Since Carol is asking for trip reports for the archives, I will post the following, which has already appeared on one of the other versions of the SXM traveltalk boards, and also is posted on Caribbean Travel Roundup. <br><br>My wife and I recently returned (June 29) from 9 days on SXM after a week on St. Barth's. These will be a few rambling comments but not a catalog of our day-to-day activities. <br><br>The island was very dry - I can't recall seeing it more brown; actually, not very attractive. I expect that a first time visitor expecting a traditional tropical island would have been disappointed. People have complained about ugly litter etc. but I didn't notice anything unusual in that regard. Caribbean islands generally seem to always have an untidy look about them. On landing, one can see a number of wrecked buildings at Mullet Bay and Maho that make a poor impression, but that is about the only hurricane damage that you can see. Maho shops seem up and running (we drove through only) although there is still a lot of reconstruction work going on there. Mullet Bay is the same as it has been for several years. The beach is in very good shape and quite popular, and while there are wrecked buildings near the ocean, many of the cottages of the old resort look surprisingly sound on the outside. I am sure that they could have been renovated right after Luis without too much problem if the <br>developer had not decided that he could make more money by trashing a reasonably attractive property to build a high rise and add to the uglification of the island. The Sint Maartin government has never had the sense to use zoning laws to protect their natural resources. We <br>noticed a number of new roads cut into the hillsides on the French side that indicate a lot more developments will be going up here. <br><br>We rented a car from Alain Arnell at AAA; very smooth pick up and return; no problems. Roads are in very good shape; better than last year. People who complain about them must be looking for US standard highways. They should try St.Barth's. Lots of directional signals, <br>unlike many islands, so it is easy to get around. Some of the roads to beaches etc. may be unpaved and/or potholed. Tour buses for cruise ship passengers have taken over from gravel trucks as the main cause of traffic delays on the French side.<br><br>We stayed at Grand Case Beach Club, where we have stayed many times before. Still a very nice hotel, with some improvements such as thatched umbrellas for shade on the sea-front lawn and around the pool. A continental breakfast at the Sunset Cafe is included; a nice <br>place with good service even when they are rushed. Rooms are comfortable with air conditioning, fans, in-room safes and well-equipped kitchens. Ocean front rooms have very nice views of the bay and waterfront, especially from an upper floor (3rd is the highest). Security is very high.<br><br>We had no problem with crime per se but on our first morning, near a bakery on Rue de Hollande in Marigot, we encountered an obviously sick woman who demanded 10 francs and became extremely aggressive when refused. Not pleasant, but not criminal. We also kept running into a young Frenchman who was trying to give us "free" scratch-off tickets; for what we could not tell, but understand it was to "win" a time share sales pitch.<br><br>Because of a foot problem that limits my wife walking on soft sand, we did less beaching than usual. However, we got to some. Friars is a very good beach with beach bars and chair and umbrella rentals; the road in is still rough; probably a good thing if it keeps it from <br>becoming too popular. We spent a bit of time on Rouge, which is popular but which I have never seen as particularly good, outside of the beach bars. The sand near the entrance ends with about an 8 foot drop at the water's edge, which is lined with flat rocks. Further to the left the drop disappears but the rocks remain. Not great for swimming, poor for walking. The Oyster Pond end of Dawn Beach - Mr. Busby's - is another pleasant beach, but the new construction at Oyster Pond (more multi-story, not particularly attractive buildings that replace what was a nice view) is likely to make this pretty busy in the future. Even now, beach chairs are pretty closely arranged on the beach. However, chairs rent for $3 and umbrellas are free; the usual rate is $5 for each. Wonder how long that bargain will last? The other end remains less crowded. Had lunch there at Scavenger's, not an extensive range of choices but quite good. Marla claims correctly that she has perfected her rice salad. Didn't stay on the beach, so don't know what their rentals cost. Also went to Orient, but as we stayed pretty much in one place near the Perch on the Club O side. This area hasn't changed much, but I can't comment on the <br>main part of this beach. L'Embouchure also is nice and would be especially good for children..<br><br>We drove through Philipsburg a couple of times at night to go to couple of favorite restaurants, Wan Yang Doll and Shiv Sigar, both of which we highly recommend if you would like to try Indonesian or Indian food as a change from French or Italian. Because we were able to park very near both, I didn't have any feelings regarding safety in P'burg at night. I can't understand why there is so much neon (very much out of character for the Caribbean) when their has never been much activity there at night anyhow. We also went in for a short time on Sunday to look around when it was not busy. They are placing sand along the town beach to replace that which was washed away in storms. The idea is that it will protect the waterfront buildings from high water but it remains to be seen how long it will stay. What <br>I can't understand is why they allow storm damaged buildings to remain unrepaired right next to the pier at which cruise ship passengers arrive. Air conditioners dangling on their cables from demolished windows can't make a very good first impression.<br><br>Besides Shiv Sigar and the Wan Yang Doll, mentioned above, Bistro Nu and Yvettes are 2 long time favorites. Yvettes has authentic St. Martin food, is popular with locals, and is a cut above the barbeque food of the lolos. Excellent complementary johnny cakes. Bistro Nu is <br>a small place in an alley off the main street in Marigot, and has a wide menu of French Bistrot and Creole food. We tried California in Grand Case for the first time and liked it very much. Malanga is a little Creole place in Grand Case that has good and bad points. It has a small menu, and even then not everything on it may be available. Our main courses, kingfish and conch, were OK but the local vegetables and home made hot sauce with them were very good and made the meal. The owner makes half a dozen kinds of flavored rum, <br>which come gratis. When we complimented him on them, he insisted that we have another. The cost can't be beat, but they have trouble making change even for francs and prefer credit cards. If you like Creole, want a budget balancer, and like the posted daily special, it is worth considering. Also had a very good pizza at La Main a la Pate and a couple of lunches at La Belle Epoch, both at the Marigot marina. They both seemed fairly busy, but a couple of places are out of business there, so the area may not be doing all that well.<br><br>There is a small zoo in Philipsburg that we had seen years ago and took a look at to see how it fared after some severe hurricane damage. An interesting diversion if you have children; it focuses on Caribbean fauna, but is clearly having a tough time surviving since <br>the government has cut its support, in spite of the educational activities that it provides for local children. It will not survive another hurricane, I suspect.<br><br>We took our usual day trip to Anguilla - a 20 minute, $10 ferry ride from Marigot. The ticket taker on the ferry rents cars on Anguilla - $35 for a car and licence. Ours ran well and had air but was a bit of a wreck; fine though for a day exploring. We mostly just drove around rather than spending the day on a beach. We did stop at Uncle Ernie's on Shoal Bay for a beer; they didn't seem particularly anxious to serve us. Shoal Bay (East) is the closest beach on Anguilla to Orient <br>in terms of activities and popularity, but not in terms of (un)clothing, since even toplessness is illegal on this British island.<br><br>Our last day we checked in early to avoid the lines at Juliana, and paid our $20 per person departure tax. Had breakfast at Don Carlos, dropped my wife with the luggage at the terminal, drove across the street to leave the car with Alain's representative, and were ready to go. The departure lounge is undergoing renovation, and there are no refreshments in it, so until they finish it is not particularly attractive. The flight to Kennedy on AA was fine if you didn't think <br>about how much you are paying for it. We expect to be back next year. <br><br><br><br>