8th February - Holy crap! Woke up to discover my legs covered in bites, about 20 on one leg and 6 on the other. I didn’t realize I had gotten so many; hubby also has a bunch too. The bites look like nasty, little red bruises which is not the normal reaction I get; hubby’s look the same. Not sure if they are all mosquito bites or something else, because it is unusual I didn’t see them biting me. There’s nothing we can do about them and hope they fade soon. Spent part of the morning unpacking, and listening to hubby complain about the lousy internet service, before heading out to pick up some baguettes for lunch. After lunch we parked ourselves by the pool to unwind.

We decided to go to Marty’s Bar for Happy Hour and noticed things we hadn’t last night when the sun was setting. There is a barrier now at the entrance to the parking lot to Alegria, so once you drive in you can’t get out without paying at the exit, unless you have frequented one of the establishments that will stamp your parking ticket. There is now a sign indicating parking rules and prices posted by the entrance. Hence, people are parking on both sides Beacon Hill Road; during the day it was quite chaotic with all the taxis and buses arriving with “cruisers”. The first eatery past The Refuge is boarded up and closed, the second one (what was the Chinese restaurant/market) is open but renamed Sushi Q. The C Lounge is a burnt out shell; Taco Macho is still going strong.

Marty’s Bar was not open! Nobody was around the pool. We got a look at the pools in the daylight and they were both pretty cloudy; I wouldn’t want to swim in either one. The ladies toilet was “Out of Order”, it’s apparently been that way for several months now. The gents is still usable.

The next stop was the The Refuge for dinner. After 6 p.m. food is not being served in the “old" part of the bar, so you have to eat in The Refuge. The girl at the reception desk informed me it was Ladies Night and handed me a small menu; I took a quick look at it and wasn’t impressed with the selection. Regular prices appeared to be mid-range, but they were half-price because of Ladies Night. Hubby got handed a regular menu that looked nothing like the old one they used to have. He gave it back and we left. It would appear prices have increased for food, and prices in the gift shop are up too. I priced an item earlier in the day at $7.99 they wanted $10, a hat was $20. We’re setting a record here, 2 days and we haven’t had a beer there yet!

Our final stop was the Driftwood bar and this time the kitchen was open, so we ate there. I ordered the wings and ribs combo and hubby had an order of wings and a pizza, food was great and reasonably priced.

So ends our first full day on the island.

Sorry things aren't going so great for you so far. But at least the temp isn't below zero! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> I am so looking forward to seeing some pictures from you also!!

Soldier on! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

I use both regular bug spray and
Bug zero together It is sold here on the island
Used to be bug zero
Saves me from being eaten by the no seeums
May work
For you

Your bite description sounds like red ant but I've never heard of them on SXM.

Or bed bugs.

Birdwatcher,

Years ago I had what sounds like a very similar experience on the island and the bites were so itchy and nasty looking, I went to the doctor. He diagnosed them as being from a particular brand of island "no-see-emm" like creature that comes out in the mid to late afternoon but usually before the bewitching mosquito hour and some people are extremely susceptible to them, developing symptoms that sound like what you've described. He gave me something to take orally along with a topical ointment to help with the itching and suggested I stay indoors that part of the day, or at least double up on the insect repellents and wear long pants if I had cause to be outside.

I think he hit the nail on the head with his diagnosis and the good news, with all those extra precautions the rest of the trip, the little bites cleared eventually and I guess because of all the additional insect repellent, I had no mosquito problems either for the rest of the trip. I'm usually a mosquito magnet........

Can't say this is the same thing as you are experiencing, but if you're going to be there for a while and you are very uncomfortable, a visit to the doctor might be worth your time if for nothing else than your personal comfort level.

And for serious sunburns, if you get one and are very uncomfortable, a fellow TTOLer suggested I try a product called Biophine. It took the pain away almost instantly. I had gotten a serious sunburn on my shins - the first time in forty years worth of trips, and it had me almost in tears prior to learning about and using this product. I later learned it's often used by cancer patients to treat radiation burns.

Good luck and I hope the trip from this point on is awesome. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Not bed bugs. The bites are fading and calming down, which is a good sign.

Things have settle down and you are right 80 degrees is better than -11! I took some pictures of the burnt out shell of C Lounge, there was a broken window so I poked my camera through it. Saw a black cat walking across the roof the other night, heaven knows how it got up there.

No-see-ums would be a good way to describe these beasts. I saw one mosquito on me and was quite surprised the next morning at how many bites I had. Not going to visit a doctor as they seem to be fading away. On one previous visit we sat at Grand Case beach and had lunch, that night my legs were covered in bites and I never felt a thing.

I use a good sun screen and have no problem with burning. I usually turn red and turn a nice brown because I am fair skinned. It's hubby who had the problem but he is now plastering on the sun screen which is working.