Trip Report SXM – 2011

Jan. 29th – Feb. 12th.
Transportation, this year we did an overnight in Charlotte on both ends to use Delta miles and saved by flying direct from CLT to SXM. Flights were on time with no issues. When we got to PJIA the luggage belts had a problem and we waited about 40 minutes for them to get the belts moving again. Finally got our bags and we were off to Unity Car Rental – Got the Jeep and on our way to Belair…Dropped B off at Grand Marche, while I went to check in. Got the keys to our Belair home and was on my way to Grand Marche to gather up B and the groceries. (not to mention the Carib!) Unloaded the groceries, opened a Carib and hit our at Belair deck in time for our first sunset.

Our friends had also come in that day so we decided to try Mooi that evening for dinner. The atmosphere was great as well as the food. It is a Tapas place so lots of different things to try. We really enjoyed the atmosphere, food, and service was great. Other restaurants we ate at were: Dinners: Greenhouse, Chesterfields, Waterfront, Pizza Pasta (AWESOME), Molin Fou, Piazza Pascal (Grand Case), Gingerbread Café (at Belair), Mark’s, Pineapple Pete’s, and Lal’s – Curry in a hurry….All were very good, the highlight for us was the night at Pizza Pasta and the dinner at Piazza Pascal.

Breakfasts: Barefoot Terrace, St. Maarten Yacht Club, Andy and Cheryl’s, Bonita’s Cantina, and Room 412 at Belair (for sure the best!!)

Lunches were on the beach: Rosie’s, Orange Fever, Chez Leandra and Karakter. All were good, with Orange Fever and Karakter being excellent.

This year we did do an overnight to Anguilla, this was fantastic. We took the GB Express over to blowing point on the 9:15 ferry. Got through customs and immigration in just a few minutes, rented a car from Andy and we were off to Lloyd’s Bed and Breakfast. Our rooms were not quite ready, so we dropped off our luggage and went on an island tour. We drove through the Valley, down to the end of the road on the West end near Shoal Bay West and grabbed at beer on the beach. They we headed back up to the other end of the island and wound up at Shoal Bay East for the rest of the day on the beach. All I can say is WOW, we have been to Shoal Bay in 2002, and it was better than we remembered. What a difference. The beach is so beautiful, peaceful, tranquil, blue water, etc…It is a completely different pace than St. Maarten which is what we were hoping for. We ate at Uncle Ernie’s I had ribs and they were excellent.

After our time on the beach it was back to Lloyd’s to get ready for dinner. We ate at the SandBar in Sandy Ground, which was incredible. The Sandbar is very peaceful in a beautiful setting with great service and the food was very good as well. They also have a great list of cocktails. After dinner we tried to find some music at the Pumphouse, but the entertainment hadn’t started yet and we were all getting tired, so it was back to Lloyd’s to turn in for the night. The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast at Lloyd’s and it was off to the Ferry. We returned via GB Express without any issues. We will be putting Anguilla overnights into our regular plans moving forward…

During the week we only did one excursion and that was the 12 Metre Races. I have done this before, but my buddy wanted to give it a shot, so we were off. It is a great adventure. We were on the Stars and Stripes and came out on top. This is a very well run excursion and I would highly recommend this to anyone.

We had a wonderful time with our friends who joined us for our second week from WI. Mullet Bay and Orient were our favorite stops. We had a great time at Harmony Nights in Grand Case as well. I must say the parade has gotten better than when we went a couple of years ago. Mullet Bay Beach was absolutely perfect during our second week. The winds and waves were up the second week out of the East, so Mullet was a great option over Orient or Dawn to get out of the wind.

We also loved being with our good friends from the D.C. area again this year. Thanks to Bruce and Susan for putting up with us on the Anguilla overnight. (and those days at Orange Fever, our trip to Harmony Nights, etc…..) One highlight for me this year was we say 3 Dolphins (the mammal) just outside of Little Bay when we were on the Stars and Stripes! Very Cool! I was also able to meet Bankie Banx at the Dune Preserve on Anguilla. I really enjoy his music and it was a highlight for me to meet him. Next time we are going to plan to be there when he is performing.

The island was busy, but not more than previous years. The weather was great our first week and pretty darn good the second week. There were just a few more clouds and a passing showers week two. The Belair was great and we love being at our St. Maarten “home”. It was fun to see the Oasis of the Seas, wow, is that a big boat…Last but not least we can’t say enough about Deepti and DK Gems, she took very good care of us again. I highly recommend her and DK Gems!

I will try to post photos soon…