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Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 #107303
09/11/2016 03:46 PM
09/11/2016 03:46 PM
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 188
South Jersey
davecyndi Offline OP
Traveler
davecyndi  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 188
South Jersey
St. Maarten 2016

Sorry it’s so long before we posted this, we got kind of wordy for such a boring trip.
This is our tenth and shortest trip to St. Maarten.

Day 1 - July 28th We are off to the Philadelphia Airport early because of the Democratic National Convention. We didn’t know how the drive to the airport would be with the road closures and detours. Our worries were unwarranted, the drive was uneventful.
Our friend, Tammi from Pittsburgh took a connecting American Airlines flight to meet us in Philadelphia and flew down with us. Tammi’s flight was a little late arriving in Philly making her pressed to get to our gate for the flight down. She did just make it.

Our American Airlines flight arrived on time in St. Maarten. We disembarked the plane on the tarmac and was loaded in the usual bus to go about 100 feet to the terminal;, could have walked. Breezed thru customs and got our luggage right away.

We met the AAA car rental people for our car rental. We were surprised to get a bright blue Nissan, not the usual white.

After getting the rental we only had to drive down the road for our stay at Beachside Villas. We requested and received unit 14, right next to the pool.

After unpacking we headed out to the new Carrefour store for a few groceries.

Tonight we went to Taco Macho for dinner after finding out the El Zafiro was not open for dinner. We had a great Mexican meal at a reasonable price for St. Maarten. If you can’t find something to eat on their menu you shouldn’t go for Mexican food. Dave had a fish taco and beef enchilada. Cyndi had a shrimp taco and chicken fajitas. Tammi had great ground beef nachos and chicken/bean tacos.

After dinner we headed back to Beachside Villas for conversation on the deck.

Day 2 – July 29th We rented umbrellas from Greg at Pack Light. He delivered them to us at the gate in the morning. (We tried using them once but it is so windy that it was not practical) We then went to see the Queen to purchase a SIM card for our unlocked I-Phone so that we can use it every visit to St. Maarten. (worked great)

We decided to go to the Royal Palm for breakfast. We ate at their restaurant overlooking the beach. We enjoyed our usual mimosas with our meal. Dave enjoyed the Creole omelet and Johnny Cakes. Cyndi had French toast with berry compote and Tammi ate the vegetable crepe and sliced pineapple. All was extremely good.

After breakfast we moved to the bar at the pool and that was it we stayed until around 5:00. We met some nice people, a young couple on their honeymoon from Indiana and a family of three from Illinois. Good conversation.

Came back to the Villas to shower and go for dinner. Tammi crashed and didn’t join us for dinner. We headed out to go to The Summit for drinks and try the new Tai restaurant. Got to the gate and were told the bar and restaurant was not open. (This is why they can’t keep an eatery there. Patrons try to go and are turned away so then they are not willing to try again.) Thru the years we have found that this is the case you could not count on getting a meal at the Summit. Even with the Kissing Fish being there for so many years; it was hit or miss with them being open, no set hours.

We decided to head over to the Bar Code down the street. Dave and I had a lovely meal there, food was excellent and the atmosphere was nice. Our waiter/server was very attentive. Reasonably priced dinner menu. Dave had Veal Milanese and Cyndi had Mahi Mahi (two of their specials). We both had dessert homemade cheesecake and a chocolate mousse cake. The cheesecake was fabulous, the best we have ever eaten.

We then headed back to Beachside Villas. It was difficult trying to get to sleep tonight; there was a three night concert on Kimshaw Beach. The base was beating so loudly that it rattled the air conditioning unit in our room. Concert was over at 1:00 AM all was good.

Day 3 – July 30th Today we decided to stay at Beachside Villas and enjoy the beach and pool. It is fabulous enjoying a deserted beach. We didn’t know if August was a good time to vacation. We usually go in May. It’s great, we love it.

We walked over to El Zafiro for lunch. We found out that they are only open until 5:00 so that is why we couldn’t have dinner there the two nights before. Tammi ate a shrimp Caesar salad and mozzarella sticks. Dave had a cheeseburger and Cyndi had the beef tips sandwich.

The three of us walked back to Beachside Villas for more beach and pool time. Tammi and Cyndi played dominos on the deck during the few rain showers we had the rest of the day.

The three of us went to Bar Code for dinner again since Tammi didn’t go last night. Dave had the salmon special, Cyndi the veal Milanese and Tammi had the Brie cheese appetizer and Tokyo chicken sandwich.

After dinner we headed back to Beachside Villas.

Day 4 – July 31st Today we stayed at the Villas. It was rainy on and off today, we even had thunder storms from time to time. We ate breakfast and lunch in today.

For dinner we went into Maho and had Italian food at La Rosa. There were only two tables of patrons. We sat on the patio and other couple sat inside to eat. Tammi ate salad and had mushroom raviolis with a blush sauce. Dave seafood pescatore and Cyndi had lasagna and tiramisu for dessert. Just after finishing dinner we had a thunder storm and moved indoors to the bar for a drink until the storm was over.

After leaving La Rosa we walked into town for a few minutes. Tammi was the only one to purchase anything, she bought a watch.

After our walk we headed back to BSV. Tammi and I played dominos until around midnight then went to bed. Tonight is the last concert night, hooray, now we can go to sleep without struggling with the air conditioner rattles. Tonight we had more rain; waves came pretty close to the beach chairs and brought in seaweed and debris. The staff had it all cleaned up for the morning.

Day 5 – August 1st Real nice day today, cooler and more breezy. Ocean temperature also got cooler because of the storm. Laying out on the beach and enjoying the peaceful serenity. We also spent time by the pool today.

All three of us walked down to Karakter’s for lunch. We all had a great meal as always there. Dave had the Italian Character carpacchio sandwich and a couple of beers. Cyndi had the American Character cheeseburger with Gouda cheese and fries with a strawberry daiquiri. Tammi had the French Character salad with goat cheese, caramelized pears and candied pecans and a strawberry daiquiri.

Later in the afternoon we tried to go the bar at The Summit for the third time to find it closed again. We went to the small market around the corner from The Summit for a few things then stopped to see Marjorie at Big Tony’s. Marjorie used to work at The Summit and changed jobs about three years ago.

Today we met Drew Mascarin owner of BSV. Drew was very personable and accommodating. We found out that the unit we were staying in, unit 14 is actually the unit his family stays in when they come down.

Tonight we went to Sunset Bar and Grill for dinner. We shared two pizzas, meatball and fresh basil/tomato and a chicken Caesar salad.

After dinner we headed back to BSV for conversation and turned in early for a good night’s sleep to prepare for our trip to Saba tomorrow.

Day 6 – August 2nd Got up early to head over to the airport. We flew over to Saba on a small twin engine plane that seated 20 people. The flight was only about 12 minutes. We landed using on about 2/3 of the very short runway. Immediately after landing the pilot made a turn and headed to the small terminal. What a great experience.

We took a taxi tour of the island. Saba is a beautiful five mile island. Our taxi driver was Wayne he dropped us off in Windward Side at Bizzy Bee Bakery for a quick snack and picked us up about 15 minutes later for our tour.

Wayne took us all over the island. The island has very twisty and extremely narrow roads everywhere. Some of the turns were difficult to maneuver because we were in a minivan. Wayne had to drive over to the other side of the road to get around the bends. There were beautiful flowers and plant life to enjoy all over the island. Wayne told us about the island and its government, etc. He showed us various points of interest and government buildings. Showed us where he lives and other members of his family. He owns two homes on the island.

After the tour he dropped us off for about four hours to explore on our own. We walked down to Tropics Cafe to eat lunch located at the Juliana Hotel. Dave had a lion fish sandwich (fish local to the area) and I had a half of a bird and berry sandwich and a Tropics house salad. The food was excellent.

After eating we walked around sightseeing thru the streets. This is not an easy feat for people who are not used to walking, very steep roads and uneven sidewalks. It was great exercise exploring. We ventured into a few shops and stopped in the post office for some stamps for Dave’s collection.

We then walked back to the Bizzy Bee for a cool drink and to wait for Wayne to pick us up to head back to the airport for our flight back to St. Maarten. One of the owner’s husband waited with us until Wayne arrived to make sure we got back to the airport without any problems (one more example of how friendly and kind the islanders were.

Another interesting experience that happened today was our meeting of a group of children who were headed to Saba for a Ham Radio camp. The children were some of the youngest, most experienced ham radio operators. At the camp these children were going to set up and broadcast for several days. One of the things that are of most interest for ham radio operators is to receive as many different broadcasts from places all over the world. Dave’s brother is a ham radio operator and actually did get to contact the kids by Morse code.

Day 7 – August 3rd Headed out for the day today. We stopped at the Sunset Beach Bar for watching some planes come in. This is one our favorite things to do while down in St. Maarten.

After the Sunset we opted to go to LeString on Orient Beach for the rest of the day. We spent most of the day lounging in their chairs. We all had a good lunch. Cyndi had stuffed mussels and goat cheese bruschetta. Dave had a Mexican burger and Tammi had a chicken Caesar salad.

Tammi and I walked a good portion of the beach. We were enjoyed watching the people enjoying all the water sports as well as just relaxing on the sand. Tammi and I bought rings at the Sexy Fruits boutique next to LeString. The boutique always has interesting things to purchase that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

We drove back to BSV, showered and went to Lee’s Roadside Bar and Grill in Simpson Bay for dinner. Dave had the fish sampler (he was a little disappointed they took snapper off the sampler), Tammi had a steak and Cyndi opted for her favorite their ribs.

After dinner we headed back to BSV to relax and play some games.

Day 8 – August 4th Tammi headed out to the Royal Palm for breakfast then to Buccaneer Beach Bar in Simpson Bay for the day on the beach.

Dave and Cyndi opted to stay at BSV to lounge on the beach and swim in the ocean.
We enjoyed a few hours on the beach and decided to head to the pool for a while. Just as we moved to the pool it started to rain. Soon after going to the pool the thunder and lightning started so we headed inside. We saw one lightening strike straight down into the water. Boy thunder and lightning storms are loud on the island. We decided to watch some TV while it was raining.

After a while the rain stopped and we went to fill the gas tank up in the rental car and look for Biafine. (A staple we purchase every time we go to St. Maarten). Biafine is great for sunburn. We went several pharmacies only to be told that they haven’t had any on the island for months. Here in the US this is a prescription cream used for radiation patient burns.

While we were out Tammi returned, she got caught in the rainstorm and stayed at Buccaneer until the storm was over.

Tonight we opted to go to Maho for dinner with no particular place in mind. We ended up eating at LePetit Paris and had great meals. Our server was so nice and friendly. An overall nice dining experience. Dave and Cyndi had rib eye steaks and Tammi had a special snapper cake with lobster sauce.

After such a great last night dinner we headed back to BSV. We stayed up playing Yahtzee before turning in.

Day 9 - August 5th All three of us are heading home today. No matter how long we stay in St. Maarten it is never long enough.

We arrived at the airport and got checked in and thru security no problems. Had time for some lunch and look around some of the new stores in the airport.

Just a few minutes before we were about to board our plane a cargo plane’s landing gear collapsed causing the plane to crash on the runway. Well you know what that meant, only having one runway at the airport. Our flight was delayed. Not as long as we expected but long enough for Tammi to miss her connecting flight to Pittsburgh. They were able to get her on another flight so she was able to get home that night.

Another great vacation in our most favorite place.

Dave and Cyndi

SXM Sponsors
Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: davecyndi] #107304
09/11/2016 04:25 PM
09/11/2016 04:25 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,470
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
Traveler
Carol_Hill  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,470
Central Florida!
Thanks for the report! Seems like you got a lot done for such a short time! How did you like BSV, versus other places you've stayed?


Carol Hill
Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: Carol_Hill] #107305
09/11/2016 06:18 PM
09/11/2016 06:18 PM
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 188
South Jersey
davecyndi Offline OP
Traveler
davecyndi  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 188
South Jersey
We just loved BSV. Both of us enjoy just sitting on the sand and watching the waves. Going in August we literally had the beach to ourselves. There was only one other couple at BSV, who opted to spend their time at the pool. The facilities are beautiful and very well kept. The villa had absolutely everything we needed for our stay. The only thing we had a few days to get used to was the living area not being air-conditioned. We got used to it and it would not stop us from going there in the future. The breeze blows thru the villa and is pleasant.
Cyndi

Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: davecyndi] #107306
09/11/2016 06:21 PM
09/11/2016 06:21 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,470
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
Traveler
Carol_Hill  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,470
Central Florida!
So glad you enjoyed it! We don't miss the a/c in the main room during the day, but could use it at night.


Carol Hill
Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: Carol_Hill] #107307
09/11/2016 08:42 PM
09/11/2016 08:42 PM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 348
crsxm Offline
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crsxm  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 348
Thanks for posting a report, don't every worry about being too long--enjoyed every word of it! Sounds like everyone had a great time.

We also like Taco Macho--just discovered it two years ago and it's now on our "list" of places to go. Not a very fancy place but clean, reasonably priced, good food and fun. What's not to like!

Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: davecyndi] #107308
09/11/2016 08:54 PM
09/11/2016 08:54 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
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pat  Offline
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
davecyndi,

Your report just goes to show that no matter how long you've been visiting or how many trips you've made, there's always something new to learn about. I never knew there was a breakfast spot at Royal Palm but I will file it away for future reference.

Thank you for sharing your trip and your insight - we gave up on the Summit's restaurant for exactly the same reasons you cited, even as far back as when Chloe and Thierry were running it, and we will have to try Taco Macho sometime down the road. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: pat] #107309
09/11/2016 09:00 PM
09/11/2016 09:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,470
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
Traveler
Carol_Hill  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,470
Central Florida!
Pat--the restaurant at Royal Palm has a lovely view out over the water. That said, in the several times we've stayed at RP, we've eaten there twice and both times the service was abysmal, even though there were a maximum of three tables filled. Your mileage may vary. But there is a reason why it seems no one ever talks about the restaurant at RP....


Carol Hill
Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: davecyndi] #107310
09/12/2016 05:52 AM
09/12/2016 05:52 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
ruralcarrier Offline
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ruralcarrier  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
THanks for the report.


J.D.
Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: Carol_Hill] #107311
09/12/2016 05:59 AM
09/12/2016 05:59 AM
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 188
South Jersey
davecyndi Offline OP
Traveler
davecyndi  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 188
South Jersey
The service was a little slow, but we weren't in much of hurry. Breakfast was good though.

Dave

Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: davecyndi] #107312
09/12/2016 09:03 AM
09/12/2016 09:03 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
RonDon Offline
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RonDon  Offline
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Posts: 4,348
Rhode Island
Great report. Sounded relaxing playing my two favorite games. Too bad about Summit. Every time we tried we ran into the same problem.

Thanks for the food info on some places we haven't tried yet.

Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: RonDon] #107313
09/12/2016 11:56 AM
09/12/2016 11:56 AM
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 196
East Tennessee
taraavo Offline
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taraavo  Offline
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Posts: 196
East Tennessee
Very nice report! I loved how "empty" the beach area in front of BSV and El Zafiro was when we visited.

Re: Our first trip report 7/28/16 to 8/5/16 [Re: davecyndi] #107314
09/14/2016 08:18 AM
09/14/2016 08:18 AM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,132
St Louis, MO
SXMNorm Offline
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SXMNorm  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,132
St Louis, MO
Enjoyed your report. Thanks for taking time to post.


Next SXM visit -November 2023. Also January 2024.

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