I would like to thank everyone for their advice and tips for our first trip to St. Martin.
Here are some highlights...
AA, the BEST (first time I have ever said that)...We swiped our passports at JFK, they called our names a moment later and we were checked in..
Great flight...arrived at SXM where Sebastian was waiting with our rental ($302 for two weeks, no extras, brand new car)...and his Dad met us at the airport yesterday to pick it up. I highly recommend them.
We arrived at the GCBC, and were shown to our studio loft. The first night we realized that bladders 50 and over should not choose a room such as this! Both of us almost fell down the stairs in the middle of the night and then you had to get across the room to reach it!...The hotel was full due to one full building being under construction...and the second week we were moved into a one bedroom (toilet close by!)...and we were very happy to have a bit more space and it was on the first floor too.
The GCBC was really very nice, the staff very friendly and helpful and we made the right choice in lodging for ourselves.
We did visit Orient Beach twice, once in the evening for a stroll, and once in the daytime. It's a beautiful beach, we
just prefer a quieter more intimate one, and were happy at Grand Case.
We went to the casino at Maho, put in a $20 bill, hit 200 quarters and ran with it!..Went on the Scoobi Too for a full day trip to Tintamare and Anguilla where lunch was served, great crew, great day....
As for our dining out..
We must have hit Spiga on an off night. We were not impressed with our dinners going by the reviews we had read, and also noticed the woman next to me did not eat her dinner, she said it was not good (mushy gnooci too much Gorgonzola sauce), and they took it off her bill which was nice. Anyone or restaurant can have an off night, it's just not good when it's the night you look forward to dining there!...
One other disappointment was LoLo....We tried Talk of the Town because it seemed to have the crowd, the ribs were tough, Joel had fish...and by the time we were back at the hotel, his entire meal came up and out...So much for that..
Two memorial dinners were at L' Auberge Gourmande and Le Pressoir. Both were fabulous, and we also had a wonderful lunch at Loterie...We went to watch the planes coming and going one evening at the Sunset Beach Bar, Joel loved it so much he went alone the next day, and when he returned he looked like a poster child from the sign that shows you what could happen if you get too close to the back of an engine..He was sandblasted!..He had sand stuck to his head, eyelids, neck....it was such a funny sight...
We also visited to zoo, and wish there was a way to help them raise some money..It was a wonderful place...
Speaking of wonderful, AMA Jewelers, the one at 24 Front Street, my new best friends...A wonderful manager (Jordan) and his salesclerk (Rasheed)..no pressure, just really nice regular gentleman, I left a happy customer!..visited them twice more!
Our return trip home yesterday was also uneventful, the departure taxes apparently are included in the ticket purchase, we left SXM and arrived at JFK at the times scheduled.
There were no bugs or mosquitos, it was so unusual, and wonderful, we didn't get sunburned.....
We were not mugged, robbed, hassled to buy timeshares...the weather was incredible for two weeks, it is a very "friendly island,"....and maybe we will return again in the near future.
Thank you all again <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" />