I haven’t written a trip report for the past several trips, so I resolved to do it this time.

USAirways from DCA-PHL-SXM uneventful, except that I’ll try to avoid the regional jets in the future. Even more uncomfortable than regular economy seats. In addition, it was a good thing I didn’t try carry-on only: my small backpack didn’t fit in the overhead. Connected to the usual 757 to which I had upgraded using miles. Flight blew by. Spent much of it chatting with the pilot while he was on his break (evidently, they save 1 First Class Seat for this purpose since the crew flies the return leg, too).

Arrived roughly on time. Immgration cleared in less than 10 minutes. Then, came the hour-long wait for the bag. Now, I’m wishing I had found a way to cram it into that CRJ’s glove compartment.

Finally, off to Mohammed and ACE/Panoramic for the rental car. The past few times, this has taken a bit longer. Always seems to be a big line on Saturdays. I guess it’s good for him that business is brisk.

Once again, I stayed at O Paradis in Orient Bay. Bruno and Geraldine are such great hosts and the price can’t be beaten. It may be one of the best bargains on either side of the island, Euro or not. Probably why it’s so frequently at or near capacity. The wifi and proximity to Orient Village are gravy.

Overall, the weather was average. Monsoon-like rains the first afternoon, with some partly-cloudy days, and a few picture-perfect ones thrown in. Not much wind at the beginning of the week was evident in the mosquito onslought, as well as the absence of the usual kiteboard-dotted Orient sky. The wind really picked up a bit at the end of the week, cooling things off and putting the mosquitoes back in their place.


Orient Beach has widened nicely compared to December. There was lots of seaweed churned up, though, maybe residual from March and April’s large swells.

Made it to Friar’s Bay and Dawn Beach, both of which seemed basically unchanged over the past few months. The one exception was that Dawn seemed much more crowded with lots of cruisers. Might be that the cabs/tours are opting to take them there in the setting of the weak dollar.

Breakfasts were mostly home-cooked, except for Big Fish twice. Their crabcake eggs benedict was excellent. I was disappointed that they were forced to remove the outside tables. No good reason was given, although it came across as potentially arising from a competitor’s sour grapes. Also noteworthy is that Big Fish is supposedly soon opening another location on the island (they wouldn't disclose where yet).

Lunches:

Big Fish (watch the wasabi tuna salad: I thought I would land on St. Barth’s after the first big bite!)
Kokomarina x 3 (sole with saffron and the grouper with lime butter both rivaled many evening main courses, and the best bacon goat cheese burger anywhere IMO). Marina and Koko continue to do a brisk business, probably not so much from the 1:1 since overall prices aren’t cheap, but more from the atmosphere, friendly service, and great quality for the dollar spent.

Kakao for pizza and pannini, both of which are still really good. GP continues to tend the KO Bar, making among the best drinks on the island and whose conversation is always one of the highlights of my week.
**For those who frequent the beach at Kakao, Philippe (the head of the beach boys) retired at the end of the week, earning a great party at La Chapelle later Friday night. I understand that Karl from Kontiki is taking his place.

Dinners:

Le Cottage x 2: Still one of my favorites. Bruno and Stephane are fantastic hosts. I love not having to look at a wine list. Tremendous napoleon of crab appetizer followed by the duck plate (breast, confit of duck, and foie gras) which is one of the better main courses on the island IMO. The caramel soufflé was one of two dessert splurges of the week and worth every bite. On the second visit, the quail appetizer and a Provencale-style seabass special were every bit as good as the first meal. Exchange rate is 1:1.35 cash or credit.


Ti Bouchon: Another must for me. Momo himself is a reason to eat there. Burgundy-style eggs as an appetizer and the rack of veal were outstanding. Momo told me that his rack of veal was picked as the best main course at a tasting by Michel Richard of Washington, DC’s Citronelle. I’m not surprised.

Pineapple Pete’s: One of the better fish soups on the island and the best Lobster Thermidor. Definitely the best crème brulee. Prices seemed a little higher as everywhere, but still worth every penny.

Ti Provencale: Continues to be one of the best restaurants on the island. It amazes me how they can take such basic-sounding ingredients and make a plate burst with flavor. It’s cooking in high-def, I guess. The freshest carpaccio of wahoo and queen trigger fish meuniere second to none.

L’Estaminet: Hadn’t been in a while. Nice to see they still aim for something off the beaten path, like duck breast in espresso sauce (which is excellent). Instead, went for the specials of tomato and goat cheese over warm eggplant and sole wrapped around giant scallops with pureed sweet potatoes and wasn’t the least bit disappointed. Value was excellent.

Quai Ouest: Went when it first opened and had a good meal from a limited menu. Since, the restaurant has expanded its seating to include a small area for drinks. The setting is really nice, even a bit trendy, especially for Oyster Pond. This wins for favorite new restaurant. Absolutely the best accras I’ve tasted anywhere. The crispy turnovers filled with rabbit and mozzarella were a winner, too. 2 courses plus wine and coffee for $40pp including tip have launched it to the must list going forward.

Dinghy Dock: Still the best ribs. They added some great new staff behind the bar as well. Happy Hour is still a bargain with a $0.50 price increase. Got to see Simon's daughter who was born in January. Hopefully, she'll give him as much trouble as he probably gave his own parents! This place is still one of my favorites on the island. I'd love to figure out how to buy it. I think "Don't Stop The Carnival" is the only thing between me and that great retirement job.

Random Stuff:

While I expected the weak dollar to mean lamenting from every French Side business, I was surprised to be wrong. Several owners told me they enjoyed their best season in 4 years! While some businesses may not survive the upcoming low season, many seem to be going strong.

In the future, I’ll try to avoid Carnival Week, unless planning to attend the parade or concerts. It was too much of a hassle trying to guess when the grocery stores, shops, etc. would be open. Many of them took Friday off to make a week.

Gas is definitely cheaper on the French Side. I also don’t cringe when I have to buy fuel on the island any longer. 1:1 at 1.13 Euro/liter (Best Gas and Gess) is nearly the same price as back home. Given the trade of an SUV for an Hyundai and I feel like I’m making money at the pump.

Overdevelopment continues. The billboard depicting the new lighthouse at OBBR shows something that looks more at home in Miami. Even Indigo Bay that was touted as being environmentally-friendly shows excavation that looks more like strip-mining. I guess I’ll have to see the final product, as well as whether there really is a demand for the 2300 new condominiums currently under construction on the Dutch Side.

It could be my imagination, but there seemed to be a bigger police presence on both sides of the island. I saw the usual security in Grand Case, but also routine patrols by the Gendarmes several places on the French Side, including a roadblock for scooters and motorcycles only. Since these have been implicated in many of the recent reported crimes, this strikes me as a good start. Prior to this trip, I don’t know if I had ever seen a Dutch Side policeman. Yet, I saw several patrols around Philipsburg and Simpson Bay. There is definitely much left to be done in addressing crime on St. Maarten, but maybe these signify a start.


The Trip Home: Uneventful flight on AA to SJU. Immigration and Customs definitely longer to clear than a few years ago. The main problem occurred when AA listed the flight to Dulles as 90 minutes late. This seemed strange since the plane we arrived on did not continue to PHL and sat at the gate unused, while the plane at our gate became the flight to Boston 30 minutes after the scheduled DC departure. The agents could offer no specific reason for the delay and the crew sat in the gate area waiting as well. The bad evening with AA continued at Dulles as bags finally started to trickle out to the conveyor after around 30 minutes, then only at a rate of 1-2 per minute. Only after I could hear several passengers yelling at the AA baggage staff did the bags start to come out at a normal rate. All told, it took 1:15 to get the bag. My planned 10:30 arrival home turned into 1 a.m. and made the 5:30 a.m. alarm Monday morning even harder to take after a trip to SXM than usual. By 11:00 I was looking for a Carib and a chaise lounge, but I guess I would have done that anyway.

Reset the countdown clock....