Sat April 15th/06
The excitement started when we got to the airport to find out that our flight had been delayed by four hours. I had check at 10:00am that morning and it was posted as being on time. There had been a heavy fog the night before and Pearson was socked in so the flight had to land in London, by the time they did the turn arounds everything was backed up by the four hours. At the time I was praying that it was not an omen. Waiting in the airport we met a group from Rochester, who would turn out to provide us with hours of entertainment during our stay. They were a group that knew how to have a good time. Check out their pictures at
Marge's After the delay in the flight things went smoothly. I mean that literally as the flight was very uneventful. We flew Air Transat out of Toronto. The flight was scheduled to leave at 3:20pm we left the ground at 8:00pm. The flight took four hours and three minutes. The delay was not critical as it was a later flight anyway so the only problem it caused was that the bar was closed when we got in so I had to wait til Sunday to have my first Carib.
Fancy bus waiting to take us to the hotel when we arrived at SXM at midnight, air conditioning was cranked way to low. Check in was quick and we were surprise by our room as we had booked the cheapest package and were expecting a room with a street view. Our room was on the second floor and the balcony overlooked the pool. It was clean neat and looked recently painted. Some little things that I notice that made the stay nicer were air conditioning that worked (well & quiet), a shower head that showered, and comfy beds. The room had a safe, TV, RJ45 LAN port (internet), clock radio, coffee maker, iron and hair dryer.
The toilet had the familiar grey water issue that throw some people off, but they had a sani flush thing in it to make it a more pleasing blue grey! For those not familiar, the toilets use grey water and are not crystal clear like what you are use to at home. There was some rusting around the tub, but no big deal you’re in a humid, salt water environment so as long as it’s clean I don’t care. Someone had posted about the grout in the bathrooms being dirty, so dirty it was black. I wanted to check that out this trip and sure enough it is....black that is, the grout (at least in this bathroom) is coloured grout, wasn’t dirty just black in colour.
I was dying to try out the wifi on my Pocket PC so while Ann unpacked I checked to see if there was an access point. I got connected right away(weak signal) and sent out a quick e-mail. It was not until the next day I found out that the hot spot I had picked up on was not the hotels but from the Royal Islander next door (I think, I never did confirm that) When I went to use it the next day I was picking up the Hotels router and you had to use your room number to sign in and pay $10.95 a day. I’m not sure how they work that because I didn’t use it. I hope that you would have to get a pass word from the front desk otherwise someone could just punch in any room number. I had intended to ask how that worked but never got around to it as I just used the unencrypted signal I was able to pick up from time to time. Also went to SSBB to use their *free wireless connection. (*paid $14.00 for one beer and a daiquiri)
Sun April 16th/06
Got up early to meet Michael from Unity car rental at 9:00am in the front Lobby. Ann slept in. He was 1/2 hour early so that was nice as it got me back to the hotel quickly with the little Rav4 convertible. It was not in as good shape as the car we had last year but ran well and was real fun to drive. I felt more comfortable in it as I was not as paranoid about getting dings in it. That probably sounds silly but if you've ever driven a brand new car in St. Maartin you'll know what I mean.
Our first order of business after breakfast (which we had at the buffet and it was great, anything you could think of eating for breakfast they pretty much have. From fresh fruit to omelets made while you're standing there) was to attend the Air Transat reps briefing that is held the morning after you arrive. If it’s your first trip don’t miss it, lots of good info. This was our second trip but we missed it last year so decided to attend. I found out that they have a very good deal on a car rental that I could have gotten with Alamo. I’m sure I could have asked Michael to match it but I was happy with the Rav4.
After the briefing we headed to Club O to sign up for the Tiko Tiko. The traffic was lite and the roads where rough on the Dutch side. I'd say they compare to most rural roads in our area at home only narrower. If you were blind and driving you would know as you go from the Dutch side to the French side by the change in the texture of the roads .
To get to Club O we went the back route through Marigot to avoid the traffic through Simpson bay area. We took the centre road in to Club O as I missed the first turn. We like the drive in, stopping to look at some of the villas on the way.
We parked in the Club O parking area and there was no attendant on duty so we went to the gate house to check in with the guard. We told him we were just going to sign up for the Tiko Tiko and come back out. He was pleasant and gave us directions and off we went. When we left we drove out the back road and it was pretty rough, was glad to have the 4x4.
On the way back stopped and took some pictures of the aircraft carrier. Even from a distance it sure is impressive! Once back at the Hotel we headed to the pool and I had my first carib of the trip. There’s nothing like the swim up to the pool bar! Went for lunch at the Palm Grill then spent the afternoon lounging and snoozing trying to catch up from the late night trip the night before.
Monday April 17th/06
We had signed up for the day trip to Anguilla so were up early to catch the bus. FYI don’t rely on the time on the TV to set your watch and/radio, it was an hour off!. At 7:15am (our time according to the TV but reality time was 8:15am) the phone rang and it was the front desk wanting to know if we were going on the Anguilla trip. After apologizing profusely to everyone on the bus for waiting fifteen minutes for us, we were off. The bus took us to Philpsburg were we boarded the 83' catamaran “Sweety Pie” for the two hour sail to Anguilla. Got a few good shots of the USS George Washington on the way and better ones on the way back due to better lighting.
The sail over was cool and overcast, but it was great to be on the water and a cool day (28c) on the water here was better than a hot (5c) at home! The beach we anchored at was beautiful, stretched forever, see picture. Since we were going to Shoal Bay on the other side of the island we didn’t stay long and we just boarded a bus. The bus trip was an adventure unto itself. I think the bus was one of the first busses they had on the island, the shattered windshield was a foreshadow I think. I won’t go into details but by the time we came to the last of three hills, the only three on the island I think, the whole group was chanting “ I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”. The driver was a hoot, his name was Glen (spelt with one “n” as he reiterated several times) he chattered the whole 45minute trip. The only time he was silent was when he had to put the microphone down to coax the bus to start after stalling on the first sign of an incline.
We arrived at Shoal Bay eventually and everyone was in a jovial mood and ready to do some snorkeling. I must say I was not as impressed with the beach as I thought I would be. It had gotten such a build up by everyone you talked to about it. Personally I thought the beach we landed on, on the opposite side of the island was much nicer and Orient and Mullet were nicer in my opinion. The snorkeling was good as there is a reef very close to shore and we did see lots of fish, but not as colorful as the ones we’d seen at Tintameran. What I found most amazing was the pelicans and other sea birds that were diving for fish. It was neat to watch them and I got a few good shots of them diving. I got more shots of the splash after they hit the water though, was just not fast enough. Had a nice buffet lunch at the restaurant there, the ribs were good and the carib cold.
Glen with one “n” and a mechanic spent the whole afternoon replacing a fuel filter and the trip home was less eventful and we got to hear more of Glens humourous stories and jokes. We learned among other things, that the correct way to spell “Blind Pig” is “blnd pg” (yeah it took me a minute or two to figure out too! )
We got back to the Hotel around 7:00pm and went to the Buffet for dinner. I know that a lot of the posts on here have been negative about the food but honestly I don’t know how anyone can find fault with it. In the context of a buffet it is the best food I have seen. I can’t remember what the theme was that night but every night is a different one, from Italian, to surf and turf, to seafood night, they were all good and lots of variety each night. There is usually some kind of entertainment also at dinner and it was enjoyable.
Tues April 17th/06
Today was the day that was, as it was last year, the highlight of our trip, the Tiko Tiko cruise.
We got up early again making sure we had the right time this morning and had a quick breakfast at the Ocean Terrace at the resort. I tried to avoid traffic again by going the long (btw long is 45 mins) way around through Marigot. My timing however was off and we got stuck at the bridge and had an enjoyable ten or fifteen minutes watching the local people heading to work and a lady setting up a produce stand. Sitting there in the traffic watching how the people interacted in the early morning struck me how true the “Friendly Island” moniker is.
Once at Club O we were informed that we were to not park in the parking lot at the office but to drive into the resort and park at the lot closer to Papagayos. This was a good thing as we were running a little late as mentioned above and it saved a hike up the beach.
The Tiko Tiko has to be the most relaxing, carefree enjoyable way to spend a day. If you’ve never done it I highly recommend it. You don’t have to be a naturalist, nudist, non textile or what ever you want to call it to enjoy this. All you need is a relaxed attitude and be able to leave behind any preconceived notions of what being on a boat with 13 other naked people is all about. Once again we met some truly great people and I’m sure we will see more of them. (No punn intended)
The weather was perfect this day, sunny, few clouds, and a slight breeze. We met Melanie in the restaurant to pay for the day and found out that a fellow TTOL couple were to be on board with us. Even on a nude beach you can tell a TTOLer by the way they dress, that is if they are wearing their TTOL hats as these folks were! Next year we’ll be sporting the same. We had the good fortune to have a couple not show up so another couple that was there on a spur of the moment ended up on board and they were also wonderful company. It’s a short sail over to Tintamarre and it gives you time to chat with your ship mates and find out where everyone is from. Also was nice to chat with Melanie and find out that she’s sold her boat and that her daughter is doing fine and in pre school now.
IMHO the swim from the boat to the island is the best part of the day, ok well swimming back (with beer in hand) for lunch on the boat is great too! Melanie and Philippe do a wonderful job. Good snorkeling at the far end of the island, but don’t miss some of the pretty formations just to the right (coming ashore) of where the boat is anchored. There is a neat rock formation where the waves come up then empty down on to a small under water shelf with a whole in it. When you look at it from under the water the combination of the colours and the bubbles escaping as the water falls through is neat. The mud treatment was great, worth the price of the trip alone when you considered what you’d pay for that in a Spa! Of course you don’t get any cucumber or what ever it is they put on your eyes LOL. It was fun to see who could hold out the longest before jumping into the water to get the mud off. I was determent this year to wait til I was completely dried and feeling like a mummy before I dove in. Now I know what the women put themselves through!
Went home that night with lots of memories and a few pictures. Note to self: next year I’m getting either an underwater case for my camera or an underwater digital camera. I didn’t know there was such a thing until our fellow passenger showed me the one he had.
Weds April 19th/06
Today was relax day! Was supposed to be sleep in day but I wanted to get up and get some pano pictures of the resort. I let Ann sleep in and I went out at 8:00am and took a few pictures before it got to busy. Once Ann got up we had breakfast then headed to Club O to sun bathe for the day. We went in the back road today and the grader had just finished grading the portion beyond the pavement all the way into Club O. Or the pavement around the pot holes that is.
Our experience as day visitors to Club O was as follows.
We arrived at about 11:00am and parked in the secured parking area where we were met by the attendant. We paid the $20.00 and received our chair and umbrella tags. They are the same type of tag you on your wrist when you go to a night club. The attendant did not explain what to do with these tags and I didn’t ask, I had prior knowledge from the board here. The attendant was very pleasant and made us feel welcome, after reading some of the posts on here I was not sure what to expect. I asked him if being this late would be a problem finding chairs he assured me it would not, and he was right. Once on the beach it took a moment to figure things out. For the first little bit all the chairs where tagged with a different colour tag than ours (blue I think, ours were hot pink) occupied or not. I was not sure if we were supposed to find a chair with a matching tag colour or what. Once we got further along we realized that some of the chairs had no tag and those were the ones we needed. We were to meet a couple (the TTOLers we met yesterday) but there were no untagged chairs in the area we were to meet them at. We ended up further down the beach towards Papaguyos and there were sufficient untagged chairs for us to chose from. Some did not have umbrellas but there were umbrellas in the box. We weren’t to meet our new friends until later so we decided to get set up go for a dip then have lunch at Papagayos. Lunch was good, large portions, price was reasonable. I was suppose to keep track of exactly what we paid but “sand gravity” and “island time” just made me too relaxed to care. Never had any sticker shock that’s all I know. I had the club sandwich and Ann had the Greek Salad (without olives). Staff was friendly and service prompt, I didn’t even have time to finish my first carib before the meal came. This was a bit of a disappointment but I got over it, over my second carib.
I’m not sure if it is just my memory but I think the interior of the restaurant has been painted. I remember it being darker inside, it was painted a very light colour this time. And there was a stage in one corner, don’t remember that either.
Our friends found us at the restaurant and after we finished lunch we walked down to where they were and there were two empty chairs close to them, We went back to our chairs and I asked the chair guy about moving. He tore the tags off and told us to just hang onto them at the new chairs we were going to.
At the end of the day we headed into the TTOL get together at the Green House. We couldn’t find the new parking lot so just parked up the street. Not sure of the name of the street, hang on I’ll check the map..... can’t make it out on the map, it’s the street that runs away to the north of the Green House Elamaplein?
Dinner was good but the company and drinks were better! Ann had the crab legs her favorite seafood, they’re too much work for me. I prefer my meat to be on the out side of the bones, so I had the ribs and had no complaints. They have High tech washrooms at the restaurant they have a poster to explaining about them you can read while you were getting the job done. The walk back to the car after dark was a little unnerving. Honestly though I think that if I had not been privy to some of the posts on here I would not have had any trepidation. Ann was oblivious to it.
Thursday April 20th/06
Thursday was shopping in Philpsburg. We parked by the salt pond on Pondfill Rd., and did a slow wander up Back Street. If you want better deals this is the street to be on. Lots of foot wear and clothing stores on this street. We cut over to Front St. an d went to our favorite Jewelry store “Dynasty Jewelers” and saw Tinku. He’s very good always makes you feel like you are his best customer, retailers at home could learn a thing or two from him. Ann up sized her wedding band and got a pair of gold earnings. She also had a gold nugget pendant made with the gold from her old wedding band and had a small diamond set in it.
I found an internet café on Front St. Right across the road from Dynasty Jewelers. (47 Front St.) It is upstairs and you have to go down an ally to get to the stairs. It’s well marked and it was worth the $4.00 for the fifteen minutes I needed to use the computer. I wanted to transfer picture files (I carry a small USB multi card reader) from my CF card to a spare SD card I had, so I could wipe out the CF card and take more pictures. I have the business card for the café somewhere but you think I can find it now!
We had lunch and drinks at Bamboo Bernies on the board walk. Very leisurely, just relaxed and watched the tourists go by, like we were not two of them.
After lunch we headed to the Rima Store on Pondfill Rd. SxmDon had tipped us off about this place and it was great. Be warned however that once you’ve been in this store, haggling with the street/beach vendors will never be the same. At the end of the day we headed back to the jewelers to pick up the gold nugget that was being made and our rings that Tinku had taken from us to have cleaned and polished. They had one litre bottles of Kalua at the jewelery store for $7.99 so we picked up two of those. On the way out of town we stopped at Cost U Less and picked up two sets of snorkel gear.
Friday April 21st/06
I got up early again today to finish doing the panoramics of the resort. I managed to get the lobby, the Palms Grill, the Ocean Terrace and the fountains done by 7:15am. The Rav4 went back today so we decided we better check out what was in our own backyard. We walked over to Mullet Bay and what a surprise! The walk from the Hotel took us all of 7 minutes (we timed it). The walk over is a little depressing a lot of garbage and you walk through the abandoned project. Once we came onto the beach we could not believe that we had not come here last year or earlier this trip. I think it is the nicest beach we’ve been to on the island so far. With the contrast of the expanse of sand, and the rock formations at one end where you can watch the waves breaking over them, was very nice. We were there pretty early and there was not many people there yet. Chairs and umbrella rental was $15.00 and Carib on ice was $2.00 at the little concession booth.
I trucked back to the Hotel to get my camera gear to take some more pictures, and we spend the morning into the early afternoon there. Went back to the Hotel for a late lunch at the Palms Grill and then just vegged by the pool the rest of the day.
Saturday April 22nd/06
We got up and packed and checked out. Our flight was not leaving until 9:20pm but we planned to be away most of the day. The package we had allowed us to check out and leave our luggage in the lobby until the bus came at 6:30 to take us to the airport.
This was supposed to be my plane spotting day but we had forgotten to get some thank you trinkets for a few people back home who were cat sitting etc. We were going to just pick some things up at the shops around the Maho but the majority of them did not open until 4:00pm. With no car we took the local mini busses, and it made me seriously think about not renting a car for so long on the next trip. The busses are a great way to interact with the local people. I swear everyone knows everyone who gets on the bus.
We were told that to get to Marigot from Maho you had to take one bus so far then transfer to a bus that goes to Marigot. I had forgotten which bus we were to catch in front of the Hotel so I just flagged the first one to come by and he agreed to take us there directly. We wandered around the Market in Marigot and it was a great place, there was more of a variety of items at the stalls but still most of what they had we knew we could get at Rima in Philpsburg.. We had lunch at “Le bistro de la mer” just opposite the marketplace by the taxi stand. We both had the chicken caesar salad, they were HUGE, and neither of us could eat even half of it. Next time we’ll just split one.
After lunch we decided to hop the bus to Philpsburg to go to Rima to get what we needed. It was the end of the money....... err I mean week and we didn’t feel like paying the $5 to $7 that the vendors were asking for an ankle bracelet when knew we could get them for 3 for $5 at Rima. You have to walk a block or two away from the marina to catch the bus to Philpsburg, and we waited all of five minutes for the bus to come by. The bus let us off in front of the Rima store and when we came out 15 minutes later and crossed the road to catch a bus back to Maho there was one literally right there, as we crossed the street so we had no wait.
It was about 3:00pm when we got back and I grabbed my camera and headed to the SSBB to get some plane shots. Only stayed for an hour but got two good video shots (they are on our web site), but lost my hat to the American Airlines flight taking off at 3:40pm. We stayed pool side the rest of the afternoon and had an early dinner at the Palms Grill. After it was off to the airport to say good by to the old terminal and we had lots of time (an hour) to say good bye while waiting in line to clear luggage check in, and security. Flight left on time and arrived on time about 2:00am Sunday. Had massive wait for the Park n Fly bus so we caught a cab instead. Made it home here by 6:00am and slept into the afternoon.
Observations:
Traffic:
Yes it was hectic, diving here is not for the faint of heart. Avoid the Simpson bay area during peak times and bridge openings. Don’t try to figure out what the locals are honking at, they have their own code, some of it is friendly honking (most of it I found), some of it is not. Don’t be surprised when two cars in opposing directions stop dead in the road and have a brief conversation while the traffic pile up behind. Talk to some one who knows how to use a round about before you use one. Get a good map and stop and read it every so often, don’t rely on your wife (replace wife with husband or significant other as needed ) to give you directions on the fly here fellas! Driving here is like driving in downtown Toronto, the indecisive get left behind.
Food:
Too much choice and too much quantity (that is a positive btw)
Staff:
The golden rule applies here. Most everywhere we went the servers where friendly and almost always had time to chat at least a little. Bartenders where the exception to this rule when it was busy, but hang around long enough and they’re your best buddies.
Crime:
Did not see any, did not feel unsafe at anytime. Walked back from SSBB late, and window shopped after dark in the Maho area. While we had the rented car left the top down at all times, on several occasions had to leave the tripod in the back while the car was unattended and left sunglass on the dash, pool noddles in the back also. Came home with everything intact. So my theory about crime is as it was, same as at home. There is crime anywhere, but on a day to day basis your chances of being affected by it are slim unless you go looking for it. When it comes looking for you not much you can do about it. Same as anything in life, minimize what you can, and dance like no ones watching.
Development:
It’s a relative thing, there’s lots of it on the island. Ten years ago when I came home from the airport after a trip I only passed one Tim Hortens (substitute Star Bucks if you’re in the states) this time coming home could not find a route that did not have at least 6, and at 5:00am in the morning that’s OK by me.
In summery we had a great trip and are trying to figure out how to manage (and afford) going twice next year. Thanks to all the contributors on this board, you have made both trips much more enjoyable with all the information we get here. I’m still getting more pictures ready to go on the web site, will post when they’re there.
Our St. Maarten web page
