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A VERY belated trip report
#134359
07/03/2017 10:00 PM
07/03/2017 10:00 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 516
Rbailey
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 516
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Came across some old photos of our first trip to St. Marten in 1977, and thought a few things that I can remember about it might be amusing for old-timers. We had been to several other Caribbean islands before we decided to try St. Martin. It was May or June, and we flew direct (probably on American) from JFK. At that time, there were car rental booths at the airport terminal at which you could take care of paperwork, but you could not pick up the car there, neither could the rental companies transport you; you had to take a taxi. We rented from Risdon Car Rental, which had a location at the Caravanserai Hotel which is where we stayed, so that was not too bad. The Caravanserai was, at that time, a low rise, well rated hotel that had good rates off-season, at least for basic rooms. The restaurant was excellent, with a weekly buffet that attracted a lot of people, and we ate most of our dinners there. I don’t remember where else we ate; one dinner may have been at a Mullet Bay restaurant, and perhaps one at the West Indian Tavern, but I get mixed up by later vacations. On our first full day we drove into Phillipsburg. These were the days when you could drive down Front Street and park on it with little difficulty. In those days my wife liked to window-shop (and to an extent, jewelry shop) so we went there several times. Front Street was hot, a bit run-down, and what one expected of a Caribbean town. Sam’s became a favorite lunch spot, where we could sit on the balcony and watch the cruise ship passengers lug their liquor purchases back to the ship. There were fewer ships and they were much smaller in those days. We also went to Marigot, but I don’t remember what we did there. Of course, we drove around quite a bit. The “main” road was not paved in all places on the French side. We visited a number beaches, but Mullet is the only one I remember spending much time on, plus walking Long Bay. Maho was not the best at that time. Experiencing the jet blast was not as popular as it has become. Tried to go to Friars, but must have taken the wrong turn. Then, of course, was the view next to the airport. This was the first of a large number of later visits – we were hooked.
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Re: A VERY belated trip report
[Re: Rbailey]
#134362
07/03/2017 11:19 PM
07/03/2017 11:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,162 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
islandgem
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,162
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Thanks for taking the time to share your first SXM trip so many years ago. The pictures are so interesting!Things have changed so much over the years in all the Caribbean islands.
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Re: A VERY belated trip report
[Re: Rbailey]
#134363
07/04/2017 12:08 AM
07/04/2017 12:08 AM
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,763 Ohio
ruralcarrier
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,763
Ohio
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Very interesting! Thanks.
J.D.
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Re: A VERY belated trip report
[Re: Rbailey]
#134366
07/04/2017 08:02 AM
07/04/2017 08:02 AM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,601 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,601
Central Florida!
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Thanks very much for the old pictures and report! So interesting to see pictures from even before we started coming!!
Carol Hill
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Re: A VERY belated trip report
[Re: Rbailey]
#134368
07/04/2017 09:47 AM
07/04/2017 09:47 AM
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,132 St Louis, MO
SXMNorm
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,132
St Louis, MO
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Thanks for taking time to post. Loved the "way it used to be" pictures.
Next SXM visit -November 2023. Also January 2024.
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Re: A VERY belated trip report
[Re: Rbailey]
#134369
07/04/2017 09:49 AM
07/04/2017 09:49 AM
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,677 Brookfield, CT.
pat
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,677
Brookfield, CT.
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R Bailey,
What a wonderful trip down Memory Lane. We, too, made our first SXM trip in the very early seventies - the same year they were building the road 'over the hill' and I can relate to many of your photos. I wish we'd taken more ourselves.
The first time we rented a car (1973) I think there were more dirt path-like roads than there were paved roads on the French side of the island and more roaming goats, sheep and cattle than dogs everywhere. Orient was totally undeveloped and you really had to hunt for it to get there. And parking anywhere along Front Street was a piece of cake. It wasn't at all unusual to see an escaped chicken strutting down the road, even on Front Street, and there was virtually no traffic to speak of island-wide. Picking up walkers and giving them a lift was the norm back then, particularly the hard working maids walking along with their umbrellas open to keep the sun off their heads.
Such a wonderful time on the Friendly Island and so very different from what we know today. As Bob Hope would say, "Thanks for the memories......." <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."
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Re: A VERY belated trip report
[Re: Rbailey]
#134371
07/04/2017 04:59 PM
07/04/2017 04:59 PM
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 658 Maine
SXMbeacher
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 658
Maine
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That's awesome. Being a relative island newb, (2012) i can't place all of the locations, but some i can. My it's changed a lot! Thanks for the retro pics!
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