Trip Report, May 9 – May 16

This was our first trip to SXM and we had a blast! We are working on booking a return trip next year. Here are a few observations/thoughts from our first trip.

Transportation:
US Airways, Minneapolis to Charlotte to St Maarten. The flights were on time and uneventful. Just the way we like it. We rented a car from Lesley Bruce at Kenny’s Car Rental. The rental transaction was quick and easy with excellent service. I will definitely be using Kenny’s for our next trip to SXM. In my opinion, driving on the island was very easy and I found myself adopting the ‘go with the flow’ approach to navigating the roads and traffic.

Lodging:
We rented the Topaz 6 villa at the ShorePointe development on Cupecoy beach. The villa was incredible! Cupecoy beach quickly became our favorite beach on the island and we spent quite a bit of time on this beach. Our villa had a private pool on the roof which was very nice, but we found ourselves walking down to Cupecoy instead of using the pool. It was our 20th anniversary so we splurged on lodging, but didn't end up spending enough time in the villa to justify the cost.

Beaches:
Cupecoy – We were able to spend time on Cupecoy everyday of our vacation and fell in love with the beach, Danny’s rum punch, and all of the friendly people we met on the beach.

Baie Longue – Spent a quiet day on Baie Longue and practically had the beach to ourselves. Very nice!

Orient – Spent one day on Orient beach at the CO end. The weather was perfect and we had a great day. Had lunch at Kakao’s and would definitely go back for lunch on our next visit.

Mullet – The surf was up when we visited Mullet and we were able to do some body surfing on the east end of the beach. Visited Rosie’s for colada’s and bbq. The food and drinks were excellent!

Dining:
Zee Best: fresh fruit crepe and pastries. Excellent food.
Fusion in Maho: red curry snapper and saffron scallops. Excellent food.
Kakao on Orient Beach: steamed mussels and quattro fromage pizza. Excellent food.
Lee’s Roadside: barbeque chicken and ribs. Good food.
Temptation: Surf and turf, French onion soup. Excellent food and service.
Bamboo Bernie’s: sushi and specialty rolls. Excellent food, okay service.
Sunset Café at GCBC: grouper and steamed mussels. Good food, excellent setting, very romantic.
Cheri’s in Maho: grilled mahi mahi and shrimp scampi. Good food, great entertainment.

Bars/Nightclubs:
Soprano’s, Cheri’s, Red Piano, Tantra, La Bamba, Pineapple Petes, Mr Busby’s.

The bars and nightclubs were not real crowded when we were there, but we still had a blast. We danced the night away at Tantra two nights in a row.

Can’t wait to go back!