Final observations:
Except for about five days of Christmas Winds, the weather was absolutely fabulous this trip, and even that didn’t dampen our spirits. When we first arrived, it was hotter and more humid than I remember, but as the breeze picked up, so did the comfort level. In spite of the lack of rain, the island is quite green, and all the beautiful flowers are blooming. The white butterflies were returning towards the end of our trip; we didn’t see them at all last year.
LaVista Beach is as wonderful as always. There are new outdoor lights around the buildings and the pool, and pretty new room number signs with the sailboat and sunset logo. As always the staff was friendly and efficient; unfortunately I didn’t see Andrea once the entire time we were there. My fault, as she’s in the office in the afternoons, and I just never got over there. No need to go to the office when everything is perfect!
We only went to Grand Case for dinner twice in the entire three weeks. It’s pretty quiet over there; I sure hope for the sake of the restaurateurs that things pick up, but I guess I didn’t do much to help that by having my main meal on Orient most days.
Traffic is unpredictable. Some days there’s none at all, and others you just sit. A couple of evening plans ended up being changed or cancelled due to the traffic. It seems to be worst coming from Cupecoy and Maho into Simpson Bay; after you pass Billy Folly Road it’s generally not too bad.
The beach erosion at Orient is bad. During our second week the sand seemed to be returning, and then the third week the winds picked up and the sand left again. I feel for the beach bars south of Kon Tiki…they barely have any room at all.
As always, the people we already know, and the new ones that we meet each year, have become our reason for returning. It’s still paradise….
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