Trip number 8 for us and it was fantastic as always.

Flights / travel
After our pre-arranged taxi did not show up we ended up driving ourselves to RDU; had to use the daily lot because we simply didn’t have time to use the long-term lot and take the shuttle over. I would like to personally thank RDU Taxi for that unnecessarily stressful start to our vacation. Never. Again.

Fortunately, we managed to get checked in and to the gate on time (thank you, TSA Pre), and our AA flight to CLT was on time. Our connecting flight to SXM was delayed slightly due to equipment and gate changes, but all was well and we landed about 30 minutes late. We flew through immigration (no line whatsoever) and our bag came out very quickly. We emerged from the terminal and spotted Lesley (Kenny’s Car Rental) in about 2 minutes. He brought us our car, put us through the paperwork, and we were on our way quickly. Lesley is the best…we would never rent from anyone else.

We traveled on Tuesdays, and I can’t say enough about how pleasant PJIA is on a weekday. No lines anywhere. And the immigration line in Charlotte when we returned was miniscule. Definitely travel midweek if you can; it eliminates a bunch of headaches.

AA was stunningly good on this trip. The only delay (CLT to SXM) was insignificant, and they did a great job communicating about it.

Hotel
While this was our 8th trip to the island, and we have always stayed in Grand Case, this was our first stay at Le Petit Hotel. I’ve read many fantastic reviews and they live up to the hype. It’s an immaculate property in a quiet location. The rooms are cozy and modern, the included breakfast is fantastic, and the hosts (Remy, Yamina and Myriam) are the sweetest people you would ever want to meet. They take great care of you and make you feel right at home. We took advantage of our access to the pool and swim-up bar at their sister property (L’Esplanade), and decided that even though L’Esplanade is gorgeous, we prefer our little place on the beach. We will be back.

Beaches
As usual, we stuck with Grand Case beach and Orient (Club O end). It’s been three years since our last visit, and we were shocked at the erosion at Club O. Chairs are crowded together especially around the Perch, and no more space for chairs in front of Papagayo. Other than that, the beach itself was pleasant, the weather was cooperative (no sand-blast days), and the water was calm. The stretch of Grand Case beach in front of Le Petit is very nice, and it’s easy to get out and swim / snorkel.

Restaurants
We love to eat out in the Grand Case restaurants, which is why we like to stay in town. Nothing better than being able to walk to dinner (but the hotel provides a shuttle if you don’t feel up to it) and not have to worry about driving or parking.

We ate at La Villa, Tastevin, L’Auberge Gourmande, and Talk of the Town. We had great food at all four places.

But from a service standpoint, L’Auberge was a huge disappointment. We’ve eaten there on every visit and never had an experience as unpleasant. Their wine list was out of date (which the manager blamed on his suppliers); so much so that three of the wines we asked for were not available. They even tried to upsell us to something that cost two times as much as the wines we were asking for (and we were not asking for cheap bottles). We were rushed through our appetizers and entrees, but then when we asked for a dessert menu, it took about 15 minutes to get one. And a similar amount of time for the bill to come. The food was wonderful, so the chef is doing something right, but I’m sorry to say that we can’t recommend this place anymore due to the incredibly poor service. The manager seems focused on churning business through without paying attention to his customers’ experience. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

On the opposite end of the spectrum, La Villa was hands down our best dining experience. Delicious, creative food in a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere. Great wine list, and fantastic service. The people there want to make you feel at home (and they’re quite generous with the after dinner drinks). We loved it so much we ate there twice. Highly recommend the cucumber soup (it’s almost like cucumber foam…just incredible) and the red snapper. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Tastevin was also excellent. We hadn’t eaten there in several years and the freshened décor is lovely, plus you can’t beat the view. They also have great service (though a tad hurried). The sea scallops carpaccio was a highlight…thin slices of scallop that almost melt in your mouth.

Shopping
As others have observed, Simply Market in Hope Estate has gone way downhill with loads of bare shelves, though it seems to be the only grocery on the French side (that we could find) with a real charcuterie counter where you can have items sliced to order. Super U (the old Match in Marigot) was really nice and well stocked. Bacchus is definitely more of a food place than a wine store these days, though we did find some nice selections there. We never got around to visiting the new wine store in Hope Estate…we plan to check it out next year.

We spent one morning in Phillipsburg looking at watches. I tried on so many in so many different stores that my head was spinning, but we finally settled on a Longines for me and a Raymond Weil (for my husband) at Goldfinger. They took great care of us and negotiated a good price. They have an outstanding selection there and are happy to give you a deal.

Misc. Observations
We were good citizens and declared our watch purchases on our customs form, but the CBP folks in Charlotte paid the total amount absolutely no mind and, despite the fact that we were well over our household limit, they never directed us to pay duty…just waved us on through. It was a little weird. There were several international planeloads coming through the customs line at the same time; maybe they were looking more for contraband than jewelry.

The weather was great our entire visit except for Monday the 18th, when it was gloomy and rainy all day. We used the time to hang out on our balcony and do some reading, and to take a long walk. No complaints.

Can't wait to head back next year!!