A somewhat belated highlights report on our recent one week vacation in SXM from 4/12 through 4/19. This was our (my wife and I) 5th vacation trip to SXM. Every trip seems to get better, and upon our return back to the real world it takes longer to get back into our routines and out of the post vacation letdown. I have found the early onset of DIF is only remedied by planning another trip. There are many things about SXM that may deter new visitors including: the devalued $/E, crime, mosquitoes, general depressed appearance in many areas, etc. But for us, the beach and CO are the major attractions that outweigh the others…and keep us coming back.

Air Travel:
United freaky flier mileage from PDX (Portland, OR) to SXM roundtrip. Courtesy of an unexplained departure delay on the Friday PM 4/11 redeye departure from PDX, our scheduled 3.5 hour layover in ORD was reduced to 12 minutes. Thanks to carry on only luggage our luggage and us made our connection to SXM. But, sorry to those that still have my footprints on your back.

Packed Light:
We packed everything needed as carry on baggage. The biggest challenge was the limitation on liquids and gels. We bought 3oz bottles at REI and filled them with our preferred shampoo and conditioner for the week, as well as sunblock to get us through the first day or two. We were pleased to find that L’Orientique had everything we needed for the week including a wide supply of sunblock, toothpaste, etc. Certainly by staying at CO <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> , and not venturing off the CO property enabled us to pack light... ;-). But, we brought enough miscellaneous stuff and toys to fill our carry on bag.

SXM Arrival:
We arrived at SXM on schedule at 2:30 PM Saturday April 12th. Immigration took about 45 minutes. Without checked baggage we proceeded directly through customs, although I don’t remember actually going through customs…maybe it was the guy leaning against the wall. Exiting the terminal we got a cab to take us to Club Orient. The cab waited about 5 minutes for another couple that was enroute to the Grand Case area. The cab took the Marigot to Grand Case to Orient Beach route. This was the first visit to SXM for the other couple in the cab, and they did not seem impressed by the character of the island enroute to their hotel.

Club Orient:
This was our 5th visit to SXM, with this and all previous trips staying at Club Orient. Since our first visit in 2002, I would honestly say that most of the changes have either been neutral or for the better. Check in at the Club Orient office (that is now open until 9:00 PM) was a breeze. Our reservation locked us in at $1.30/Euro…so it was somewhat of a deal compared to current rates at $1.40/E. Having landed in SXM at 2:30 PM, we made the Perch last call with time to spare!!! We stayed in a Waterfront Chalet, and were literally steps from the beach. I have stayed in hotels throughout the world, and the service, courtesy, and friendliness of all the staff at Club Orient is among the best.

Island Travel:
Since this trip was only 7 nites and 6 full days, plus other factors, we decided in advance not to travel outside of Club Orient. As such, we also did not rent a car. Other factors included: not wanting to drive through the traffic, deal with trying to find parking, hail a cab late at nite, or return on the lonely dark road entering Club O late at nite…and basically just let sand gravity rule our schedule.

Papagayo’s Restaurant:
We ate every dinner at Papagayo Restaurant at Club Orient. The food this time was among the best of our 5 trips. It was not cheap, but considering the $/E rate was reasonably priced. Everything we ordered was prepared well, tasty, and presented in a very attractive manner. Some of the offerings including the Conch Fritter & Escargot appetizers were exceptional. The evenings that had entertainment and following the manager's cocktail party were very busy at Papagayos, and we found we had to arrive early to secure a table. The off evenings were much less crowded. We also had 2 breakfasts at Papagayos, and they were also very good.

Other Meals:
One lunch was at Baywatch. I had Andy’s special Seafood Fantasy. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this dish was. The sauce was exceptional, perfectly el dente pasta, with perfectly prepared mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp, calamari, and fish (maybe some other sea critters I forgot about). Served with toasted garlic bread and the hospitality of Andy and Cheryl. It was absolutely wonderful. Oh yeah, my wife had the fish and chips and that was great too! Of all the great memories of this trip, this meal is in the top overall memories. As I reflect on the trip, I think of the beach, the water, Willy’s Rum Punches at the Perch, and Andy’s Seafood Fantasy. But, don’t spread the word too much; I want to make sure there is some for me at our next visit.
All other lunches were at our room, by making baguette sandwiches from the daily wonderful baguettes from L’Orientique (a.k.a La Boutique) each morning. Of course accompanied by a nice glass or so of wine.
Breakfasts were 2 times at Papagayos, 1 time at Baywatch, and all other breakfasts were croissants from L’Orientique (La Boutique) each morning. Their baguettes and croissants are absolutely the best….as close to Paris as I can find…OK maybe it’s the atmosphere. But, they’re great. Remember though, “the early bird (nudist) gets the worm (croissant)”. There was always a line in the morning at L’Orientique waiting for the door to open at 8:00 AM…then a mad rush for the croissants. On my last day I remembered you can arrange in advance for them to reserve croissants for you. I’ll probably forget that by the next trip…oh well the brisk AM walk and wait in the morning sun is part of the adventure.

Beach:
Courtesy of the heavy wind and surf that preceded our visit, the beach was the widest we have ever seen. It was at least 30 yards wide at Papagayos, and at least 40 yards wide the rest of Club Orient. Heck, we could almost walk to the swim platforms. The Club Orient beach seemed to be at the expense of much more narrow beaches at Coco and others. Other than a narrow sandbar, there was no beach at Green Cay. This was our first visit in April. Maybe it was the time of year or other unknown factors but the cruise ship gawkers did not seem to be as much of an issue this trip. Sure, after about 11:00AM the Pedro’s parking lot was a photo gauntlet…but not as many dark socks and hard sole shoes on the Club Orient beach as in the past. The reservation tag system for beach chairs for CO guests worked great. You have your chairs reserved for your entire stay. Except that late each nite, they pull all the chairs from the surfline to allow the tractor to rake the beach in the AM. So, it was always an interesting hunt in the morning to find our chairs and drag them back to the surf line.
Club Orient beach was 99.999% nude, up to the rocks at Pedros. We only ventured outside of Club Orient beach after 8:00 AM a few times, but those few times we saw no nudity (topless yes) on the beach beyond Pedros. Up until about 8:30 AM there were many nude walkers…although not advised after 8:00 AM. We also walked the length of the beach each evening starting around 4:30 and never saw any nudes at this time.

Weather:
It was a bit cooler than usual for our entire trip. The first 2 days had fairly stong wind, just slightly less than blowing the sand, and the water seemed cooler. Few folks were in the water the first two days. Starting Tuesday the 15th the wind subsided somewhat and the air and water seemed warmer. It only rained one evening late at nite. So, all in all..the weather was great…I’ll certainly take it over the cold, rain, and snow flurries that greeted us upon our return home.

Mosquitos:
My wife is a mosquito magnet. The entire trip she only received 2 bites, and we figured those critters sneaked into our room through a torn screen in the bathroom. We then kept the window shut in the bathroom. We never used repellent.

Crime:
We never strayed off Club Orient property after dark, and as such had no issues with crime. We did consider walking to Kon Tiki for dinner one evening and returning by walking back along the beach. We thought better of that, and am glad we did considering a recent report of an armed robbery in Orient Village during our stay. With the closeness of our Waterfront Chalet to the beach we did not lock our patio door during the day time, but kept our minimal valuables in the safe. We never had an issue. I am not attesting to the safeness or lack there of, but simply stating that we felt safe while barricaded within the confines of Club Orient.

Phone:
We only depended upon my Blackberry with AT&T service for phone usage. The original service provider was with Cingular. I previously enabled International calling with AT&T. I received excellent coverage while at Club Orient and was able to receive calls from the US and dial directly to the US simply by area code then number. It was somewhat weird though that every time I turned it on, it connected to a different provider. For the short trip I wanted to keep my own phone number, and avoid the logistics of renting a phone. Now you may ask…how much did I spend on calls? I’m not sure yet. I’ll provide an update when I get my bill.

Summary:
It was a wonderful, but too short vacation. 6 days seemed too short with the amount of travel we had to get there. The weather was great. Club Orient was very relaxing and carefree. I anticipated Andy’s Seafood Fantasy at Baywatch since our last visit, and it exceeded my expectations and memories. Our return home greeted us with cold rain and snow flurries, and only helped us to get out the calendar and plan our next visit.