Well Well Well, who kept notes?
I’ll try to do this from memory. Our trip was from April 14th to the 24th.

Travel
Flights were the ever consistent Continental 861/860 EWR/SXM roundtrip. Tickets were purchased back in February for around $325p/p r/t. Add to that, I had two vouchers for $237 each just about to expire left from last year’s ticket price drop ($487 down to $250, and yes those vouchers did cost me $100 so you can do the math.). The flight down got in early and we landed at about 11:45 am, quick pass through immigration, and quick luggage pickup.
We then found the ACE/Panoramic rep who shuttled us over to their office, where we were put into a maroon Hundai Accent and sent off on our way. After a quick stop at Sharon’s for a phone and Grand Marche by the casino for water and other supplies, we soon checked in at Alamanda on Orient Bay. By 1:30pm we were walking on the beach on our way to Baywatch for the first of many lunches there, and then back to Kakoa Beach for some sun time.
The trip home was uneventful. But it seemed to be full of delays. We checked out of the hotel at 9:30am. Getting through Marigot seemed to take forever. And when we arrived at the airport the check-in line was already way long. Our wait was about 30 minutes. I had a quick snack from Quiznos prior to heading up to the waiting area. The immigration and security lines actually went pretty quickly. On the way home, the pilot assured us we’d be landing early several times during the flight, and then announced to us we had to circle for a delayed landing spot. Oh well. After deplaning and a long walk to immigration, we got on what seemed like short line, then were moved to an even shorter line at which point the agent at that window left to escort someone somewhere. We stood there watching every other line move for about 15 minutes. Of course it seemed like an hour. This however was no loss, as we still had to wait for baggage. Getting through customs went smoothly.

Hotel
As I said, we stayed at Alamanda on Orient Beach. Two years ago, the first time we booked through Sandy Molloy, she got us a room looking directly over the beach with a bit of privacy on the balcony as the room does not overlook the pool area. However due to the length of our stay, and our late booking date, this type of room was not available. We were slated to be in a room where the view was towards the pool. I wasn’t thrilled at this, but chalked it up to having booked late. And yes, Sandy did make a valiant effort to get us a room that we wanted. I was sent copies of all the emails back and forth to the hotel. Well, apparently those emails worked, for when we arrived, we found ourselves in the room we were in 2 years ago. Thank you Sandy. and Thank you Vincent from Alamanda. Oh, BTW, we found both a bottle of Ma Dou Dou Rum (from Alamanda) and a bottle of wine (from Sandy) in our room upon arrival.
For those who’ve never stayed at Alamanda, it is a small hotel, 42 rooms. Our room was about 500 sq feet with a balcony overlooking the dirt roadway, some palm trees and sand dunes and the beach. The room contains a small kitchenette with a 2 burner stove, small fridge, coffee maker, and some cooking utensils and dishes. The one feature I don’t like about their rooms is the Shower/Tub. The tub appears to be on an elevated platform so stepping in and out can be dangerous. Additionally, other than a piece of thick glass about 2 feed wide, there is no shower curtain or door, which makes keeping water in the shower virtually impossible. This creates a very slippery tile floor. We have gotten into the habit of using the day’s beach towels as additional shower mats to absorb all the excess water.
The room also contains a “stairway to nowhere,” which actually leads to a door that can be opened to a room for more guests on the third floor, for an additional fee. We did not make use of it. There is also a safe in the closet, which we did use. No free wi-fi is provided, and I decided this was a vacation, I cheaped out and decided not to pay the fee to buy wi-fi, as I was going to stay away from the internet.

Meals
Pardon me, but I do not remember most of what Donna had for her specific meals, so while I’ll fill you in on what I ate, I just don’t have the memories of all her dining choices.
Most breakfasts were at Alamanda, the included Continental Breakfast, which included a fruit cup, a large glass of your choice of juice, coffee, croissants and toasted baguettes. I had to make it a point to request that second Pain au chocolat as one just doesn’t satisfy my chocolate cravings. We did do one breakfast at Baywatch.
Lunches were mostly at Baywatch, which quite frankly is a favorite of ours. Never a bad meal, and always great hospitality from Cheryl, Adrian, Ross, and the new kid on the block, Tommy. Andy’s mussels are to die for as is the shrimp margarita. The last lunch there I opted for a Softshell Crab sandwich which was out of this world. Apparently Andy includes some wasabi peas in the coating which give it an extra crunch and an extra zing.
Two other notable lunches. O’Plonguer near Fort St. Louis in Marigot (by the marina parking lot) has become a yearly tradition. Their Beef Carpacio plate with salad on top, and accompanied with pomme frites are just incredible. We also had lunch one afternoon at Koko Marina. WOW, true fine dining right at beach level. I had grouper filets in a lemon lime cream sauce with rice and vegetables. I tend to prefer my seafood underdone (well raw in some cases as well) and that’s how this dish arrived, it was perfect as far as I was concerned.
Dinners were all over the place. Our fist night was at Talk of the Town, rib plates for each of us with drinks, under $20. Wednesday night we dined at Pineapple Pete’s where I had the Lobster Thermidor, mmmmmm. Thursday night we found our way to the Dinghy Dock by Oyster Pond were we met up with the TTOL group. Thank you David and Louise (Fabila) who welcomed us in along with 30 other TTOLers. I had some very good ribs again, Donna had a thick juicy burger. With drinks, that also came in under $20. Between a great crowd, great laughs, and a well priced meal, it was a wonderful evening.
Friday night found us at Baywatch for their Dinner, again sitting with the wonderful Fabi couple. I had Andy’s lasagna. I’ve wanted to try it for the last few years, but I just couldn’t fathom hot pasta during a typical warm afternoon on the beach, so now was the perfect time to try it as the evening air temps were a lot cooler. It was worth the wait.
The next night was Spiga, where I was a bit disappointed. I ordered the Cippione (a mélange of seafood in a tomato broth) which while tasted wonderful, was just not enough, even with an appetizer and dessert. And for some reason, while the service was professional, it just wasn’t with a smile. We both left unsatisfied.
At Cheryl’s recommendation, we tried Pino Star for great New York City style pizza. This restaurant was located right next to Mario’s Bistro in Sandy Ground. Every pizza we’ve had in St. Martin has tasted like cheap sauce on a cracker. While we are fans of thin crust brick oven pizza, that doesn’t mean the crust should be baked totally through, and that’s been the case of all the pizzas we’ve had on the island. The pizzas Pino baked for us were a cross between the typical New York brick oven thin crust (which should stll be soft under the cheese and sauce) and the slightly thicker typical neighborhood large pie. I had a plain pie, Donna had a sausage pie (with some peppers and onions), and both were as good as any pie from NYC pizzerias.
Bistro Caribes was wonderful. I started with a rich onion soup. Had a rack of lamb entrée, and a warm chocolate cake dessert.
We tried El Rancho Del Sol, for several reasons. We drive by it all the time, and after dining at Koko Marinas for lunch, we figured it must be good. Nahh… It was very disappointing. A side note, I happen to like tap water, they refused my request for tap water. That isn’t the make or break reason for not returning there, but there are much better meals to be had on the island, including the LoLos.
The highlight meal of the vacation was Spicy in Grand Case. We started with an amuse-bouche, of a carrot broth with ginger and scallions. Entrées consisted of a Cassolet of Shrimp (three perfectly cooked shrimp in a garlic parsley sauce) and Donna had a salad. Donna then had a Saber of Beef. Sophie hooked this tall contraption to the side of our table upon which was hung a saber with a pound of beef tenderloin, over a plate with a variety of sauces. The beef was cooked to perfection and butter tender. I had a boneless chicken breast with wild mushrooms in a mushroom sauce with potato gratinee and Haricot vert. Again we finished with a warm chocolate cake, with vanilla ice cream. As good as the meal was, Sophie’s hospitality was even more wonderful. She treated us like we were old friends, constantly laughing and smiling. While certainly not the cheapest meal (and they did honor 1 for 1 with cash or traveller’s checks) it is well worth a return visit.

All in all, a most wonderful vacation. Now back to the grind of work on Monday.