We just spent 9 wonderful nights (6/29 to 7/8) at the GCBC for our honeymoon. We were actually married in May, but could not schedule our honeymoon until the end of June. Also, we found out that my wife was pregnant after the trip was booked, so that certainly changed things a bit. I was glad we stayed on the French side, as we weren't going to be partying like I originally thought.

I decided to post the trip report in installments. Please bear with me if it takes a while to get the whole report done, but I've been very busy since I returned.

DAY 1 (Friday 6/29)

We got to Philadelphia International at 5:00 AM for an 8:05 AM AA flight out of Philadelphia to SXM via San Juan. We uneventfully checked in and made it past security by 5:45 and had to wait quite a while. The flight was scheduled to land in San Juan at 12:00, but we got in about 11:45. I could have booked the 12:45 to SXM but didn't to play it safe. Also figured that if we did make the flight, maybe our luggage wouldn't, so I opted for the 2:50 flight. Oh well. The layover in San Juan was BORING. We couldn't find a decent place to eat, so we got some over-priced pub fare at one of the bars. We finally arrived on the island at about 4:10 only to find out that my wife's luggage was lost. After standing in a long line (apparently this is very common on flights out of SJU), we finally filled out a lost luggage form, were given a number to call, and were told that the luggage would probably come in on the next flight and arrive at the hotel later that evening. I got one of the security people to inform the person from St. Louis Car Rental (I believe it was Arleen) that we would be out as soon as possible. She was very kind and waited. However, it turns out she did not have the proper car we rented (a Kia Rio), nor the cell phone or beach chairs which we had reserved. No problem, Marius would stop by our hotel the next morning, so we took the Kia Picanto and following Arleen's advice headed up through Simpson Bay/Cole Bay. Big mistake. To add insult to injury, we were the 3rd car in line when the bridge opened. We finally got to the hotel I guess towards 7. It was not a good time to travel through that area and didn't give the best first impression of the island, especially to my wife. We wasted the whole day traveling, but at least we were there!

I was immediately impressed by the GCBC. We checked in, threw or things in the room, and went over to the Sunset Café and had dinner. The food was really excellent, and the prices were very reasonable. It was very welcome after a long, long day! I had the smoked seafood appetizer, seafood combination entree, and my wife had the salmon florentine. Large portions! Also included in the bill was 1 glass of wine and an espresso. The total was $93, with $1 = E 1. Afterwards, I went for a quick swim in the ocean, and it was off to bed.

Day 2 (Saturday 6/30)

Woke up and went to the front desk and found the luggage had not arrived. Since I didn't have my cell phone from St. Louis yet, they were kind enough to call the number for us, however, no one answered the phone. We were told that they never answer the phone. Nice. We also had to call St. Louis to find out when Marius would arrive. When we got through, we found out he was on his way, and he arrived about 11 with a larger car (Renault) that the Kio Rio I had requested. No problem. I liked the car. A little beat-up, but I liked that it was very incognito. He also had the cell phone and chairs.

Now we decided to drive to Phillipsburg to get some clothes for my wife. Again, big mistake. The pay parking lot was full and we spent a lot of time just driving around. We finally found the grand marche after asking for directions (most people I asked either didn't know or gave me wrong directions). I felt really bad for my wife. She wasn't having any fun and I don't blame her.

We stopped at Mark's Place and had a late lunch. The food was good. I had curry chicken. Don't remember what the little lady had… just that she was feeling down. We stopped in a nearby store and got her a couple of dresses, then in the grand marche for groceries and beer. We headed home (long ride - made a wrong turn towards the Dutch Cul de Sac, and got stuck behind a funeral procession on the way out!).

No luggage and no contact with AA yet so we decided to go on the beach in Grand Case. We spent some fun beach time on Petit Plage, and went back to the room. I went by myself to the office and low and behold, the luggage had arrived! I surprised my wife by entering the room with the luggage, and boy was she happy! It was nice to see her finally have a genuine smile on her face. I guess they just give people that bogus number so that they'll leave the airport. Between us and the GCBC calling all day, no one ever got through. Now, at least, the vacation could begin!

That evening we went to Le Ti Provencal for dinner. Absolute heaven. The waitress who's name I now forgot (Stephanie? - I should have written it down!) was VERY nice, and worked very hard. She was the only waitress there, and handled all of the tables without missing a beat. Very systematic… we liked her a lot. Anyway, she brought out a plate with all 7 catches of the day, and explained the flavor, textures of each fish. Following her recommendation, I had the king triggerfish, which she brought out and filleted expertly for me. My wife had the mahi-mahi from the main menu, and I also had the cream of scallops soup. All the entrees came with saffron rice and grilled vegetables. Everything was wonderful, including the décor and view! This with a 1/2 bottle of wine and a double espresso came to E 78 or $103.

We then went across the street to Le Pub for a drink and headed home. There were a lot of beaches we wanted to visit and we had already missed 2 days.