Just to help get things started--here is a report on our recent SXM trip which I posted on several other boards:<br><br>Our last trip (and also our first) to SXM was in July1995 just before the series of devastating hurricanes started to visit. Five years later in late June we were back for a 9 night stay. In the interim I have been reading reports on various bulletin boards about SXM, some of which made me wonder whether going back was a good idea. Here are some impressions about a number of aspects of SXM:<br><br>Orient Beach: <br><br>In 1995 we stayed at Green Cay Village just above Orient Beach. We loved Green Cay but this time we wanted the convenience of being closer to the beach so we gave Club Orient a try. We had some apprehensions about Club Orient due to the damage it had suffered in the hurricanes including near total destruction in one. We also wondered whether the accommodations would be too rustic. Not to worry—we found the rooms to be close to the quality we have experienced at Superclubs’ Grand Lido resorts in Jamaica. <br><br>Orient Beach was as before very popular. We like the activity which for the most takes part away from the section of the beach Club Orient sits on. We would walk down the beach at noon, watch the cruise ship buses arrive and then pick out a beachfront restaurant to have lunch at. From that vantage point we would watch the parasailing and jet skis and watch the cruisers (nothing against cruisers—we have taken two cruises and will take more) decide which part of the beach to go to—the clothing optional part by Club Orient or the more tame other part (which did still see some clothing optional use and certainly a fair amount of no tops). Some times there seemed to be a debate among couples as to which way to go!<br><br>Roads:<br><br>The various bulletin boards over the past year have indicated that the roads on SXM were terrible. We have stayed on many Caribbean islands and believe me the SXM roads are in much better shape. We found the roads (particularly the main ones) to be in excellent shape with few or no pot holes. One day we went to Marigot and the main route through that picturesque town was being completely repaved---which meant we had to take a very rough road along the waterfront as a detour (this detour road was not meant for the kind of traffic it got—it really was for trucks going down to the various warehouses there). On the way back later that day we traversed the newly repaved road—smooth as can be. We also found the roads on the Dutch side to be in good condition as well.<br><br>As long as I am on the subject of roads, I have been reading a lot about how much trash there is now on SXM and how unsightly it is. Again, we were looking for the trash along the roads and just did not see it on either side of the island. Compared to most islands we have been to, SXM was much better than most when it came to its general appearance.<br><br>Eats:<br><br>As you can probably tell from the subject heading above, we are not gourmet diners. We did eat several dinners in Grand Case. We had one dinner at Il Nettuno which we thoroughly enjoyed. We also ate at California in Grand Case and again found it to be very good. In both cases, it was easy to tell it was the low season—we showed up at 6:30 for dinner and for most of our meal we were the only people dining. Around 7:30 at each place, there were 2 or 3 more couples but that was about it!<br><br>We also ate at the Paradise View, located on the hill above Orient with an awesome view. When we ate at the same location in 1995 it was called The Cloud Room and featured German food. We enjoyed the former restaurant and decided to give its successor a try. Paradise View features what they call local dishes and it was a pleasure to eat there. Apparently the restaurant had to be rebuilt after one of the hurricanes and it still offers that wonderful view. Again the place was almost empty—only one other couple was dining while we were there. <br><br>The rest of dinners fell victim to sand inertia. We ate at Club Orient’s Papagayo which was not outstanding but good enough. We just could not get ourselves in gear every night to drive out in search of a restaurant, even to nearby Grand Case.<br><br>Lunches were always down the beach. We quickly fell in love with Baywatch which has been on Orient since April. It is owned by Andy and Cheryl who used to run the Surf Club place in Grand Case (I think that is the name—we ate there in 95) and later near the road to Cul De Sac (you can still see their old place there). We got to know both of them during the 9 days. In fact, on our last full day on SXM, the Daily Herald was interviewing Cheryl for an article about their new place which was going to appear in the Thursday entertainment section. We were asked to appear in photos as typical customers—don’t know if our photos appeared but it was fun to do. One note----I finally saw a Travel Talk flag. It was tacked up in the front of Baywatch for all to see!! My wife loved Cheryl’s eggplant dish with a tomato sauce. I usually had a hot dog with some great homemade potato chips.<br><br>We also had several lunches at Pedro’s and my wife found the ribs to be very good. Gourmet that I am, I had a hot dog—very good too!! <br><br>Shopping:<br><br>Ugh! Not my favorite thing to do on vacation but my better half makes a profession of it! In 1995 I never could find a place to park in Phillipsburg the one time we went there so all of our shopping that trip was done in Marigot. Determined this time to find a place to park, I asked Eric Hill, moderator of this board, for help. He gave me excellent directions to find parking next to the salt pond and we were in business this trip—unfortunately!!<br><br>Our first stop was “A Touch of Gold” which always gets rave reviews. Our second stop was not to take place for two hours as my wife tried on every bauble they had. My impression—the rave reviews are probably justified. They were most accommodating and yet not high pressure at all. Worth a visit.<br><br>We also hit a number of other places on Front Street and took the obligatory photo by the Court House. There was a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in port so there were a lot of people shopping. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for shopping, I must admit that I enjoyed Phillipsburg.<br><br>Later that same day, we went over to the Maho shopping area near the airport. We spent a great deal of time in 1995 in this then bustling area. We ate several times that visit at Cheri’s. Having heard that it was particularly hard hit last Fall by a hurricane we wanted to see how it was doing. Sadly, it shows the effects of the hurricane. Cheri’s is now reopened but there was no one in it at mid-afternoon. Most of the other restaurants in that complex are still closed as are most of the shops and the casino. The good news is that there is quite a bit of construction work going on so hopefully the area will revive in the next high season.<br><br>One store that was opened was a jewelry store (just my luck) called Gold Creations. They were desperate for customers—told us that we were their second customers of the day—and it was 3 p.m.!! My wife said that the prices she was being quoted were outstanding (I trust her!) and she did end buying a piece from them—made their day by the smiles they had on the faces. Either that or maybe the price was not as good as my wife thought it was!! Seriously, they say they are trying to hang on until October when most other places including the casino will be reopened and more foot traffic will result. Worth a visit now for bargains.<br><br>Overall Impression:<br><br>SXM is a great place to visit. We have been going to all-inclusives in Jamaica the last few years but we will be back next year to SXM. We found the people to be friendly and did not feel insecure in terms of crime. That’s the way we saw it.<br><br><br>Gary in CA