We didn’t plan on breaking the trip down cost-wise and sharing it but since we wrote down every dollar spent we spent (almost as a fun thing to do at night to think about the day) on our trip I thought it might be helpful for some potential first timers to see what some people spend. We could have spent thousands more and we could have easily trimmed off a thousand or so. In the end the total was $4,908 for a 10 day (9 night) trip.

We flew US Air from Detroit (through Charlotte) $1,355 (includes taxes and a $75 travel insurance)

We stayed at the Flamboyant Beach Villas in Grand Case in the same room as we had last year: ocean front top floor (other threads discussing the property here and <a href="www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=sxmtrip&Number=1502585" target="_blank">here</a> ) $1,040 (10 days, 9 nights)

We rented a car for the duration from a sponsor here: $350

Total cost for these: $2,750 (includes all fees, taxes, and insurance)

Daily cost for round trip tickets, villa, and rental car: $275/day

NOTE- all restaurant values include any added 'service'/tip. Also my pregnant wife was forced to order water/Sprite instead of wine/cocktails and that helped keep the bill down.....I kept making her smell my drinks.....I've never seen her so jealous <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Day one

We arrived on a Sunday at 1:30 and immediately spotted the owner of our rental car company (Lesley) by the door and in 5 minutes we were in our Corolla. We drove straight over to our villa and were amazed at how fast we got over to the other side of the island with the causeway……its so strange that you can be in Marigot in about 8-10 minutes flat from the airport. After checking in we went next door to the GCBC Sunset Café for lunch. I had the beef carpaccio (one of MANY carpaccio’s on the trip) and my wife had a fish sandwich. The two mojitos I had went down nice (small volume but they make the best homemade mojitos I have had on the island). After our late lunch we fully unpacked and a few swims we thought we would be ready for dinner in town but instead we were invited to a family party that was on the grounds and ate there, story of the party was posted here .

One of the improvements at the villas was a transformer next to the breaker box and dual voltage plugs:


Cost for the day:
$58 Sunset Café
Total: $58

Day two

We woke up and made the pilgrimage to Front Street because I forgot my waterproof sandals and needed a pair. After parking in the marina pay lot on the road to the cruise dock we walked the boardwalk to Bigfoot café to eat breakfast. We bought a pair of sandals on back street (should of bought a nicer pair but oh well), a sundress at one of the shops, a small bottle of Ma Doudou rum for the trip and a candy at another shop, and lastly enjoyed two delicious milk shakes on the way back to our car at the gelato place right at the start of the boardwalk.
On the way back to the villa we went to Leader Price for some supplies. We unloaded and immediately went back out to Simply to get some additional supplies.
We ended up back at Sunset at the GCBC for lunch again this time I had the fish carpaccio and my wife had a chicken salad. Mine was great but the chicken in my wife’s salad lacked flavor (no seasoning?). The two mojitos I had went down nice (small volume but they make the best homemade mojitos I have had on the island)
Later in the evening we ended ups walking the entire strip but neither of us were hungry enough for a large sit down meal so we ended up at Le Quinze for a couple of pizzas. I had a rum punch. I have recommended Le Quinze several times over the last year but the obnoxious and all caps “TIPS NOT INCLUDED” handwritten note on the bill left a bad taste in my mouth as it wasn’t on the menu and felt like an American trap and I was planning on spending my money there again over the course of the trip and never did again. In any event the pizzas were great and we both had a half of pizza left for leftovers in the next two days. My wife had the vegetarian while I had the 4-cheese.

Cost for the day:
Front street parking: $3
Breakfast at Bigfoot: $20
Sandals on Back Street: $20
Sundress: $20
Small bottle of rum and candy bar: $9
Two milk shakes: $10
Leader Price supplies: $26
Simply Market supplies: $68
Lunch at Sunset: $60
Diner at LeQuinze: $60
Total for the day: $306

Day three

My wife made the trip across town of the bakery for a couple of pastries and made breakfast. We were going to go to Maho to see the planes but it was ultra packed and we didn’t feel like fighting the crowds (apparently it was more packed than usual because someone even make a thread about the crowd) so we never got out of the car but we did see a few planes land while in the traffic jam (we were directly under one). We were going to have an ice cream at Carassoul but were about 45 minutes early. We ended up buying a few things at the pharmacy in Simpson Bay and some more things at Grand Marche in Cole Bay (most of the cost came from some cartons of cancer stick Marlbro’s for some relatives).
Later we ended up at Le Pressor for a fine dinner. I had a few mojitos. I had the crispy blue cheese and snails appetizer (like candy) and the red snapper special from fish caught from at least 200 meters deep and my wife had lobster bisque soup and the lobster both were great. They had no problems with the SXM Privilege card discount.

Cost for the day:
Bakery items: $3
Simpson Bay pharmacy items: $47
Grand Marche: $47
Le Pressor: $150
Total for the day: $247

Early morning moonlight over Grand Case:


Day four

Saba day trip! We had the early flight so it was a morning where we ate a few hard-boiled eggs and were off to the airport. The WinAir trip was great and the landing/take offs on the shortest commercial runway in the world were super smooth. The cabbie we wanted was out of country but we lucked out getting a cabbie named Jonah. She took us on an island tour midway through the tour she wanted to stop and pick up a deli sandwich and so did we so we ended up getting a couple of made-to-order sandwiches from a small store and a can of Dr Pepper. The island is absolutely stunning. Besides the natural beauty of the island it seems the residence have a pride and everyone keeps their properties up as there were no run-down looking areas or litter and their winding roads were in great shape.
We planned on climbing Mt. Scenery when we booked the daytrip but since my wife was pregnant we only did a 10-minute trail, which was still great, but not in the rainforest. Since we had a bit more time without the long hike we ended up seeing everything there was to see in Windwardside. We went through two museums and all the shops. We ended up at Tropicana twice. Once early just for drinks and later for lunch; I had a blackened fish sandwich and it was great. The only thing we bought on the island to bring back was a couple of bottles of Saba Spice (homemade concoction rum made with a base rum and several spices). We had the late flight back to SXM and since we had a late lunch we just relaxed for the night.

Mount Scenery mocking us as we sat and ate lunch.....I'll get you next time:

Island is just stunning we zero commercialization:



Cost for the day:
WinAir round trip to Saba: $325
Two deli sandwiches and soda: $17
Drinks at Tropicana: $15
Two medium bottles of Saba Spice Rum: $30
Lunch at Tropicana: $40
Cab fare on Saba: $60
Saba departure tax: $20
Parking fee in SXM airport lot: $18
Total cost for the day: $525

Day five

After another inexpensive breakfast of fruit, eggs, and bacon on the villa my wife and I went in separate directions. I went next door at the GCBC for a snorkel trip to Creole rock while my wife went to her massage appointment at Dinah’s (next to Spiga). My wife really enjoyed her massage especially after all the walking on the hills of Saba and really I lucked out on the snorkel trip. They can take up to 6 on the snorkel trip but I was the only one so I had my own personal guide. We saw a few eels, a strange looking crab, a type of sea urchin you can hold, and of course hundreds of fish of various species.
My wife had leftovers for lunch while I gave the lolos a second try (I swore I would never go back). This time I went to Scoobies and had a fantastic rib, fries, plantains, and coke lunch to go. It was 50 times better than the lolo next to talk of the town we had last year and I love Scoobies spice rub. We went to Ma Doudou ‘factory’ for rhum to take home stateside. I ended up buying 7 bottles of rum. They now use painted and attractive plastic bottles for most of their bottles. I bought a few various sizes but I asked if I could get some nonpainted bottles to save a few bucks and the woman did have 1L glass bottles for $12 USD which was by far the best price I have seen for their rum. Even though they were the best value we only bought two of the 1L glass bottles because we were concerned about the weight. I will post a picture of all the rum later in this posting. The woman did knock off $4 off our total since we were buying a lot of bottles.
We ended up at Spiga for dinner where I had two rum punches and the beef carpaccio appetizer and the red snapper special while my wife had a seafood pasta. We had a delicious desert to-go and ate it at home once we settled in.

Cost of the day:
Snorkel trip: $40
Massage: $140
Scoobies lunch for one: $12
Rhum from the Ma Doudou ‘factory’: $90
Dinner at Spiga: $115
Total for the day: $382

Day six

I ran to the bakery for more pastries and we had a breakfast in the villa then we were off to Petite Cayes. This year we were going to go from the Arnse Marcel direction instead of the landfill direction as I have read that its easier…….huge mistake. Not only did it seem further and far more strenuous but also we ended up making a left at the trail intersection where the trail levels off instead of continuing over the mountain. We ended up following the trail where it ends at the water where there are larger rocks on the shore and you have to continue to the beach walking the shore. There is no trail and it’s a dangerous walk for my pregnant wife so we ended up doubling back. By the time we got back to the intersection to go to the beach we just ended up cutting our losses and going back to the car. It was a great nature hike but a huge let down. The wind and surf were definitely up and coming straight in on that side of the island so I don’t even know how much we would have enjoyed the beach.
We had leftovers for lunch and my wife took a huge nap. I took off and went over to Orient just to take a walk and see all the activity. On the way back I stopped at Simply market to buy a few things such as my candy stash to bring back to the states and more Etna ice cream.
Later we ended up at Piazza Pascal for dinner where I had a mojito and the beef carpaccio appetizer and beef tenderloin special and my wife had the calamari appetizer as a meal. Donna had no problem taking off the SXM Privilege discount.

Cost for the day:
Bakery goods: $7
Simply market: $45
Piazza Pascal dinner: $72

Day seven

We had breakfast in the villa and went off for the Saturday market in Marigot. We bought a couple of mangos and I ended up buy 5 more bottles of rhum (700mL each). After unloading we ate lunch at Zen It. I had the salmon carpaccio and goat cheese burger and my wife had some mozzarella cheese sticks.
Later we ate at Bistrot Caraibes. We were getting fed up that the didn’t have a table for us even though we had reservations but just before we were about to walk the gentleman brought us in to stand at the bar and gave us two free drinks (I had a rum punch or two). I had a beef carpaccio appetizer and sea bass dinner and my wife had lobster bisque soup (too watery). They had no issue with the SXM privilege discount.

Cost for the day:
Two mangos at the Marigot market: $5
Five bottles of rhum at the Marigot market: $50
Lunch at Zen It: $50
Dinner at Bistrot Caraibes: $102
Total for the day: $207

Day Eight

We took it easy all day. We ended up walking the beach to the other side of town to the Rainbow Café for lunch. I had some great frozen cocktails (pina colada and a bbc) and enjoyed a while my wife had mozzarella sticks, burger and fries.
Later my wife ate leftovers while I walked to the other side of town to buy a wood-fired pizza to-go at Aglio E Olio. I really liked this pizza place down by the pharmacy/bakery area and I sucked down a rum punch while I watched my pizza being made.

Cost of the day:
Lunch at Rainbow: $85
Pizza and cocktail at Aglio E Olio: $29
Total for the day: $114


Day Nine

We walked next door to the GCBC Sunset café for a nice breakfast. Took it easy all day and finished remaining food and leftovers in the fridge for lunch since it was our last full day. We ended up walking main street with no dinner plan and board shopped we ended up at La Villa. I had the beef carpaccio and my wife and I both had the sea bass special. We had a bottle of water and I had a rum punch. I was talked into desert because if I did I could have the ‘price fix’ menu for $49 so I wasn’t really hungry but couldn’t turn down a super cheap desert so I got the pineapple carpaccio...so happy I went for it because it was great. I really liked all the extras at La Villa such as the cold veggie soup ‘shot’ and the raspberry/coconut desert rum where they leave the bottle and encourage you to drink a few. On the way back my wife bought a ring she spied out earlier in the week at the boutique Oops and I ordered an authentic Cuban Mohito (using Havana Club) at the new place across the street from the ice cream shop and enjoyed it on the walk home.

Cost for the day:
Breakfast at Sunset Café: $35
Dinner at La Villa: $100
Ring at Oops: $45
Mojito: $5
Total for the day: $185

Day ten

Got up and bought our last batch of pastries at the bakery and gassed up the rental car at the gas station between Hope Estate and Orient (1:1). We packed our two bags, which were not easy with 14 bottles of rum to pack. Luckily the owner of the villas let me use here luggage scale. With the 50 lb luggage limit we were able to get our two checked bags in at 47 and 48 pounds. We took our last swim and headed to the airport. We left the car with Lesley’s instructions but luckily he was in the parking lot so we got to actually hand him the keys.

Got our total contraband from the trip together for a group shot before packing:


Cost of the day:
Gas: $39
Bakery: $5
Car rental drop off parking: $3
Tip for the maid: $15
Total for the day: $62


Trip total cost tabulation: $4,908 (more like $4,975 with breakfast, lunch, and dinner items bought at SXM and Charlotte airports both coming down and going up). We kept track of the costs out of curiosity and we actually brought back almost $1,000 dollars that we would have been ok spending.


A couple of thoughts:

We had a great time but it will most likely be our last on the island. Now that we are starting a family we most likely won't have the finances and time for a Caribbean trip for many years and we will most likely try other islands. We are really laid back and many of the features of the island don't appeal to us at all such as the entire Dutch side so we would mostly try an island with more natural beauty and less development.

On Good Friday I walked into Happy Bay by myself as the sun was setting just to check it out as my wife was sleeping and I have never been there......basically scouting it out. I went from the white fence road (Grand Case direction). WOW was the place hopping. Must have been 30 tents and several large family parties (seemed mostly French folks). Everyone seemed to be having a great time. I was almost all the way out when I looked up and saw about four Gendarmes and their truck on the other side of the gate waiting for me as I walked toward them. I thought for sure that I was going to end up on the show "Locked up abroad" as it is posted no trespassing. For a split second I thought about bolting back to Happy Bay and walking out through Friars or loosing them in the brush but I'm not 15 anymore and dismissed those crazy thoughts and instead decided to act like an adult and take my medicine. I put a game face on and kept walking towards them. They were staring at me for 3-5 minutes straight as I walked towards them and then I went through the hole in the fence and start walking along the wall I just knew something was going to happen. Instead they didn't even give me a second thought as they had just got the keys for the fence and they were getting back into their truck to drive in. We never had time to go back in the remaining days of the trip.

While we were seated on the outside railing of one of the fancy Grand Case restaurants a large cockroach came from outside to the top of the railing to say hi. We didn’t say anything about it and weren’t really grossed out about it so we elected to shoo it away and act like it didn’t happen (would have been harder to deal with if it was inside). We aren’t in fantasy land...in that climate and the type of buildings in Grand Case I’m sure they are always fighting a constant battle against roaches and other creepy crawlies. If they used enough chemicals to 100% eradicate the pests…..I don’t know if I would want to breathe there(let alone eat there). I don’t hold it against the restaurant (the roach wasn’t even in the restaurant) and I’m not going to say which one it was to give them any unfair press. (I joked with my wife that I could have took a picture with my phone and used it for blackmail)

After the Saba trip my wife really commented about how much more run down, how bad the roads are, and much more litter and trash was everywhere in SXM compared to Saba. I'm sure there are many factors for this, massive population difference being the biggest, but the difference in the 'condition' of the islands was remarkable. All the home in Saba looked move in ready and really kept up.