TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos "Fun in the Sun" Week #1

Week #1

Oct.30- We left Ottawa on Westjet and arrived in SXM on schedule and with no problems from Hurricane Sandy. Luckily we were not going through any of the eastern coast airports which were all affected by this huge storm. We picked up our car and were on our way to the condo at Son Risa. We met Jeannie there and she had our grocery order all ready for us so we could relax with a nice cold drink and enjoy the sunset from our balcony. After unpacking, we decided it was time for something to eat so we headed out to Lee's Roadside Grill for some delicious ribs. The rib platter is served with several different side dishes and we chose potato salad, rice and fried plantain. We had four margaritas which were extremely good and really hit the spot after a day of travelling. We paid our bill with cash and left the restaurant. As we were driving off from the parking lot, our waitress came running out and pounded on our window to get our attention. I opened the window and she said,"sorry, but I think you left me too much money". She had the money in her hand and there were three new $20 bills stuck together. We had given her $20 too much and she insisted we take the money. We were so impressed with this employee and gave her an extra tip for her honesty. It gave us a very good feeling to know that there are still good honest people in this island we love, in spite of some terrible incidents which happened here recently. She started our vacation in the best possible manner and we thank her for that! We returned to the condo about 9:30 and spent the remainder of the evening getting organized and we were in bed by midnight.



Oct.31- We started the day with a nice breakfast in the condo thanks to Jeannie's shopping and just spent a few hours hanging out here. We had a light lunch and then went out to pick up some items at Ace Hardware and Cost U Less.

We had Happy Hour on the balcony upon our return followed by dinner . We had planned to attend the Halloween Party at the Red Piano so we got into costume and arrived at the party about 9:00 P.M. David went as a phantom and I was a witch and there were many amazing costumes in attendance. We met several TTOL members there and had a very good evening. The entertainer had great stamina and never took a break in four hours! Towards midnight the bar filled to capacity and the costume judging commenced just after midnight. There were $1000 in prizes for first, second and third and really a difficult choice as all the costumes were very good and many very original. We got home around 1:30 A.M. and had a night cap and were in bed by 3:00 A.M.



Nov.1- We awoke to another sunny and hot day so after breakfast we left to spend the day at Mullet Bay Beach. The waves were high there so I decided not to go into the water. David did for a short while, but it was not a good day for swimming there. There were several surfers enjoying the big waves and it was fun watching them trying to recover after getting wiped out. We had Rosie's ribs for lunch and were disappointed as they were not as good as usual. They actually were cold and the salad was warm and not at all appetizing. It seems she was having an OFF DAY and we will leave it at that.

We left the beach around 3:00 P.M. to get showered and changed to go to the Dream Bar for Happy Hour. We met Bill, Elaine, Annie, Terry and Rit there . It was fun conversing with everyone and Marty was his usual happy self with lots of stories. Since we were parked right near Taco Macho, we decided to have dinner there. We both had the Chicken Fajitos and presidente and enjoyed the meal very much. After dinner we stopped into the Dunes Casino for a couple of hours and had fun, but no winnings tonight. Cocktails in the condo brought the day to a pleasant close!




Nov.2- We spent a lazy morning in the condo and enjoyed breakfast there. Since it was another beautiful day, we decided to go off to Karakter for lunch and to spend the afternoon there. We invited Annie to join us, but she had other plans so perhaps another day. We were surprised to find that most of the sand directly in front of Karakter had disappeared overnight so it was one row of chairs on the beach today. We started the day with delicious strawberry diaquiries followed by crabcakes and the Ocean Karakter. Everything was very tasty and the service was prompt and friendly. After lunch we spent the remainder of the afternoon soaking up the sun and enjoying the action of the waves. We had plans to meet some friends for drinks at Buccaneer tonight at 6:30 P.M. so we forced ourselves to leave the beach at 5:00 P.M. Luckily we left at that time as we were an hour coming from Karakter to Pelican Key! The traffic was not moving as there was an accident and a bridge opening so we did a lot of sight seeing along the way!

I opted to drink BBC's at Buccaneer to replace my evening meal and tricked my stomach into believing it was "BOOST" so everyone was happy. David had gin and tonic as a TONIC is suppose to be something beneficial too! We did not feel at all hungry after that, so we went to the Hollywood Casino for a little entertainment and finger exercise. David's fingers didn't work well, but mine were nimble and quick and I walked away a winner!

We arrived home just before midnight and decided it was now time to enjoy some snacks and drinks before bedtime. With visions of dollars dancing in our heads we drifted into slumber.




Nov.3- We awoke to another perfect day and thought we would just relax and enjoy a quiet morning here at Son Risa. We had some fresh pastries and fruit for breakfast and then took care of a few things which needed our attention. After a light lunch, we decided to go and check out the beach at Cupecoy to see if any sand was back there. Sadly the sand had all disappeared and there were only three couples sitting high up on the rocks admiring the ocean. We talked to Danny for awhile and decided to move on to one of the beaches further down the road. We stopped at Plum Bay Beach(Baie de Prunes) and decided to stay and enjoy the day there. We have been to this beach in the past and always found it to be extremely quiet with sometimes only one other couple enjoying the beach there. Well today was different. This beach has been discovered now that nudity is prohibited there and there were several families and singles and couples all enjoying the beauty there. There are absolutely no services there so you bring your own chairs, umbrellas, coolers etc... and have a wonderful day. It is a big area so lots of room to spread out. The waves were not bad, and there was lots of sand. We stayed and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and left the beach just before dark.

We decided to cook in tonight and the finished product was a chicken stir fry, accompanied by a fresh baguette and a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio. After dinner, we relaxed for awhile and then made some delicious mango colodas to complete the evening.




Nov.4- We got an early start today and decided to have breakfast and then leave to spend the day at Club O on Orient Beach. It was sunny and hot with a light breeze, just a perfect beach day! The waves were gentle and there was a fair amount of sand on the beach there compared to all the other areas on Orient. Most places had room for only one row of chairs and those that had two had the chairs almost touching each other. The waves were also bigger towards the north end of the beach. We settled in beside the Perch and had a lovely day. We walked down to Orange Fever for lunch and enjoyed their Regina Pizza with a Carib and a vodka and ting and enjoyed it very much.The service and food is always great there and the pizza is large enough to easily share. We returned to our chairs and basked in the sunshine until 4:00 P.M.

In the evening we stopped by the Dream Bar and met up with some TTOL'ers- David and Louise, Deb and Lena, Elaine, Bill, Annie and Big Den. It seems every time we stop by the Dream, a party develops, so it was another fun evening. We left at 8:30 and thought we should stop somewhere and have some dinner and so tonight we chose The Palms. I , had the stuffed chicken breast and David had the chicken curry, both entres were very good and with wine and cocktails we were too full to be tempted by dessert. Following dinner, we stopped at the casino to cash some travellers checks and play the slots for a couple of hours and just broke even tonight. All in all, a very nice day!




Nov.5- The weather continues to be beautiful with temperatures each day about 86 degrees. We enjoyed a cooked breakfast (bacon,eggs, toast,juice and coffee) at the Islandgem Cafe and the service and food was excellent! We were not too hungry for lunch so decided to spend the afternoon at Mullet Bay Beach and took a cooler along for some afternoon snacks and cold drinks. The ocean was much calmer there today and there was lots of sand. There always seems to be lots of people enjoying this beach and the parking lot is always full. The renovations seem to be completed now at Daleo's and it was business as usual. We left the beach around 5:00 P.M. and decided to have dinner in the condo and catch up on some correspondence. About 10:30 we went out to the Hollywood Casino and had fun there until about 1:30 A.M. I have found a favorite machine there and it has been very kind to me this trip! We also saw Deb and Lena there enjoying the evening. We ended the day with a nightcap and then off to dreamland.




Nov.6- I can hardly believe that we have now been here for one whole week! We enjoyed some fresh pastries from the Taste Factory for breakfast and then went to Orient Beach to spend the day. We parked in the Club O lot ($5 parking fee) and set up close to the Perch Bar for the day. We brought a cooler with snacks and cold drinks and had "fun in the sun"! We had a BBC during Happy Hour as Willie's drinks are always so delicious. On our way home, we decided to stop in Grand Case and have dinner at Talk of the Town. We both had the rib platter with three sides and johnny cakes with a Carib and Presidente to wash it all down. Both the food and service was very good and the new glass plates were a nice touch! I commented how nice it was to have the food served on the glass plates and the waitress said they can't always do that as when it gets really busy they can't keep up. I was glad it wasn't really busy tonight!

After dinner we came back to the condo and relaxed for a while and then got ready to go out for the evening.