Trip Report 4/25 to 5/1, long

The short version of this report is that the island was great! Food, beaches, accommodations, people, etc., all made the long trip so worthwhile. We would go again tomorrow if we could!

If you are willing to read the long version with a few more details, here it is…

Airline/Car Rental
When you fly out of a small town on the west coast, you know from the start that it is going to be a looong trip, and it was. However, all connections were made easily even with an unscheduled landing in DF/W for a medical emergency. Our red-eye flight from San Francisco to Miami should have given us about three hours to make the connection to SXM, but the emergency over Texas cut that time down to about 60 minutes. However, we made our flight with time to spare and so did our luggage! We used FF miles to fly upfront, and were quite relaxed (mucho champagne) upon arrival.

Lesley Bruce, of Kenny’s Car Rental, met us at the airport, and we were on our way in less than five minutes. We have never used anyone else but Lesley, and have always been pleased with the value and the service. He is a very nice man in which you can place your trust.

Oyster Bay Beach Resort
Two years ago was our first trip to OBBR and we eagerly anticipated a return trip. We traded our timeshare in Puerto Vallarta to St. Martin, and we weren’t disappointed. Check-in was smooth, all staff was friendly, and our one bedroom, marina view was clean. Beyond the existing resort, the road in front of the new buildings is still unpaved but we were far enough away so that we were not impacted by the dust or the minimal construction noise. According to friends we met at the resort, the rooms in the new building are very nice but management is unwilling at this point to offer any great deals on either a purchase or upgrades.

After unpacking, we went to the Fresh Market for food staples. This market is just on the other side of Middle Ground when coming from OBBR, is very clean, and not too terribly over-priced. It’s no Grand Marche when it comes to pricing, but it is pretty convenient and they have a very nice deli.

Food
We ate at Beau Beau’s twice during the week. This restaurant is on-site at OBBR and is great when you are beat from a long day of travel, or sun and don’t feel like driving. The first night Cindy had fried tilapia with a butter garlic sauce, and I had coconut shrimp. Food and service were great, and the view of Dawn Beach when the sun takes a nap is hard to beat. For a second dinner we shared ribs and shrimp; we thought the ribs were among the best we’ve had on the island.

Baywatch was great for burgers and onion rings, and is probably the best place on the planet to both eat and people-watch. We were glad to find our license plate that we had left the previous trip.

Captain Oliver’s served us a superb dinner. Appetizers were French onion soup, and escargots on a light puff pastry. We split the entrée of prawns with coconut and peanut sauce, and it was delicious. Dessert was crème brule and an apple tart ala mode. After dinner we danced, and loved it.

On Pinel Island, we really enjoyed the Key Restaurant. Our server was a great guy named Carlos who recommended the very fresh wahoo and mahi mahi. In fact, he even showed us a picture taken that morning of the wahoo just after being caught by the restaurant’s owner. We had a very nice French wine, and they accept one-for-one when paying cash.

I know there is some controversy about the business practices of Daniel’s, but we had a great meal there of snapper creole, veal picatta, and a nice California pinot noir. Our server, Janet from Santo Domingo, was delightful and we would return simply because of her. Oh, the food was pretty good, too.

Our lunch aboard Tiko Tiko was remarkable. After a glass of champagne and excellent wine, Phillipe and crew serve your choice of fish, beef steak, and something else which I forgot. As expected, the meal was extraordinary, but that fits because the whole experience is extraordinary. More on the day cruise later under “activities.”

We dined at the Westin in the Restaurant Aura, and were literally the only people in the entire restaurant. Hotel occupancy was roughly 8%, and most guests were with the rapper Rikcross (sp?) who brought his entourage to the island. From our outside table, our view of the pool and ocean was incredible, as was the very personalized service. Plates, glassware, and food presentations were eclectic and still appealing to the eye. Appetizers were chilled prawns, and escargot topped with foie gras. Entrees were a New York steak and a filet mignon, served with steamed broccoli and smashed potatoes, washed down with a spectacular Stags Leap cabernet sauvignon. The menu is a bit light on fish or chicken selections, and reminded us somewhat of a Morton’s Steakhouse offering. That may be a little out of place on St. Martin, as is the hotel’s exterior architecture, but for us on that night the meal was simply perfect.

KokoMarina serves an incredible gourmet meal for a “beach” lunch. We had white wine by the glass (apparently no wine is served by the bottle), shrimp and chicken vertical kebab, and grouper with an amazing cream sauce with a hint of lime. It was awesome, and they take one-for-one when paying cash.


Activities
The Ma Dou Dou “factory” is fun to see and is a short drive from the Pinel Island ferry. In fact I am currently drinking some Ma Dou Dou Bois Bande on the rocks as I type this and am convinced that I’m a better writer, better looking, and younger as I do so!

The zip line at Loterie Farm was just a blast, but should really be called “zip line/obstacle course.” We did not do the extreme course because Cindy is slightly afraid of heights, but the regular course was incredibly fun. It is $45 per person that is well spent.

The Tiko Tiko Cruise met every expectation, and then some. I am such an idiot for never having done this before and now I can’t wait to do it again. We met some great people that we are still in contact with: Frank&Michelle, Daniele&Samantha, Tracey&Charlie, Beth&Russ, Tammy&Kim, and Connie&Chuck. This day cruise is an opportunity to be a little kid again, but with the appreciation that only an adult can have. It was the highlight of this trip, and will always be one of the best days of our lives.

The key word for the ferry to Pinel Island is “flexibility.” The fare is $7 per person, and the boat runs every hour, allegedly. Sometimes they will leave 30 minutes late, and sometimes they’ll leave 15 minutes early. But it is island time, so who cares?

Beaches
Speaking of Pinel, we hiked to the back side and loved it. The walk is about five minutes long and can be done in flip flops, but a more substantial tennis shoe is better. The back side of Pinel is a small beach, but it is very private and can make you feel like you have your own little island. The front side of Pinel is fun if you want to do some water sports, and also is the location of some really good restaurants.

The beach on Tintamarre is pristine. Clean, soft sand and the location (along with the sailboat Tiko Tiko) of an experience so fun and unique that you might think this is what Heaven could be like. Or maybe the garden of Eden.

Orient Beach was great. It wasn’t too crowded, not too windy, and was pretty clean. We spent most of our time near Perch, and yes, there was a line for two-for-ones during all of happy hour. We didn’t see too many cruiseshippers this time.

General Observations
The weather was great except for one morning with heavy showers; however, by noon the sun was out and brilliant. Traffic was light compared to some years, although we did not venture into Phillipsburg much and avoided it completely on the day of their labor day parade. We always felt safe. All restaurant servers seemed genuinely glad to see us, and appreciated our business. The fellow vacationers we met are among the nicest, and most interesting people we know.

I am out of Ma Dou Dou, so I will finish. But I will continue dreaming about St. Martin every day, and can’t wait to return. Sorry this report is about as long as the vacation.