Trip Report: April 16 - April 23, 2005
(Also, 7 Friends + 7 Days in SXM = a stint in detox at betty ford OR a great need for weight watchers).

General Stuff
This was the third trip to St. Martin for my husband and I. This time, we were joined by five of our friends – first time to the island for all of them (for a frame of reference, our group were all between the ages of 28-30). We had a great time, and I think we have some new St. Martin converts. We stayed in a villa called Mediterranee on Orient Beach. It was a quick walk/drive to the beach. This villa is right near the lower Green Cay villas, for those who are familiar with the area. Great views, comfortable house – I’d recommend it to anyone. It was a stunning house and we hated to leave it.

We had fabulous weather. It was a bit hot, but sunny every day. We never had any daytime rain. However, April 23rd (our departure day) was rainy and cold. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s still raining there today (the 24th) – it looked like a front had settled in for a while. It was okay though – we weren’t as sad to leave in that nasty weather!

Used Unity Car Rental - had a great experience. We do have to pay for some damage to our rental minivan. Sadly, the driveway to our villa was VERY narrow and lined with rock walls. We scaped the van up pretty good one night... gotta check on our insurance - we may just pay it outright if our deductible is going to be too high. Only bad part of the week.

Offshore Sunsations
By far, the best day of the trip was Wednesday, April 20th. We chartered a day trip to Anguilla with Offshore Sunsations. They have a cigarette speed boat, and we went from Simpson Bay to many different stops in and around Anguilla – Cap Juluca Beach, Sandy Cay, Shoal Bay East, etc… If you enjoy a little adrenaline rush, this is a great trip. I’d never been in a cigarette boat before, and it was so much fun.

Jack, who owns the boat, was our host for the day – he was a lot of fun. Our captain, Gregory, was a nice guy from Nevis. He was very concerned when he found out that one member of our party was five months pregnant (you really can’t tell because she isn’t poking out a lot yet). At first, Gregory didn’t know she was pregnant and was having some fun jumping the waves. When Jack told Gregory – “Hey, the girl in the black hat is pregnant,” Gregory’s eyes got big, he cut the engines, and quickly turned around to make sure she was okay (which of course, she was – the wave jumping wasn’t bothering her at all). He spent the rest of the day turning around every 30 seconds to make sure she was okay. His honest concern was an example of Caribbean hospitality at its finest.

One funny moment from the trip… we ended the day by pulling up to Sunset Beach Bar around 4:30. This cigarette boat gets a lot of attention, because it’s loud and a lot of fun to watch. Every time we pulled up to a beach, heads onshore turned and cameras came out from those on the beach. So, we’re enjoying some Heinekens in the boat, watching some planes land, and this drunk topless girl starts waving at us from the beach. My husband waves back, and she turns her back to us, looks over her shoulder, and moons the whole boat! We considered mooning her back, changed our minds, and gave her a standing ovation instead.

Restaurants
Best meals were at L’Alabama on Harmony Night and Temptation. Great cheap eats came from the lolos and Pizza Pasta in Maho. Jimbo’s was pretty good as well. Had good but not particularly memorable meals at La Petite Auberge des Iles and Brasserie de la Gare.

We realized though that with a large party, “island time” becomes a little ridiculous, especially when it came time to pay the bill. Temptation and Pizza Pasta were the exception – got prompt service from both. One thing that bothered me more this time than in trips past… the lack of air conditioning in restaurants. Several nights I actually felt nauseous from the heat. I understand that it’s the islands, etc, etc… but it can really kill a dining experience when you feel sick at the table. Fans would probably help. Temptation and Pizza Pasta get my vote for best air conditioning.

Beaches
We spent every day except one at Orient. We tried Baie Rouge one day, and it was so rough that getting in the water was a chore. My friend Tricia deemed the water at Baie Rouge to be “not Caribbeanish.” Orient was really fun, but that place is getting very crowded. It was the first time my female friends had the chance to go topless on the beach, and they were all big fans of the freedom.

Conclusion
We had a great trip, and it’s hard to believe it’s over. We planned this vacation for over a year, and it came and went so quickly! This was the third time my husband and I have visited St. Martin, and it will likely be a few years before we go back. Not because we don’t love it, but because there are many other places we long to see. Our next adventure will be learning to scuba dive, so we’ll likely visit some places like Grand Cayman and Belize to experience the best the Caribbean has to offer in terms of diving. Hawaii (Maui and Kauai) are also on the list. I am really aching for an “adventure” vacation.

Ah, as a final aside, thanks to all who helped me with my fear of flying the Caribbean Sun prop plane. I flew Delta to San Juan (which was a little rough coming back), then took the puddle jumper from SJU to SXM. I was scared out of my mind, but really didn’t find the Caribbean Sun flight to be rough at all. I actually enjoyed it. On the return to San Juan, the pilot told us it was going to be rough headed out because of the rain, but it really wasn’t bad at all. I was sitting across from the flight attendant, so I explained that I was a little afraid and she and I just chatted while the plane took off. Next thing I knew, I was looking at the BVIs from 10,000 feet. Just beautiful. Honestly, the Delta flights were rougher than the Caribbean Sun flights. Go figure.

Hope you enjoyed reading if you got this far. If you have any questions, ask away. Pictures will come eventually.