[color:"blue"]Day 1 Arrival
Unity car, hit and run almost immediately. Glad we had the Amex extra insurance!
Westin, pool and ocean view, nice room
Back to Phillipsburg to file police report. Sent to Simpson bay police for report, we will do that tomorrow. Not looking forward to SB traffic again so soon
Dinner at Chesterfields, Stuffed Shrimp was excellent. Window table looking at the docked boats. They charge the 15% surcharge and the wait staff does not see any of it.

Day 2
Stopped at the open air in front of the Phillipsburg PD, Sunday morning and they were willing to bargain.
SB police were very nice, did not take up a lot of time. Decided to go up the other side of the island and not sit in Simpson Bay traffic, it is all new to us anyway. Good idea, nice break at Marigot La Sucre bakery for excellent coffee and an snack. The ham and cheese was very tasty.
Checked out all the stops along the way to Oyster pond. Found many of the restaurants on my list for future meals.
Dinner at La Frigate was excellent, duck was wonderful, nice cabernet. I suggest the augratin with your meal side.

Day 3
Orient Beach, waves too much for snorkeling but the sun, sand and water were perfect.
Negative, someone will go through your parked car. We were near the path and felt safe. Quite expert thieves, it seemed they had a key. Live & learn.
Dinner was at Mamas Pizza, we needed comfort food. Delicious.

Day 4
Need a break from the beach sun. Went to the Zoo, surprisingly nice, Lunch at Lotrie Farm on the way to Pic Paradis .Restaurant is a tree house, Chicken satay and portabella burger were very good. Nice music, relaxing fun place for a break. Down to Marigot for some shopping, the open air market is nice and a little more upscale than the usual but the prices are good.
Dinner tonite at La Planteur, was mediocre.

We stayed thru to Saturday. Originally we were leaving on Thursday, first time a call from the airline with a problem with our return flight worked in our favor.

To make a long week short:

Top fav’s
Le Bistro Nu for dinner, in Marigot across from the stadium, in an alleyway. A must do on my future trips.
Le Frigate for dinner, Oyster Bay
Mamas Pizza, Oyster Bay, so good we went twice
Le Sucere for coffee, sandwiches and sweets Marigot location fav\also in Simpson Bay
Sangs Market in Phillipsburg for wine and other essentials
Marigot marketplace, lots of special handcrafted items, reasonably priced
Friars beach on way to Marigot from Oytser Bay, calm water, no waves
Grand Case for late lunch, shopping and watching the sunset
Rima on Walter Nesbit Rd in Phillipsburg for souveniers, they wholesale and if it is on a cart in Phillipsburg you will find it here.
None of the restaurants we went to on the French side added the 15% surcharge and they were all apologetic about the devalued american $.

I would not bother:

Olivers, La Planteur both in Oyster bay marina. Very mediocre and there are too many better options

The Westin: Rooms are great, staff is very nice. Pool and beach are nice also. The construction continues to be a problem. They were jackhammering a path and the noise was incessant. In time it will be a great destination.

SXM is a beautiful island. On the French side watch out for cows and goats on the road. They can be a surprise as you round a bend on a dark evening. Speaking of dark evenings, the stars are beautiful on the French side.

Thanks to all on traveltalkonline, your tips and suggestions were really helpful!
Wishing you all a very Happy Holiday season and a wonderful New Year! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />[color:"blue"][/color] [/color]