Trip report Jan. 31, 209 - Feb. 14, 2009

Flights - Sun Country MSP - SXM, non-stop, no problems. Car rental, Unity - no problems (again this year - Thanks Michael). Our accommodations where back at our St. Maarten "Home" the Belair Beach Hotel. Landed at PJIA around 4:00. Immigration was a breeze and we were on our way to the luggage carousel. This took a little longer than usual, but served as a great introduction to island time. We got the car and were at the Belair before 5:30. Our vacation was off and running.

Restaurants:

Holland House: We went here our first night and wanted to try this as we have never eaten here on previous trips. Over all the atmosphere was great. We really liked the ambiance of the restaurant, but over all thought the food was just O.K., and not a great value.
Lal's: This is a small restaurant near the airport that serves Indian cuisine. This is one of our favorites and this year it did not disappoint.
Halsey's: This has always been one of our favorites. The food and the service is always great. They also have some really great martini's. This time around was no exception. We had a wonderful meal and always feel this is a great value for some really fine dining. It is located between Lee's and the bridge across from the Royal Palm Resort.
Chesterfield's: Wonderful as usual. We especially love the conk fritters.
Greenhouse: We got there just in time for the end of happy hour. (4 - 7 daily). Two for one's on everything, including BBC's and Mojitos! The food is always very good and they have a great menu.
Bajatzu: This was great as usual. The service is really extraordinary and the food was great again.
Pineapple Pete's: We went here with Bruce and Susan after our sunset cruise on the Lambada. We did not have a reservation, but we were given a nice table and had a really good meal. The only thing I would recommend is when there is live music, try to get a table toward the back as it can be difficult to converse when seated near the musicians.
Peg Leg Pub: We have been here in the past and have enjoyed it, so we decided to give it a try at its new location. I must say it was all pretty much the same, but I think I like the old location better. We always like being on the water and this new location doesn't have this.
Le Moulin Fou - Thai: We went here with friends on the island. We have always enjoyed Moulin Fou, so we thought this would be a good choice. It is located right next to Moulin Fou behind Cheri's. The food was very good and B gets to have here molten lava banana chocolate dessert.
Taloula Mango: We have also eaten here in the past and really enjoy this. It is a nice atmosphere on the Boardwalk and the food is very tasty and the reasonably priced.
Divi: A convenient place for us as it is right next to Belair on Little Bay. We really enjoy the pasta dishes.
Mark's Place: Who would have thought we could get such a great meal in the Grand Marche parking lot?? That is what we used to think. We have always driven by this place, but have never stopped. This year we did and thanks to Bruce and Susan we have discovered another favorite. You just can't beat all you can eat ribs (especially these ribs!) for $12.50!!


Beaches:

Dawn, Orient, Simpson Bay Beach, and Belair - Little Bay. All were great. We did find a nice spot to sit on Orient at both the Pirate and the Orange Fever. ($14 for two chairs, umbrella, two free drinks, and a restroom.) We tried to go to Mullet one day but the waves were too high so we had to go back over to Karakter's on Simpson Bay Beach. We loved Karakter's as a matter of fact we went there a total of three times. It is quiet, other than the occasional planes, the service is great and the food is done really well. Overall we spent a lot of time on the beach and did a lot of relaxing.

Other Activites:

We did the Lambada Sunset Cruise - Thursday nights from the Pelican. (we did this twice). We also did a half day trip on the Garfield. This was a fun trip as we got a tour of the mega-yachts from the water and a nice mud bath on Tintamarre. Otherwise it was a lot of doing nothing. We have some friends join us this year and they really enjoyed the island. We did miss the TTOL party with Norm and Betty and the crew, as we were picking up our guests at that time. It was nice to catch up with the familiar (I won't say "old familiar...") faces that are usually on the island this time of year. Great to see Bruce and Susan, Norm and Betty, Dan and Pam, Bill and Elaine, it was nice to meet Sunnyboy from Canada and all of Dan's other Canadian friends - eh? Some how we got into a discussion about the Maple Leafs (hockey I think...?) and the Canadiens..? Not sure what the issue was there....

Some observations: I saw more police especially on the Dutch side than I have in years past. I thought the island was busy, but not like in years past. Traffic was better, but can still be bad. We had a few days of not so nice weather, but overall we had great weather during our stay. I did try a discovery scuba dive this year as my buddy really wanted to try and I have always been curious. It was really fun and I think I want to do more. We did not ever feel unsafe, but took our normal precautions. We already have our weeks reserved for next year!

Please send a PM with any questions or comments.

dandbmn...............340 days and counting..... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />