Just returned last night and had a great week in SXM. We had a little weather problem in Philadelphia as we waited 5 hours on the plane for a 20 minute flight to BWI.
We had previously reported on our first half and the last three days were also great.
Other than the problem with the Pelican’s check-in process, it is a great place to stay. They have a great check-out process that allows you to check out the day before you leave and it avoids the check-out lines.
Everyday for the whole week we ate breakfast at the Zee Best because we love their pastries.
Every night we visited the Sunset Bar and Grill (SSBG) and never once did we see any free drinks. The place has sure calmed down from prior visits.
It is really funny how the beach chair and umbrella prices vary from place-to-place. At La String and Orange, the chairs and umbrellas are like $7 per chair, and includes a drink, but your neighbor will almost be sitting in your lap. At KaKao (our normal place), the two chairs (plus umbrella) in the front row is $20 but at least your neighbor is a few feet away. We did try the Palm (on Wednesday when all the ships were in) and if you don’t buy lunch, the chairs and umbrella are $14, and it is very peaceful down at that end of the beach. If you buy lunch, your chairs are free. If you plan to go there, make sure when you arrive, you make your lunch reservation, or there will be no table for you when you go for lunch.
For those that are interested, the Coco section of the beach still has a small section reserved for complete nudity.
The TTOL party at the Calmos Cafe on Wednesday (21st) was great and, as we previously reported, their margaritas were fantastic. We are returning in November (27th) an sure hope there is another TTOL party.
On Thursday (22nd) we ate at Peg Leg and we had a wonderful steak fillet and the service was good, although the server had an attitude issue. We tried their margarita and they were so so.
On Friday, we decided we would eat at LaGondola and it was a nice Italian dinner.
On Saturday night, our last night, we again ate at Spiga and again we had an excellent dinner. We already miss the island and can’t wait to return in November.
We brought back 9 bottles of alcohol and had no problems going through customs in Philadelphia. We highly recommend the Prime Wholesale distributors in Cole Bay for your normal alcohol purchases (they sell liquor, beer and wines). It is cheaper than any Grand Marche, Market Gardens or any place else we compared them to. The company that owns the Grand Marche’s also own the Prime so the Prime is selling at Wholesale and the Grand Marche’s are selling retail.
We brought back some Guavaberry Rum for a fellow TTOL person and will deliver it tomorrow. It was $11.56 at the Prime and $14.50 at Market Gardens.
We rented our car from Thrifty and there were no problems. The Thrifty Car rental place moved up closer to the airport, from it previous location. No break-ins or problems with the car, other than a lack of power going up the hills and the rattles hitting the bumpy roads.
In summary, the room (Pelican) was good, the weather was great, the water was clear and warm, the wind was down, the food was great, the entertainment was lively, and the people we met were fun. Other than the sunburn and losing my money on the back jack and roulette wheel, another great trip.
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