Well, got back last night, and here is my report while it is still fresh in the mind.<br>TRAVEL: Took AA from Indy to Miami to SXM. Flights all on time. No problems going down. Slight problem on the way home, but made it anyway.<br>CAR RENTAL: Safari. $150 per week, white corolla(naturally)A/C worked and it made it up all hills.<br>ACCOMODATIONS: We own at Royal Islander, and this was our 13th trip in as many years. We absolutely love it here, as it perfectly suits all our needs. The staff and Management deserve a BIG hand for the work they have done bringing the place back to life after the hurricane. Royal Islander was hit harder than just about anywhere else, and the place looks absolutley gorgeous. You could never tell. We were so impressed and thankful for the integrity of our management, owner's association, and great insurance! What more can I say? The place was fabulous!The water was great (me being a water lover) though it was a little rough around the full moon. The beach was OK, it hasn't been big for many years, but we still think it is a nice beach.<br>DINING: We ate at Lee's (food not too bad, but service is VERY slow, just the way they are...friendly but slow)Had sushi at The Globe, not quite as good as last year, but still a very enjoyable evening. Thouroughly enjoyed dinner at Paris Bistro in Maho across from Cheri's. This is a new place, the owner looks EXACTLY like George W. Uncanny. His real name is Bernard. The food, especially the lamb, was excellent, the service excellent, great atmosphere, and the prices were just right....Marigot in Maho....who knew? Went there twice, GREAT PLACE! Bar de la Mer in Marigot on Wednesday for the lobster barbecue. One of our perennial favorites....discovered the shrimp this time (to die for)after always getting lobster. Thursday night was Dutch Butter Cheese, Wheat Thins, Pringles, Mint Milanos, Goldfish crackers, and assorted crudite (compliments of She314 and her sister, who are Royal Islander pals of ours)in our room. Friday was the Boathouse, another old-time favorite of ours. Impeccable service, great food. Liquid Dinner on St. Patty's day, at Ric's in Simpson Bay...nice place, Lady C's, the 'boat bar', and back to the Boathouse bar. I tried to avoid Cheri's the whole time, but finally got talked into going. Big mistake. Food horrible, never knew who our waiter was, watched 3 tables get seated after us and get their food before us. Our appetizer was delivered after 25 minutes, after my hunting down someone to bring it to us. We were seated by the Manager, who took our drink order and never returned. Hunted someone else down to get those. I used to like this place, but over the years have watched it really decline, and that's why I don't really go there anymore. I was really disappointed, yet again. We were not permmited to put our tip on the credit card, so we opted not to give one at all. We rarely do that, but felt in no way was it earned or deserved.<br>FUN STUFF: Discovered Soprano's, Upper Level Maho. Neat little Piano bar, or should I say, Synthesizer Bar. Kenny the one man band, tries real hard and is a personable fellow, great blues singer. I actually got up, at the extreme urging of my friends, and sang about 5 songs with him. We had a great time there. Nice little place, great bartender, Darren.<br>Went to Pinel with my friends and She314 and her sister, had a very nice day, but they are much more accomodating to cruise ship passengers than island stayers. SSBB for the Sunday night party was great, BUT, the place was PACKED when we got there. I'd never seen so many people there before. Hard to find everyone, and Neil was trying to pass out name tags o just the TTOL'ers, but EVERYONE ended up with them. Kinda fun, actually, met a few people and had a good time!!! Broke about even in the casinos, and other than that, spent much more time relaxing than partying, as in years past. Getting old, I guess.<br>OTHER OBSERVATIONS: No crime that we saw,or heard about. The worst tragedy were the poor immigrants that drowned off the coast. The island in general was in great shape, roads and driving were fine. My mom got some fabulous new jewels (her new thing is Australian Opals) and she found a new stone, supposed to be the hot new thing, called a Chordonite???? Only saw them at Diamonds in P'burg. A blue stone somewhere between a Topaz and a Sapphire...My mom is quite a jewelry person, and always finds great deals in SXM.<br>Now, a rather sad commentary I read in the St. Maarten Today paper....As many of you know, the Maho Hotel has completed their renovation from the hurricane damage. The place(right next to R.I and owned by the same person, Rosario Spadaro)looks beautiful, and they spent upwards of $20 million. Their Grand Re-opening Gala was held last week, and the article was devoted to the progress of the hotel and it's hopes for the future. Mr. Spadaro was very pessimistic about the future of the hotel business in St. Maarten. Maho is operating at 35%, and the Maho area itself was very quiet during our time there. Sad to see, as it used to be bustling. He feels very strongly that St. maarten government must do more to promote St. Maarten, work with Airlines to reduce airfares (amen!!!!) and help curb any bad publicity that crime reports foster(meaning do more to stop crime) He also felt that St. Maarten doesn't service the tourist near as well as other islands that have less to offer than SXM. His marketing team has plans in place to do what they can, but it takes a collective effort. He may have had his problems in the past, but he has put millions into maintaining his properties (which is ALL of Maho, Royal Islander, Casino Royale and the shops)it would be a shame to see the area go down. Imagine if Maho shared the same fate as Mullet. Anyway, it was food for thought, and lets hope that lower airfares, lower crime statistics (real or imagined) and better service to us, the tourists, will be realized. The island deserves to keep prospering.<br><br>All in all, we had a fantastic time, as always. We love this island and what it has come to mean to us over the years. We have made great friends over the years, and look forward to being at our little 'home away from home' every year. We are so very lucky to be able to experience this very special place!!! I miss it already...only 353 more days to go!!!<br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 3/22/01 03:42 PM.</EM></FONT></P>