I haven't posted in over two years. This will be a hodgepodge of random things which might offer a bit of new information, maybe not. Hardly a trip report.

Opinions


The island does not seem as busy as other years, and with no exceptions, everyone we talked to agreed with that. Hotel managers, restaurant owners, business owners and fellow tourists. No one seems to know why, they do not blame Zika yet, but are concerned that yet another "virus" could affect business going forward.

I will never get used to the erratic driving habits on the Island, but if you time your traveling to avoid the peak it helps. Motorcycles with no lights at night, splitting the lanes, is hard. It seems like it is getting worse, but maybe I am just getting old.

We felt that many places on the French side gave a fair exchange rate and more are doing 1 to 1. We only got a little "attitude" a couple times. Once on Orient. Once at Anse Marcel. We got different quotes on chairs etc from the bartenders than the beachboys. Not impressed. Ranged from $30 at Kakao to $20 at Bikini. $10 at Pedros and the construction zone. Pedros has bathrooms, others do not.

My wife and I miss the old feel of the "shacks" on Orient. It seems to us that they have allocated a lot of space for kiosks and "shops" and there is minimal space for the restaurants. The occupants currently building bars have taken up a large amount of their deck space to accommodate them. Sterile is the word that comes to mind.

Our preference for beaches was Orient, Mullet, Dawn, Anse Marcel, and Nettle in that order. Sea weed not too bad, good removal efforts, but it was two feet deep at Dreams before they removed it.

I will only comment on "new" food experiences or maybe ones that don't get mentioned much.
[/b]Jam Rock[b] in Cul de Sac is worth trying. Smaller place, hair slow on service but they bend over backwards to make you happy. Jamaican/French couple, he fishes and serves what he catches. Try the trigger fish.

Pancho Villa, also in Cul de sac is the first Mexican place we have eaten at in 14 years. All fresh made, very good. Owner from Canada, used to work for cruiselines. Lived in Mexico for a while.
[/b] Moombas[b] in Maho has new owners. The wife is from Oregon. Interesting menu. Best presentation of fried calamari I have seen, almost a salad. Also, the fettucinni carbonara with a sunny side egg on top was superb.
We have driven by [/b]Rancho Del Sol[b] ( hill overlooking Orient) since they opened and never ate there. We agreed to meet Norm and Betty, and Tom and Judy for dinner and had an enjoyable evening. We almost never eat steak in SXM, but all 6 of us had steak. Rib eye, filet, T- bone and "rump" steak. Everyone was very satisfied, large cuts, reasonable prices, and happy hour until 7:00 PM. Will definitely go back.

We decided to try [/b]Tai Chi[b] in Orient Village. They had a Tai fondue for two on the menu that caught our eye. We ordered it and it was one of best meals we had. They brought an extra table that sat next to ours, which held a gas stove and our pot of chicken broth, coconut milk, curry, lemon grass etc. They added a nice assortment of fresh vegetables and mushrooms to the broth. We also got a bowl of cellophane noodles and a plate of fresh meat. Beef, chicken, shrimp, red snapper and calamari. After the veggies were done cooking we took the meat of our choice and boiled it in the broth. The noodles and meat were held by large slotted spoons. We then added it the vegetable/broth mixture in our individual bowls. It was very filling and excellent. Not too spicy, 56 euro, but well worth it in our mind. The wait staff made sure we realized it was soup, and we will order it again next year.

We finally got to [/b]Dreams[b] and the food was great. When you figure in free chairs, a little more sophisticated lunch is very doable. The beach there is not great, but adequate.

[/b]Hearsay:[b]

We were told that two people drowned in the very rough surf near SSBG. I haven't tried to find anything to confirm that, and did not have good access to the web while on island. Royal Caribbean cruiselines is building a sophisticated zipline complex etc in the Emilio Wilson estate area. It has been approved and rescinded several times due to politics and money. Several cruise ship lines are going to cut back their stops in Phillipsburg because of it.

[/b]Fact:[b]
The day we arrived our housekeeper's teenage son was stabbed. He survived and was released from the hospital. The next week, the bartenders son was shot the morning of the day she was serving drinks. Not sure how he ended up, but we TALKED to both mothers face to face. Very sad. Not so sure everything makes the newspaper.

Luc from [/b]Orange Fever[b] has opened a little pizza shop called MiMo. It is located next to the Cadisco station near Orient beach. Luc told us it was a mess in the construction zone, but he hoped to still try and re-open Orange fever again. He is waiting for his partner Olivier to commit to starting over. Olivier is bartending at the Rio and hasn't decided if he is coming back to Orient.
We Observed a very disoriented man who had been tossed around/rescued from the heavy surf at Mullet. Same day as reported drownings.

We did get bit by a few small midges or?, but not mosquitoes that we are aware of.

[/b]L effet Mer[b] has new owners and chef and eliminated the 32 euro fixed price menu.

The Island is constantly changing and you accept it or don't return. We will be back

Had a little trouble putting headings etc in bold. Sorry if it is hard to read