Planning for our 5th trip to St. Maarten/St. Martin started shortly after the first of the year. Before any definite plans could be made, a number of issues had to be settled. We needed to decide how long our stay would be, on what dates we would be traveling, where would we like to stay, rental car, etc. etc. etc.

Rather than review our daily routine, we would prefer to break this report into categories such as: pre-trip planning, travel/transportation, accommodations, shopping, beach time, dining, and finally close with some random thoughts.

Before we begin, however, we should note that from this vacation we wanted as much rest and relaxation as possible. We did not have or want any agenda to follow. We didn't feel that we had to be at any given place at any given time. So while this relaxed pace wouldn't appeal to others, we thought it was just right for us.

With that in mind.........let the trip report begin!!!!!!!!


PRE-TRIP PLANNING

By early March, our plans for the trip were falling nicely into place. We would fly from IND thru CLT and then on to SXM. We would stay at Hotel L'Esplanade. In late April, we booked a car with Marcuis at St. Louis Car Rental.

We knew that our hotel room had a very nice kitchen area, so we planned on having a number of meals in the room (especially breakfast). These meals were not fancy, of course, but good anyway. My wife packed several snacks (cracker, cookies, nuts, teas, coffee singles, etc.) in plastic bags to take with us. Also, she packed some pre-cooked bacon that didn't need to be refrigerated for our breakfasts. That worked out great.

Our room had a CD player so we took some of our favorite CD's. That worked out well also. We also took our portable DVD player. That didn't work out because our adapter wouldn't work with their converter.


TRAVEL/TRANSPORTATION

Traveling on USAirways thru CLT is the best possible way for us to get to St. Maarten. Also, that way we can avoid San Juan. We felt it was important to book our flights first. We used Priceline for the first time because we were able to bid on specific flights. We bid $535 which was accepted. Add on the tax and the total came to $590 per ticket. Probably could have bid lower, but with jet fuel prices on the rise, we wanted to book early. We heard that same flight on Wednesday 7/21 was cancelled. The flight going down was uneventful; the return flight was trying.

We can't say enough good things about Marcuis and St. Louis Car Rental. If you're undecided about who to rent from, please email them for a quote.

In late April, we emailes them asking about availability and prices. We heard back from them the next day. We mentioned to them that we wanted a car with good tires and one that was in good running condition. We said that in the past we had rented from other companies and had some problems. We also told them of the many good reports we had read on TTOL.

We were met at the airport and taken to where our car was parked. It was a gray 2004 Renault Samsung 4 door with only 4807 kilometers on it. We could not believe how nice this car was!!!! We put plastic bags over the floor mats so they would not get dirty. Also, we put newspapers in the trunk to keep sand from getting on the carpeting. If we had known where a carwash was, we would have wash it before turning it back in. It really was that nice. and we did appreciate their service.


ACCOMMODATIONS

A lot has been written lately about Hotel L'Esplanade. Trip reports from E & S and on Tripadvisor have talked about this hotel extensively. We would agree with everything that has been written. This is a terrific property and we would be happy to stay there again at any time.

However, it should also be mentioned that because it is built on a hillside, parking can be a potential problem at times. We counted 23 parking spaces for 25 rooms. When all of the rooms are filled, as they were when we checked in, someone probably would have to park along a curb area which would not be very close to their room. Also, there is a concrete wall that borders one side of the parking lot. That wall also makes pulling into and out of a parking space a bit tight. Other than this minor situation, it would be hard to criticize anything about this hotel.


SHOPPING

It won't take too long to write about our shopping experiences. My wife had a suit made for her by Luis, who is set up for business behind Pedro's on OB. That was an interesting experience.

We also went to Rima's for an assortment of shirts, caps, and some things for the grandkids. In fact, we wound up going in there twice.

Of course, we also had to stop and meet Deepti adn her brothers at D.K. Gems. So many nice things have been written about Deepti what we wanted to meet her in person. We felt that she was friendly, sincere, and honest. They all work very hard. My wife loved her ring and earrings that I got her for our 37th anniversary.


BEACH TIME

Almost all of our beach time was spend at OB. Our days there were very routine. At Cool Corner we rented two chairs and an umbrella and two drinks for $12 per day plus our last day on the beach was free. Cool Corner is located between Sexy Fruits and Kon Tiki. We also like to rent there because we can park directly behind Cool Corner. From there we usually walked to Perdo's for lunch and then on to the Perch for happy hour. What a great eay to spend a day....life is good!!!!

One morning it was cloudy and looked like rain, so we delayed going to the beach. By noon, things were looking better; so we went to Dawn Beach for lunch. We ate the ribs and chicken combo at Ms B's. Caribs are $1. Good lunch, cold beer, friendly people......enough said.


DINING

As you can guess by now, getting all dressed up to eat in a fancy place is not necessarily our style. However, one of the highlights would have to be Spiga's. Very good service, very good food. They also made it very clear the gratuity was not included on the bill!!!!!!

We also ate at Taloula Mangos, Portofinos, Villa Pizza, Ms B's, Barefoot Terrace, Pedros, Sunset Beach Bar, Ric's and the buffet at the Princess casino. It doesn't get much more casual than that.


RANDOM THOUGHTS

Gasoline costs about $2.80 per gallon.

Grand Marche Supermarket seemed to be better stocked with items that a couple of years ago.

The departure tax is clearly marked on the window of the payment booth...$20 USD. This tax is included in the price of a ticet on AA and Delta flights. How hard is that to understand??

Leaving the SXM airport always seems to be a nightmare.

Definately more rain this year than in the past. A lot of the rain fell at night and that was a good thing!!

We took a small bench brush with us to the beach to brush off excess sand from our feet and chairs.

Can anyone figure out the per capitia consumption of beer on the island??