Trip Report

Originally we were not going to make it to the island this year but the stars aligned and 6 weeks ago I scored 2 FF seats on USAIR. This was only a 5 day trip (June 4th - 9th), but the way I look at it, a short trip is better than no trip.

USAIR

We took USAIR from BDL to SXM through Charlotte and back with only 1 slight delay. We were ready to push back on our way to SXM and they had to let someone off who was having a family emergency. They let the person off, then rummaged around for 45 minutes looking for their luggage. Total delay was about an hour. I chalk it up to the fact that no matter how bad you think you have it, someone has a worse day. I hope everything turned out OK for that person. Other than that, the flights went VERY SMOOTH both ways.

Rental Car

For the second year we used Unity Car rental and everything went smooth as silk. Slightly beat up Toyota Corolla which was fine and we had no problems. We will definitely use Michael again.

Accommodations

This year for the first time we stayed in a Mini-Suite at Club Orient. Everything at Club O was perfect. It’s so convenient, especially if you are like us and hang out at the beach near the Perch. We will definitely return.

Restaurants

The first night we didn’t want to travel so we stayed at Club O. The food was good, not Grand Case but it fit the bill. The only complaint was the bill. Because the dollar is in the dumper, dinner cost us about $120 with a bottle of wine, dinner and nothing else.

On day 2 we met up with our friends Dan & Kathy who we met several trips ago and we went to Poulet D’Orleans. This place never disappoints us. The food is really good and it has a great Island feel. Our wait staff consisted of Adrian’s (from Baywatch) lovely wife and 2 little girls. We had a wonderful time and the girls were a great treat to have there. We had 1 bottle of wine, appetizers, & dinner and it came out to about $65 per couple.

Ti Bouchon

This restaurant in Cul de Sac was one of the best meals that we have had in the past couple of years. I guess it was an unexpectedly busy night because the owner kept telling us that the service was going to be slower than normal. We stated that we were not in a hurry so we sat down. We were sitting on the porch right in front of the kitchen and the smells radiating from that window were exquisite. The chef kept sticking his head out the window apologizing but we assured him that it was fine and we weren’t in a hurry. The food was well worth the very brief wait. We shared a bottle of wine, an appetizer for each couple, had dinner and shared two molten chocolate cakes which were to die for. They accepted $1 to 1 euro and the bill came to just over $100 per couple. Well worth every penny.

The next night we went to Calmo’s for a bottle of wine, tapas, and a glorious sunset. We always enjoy Calmo’s and it’s a very relaxing evening. After Calmos we went to La California for Pizza which was an ultra thin crust pie. Very good and a little bit expensive due to that dollar, but overall it was a very nice evening.

The last night we had cheese & crackers and a bottle of wine on our patio, then we went to Cote Plage in Orient village for more wine and Tapas. Very nice, relatively inexpensive evening.

We had breakfast and lunch almost every day at Baywatch and as always the food and company were always excellent. We had our fix of Margarita shrimp several times.

Villa Belle Mer

One morning we were having breakfast at Baywatch and we heard Adrian mention Randy & Dani (Rastaman). We mentioned that we were interested in renting Villa Belle Mer on our visit next year. Adrian told us that he does work at the villa in his off hours. He called Randy and we arranged to meet for lunch. We were invited to meet to take a look at their home. All that I can say is Oh My God what a gorgeous villa! Needless to say we will be renting the Villa next June with 3 other couples. Thank you very much Dani & Randy for showing us your wonderful home.

Orient Beach

We spent all of our beach time near the Perch just relaxing. When we got hot we went to for a swim. When we got thirsty we got a drink. It was what I call a very relaxing 5 days. The only other thing that I want to say about the beach is the fact that we always meet the nicest people on the beach and it was like a party all day every day. We can’t wait to return.

The Umbrella

Several weeks ago we posted the fact that we were trying (unsuccessfully, I might add) to get a Carib umbrella for our deck at home. Well, we scored when we were on the Island!!!! Gail and Kathy went to one of the beach bars on Orient that had the umbrella that we were looking for with their beach chairs. We felt that the girls would have better luck negotiating and after the girls had a couple of drinks at the bar and with a lot of negotiating they scored. We not only got the umbrella, but they were given a new one that was still in the wrapper. Woo Hoo!!!! When Gail walked to Club O with the umbrella in hand she had several people come up to her saying “So you are the person who posted on TTOL looking for that umbrella”. One person actually told us that after I posted they spent some time trying to find it. It just reinforces to us that the people that we meet through TTOL are the best.

I Can Foundation

We decided that it would be a good thing to bring some stuff down with us to help someone in need, so we packed a bunch of children’s books. We called Mrs. Gibbs and delivered the books to the house in the Dutch Quarter. It’s just a small way to help someone and give back to the Island that we call our 2nd home.

One last thought

The dreaded crime thing! The only crime that we experienced was the fact that the dollar is in such tough shape vs. the Euro which made things more expensive this year. Even with the added expense, we still love the French side and will continue to visit. We saw no crime and we felt perfectly safe everywhere we went.

We probably had the best trip so far with everything going off without a hitch. I will try to post pictures if I can figure out how to do it. We can’t wait to return next year.

Steve & Gail