Days 5 and 6

We woke up reasonably early Wednesday morning and enjoyed our coffee and pastries on the porch over-looking the pool and ocean here at Royal Islander. I’ve long believed this was one of the best run and best maintained timeshares on the islands. No change in opinions there.........

We headed out to Mullet Bay determined to spend some serious beach time there this trip. What a totally disappointment the day was.

We got there at 10:00 and headed straight for the beach. I was shocked to see how completely the two food concessions have completely taken over all the prime real estate. At fifteen dollars a set-up they must be making a fortune on that alone. There was a very high sand wall, possibly as much as a five to six foot drop down to the waters edge. You can’t get too upset over nature’s realities but seeing that coupled with what came next about broke my heart. The concessionaires left no provisions at all for those in the second row to get through the first one and down to the water so you literally had to bend over and crawl, though not quite on hands and knees to get through and beyond their chairs and to the sand wall before sliding down to the waters edge. And forget about getting back up again........

Then as another tour group arrived they added a third row of chair set ups in what was the walk way between the two rows already there. It was not very pleasant and again, they have to make a living but really? The water looked lovely and enjoyable but we never did get in. And the beach vendors were terrible. I know the island has been through hard times and everyone needs to earn a living but the vendors were many and extremely annoying. The family next to us, Brits off a two week Caribbean tour and very friendly and pleasant people, said this was the worse experience they've had on all the islands they’d visited so far. We enjoyed the beach sights and sounds about as long as we could take it, and we thoroughly enjoyed our Rosie’s ribs and fries lunch but then we left to return to the pool at RI.

The consensus from most everyone we spoke with is the cruise lines are busing their people to Mullet instead of Orient because of the fear of strikers on the French side and the tour boats are pretty much making this one of their prime stops, too. At one point there were five large party boats - Golden Eagle size and type - and several normal private ones as well. It’s no longer the beach we remember and now, with the Easter holidays almost here, I’m sure it will get crazier. I doubt the locals will put up with this total usurping of the beach but I guess that remains to be seen. And I won’t be going there to see how it all plays out.

Dinner last night was at one of our favorites - Le Moulin Fou In Maho and it’s so nice to be able to walk there and NOT have to search for parking. DH had escargot and rack of lamb while I had beef carpaccio and medallions of lobster served over risotto. All was delicious and then DH had their homemade Tiramisu which was enough for three. It seems to me that food prices in general seem to be climbing drastically but the food and the evening were both very enjoyable so not complaining. Well, not very much.......

Thursday 4/18

As is our custom, we enjoyed breakfast in and then more or less planned our day. Wanted to catch up with some friends at BSV and then spend the balance of our day at El Zafiro but some minor details got in the way and we got a very late start. The safe wouldn’t open and we had to wait for maintenance to come so we could get some cash.

We ended up going to El Zafiro first because by this time my DH and his tradesman’s belly were screaming feed me. We both had Cesare salad plates, his with shrimp and mine with chicken and both were delicious. After lunch we went next door to BSV and spent the rest of the afternoon playing catch-up. Omg! That place is wonderful!

We had planned on Bavaria for dinner but we realized most groceries would be closed on Friday and we needed to pick up a few things so we grabbed a pizza at Fat Tony’s in Jordan Village and then went to the small grocery at Porto Cupecoy. The pizza was very good and it was nice to see them, Fat Tonys that is, back bigger and better than pre-Irma. And we laughed because our dinner tonight didn’t cost as much as our tip from the night before.

Called it an early night and here we are......all ready for lalaland with a little time to catch up on the news of the day.

How disappointing Mullett must have been for you as I know that's one of your very favorite places. Is Anse Marcel on the agenda?

Sounds like Mullet is off your list for now. Very disappointing to see your beloved beach so different . I saw pictures of you at BSV and you all looked like having fun. Keep enjoying your days in the great weather the island is experiencing.

So sorry about the experience at Mullet. I don't care for all the boat excursions there, but at least the boats are usually in and out quickly. The chair situation seems to be a whole different situation, and not a good one, for sure.

With regard to prices for restaurants, it does seem that prices on island have gone up a lot since Irma..

Am surprised by your review of Mullett. We spent probably ten days or so there during our last visit. I understand about the chair situation being a bit tighter on some days than others. They well know in advance of how many ships are in port...and set up in advance as many as they can. After having a year and a half of little or no business I can't say i don't blame them With Orient still a mess, they are making it while they can. We spent many hours at a time in that water, and really didn't have much problems getting in or out...even with my bum knee, and my wife's mended shoulder after a bad break a few months back. Of course we chatted with many of the ''boat people'' who came to Mullett by either bus or party boat. Everyone we talked to LOVED Mullett....and most mentioned that next time they want to come back to Mullett when they come next year for a real vacation there. As for Rosie's...I have said in the past, and still stand by my statement...Rosie's has the BEST ribs on the island bar NONE. For twelve bucks get a bunch of ribs, cooked deliciously, with fries and a salad....can't be beat. In other words...don't write off Mullett for another visit...just check the cruise schedule and find a more quiet day. Mullett would be close to the olden days.

I remember mullet bay beach resort, pre hurricane luis. So nice and not crowded at all. A truly beautiful beach. My first beach experience ever, 1992.
Yes, on a carnival cruise !

Sorry about Mullet. In March at BSV we saw the cruise crowds at El Zafiro. Some even walked down and tried to take the chairs from in front of BSV units. We asked 3 girls if they were our "new neighbors" since they were moving the chairs from that unit. They walked back to ELZ.

When we booked for next year we pleaded that we NOT be in a unit next to El Zafiro. Because that was all that was available, we decided to change our vacation time so we could book further down. Either that or we would have had to go elsewhere. Fortunately, we can be flexible.

Thanks for another informative update. Sad about Mullet Bay but we noticed the same crowded conditions in March and also a lot of cruise ship visitors then. Nothing againt the tours but there needs to be some easement for getting to and from the water.

I agree about the food (and drink) prices, much higher than my visit 2 years ago. Rosie's prices are some of the best on the island.

Looking forward to more.

Regarding Mullet, it is what it is and I get the cruise ship guests have to go somewhere. I’m sure the crowds yesterday had much to do with the fear of possible traffic disruptions on the French side and we were told if we waited until 12:30 the majority of the people would be gone. It hadn’t lessened by 1:30 and since there was no easy water access because of both the high sand wall - thanks to the sea conditions and Mother Nature - and the way the chairs and umbrellas were set up chair to chair, it just wasn’t pleasant for me. Other beaches offer these same services to visitors but we’ve just never experienced it there to such a degree before and most of the beaches we frequent set up chairs with a little space around them. And we are used to as many as three water excursion trips coming in at a time but five large cats and the smaller boats, too, was just too much for me. I guess I’m still living in the past.........

One thing I did notice and appreciate was the way the excursion operators cleaned up after themselves. In the past we’ve seen a few of them leave soda cans, beer bottles and plastic cups right at waters edge where they set their coolers in the sand. The crew from Golden Eagle was right in front of us and bagged and hauled their trash right back to their dink along with their cooler and other gear. More environmental awareness is good to see ............

Sad to hear about the situation at Mullet. Hopefully when more places open up in Orient Beach it'll take some pressure off there.

I noticed from the Sunset Beach Bar webcam that there is quite a large drop off there too. Hopefully mother nature will correct both beaches in time.

Yes, we drove through that crowd yesterday and the rocks were well exposed on that end of the beach. We really couldn’t see what most of the beach was like because of the solid wall of people standing on the wall and in the road in front of it but we laughed at the couple of chairs in use amid the rocks. There was a lot of sand on the road, too, so you know the waves have been strong.

Sorry about your Mullet experience. When we were there for the month of February, we always avoided it whenever there were more than 3 ships in port. Chester would warn us not to come .Since we did go so often and arrive by 10am, he'd "save" our chairs. He always set us up on the end of a row so we had a little more privacy.
I'm with Ed on Rosie's ribs= best lunch on the island!!
Pat- enjoy the rest of your stay. And thank you for the reports!!

Thanks for taking the time to write about your vacation. Just wait a few more years, the cruise lines are building 5 more mega ships to handle 6 to 7 thousands of passengers. Some are so big that there are many docks they will be unable to handle. But guess what? SXM will be only one of a few that will accommodate these ugly monsters!

She always does.

Sorry about Mullet. That really stinks! I know I was unhappy with how El Zafiro was bringing in the cruisers in November. Maybe I'll make sure there are no boats in when we go May/June.

Ro, that is so rude those girls would try and take chairs from BSV. I wouldn't like that unit #1 either. From one in the middle we could see a couple.....um.....well, you know! Right at the corner there.