Trip report April 18th
Arrived on USAIR on Sunday the 18th and everything ( including our luggage) arrived in one piece. We rented our car from Thrifty ( they have moved their lot closer to the airport) and we picked our car up with no problem. Immediately went to Sharon and picked up our phone and our Privilege card. Haven’t used the Privilege card much so far but hopefully might use it on the last two days. We then checked in at the Pelican and the check in process was longer than needed as they have more people trying to sell you units than they do have registering you.
We were a little tired after traveling 11 hours so we used a Caribbean card at the Stone Restaurant in the Pelican Resort. The meal was fine but they cooked our meal on a Weber grill outside the restaurant. I guess their kitchen still has a problem after the fire. Each of our meals arrived on a heated flat “stone” and I guess that explains the name.
On Monday, we eat breakfast at Zee Best and their pastries are wonderful but their service is slow. It was a little over cast, but we went to Orient beach anyways. We used KaKao for our chairs and umbrella ($20 for the front row). The water was fine and the sun was out most of the day. After leaving the beach we drove back to Simpson Bay, through Cole Bay to stop at the Prime. I highly recommend people stop at the Prime for their normal alcohol purchases. They have a room set up with nothing but alcohol in it that people can buy at wholesale prices, cheaper than Grand Marche’s. For dinner, we ate at Spiga and had a wonderful meal. We will eat there again on Saturday night before we leave. They are just coming off the high season so they will now be closed again on Tuesdays.
On Tuesday we again started our day at Zee Best before heading over to Orient Beach. The sun came out all day and we again used KaKao for our umbrella and chairs, as I think half the cruise ship people also used Kakao. Stayed at the beach most of the day and then went alcohol shopping at Gullamar’s and picked up some scotch to bring home. After that we drove to Grand case for dinner at Piazza Pascal (first time) and would recommend it to anyone who wants a nice dinner. However, we didn’t realize that Harmony night had been extended and it was the first time we actually experienced it. It was quite entertaining except for the parking. We had to park at the airport and then walk to Grand Case. Luckily, the weather was good and there were a lot of people walking around when we walked back to the car. The dinner at Piazza Pascal was wonderful and the service was great. The owners ( Donna and her husband) go out of their way to make it a great evening. We also met another TTOL person at the restaurant, I think she said her name was Carla, but my memory isn’t what it used to be.
On Wednesday, we again started at Zee Best and then went to Orient Beach. However, after seeing on the TTOL webpage that there were 4 cruise ships in port, we decided to try the Palm for our beach chairs and umbrella. If you eat lunch there, your chairs and umbrella a free. If you don’t eat there, the chairs and umbrella are $14. This is a really nice place and the food was good. The chairs are good and the facilities are good. It rained in the morning but cleared up by noon and was a sunny day.
We left the beach at 3:30 and drove to the airport to see if we could ask USAIR a question; big mistake. First USAIR opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 2:00 PM and there are no USAIR personnel around after that. Secondly, the drive from the airport to the Pelican took 2 hours. It took so long that we almost missed the TTOL party at the Calmos Café. It was a great party and we met Kathy and Bill (from Wisconsin), and Dick and Bev (from Chicago). For those that are interested, the Calmos Café makes a great Margarita.
So far, it has been another great trip to St. Maarten. The weather has been warm and mostly sunny with some passing showers. The water has been clear and no waves or seaweed. And as of today, we are up on the Hollywood Casino, but I am sure that will not last. Still three days left and more to come
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