Two in one trip report includes our (overdue) annual May trip, as well as our recent September trip. May was over a week long, while September was just a long weekend, but both trips were equally as enjoyable.

Airfare in May: For my birthday, P booked business class on AA, allowing us each three "free" check-ins. Very convenient for settling into our home away from home. We had a whole lot of luggage to bring with us. As we pull up to the terminal at JFK, P's phone rings, but juggling all that luggage made it impossible to get to his phone. We found out minutes later, as we were attempting check-in, that it was AA calling to inform us of our flight cancellation due to mechanical issues. On the bright side, they rebooked us on Jet Blue, so with four or so hours to pass by we had a very leisurely breakfast and tried not to dwell on the fact that we could've slept in that morning. Return flight was on AA business class, or should I say instant upgrade. I already have another thread going on that, so I won't dwell on my ill feelings.

Airfare in September: Jet Blue. When did they create Even More Legroom seats? Seems like a pseudo first class option. In addition to the extra legroom in the emergency rows, you can now upgrade your seat to rows 1-5 for extra leg room, early boarding, and early access to overhead bins. At security, had some tsa drama between trying to sway us from our decision for the patdown vs body scanner and as anticipated had some hassle with one of our carry ons containing a safe. Ultimately we were able to bring it onboard. Return flight was painless.

Car: Rented our usual Corolla from Kenny's both trips. The consistent level of customer service from Lesley amazes us everytime. He's always there to greet us with a warm welcome with no delays, even in May when our flight arrived well past our original scheduled time. He even brought the "big" corolla as I requested. Our luggage miraculously fit. Also, when we went to Saba for a few days in May, Lesley went out of his way to meet us at Pelican to pick up and drop off our car to us. Many thanks, Lesley! In regards to traffic, we were expecting it due to the ongoing roadwork. To gauge how atypical it was, upon arrival we headed towards Topper's for a late lunch which took nearly an hour and from Oyster Pond to Pelican it took almost two hours... This trip we avoided Simpson Bay completely and will avoid it until construction ends, in December or whenever it really does finish.



Accommodations: Princess Heights. Sooo wonderful to finally be able to stay at our place. May was our first stay post-renovations, which meant lots of cleaning, organizing, and errands. It was more exciting than not, so we didn't mind, plus it was pretty rainy most of the time and being indoors wasn't so bad. September still some projects to complete, but mostly done. Slowly but surely.


view from the kitchen

Food and drink in May: One place stands out the most, L'Epicerie De Marie. A local friend introduced us to this unassuming storefront that we've driven by so many times and never knew existed. They provision megayachts, hence very fine selections, to give you an idea of pricing. You can order lunch, shop, or both. We did both. Lunch for the day was limited to a few varieties of fish with a side of vegetables; simple and delicious. I don't remember what the guys ordered, but I had the dover sole and loved every bite. We also picked up some items to enjoy later.



We made it just in time, since a week later they would be closing for six months. Here is a link, for anyone who's interested.

http://www.best-stmartin.com/detail.asp?storeID=1047&catID=3&typID=39

Other places we went to include:
*Topper's- P loves the kamikaze kalamari.
*Mr.Busby's Beach Bar- A nice alternative to the bustling Orient Beach. Chairs cost $5/person.
*Calmos Cafe- I can't help myself from ordering the grilled chicken creole everytime. Plus the zucchini-potato gratin really hits the spot.
*Dinghy Dock- Aside from the typical casual fare, my curiousity got the best of me and I ordered the frankel-something described to me as "like a hot dog but WAY better". It was ok. Ribs didn't disappoint though.
*BZH Creperie- Any place that has profiteroles on the menu is a keeper in my book, not to mention the crepes are excellent here.
*Yvette's- We went with a big stomach and left pleasantly full of conch stew, chicken stew, johnny cakes, rice and beans. We took our coconut flan to go. We were glad to hear that the cookbook was a big success. I've yet to sample some of the recipes from it.
*Big Fish- Recently opened in its new location. Can't remember what fish we ordered, but it came with four small sides, and all served on a BIG dish. Overall we enjoyed our meal. We also noted that it is open as usual year round.
*Cote de Plages- I love the setting of the village, with the local kids running around and the island dogs romping leisurely. All with good food and drink.
*Bacchus- A favorite of ours, if not for lunch, then to browse over the incredible wine selection.
*Chesterfields- We go more for convenience. Our friend lives nearby at Pointe Blanch and he likes it there. The food is not bad, but the service is awfully sllooooww even on island time.
*Treetop Lounge at Loterie Farm- A great place to lounge and have a leisurely meal of tapas. However, their service seems to have been compromised significantly with the opening of their pool/ cabana set up. That's too bad.




road up to pic paradis

*Piazza Pascal- One of the many reasons why I love P so dearly is that we share a love for good food. So when he went to Piazza Pascal on a previous solo trip and raved about it, I was expecting something special. Needless to say, I was disappointed, as was he on the second time there. I ordered chicken picatta, which was overwhelming rich and the pasta on the side was tossed with a whole lot of butter. I do like butter, but my meal didn't do much for me.

I can't remember far back enough to note all of the places that we went, but that about sums up our May wining and dining.

Food and drink in September: Our first September trip to the island and although we were aware that many businesses close down for low season, we weren't sure really what to expect. After reading the thread about places that were closed, I wondered if we'd starve, but there were plenty of options.

*BZH Creperie- Open for lunch and dinner. Still delicious.
*Dinghy Dock- Open for dinner Thursday- Sunday. We stopped in for a drink and were surprised to see it was packed! Some people looked like they'd been hanging out since the pour your own happy hour. A lively crowd that night for sure.
*Ethnic Beach Bar- After reading some positive reviews here, we decided to give it a try. Menu consists mainly of a variety of burgers and salads. We both ordered from the daily specials and had a fish sandwich. Also purchased two lounge chairs to bum on Orient Beach for the afternoon. I forget the cost, maybe $5 per person. We liked Ethnic, but I'm not sure if we'd enjoy the lounge chairs as much during high season, as they are set up in cozy quarters.



*Le Bistro Nu- We were meeting a local friend of ours for dinner, who told us to park at the stadium and walk down an alley. We walked down the wrong alley parallel to the right alley... I didn't like that too much. But once we found the place, we thoroughly enjoyed dinner. There were some exotic choices, like tongue, but I opted for chickey curry. This was one of the best that I've had anywhere on the island. Another keeper for us. Open for lunch and dinner.
*Safari Grill- A trip isn't complete for us without a stop in at Bikini Beach Bar, but sadly we went to discover that it is closed at night during low season. So much for tradition. We joked that we'd see our designer because we've bumped into him the past few times there. Since Bikini was closed, we walked over to Orient Village and had a drink at Safari Grill. Within minutes, who should appear but our designer. We bought him a drink, even if he may not have deserved it.
*Friar's Bay Beach Cafe- We decided to resort to a peaceful beach day, so we chose Friar's Bay. It was spectacular. Lunch was on the pricier side for a beach bar, but the food was good and we were hungry, so why not. We bumped into our designer, again, who was doing as the locals do with a BYO approach. They looked like they were really enjoying themselves.




chico. he made me miss scout even more.

*Chez Ali- FANTASTIC! We cannot thank Luci of SXM Cooks enough for introducing us to this off the beaten path restaurant. We had the pleasure of having a family style Moroccan dinner with Luci and her family, as well as the famous Bill and Elaine. That harissa sauce was excellent wasn't it, Bill? The tea ceremony at the end of the meal was fun. And to top off, there was fireworks in perfect view from the restaurant as we were all leaving. Luci couldn't have planned it any better.
*Enold's- Ever since Elaine's write up from some time ago, we added it to our list and this time finally got around to it. We wanted casual, caribbean creole and Enold's fit the bill. This place was packed. It has made it to our keeper list.
*Canoa- Close to home and convenient. We sat outside and were entertained with fish watching. It's nice to have this so close by.
*Mr.Busby's Beach Bar- Our last day in SXM, we decided to wrap it up at Dawn Beach. Lots of seaweed, but with my eyes closed and feeling the warmth of the sun, I hardly knew it was there. Lunch was sandwiches before heading home to pack up and say farewell to another nice trip.

Excursions: Saba... Truly an incredible experience. We went in May to celebrate my birthday, the icing on top for my annual sxm birthday tradition. We debated what was a good length of time to stay and decided on three days. I had a voucher from the silent auction that I attended at Skipjack's last May, which was good for two to Saba via The Edge, aka "the vomit comet". Fortunately, our ride both ways was very smooth.


breakfast of champions



We stayed at Queen's Gardens Resorts. I can't explain it well enough to do this place justice; it was incredible. Nestled in Troy Hill with an amazing view.

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Very quaint, personalized, and extremely relaxing. I've never stayed at a place that does not charge as you go, but at the end of your stay; it was a nice concept. During our short stay in Saba, we managed to get in three short hikes: The Ladder, Sandy Cruz, and the trail from Windwardside to Troy Hill (I can't remember the trail name). Of the three, we found The Ladder to be most interesting. I forget the number of steps now. I want to say 300 or so... This was the route for incoming goods before the port existed. The manager at Queen's Gardens showed us an old postcard of men moving a car up that way. We were exhausted carrying just a water bottle! But the spectacular view should not be missed.

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We had most of our meals at the resort; another bonus there was the food... delicious! Our first dinner there, they put us in the middle of the food court in the gazebo. At night with the lights and greenery, it was a very romantic setting.

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We also went to Windwardside to Tropics Cafe for a lunch by the pool, Scout's Place because I like the name, Saba's Treasure for a drink... I just named about half of the restaurants in all of Saba. We were anticipating our dinner at the Eco Lodge; we were told that it's truly a Saban experience, especially at night having to hike to the restaurant with a "torch" (or flashlight ). But sadly they cancelled our dinner reservations due to a resort problem. Shoppping tip: bring your own hiking shoes and clothing from home. Since this was somewhat unexpected and last minute, we did our shopping there and made due with what was available. There is a small shop called Sea Saba with limited selections. We got lucky and were both able to find some Merrell shoes in our size. The socks we had to buy from the grocery store down the road. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> All in all, a very memorable trip. I can't remember the last time that I felt so incredibly relaxed, or read a book even! I actually read a book by the pool and bed time reading. I'm not used to bed time at 9pm, but that's what Saba was all about. Peace and quiet. Doing nothing is really special sometimes. The return ride on the Edge was on Friday with workers going to SXM for a fun filled weekend. The guys were in full party mode celebrating TGIF.

Other fun May adventures: 2nd Wine Tasting Event coordinated by Jeannie of Shop n' Drop. It was held at Canoa, where we got to meet some fellow ttolers as well as Henck and Marja (islanders who we had the pleasure of sitting with at the event). It was a nice, quaint event.

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oyster pond

Also, I finally got to meet ttol member Dane. He invited us to his beautiful villa for a glass of wine. It was great to finally meet him, after all the PM exchanges; he's been most helpful with advice for sxm related questions, as well as recommendations for our D.C. trips this past year.

Ok, onto planning for our next trip. We are trying to join the November gang. Fingers crossed...