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As the days go by........ #192852
04/20/2019 08:30 PM
04/20/2019 08:30 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline OP
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pat  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
...........We seem more and more inclined to do less and less. Is this the definition of sand gravity?

Friday 4/19

This was a totally lazy day. We hung out here at RI all day. Breakfast in the room from the last of Jeannies goodies, and then read out on the balcony for a bit until DH’s tradesman lunchtime alarm went off at noon so we had baguette sandwiches and drinks. We really needed to get off the balcony so we wandered down to the pool and loved the time there. Watched the planes come and go and listened to the sounds of the island - the planes of course coupled with the waves rolling in just off the pool deck, and the sounds of the kids splashing and laughing in the pool and all the while the sun beating down and the scents of the flowers in the air all around us. Could it possibly get any better?

Dinner was at Skipjacks, one place I would definitely suggest making a reservation. The parking sucks but the lobster was out of this world.

******
Observations of the island so far - they so desperately need rain. It’s hot and the landscape anywhere beyond the watered vegetation is burned to a crisp. No green hills and they’re suffering a severe drought. The gold course is a sad sight to see, particularly so if you remember its days of glory. The grass in so many areas looks more like straw. And they are now experiencing brush fires routinely, there being a big one today on the French side.

The recovery progress the island has made from when we were here last November to now is amazing. God bless the people of the island - they’ve suffered through so much hardship but they haven’t given up. In speaking to a young woman who works here at the hotel I’m reminded once again just how bad that b itch Irma was and how much hardship she caused so many.

******

Saturday, April 20

So we had to hit the grocery store and we were all out of pastries. Typically we would have gone to Zee Best but decided to hit Jules in Jordan Village since we had been told it was a good breakfast stop. The food was not at all what we expected and though the pastries and fresh squeezed oj were wonderful, we should have stuck with our original plan and gone to the Yacht Club. But c’est la vie. We hit the grocery while up there and were quite surprised at all they carried - seemed like much more than the Carrefour at Porto Cupecoy.

Back to RI and another day at the pool. Lunched on salads at Tortuga.

Dinner at Palapa Grill in Simpson Bay. DH had coconut shrimp and a rib-eye steak w/frites while I had their beef carpaccio and lobster linguini. We finished off the meal with lemon grass creme brûlée. Everything was perfect - service was excellent, staff so very friendly and the food? Beyond delicious. I would definitely recommend it. And you will be amazed at what an interesting decor they have created in a roofless hurricane damaged building. The stamina and determination of the island continues to amaze me at every turn.

We tend to dine early as it’s much easier to find parking, particularly if you’re heading to Simpson Bay, and because of this we got back just in time to see the little show the casino performers put on.

Another perfect island day.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
SXM Sponsors
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192853
04/20/2019 08:37 PM
04/20/2019 08:37 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
ruralcarrier Offline
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ruralcarrier  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,476
Ohio
Thanks for another update. Palapa Grill sounds like we should check it out in Nov.


J.D.
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192854
04/20/2019 08:38 PM
04/20/2019 08:38 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
Thanks for the report. Sand gravity is a wonderful thing!


Carol Hill
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192855
04/20/2019 08:50 PM
04/20/2019 08:50 PM
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,056
PA
biglar Offline
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biglar  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,056
PA
I feel like we are already on the island after reading your great posts! Hope they have the needed rain, but hope it does't rain continuously for the next month. Carol and I would love to see what your place at BSV make look like. We will travel to the island with friends in the fall and may try BSV after seeing what they are like. Enjoy your next couple of days and look forward to reading about them. Larry

Re: As the days go by........ [Re: biglar] #192856
04/20/2019 09:06 PM
04/20/2019 09:06 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
biglar--I'm not Pat, but if you have any particular questions about Beachside, I'd be happy to answer.


Carol Hill
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192859
04/20/2019 11:42 PM
04/20/2019 11:42 PM
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 721
B
bran Offline
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bran  Offline
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B
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 721
Palapa sounds great.....will certainly go there.....Lunch as well or just dinner?

Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192863
04/21/2019 06:51 AM
04/21/2019 06:51 AM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 389
East Haven, CT
Wingman Offline
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Wingman  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 389
East Haven, CT
Hi Pat-so glad you're enjoying your trip. The same thing was happening to us, the longer we were there, the more we had a tendency to let sand gravity take over. It's not a bad thing, it's was actually quite enjoyable. I went through several books that I enjoyed and that just would not happen if I were home. Glad you enjoyed Palapa Grill. It's amazing what they did there and the food and service were fantastic.

We discovered Jules Bakery when we were there in Oct/Nov. Their pastries were so delicious. When ever we were doing sandwiches in, I'd drive up there for their baguettes and stock up on pastries. With the Carrefour right around the corner, it made it very convenient. I agree, the Carrefour in Jordan Village seems to have a better variety than Porto Cupecoy. I'm hoping the one in Cole Bay is open by our next trip in the fall though.

Re: As the days go by........ [Re: bran] #192864
04/21/2019 06:51 AM
04/21/2019 06:51 AM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline OP
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pat  Offline OP
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
Bran,

Re Palapa and their hours, I don’t know for sure but I don’t believe they’re open for lunch. I checked their website quickly and didn’t see hours of operation listed, but I do know they open at six for dinner. Prices are about typical for a nice island restaurant but the food was excellent. They grow a lot of their own herbs for cooking purposes and as garnishes for their food and drinks.

If there weren’t so few nights of vacation and so many other places on our list of must-do restaurants for this trip I’d definitely return. And most likely will next trip!


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: biglar] #192866
04/21/2019 06:58 AM
04/21/2019 06:58 AM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline OP
Traveler
pat  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
Larry,

The only complaint with BSV that I can come up with is they’ve become way too popular which means kudos to them as they’re definitely doing things right. But even then, they will go out of their way to try to accommodate you if at all possible. And for sure, take a look at their website and the photos there as they very accurately reflect the property. And the two bedroom unit would very comfortably work for four of you.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192867
04/21/2019 07:04 AM
04/21/2019 07:04 AM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 464
Tellico Village, TN
jrr1148 Offline
Traveler
jrr1148  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 464
Tellico Village, TN
The comments about the drought are interesting. The "old timers" might remember that the same conditions existed in the early 1980's. At that time SXM was more like Aruba -hot and dry. Over the later 80's and 90's the island changed to a sub-tropical variety - more rainfall and hence lush vegetation.

Re: As the days go by........ [Re: Wingman] #192868
04/21/2019 07:25 AM
04/21/2019 07:25 AM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline OP
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pat  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
Mike,

We found it on a previous trip, too, and a few times we actually arrived just as the baguettes were coming out of the oven and still warm. Thank heaven we bought two because one was almost completely devoured on our way back to BSV.

The breakfast items are so-so and clearly enjoyed by many but just not what we had in mind. I knew they did fresh squeezed oj and if we hadn’t already ordered that we probably would have passed on breakfast items and gone elsewhere but their breads and pastries are all to die for. And one of these days we’ll get their early enough to enjoy their Nutella croissants that Terry speaks of...... if we’re lucky!

******

jrr1148,

Definitely an old-timer here - started coming in ‘73 - but I don’t remember the drought as we’re seeing this trip but perhaps we always arrived the day after it rained. I do remember in the early 90’s we came down ahead of our adult kids and we were sad because the golf course was so dried up and my SIL was coming to play the open tournament. It rained the night and morning before he arrived and quite literally, we sat on our balcony and watched the grass turn green.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192870
04/21/2019 07:52 AM
04/21/2019 07:52 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
BillandElaine Offline
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BillandElaine  Offline
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
Everyone forgets the drought about 4 years ago when we had not a drop of rain from February to October. Not a drop. We go through drought cycles almost every year. Hoping for some rain today, fingers crossed.


Elaine
*********************************
God Bless the broken road....
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: BillandElaine] #192875
04/21/2019 08:31 AM
04/21/2019 08:31 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
Traveler
Carol_Hill  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
Brush fires are a scary thing! We have them here in Florida. I think I know the hill they were talking about that was on fire close to Grand Case. I remember seeing that area VERY dry on several occasions in the past. Hopefully the island will get some rain soon..


Carol Hill
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: Carol_Hill] #192877
04/21/2019 08:37 AM
04/21/2019 08:37 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
BillandElaine Offline
Traveler
BillandElaine  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
The hill is very recognizable, the one with the fence down the middle so half the hill is grazing land and half is not so one side always looks green, the other brown. Now most of it is black as we saw when we drove by yesterday.


Elaine
*********************************
God Bless the broken road....
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: BillandElaine] #192878
04/21/2019 08:43 AM
04/21/2019 08:43 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
Traveler
Carol_Hill  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,467
Central Florida!
Yes, I know it. As I said, hopefully you will get some rain soon.


Carol Hill
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192882
04/21/2019 09:22 AM
04/21/2019 09:22 AM
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,132
St Louis, MO
SXMNorm Offline
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SXMNorm  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,132
St Louis, MO
Thanks for the report. We find that doing less and enjoying more is increasing our love of SXM.


Next SXM visit -November 2023. Also January 2024.
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192885
04/21/2019 09:42 AM
04/21/2019 09:42 AM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline OP
Traveler
pat  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
Funny thing, Norm. In our family, we have planners, of which I am usually one; and then we have ‘wingers’ - those who generally fly by the seat of their pants; and the funny thing is, we all usually end up in the same place. For years and years we used to come with an agenda. Nothing set in stone but we’d like to do a certain boat trip or go to a certain island or even just a list of restaurants we’d really like to try. But over the last few years, down here at least, I’ve finally become a bit of a ‘winger’ myself and I’m really liking it!


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192897
04/21/2019 10:30 AM
04/21/2019 10:30 AM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,564
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Offline
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SXMScubaman  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,564
Auburn, WA
Palapa Grill will definitely be on our to do list.

Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192898
04/21/2019 10:38 AM
04/21/2019 10:38 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,673
Newtown, CT
kim Offline
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kim  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,673
Newtown, CT
Hahaha “winger” here!!!

Re: As the days go by........ [Re: pat] #192927
04/21/2019 03:51 PM
04/21/2019 03:51 PM
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,155
Cobourg Ontario Canada
J
jeepers Offline
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jeepers  Offline
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J
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,155
Cobourg Ontario Canada
We are wingers. When we leave the beach each day our group of friends say see you tomorrow. We always say don't know depends what we decide in morning. Don't schedule anything for 3 weeks. Love it!


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