We were in SXM from May 12-21. This year we made a conscious decision to stay on the French side instead of renting a time share on the Dutch side. We chose the Palm Court since we had stayed there before and since we spend every day at Orient it cuts down the driving time.

Flights: Flew AA from FLL on FF miles that we booked in December. The Friday flights to SXM were no more than half full. The Sunday return flight to SJU was 2/3 full but the flight to FLL was packed. Nothing remarkable in the flights, everything was on time and we did carry on so we were on our way quickly. It was sad to go through the old airport for the last time since we started going to SXM in 1984.

Cars: We rented from Michael at Unity. As usual he was at the airport and we were on our way in 15 minutes.

Cell Phones: We brought an unlocked phone with us and bought a SIM card from TelCell. For $30 we got the card and $20 in airtime. We wanted to be able to check in with the US and have the kids call us if necessary and by the time we were leaving we still had $10 in airtime left. Next time we will probably add international roaming to our Verizon phone but it would be nice if you could get voice mail from SXM (apparently you can’t based on past posts). The phones at Palm Court allow a caller to direct dial your room.

Hotel: We stayed at the Palm Court and will do so again. We got 4 English channels on the TV which was fine since it reminded us of Club Med in the 80”s with no TV’s and no phones. Someone called it the Motel 6 of Orient Beach but it’s a cut above that. It’s a prime location right next door to Tap 5 so you can get fresh French bread and éclairs when they open at 7AM. One warning, the reception desk is open from 0900-1200 and 1700-1930. If you want to check in and get keys at another time it can be a hassle. Beach towels are provided and you can get ½ price chairs and umbrellas at Bikini or free chairs and umbrellas at La Playa.

Days: Our routine is to meet friends every year at the same time and to hang out at Kakao on Orient. This year was no different. We like the friendly atmosphere and good French food served in a beach setting and it was probably the best French food that we had on the island. We spent every day there except for Market day. Chairs and umbrellas are $20. After eating there one or two days they would leave a bottle of Ma Daudau and glasses on the table.

Meals:
Tap 5 Pizza-Great thin crust pizza for €10-12. Unfortunately they aren’t open in the evenings so you have to plan ahead. Don’t burn your mouth on hot goat cheese like I did.
Le Fish Bar on Orient-We ate there 2 years ago and were not impressed. However this year they seem to have come up in the world. I had skate that was done perfectly and my wife had a strip steak that was more than she could finish for €33 (we didn’t have any drinks but that did include a bottle of gaz water).
Greenhouse. They have a special (at least on Saturday nights) of 2 for 1 drinks until 7 and $3 off any appetizer so we made a meal of appetizers with friends. The new parking lot is great.
Shrimpys-This was probably the find of the trip and ya gotta go. They are very good at what they do with great coconut shrimp and other dishes. To much to finish so you get to take food home. All entrees are less than $10. Apparently a supermarket is going in the old Hot Tomatoes location but in the meantime there is plenty of parking.
Jimbos-Tex-Mex on the Simpson Bay lagoon side. It was enjoyable but not that much different from what I can get at home.
The Jerk. We finally stopped in this place to see what it was about. It’s on the left just past The Grand Marche after the rotary on the way to Phillipsburg. They were just closing when we went in so we got food to go-a full rack of jerk ribs with plantains and rice and peas for $7 We made them put some rice and peas back because they were trying to give us too much. We tried Lido’s but they were out of food when we got there. I would guess that this is will give them a run for their money when it is “discovered”. Don’t let the owner’s hair scare you.
Zee Best-They are doing dinner most nights and you may want to give them a try. They do smaller dishes in a tapas concept with the hope that you will try two or three per person. It’s good food and priced at $8-9 per dish with desserts at $7. Unfortunately for them the size for the dishes was just right for us at one dish each. I had conch and calamari with julienned vegetables in a caper and jerk butter sauce and crème brule with cardamom for dessert. It was a good as it sounds. The bill for 4 with one round of drinks, gaz water, and two desserts came to $92 which included the 15% that they added on.
SSBB-Still the best burgers on the island and the atmosphere seems to have calmed a bit. We were there on a Sunday night and although I still don’t get the concept of the dancers they did fill in before the band started.

General Observations-
Mosquitoes- there were more mosquitoes this year than I remember from past years. One of the beach boys at Kakao said that it had rained almost every day for 2 weeks before we got there so I guess that was the price for having a green island.
Driving-Nothing worse than usual and maybe not as bad as past years. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry and we didn’t hit any enormous potholes.
New beer-Amstel has a new beer, “Amstel Bright” and it will probably give Carib a run for its money.
Orient restaurants-They now have an oriental (Tai Chi), Tex-mex, Italian, fish and pizza restaurant on Orient plus Tap 5 and any of the beach bars that stay open. Really no reason to leave.
Gas prices were about what I pay here at home. It cost us $28 to fill up the Nissan for 10 days of driving.
Movies-We went to the new Cineplex that is attached to the casino on the airport road and realized that another island tradition has gone by the board. In the past the cinema on Pond Fill Road or the older Cineplex would stop the movie in the middle and everyone would go to the lobby for a beer. The new movies don’t do that and they don’t even sell beer.
Airport-The opening is coming closer. The new jet ways for the 4 gates were delivered while we were there and they are awaiting installation. No more getting off the back of the plane to try to beat the lines.

Prior to going my wife and I were questioning whether we should be finding a new island to go to since a lot has changed in 22 years. The island has changed to be something other than what we liked and experienced and Cupecoy is starting to look like Cancun. After this vacation we’ll be back-since it was the most relaxing vacation we ever had. Maybe part of it was attitude and maybe part was staying at Orient so we didn’t have to drive a lot or deal with the construction reality that you have on the Dutch side.