with some stuff out of stock and the parking is ridiculous in that lot. They did have Etna chocolate ice cream, a SXM produced product that served as our desert every evening. Although we weren’t on a strict budget, we saved substantially by foregoing desert in the restaurants we went to and I found it immensely enjoyable each night to sit outside our suite at Club O after dinner and enjoy the peacefulness while having a dish of ice cream. Most days we had a simple lunch on the beach which justified (barely) a larger meal out in the evening after the excess of the X-mas season. We also randomly purchased Oasis Peach Tea and ended up loving it - we bought more as the week progressed. Sure wish they had that at home! On to checking in at Club O and a twi-light walk on Orient Beach with a slight damper of, well, dampness in an early evening shower. Our enthusiasm was not dampened, however, and it felt good to be back after an absence of a few years.
We were disappointed to see that Le Petite Pizza Cul de Sac was closed as we loved this place in the past, so we went on to one of our other favorites for dinner the first night which is Tutti Pasta. We were not disappointed. We have eaten here about a half dozen times in the past and have always loved it and were very happy again. I had Zito penne and Eggplant, my wife had cheese manicotti – both delicious.
The next day, the 29th was spent on Orient Beach all day with a nap early in the afternoon coinciding with a light shower. I had read positive posts about Pizza Pasta on TTOL so we headed to Maho. The walk up to Pizza Pasta is kind of unpleasant as you are walking by the garbage placed outside from the casino and when we got there an ambulance was parked outside the door. Now generally, one of my life’s rules is not to eat in restaurants with ambulances outside, but on vacation rules are tossed out the window, right? I think that someone had a minor problem (the patient was clearly visible inside the ambulance sitting upright) that didn’t relate to Pizza Pasta as everyone was joking about it inside. It was very busy in the restaurant (due to positive posts on TTOL, no doubt) which may be what led to a disappointing meal I regret to report. My pizza came with olives despite my request otherwise (I picked them off instead of sending it back because of how busy it was) and the mushrooms had clearly come from a can and the attendant moisture made the toppings one gooey mess. My wife had raviolis from the specials list that were just ok. All in all, a disappointment.
The 30th began with light showers so we went shopping in P’burg. Three ships were in but it didn’t feel crowded anywhere. We saw the new boardwalk but weren’t particularly impressed. I suppose its good that they are trying to add to the town but it seemed to me that there wasn’t a lot past the pier area. Bought a bracelet at DK Gems and have to give my highest regards to Deepti and her staff. They were very professional and courteous. We have bought jewelry elsewhere on Front Street and while other stores are good, I feel DK is the best and would unreservedly recommend them. By now it was late morning so we headed over to Marigot and had lunch at the marina at Brasserie de la Gare which is the place with the yellow awning. The pizza was good as well as the service and I have to embarrassingly admit I left a tip of zero as I thought, without thoroughly looking at the bill, that the conversion of our total from Euro to US$ was the service charge that has been discussed on this board, so I didn’t leave extra. I still wince a bit as I write this. On to Don G for cigars.
If you are not interested in cigars at all, please skip this paragraph. Many places in SXM sell cigars but the best, without a doubt, is Don G’s Fabrique de Tabacos with an address on Rue du Charles de Gaulle but it is really just off de Gaulle down a little alley behind a café. He normally has a sign out on de Gaulle. Gerard Gorlier doesn’t speak a lot of English (however, his English is better than my French!) so I have never asked him his history but he runs a small shop with one staff member in addition to Fifi the dog where he (Gerard) rolls SXM’s own cigars! The tobacco is from the D.R. as well as Cuba and he rolls all sizes. He also sells boxes and singles of common brands from the humidor (or ‘cave’ as the sign on the door to it says) and generally he has the best prices. However, the best reason to buy from him is that it is evident he really cares about cigars, he is not just someone who has stuck a humidor in the corner of his store to make extra revenue. You do yourself a disservice if you buy smokes anywhere else on SXM.
The 31st began with intermittent showers in the morning which ended up chasing us off the beach and to Baywatch for lunch of roast beef dip sandwich and eggplant parmesan both of which, and the service, were very good. By afternoon the clouds dissipated so we stayed on Orient. We had made reservations for the New Years eve buffet at Papagayo’s (or whatever its called these days) which turned out to be enjoyable as well as the regular Saturday evening karaoke act. The service was very attentive (yes, you read that right!). At midnight there was an unchronological countdown (this is the islands we’re talking about) followed by an impressive fireworks display lasting 15 minutes or so. We could also see fireworks from Anguilla or Pinel, I’m not certain, and further down Orient. We had looked forward to this evening for some time and it turned out great – the staff at Club O are to be commended.
The 1st was spent on the beach in the a.m. Lunch was a baguette and cheese from L’Orientique on the beach and the afternoon was… um, spent on the beach. Sounds like a case of sand gravity setting in to me. At this point I should mention one book I read this trip called “And The Sea Will Tell” by Vincent Bugliosi of “Helter Skelter” fame. It was the true story of a murder on a nearly deserted Pacific atoll and the subsequent trial that Bugliosi was a defense lawyer for. Although Bugliosi’s style is verbose to put it mildly, it was an enjoyable read. Dinner was the Wharf in Simpon’s Bay with good pizza and ribs and a beautiful view.
In the morning of the 2nd we went back to Marigot and it was not very busy at all. We went to Zee Best and ordered a banana and chocolate crepe that was delicious! While we were waiting they came out and put a pastry basket on our table explaining that we paid for whatever we ate. This, quite frankly, wasn’t fair as the aroma from the fresh pastry is irresistible and the first bite into an almond croissant illustrated that it was so fresh it was still warm! We went back to our room at Club O for lunch and onto the beach in the afternoon. My wife and I visited Luis Gomez for a, um, “specially made” bikini. I, like most men, think that Luis has the best job in the universe however it is difficult to dislike him as his passion for what he does in addition to the interesting stories he has to tell and his positive disposition shine through. We were very happy when we picked it up the next day. Later, we attended the Club O weekly wine and cheese where I made a point to talk to the manager and congratulate him on a good fireworks display on New Years eve as it was evident that evening he was very concerned everything ran smoothly. He seemed to appreciate my compliment and we spoke a little about the changes he has undertaken including updating the water, sewage and electrical systems at Club O, which are all things that are substantial but people don’t readily see. He spoke briefly about the problems of working for 80 different bosses and I don’t envy his position. He indicated wi-fi and phones will be in all rooms by February. It is mostly done now but the installation is not 100% so they don’t want to advertise it just yet. I regret not asking him about the road leading up to Club O’s drive although it is apparent that this is a SXM government issue. This road continues to be a joke and I am consistently amazed nothing is done about it. This was only our 2nd time at Club O, the first being 5 years ago but I want to say that the changes I saw were all to the positive and I think they are headed in the right direction. Off to the Peg Leg for a good dinner of onion rings and fish and chips.
The morning of the 3rd we walked over to Le Gallion which is a beautiful area but is starting to be run over with litter. It should be noted that the walk from Club O requires shoes. A local class of school children were getting a swimming lesson and the windsurfers where out. The rest of the morning we spent on Orient as well as the afternoon. That evening we went into Marigot to eat at the marina and despite a mildly aggressive host we chose a restaurant based on the displayed menu. It was only after sitting down we realized the name of the place was Le Galion. That added a symmetry to the day – we began on Le Gallion and finished up at Le Galion! We had a very fine meal of the 4 Seasons pizza and a vegetable penne. Leaving the marina we were amused at the dead X-mas tree with three decorations on it still on display and wondered how long it would be until someone took care of it.
Alas, all good things must come to an end and the 4th was spent enjoying the last precious moments on the beach, checking out, last minute shopping and ensuring we stopped by Zee Best for some croissants for the plane ride home. The trip ended on a sour note when US Airways didn’t load our luggage on the plane from our connection in CLT to DTW. This I could accept, but what really makes me mad is the lack of notification. It wasn’t until the luggage carousel stopped and we waited in the “customer service” line that we were informed. This added over 1½ hours after the plane landed. Along with the absolute crap food they virtually throw on your lap, I can understand why they are experiencing troubles. Given a choice, it will be some time before I take this airline again. However, try as they might, they won’t diminish the wonderful trip we had and the anticipation of our next visit to the “Friendly Island”. It can’t be soon enough.
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