Posted By: beachman1957
Trip Report April 27 - May 11 - 05/15/2018 11:57 PM
My wife and I just returned from our April 27-May 11 two weeks at Mary's Boon. The water was rough on Simpson Bay Beach but not a stitch of seaweed to be seen. However, I think Irma must have blown a hole in the atmosphere because we were subjected a number of days to wind whipped sand pelting that we only experienced in Aruba. I agree the wind was nice because added to the low humidity, I never broke a sweat once, including during our many open air dinners. It was quite comfortable other than the wind whipping days. Mary's Boon is back to pre-hurricane status with the loss of only 1-2 rooms. Painting, door and window replacement are ongoing but no construction noises. The 3 girls in the office are the best - Elena, Bisera and Biljana - and the entire staff at Mary's Boon is to be commended. We only ate in the restaurant for breakfast and the breakfast menu is the same as before Irma. We did not venture to Marigot or Orient as we were told there isn't much open. The Simpson Bay restaurant strip from the runway to Kentucky Fried Chicken was pretty much all open save for Lee's, Skipjack's and I think Boathouse (We saw lights on in the front but I don't think the restaurant was open).
We ate in Grand Case 5 times but only at 2 restaurants - Bistrot Caribe and L'Auberge Gourmande. Both are open and in excellent form- same great staff and food. Other than 2 lolos and Rainbow, the beach side restaurants all remain closed. Thibault at Bistrot Caraibe says they will eventually reopen Ocean 82. Tastevin, Thibault says, will "take longer". I can only confirm that other than the 2 lolos, Bistrot Caraibe and L'Auberge Gourmande, Spiga, Blue Martini and the Villa are open in Grand Case. The road is horribly pitted and potholed but we were told they are burying all power lines underground and then will repave the road. The free parking lot was empty. We parked right along the roadway which we've never been able to do before. NOTE: Much of Grand Case remains dark at night so bring a flashlight or use your flashlight apps because you could step into a pretty nasty hole. However, we never felt unsafe there.
In talking with Thibault at Bistrot Caraibe and Pascal at L'Auberge, their business is of course way down. If you can find a place to stay, go. They need the business. The Simpson Bay restaurants are pretty much filled with the local French people as well as the tourists who, like us, were not afraid to return. We love the island and the people. We got "Thank you for coming" and "Bless you" everywhere.
We are beach lovers so most of our days were on the beach. Breakfast was at Mary's Boon, Zee Best and our favorite, Cafe Atlantico. Lunch was, in the case of my wife, leftovers from dinner the night before or in my case, roasted chicken from the place by the runway (now called Pollos Hermanos), ribs from Captains Rib Shack near the Royal Palm or a sandwich from Cafe Atlantico. All eaten at our little table outside our room.
Dinners - LAL's Curry in a Hurry (good inexpensive Indian food), Al Pascha (excellent Lebanese- great lamb chops and the kibbeh plate! Wow!), Wasabi Charlie (next to Pineapple Pete's - great sushi), Pizza Italy (love their thin crust, excellent!), Moulon Fou (the only place open in Maho other than 3 Amigos, the Hole in the Wall Bar, a coffee place and the cigar shop. Oh, and En Vogue - wife loves the Coure de Lion (sp?) jewelry. Perfume store open too. So sad over there but quiet. Dinner at Moulin Fou is always excellent. They are redoing the storefronts across the street and the Casino but Maho is just a shell. They will return.) We also ate at Marios Bistrot which is now in Cupecoy - while the regular menu is short, our waiter rattled off about 10 appetizer specials and 10 main course specials. Without a tape recorder or a pen and paper, forget about remembering! Food and service were great though. There is another Bistrot open next to Mario's. The shops left there are only open a few hours during the day. The supermarket is open too.
The airport was amazing so don't let that affect your decision to go. We were on Jet Blue from NY which is the first commercial plane that landed. We went down the ramp and on to the bus and when we got to arrivals, the sixth couple on line. Right through. The gentleman pulling luggage from the outside crew and bringing it over to you has been there forever and was doing it alone. But it worked. Lesley Bruce was right outside and we were in our car and at Mary's Boon within 10 minutes. Departures also totally stress free. Fully enclosed with air conditioning, full bathrooms and food/drinks/souvenirs.
Do the research. If your regular place is still closed, find somewhere else. The island needs us back. We never regretted going back so soon after Irma. We already are planning our October trip.
We ate in Grand Case 5 times but only at 2 restaurants - Bistrot Caribe and L'Auberge Gourmande. Both are open and in excellent form- same great staff and food. Other than 2 lolos and Rainbow, the beach side restaurants all remain closed. Thibault at Bistrot Caraibe says they will eventually reopen Ocean 82. Tastevin, Thibault says, will "take longer". I can only confirm that other than the 2 lolos, Bistrot Caraibe and L'Auberge Gourmande, Spiga, Blue Martini and the Villa are open in Grand Case. The road is horribly pitted and potholed but we were told they are burying all power lines underground and then will repave the road. The free parking lot was empty. We parked right along the roadway which we've never been able to do before. NOTE: Much of Grand Case remains dark at night so bring a flashlight or use your flashlight apps because you could step into a pretty nasty hole. However, we never felt unsafe there.
In talking with Thibault at Bistrot Caraibe and Pascal at L'Auberge, their business is of course way down. If you can find a place to stay, go. They need the business. The Simpson Bay restaurants are pretty much filled with the local French people as well as the tourists who, like us, were not afraid to return. We love the island and the people. We got "Thank you for coming" and "Bless you" everywhere.
We are beach lovers so most of our days were on the beach. Breakfast was at Mary's Boon, Zee Best and our favorite, Cafe Atlantico. Lunch was, in the case of my wife, leftovers from dinner the night before or in my case, roasted chicken from the place by the runway (now called Pollos Hermanos), ribs from Captains Rib Shack near the Royal Palm or a sandwich from Cafe Atlantico. All eaten at our little table outside our room.
Dinners - LAL's Curry in a Hurry (good inexpensive Indian food), Al Pascha (excellent Lebanese- great lamb chops and the kibbeh plate! Wow!), Wasabi Charlie (next to Pineapple Pete's - great sushi), Pizza Italy (love their thin crust, excellent!), Moulon Fou (the only place open in Maho other than 3 Amigos, the Hole in the Wall Bar, a coffee place and the cigar shop. Oh, and En Vogue - wife loves the Coure de Lion (sp?) jewelry. Perfume store open too. So sad over there but quiet. Dinner at Moulin Fou is always excellent. They are redoing the storefronts across the street and the Casino but Maho is just a shell. They will return.) We also ate at Marios Bistrot which is now in Cupecoy - while the regular menu is short, our waiter rattled off about 10 appetizer specials and 10 main course specials. Without a tape recorder or a pen and paper, forget about remembering! Food and service were great though. There is another Bistrot open next to Mario's. The shops left there are only open a few hours during the day. The supermarket is open too.
The airport was amazing so don't let that affect your decision to go. We were on Jet Blue from NY which is the first commercial plane that landed. We went down the ramp and on to the bus and when we got to arrivals, the sixth couple on line. Right through. The gentleman pulling luggage from the outside crew and bringing it over to you has been there forever and was doing it alone. But it worked. Lesley Bruce was right outside and we were in our car and at Mary's Boon within 10 minutes. Departures also totally stress free. Fully enclosed with air conditioning, full bathrooms and food/drinks/souvenirs.
Do the research. If your regular place is still closed, find somewhere else. The island needs us back. We never regretted going back so soon after Irma. We already are planning our October trip.