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SWA Scott80 27 minutes ago Has anyone flown or does anyone have any news on the new Southwest Airlines route? We are arriving from Houston on May 27th.

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Heavy Rain fabila 2 hours ago The weather didn’t cooperate today—it poured through the night and well into the morning. By midday, the rain tapered off to a light sprinkle, but by then it didn’t feel worth heading to the pool. Instead, it turned into a mellow, easygoing day spent catching up with friends and enjoying good conversation.

We kept things simple with breakfast and lunch on-site. By late afternoon, three more friends arrived, and that set the tone for the evening. We had made a reservation at JAX’s, which, of all the restaurants we’ve visited on this trip, is definitely the one that requires planning ahead. We actually got turned away there earlier in the week, and another night our friends could only grab seats at the bar—which, as we learned, is also something you can (and probably should) reserve since it’s so popular.

David and I split a Caesar salad ($17) to start. It was pretty standard—nothing wrong with it, but nothing that stood out either. They did offer to add anchovies, which I said yes to, though it ended up being just two small ones. Overall, it was fine, but not memorable, and for the price, not something I’d order again.

David ordered the short ribs, which were incredibly tender and served over mashed potatoes with grilled vegetables. Most of the dishes came with a mix of broccoli and carrots, all a bit too garlicky.

I went with the petite filet mignon (6 oz), paired with whipped potatoes and béarnaise sauce. The steak was ordered medium; it came out slightly more done than that but still had a hint of pink. It was so flavorful it didn’t need any extra seasoning—the kitchen had already done it justice. The whipped potatoes were just as satisfying. At $47, it felt like a solid choice, especially since the 8 oz option would have been more than I needed.

We really enjoyed our dinners and would recommend it—especially if you’re in the mood for a good steak, a comfortable air-conditioned setting, and a classic steakhouse atmosphere with great service.

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Flamingo is replacing beach sand SXMScubaman 13 hours ago Was on a zoom owners meeting this morning. Was told they are in the process of replacing the beach sand with a finer powdery sand. I'll be there inspecting May 9. Woohoo.

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Trip Report Part 2 - April 6 - 11, 2026 lhbsurf Yesterday at 10:19 AM We moved to a small villa/studio in Les Terres Basses which we have stayed in several times before and love - feels almost like home! It is convenient, beautiful, and allows us to miss the traffic most all of the time. We restocked at Maho Market after briefly dropping our luggage off. We realized we needed chairs and called to see if Lesley at Kenny's Car Rental had any. In fact he did - we rented them for a very small weekly fee - and he met us at Porto Cupecoy to bring them to us. This is the reason we only rent from Lesley - he is always so helpful and makes everything SO convenient for us!! We forgot adapters and this lodging didn't have any. We searched at the Carrefour in Cole Bay, a small hardware store, and the huge Ace hardware - no luck. Ernie did have one for his CPAP, so we just had to rotate charging during the day when he wasn't using it. Don't forget them - they're hard to find!!! Distilled water was impossible to find - luckily he uses a travel version that doesn't need the distilled water.

We ended up having to come home 5 days early due to my step-father entering hospice care - we were fortunate to secure a same day Delta ticket on Saturday. (A quick conversation with Lesley and everything was rearranged for car rental drop off as well!) I dreaded the airport and it was very crowded, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly they were able to move the crowds through all the lines we encountered at the Delta check in, entry gate, security and passport clearance. Less than 45 minutes from check-in to gate.

We still were able to hit a few of our favorites:

Baie Rouge, probably my favorite beach on the island. Not crowded, but had plenty of families around. The water was calm, blue, and gorgeous.

Baie Longue, pretty quiet, still a few families around, but as always unless you walk a down the beach a while, entry into the water is impossible due to rocks. With beach chairs and umbrella shade, it was an enjoyable day. We came back with a bottle of Rose and glasses for sunset. It was delightful with a few families, dogs, and couple of guys quietly singing and playing their guitars sitting beside us. I think it was the only sunset of our trip where we saw the sun touch the water - lots of clouds on the horizon this time!

Plum Bay, biggest surprised of the trip. I have read so many accounts of people being robbed here and observed on previous trips to this beach that it was almost always deserted - I didn't take my phone and no wallets, only $20 for an emergency. When we got down there around 10:30am, the small beach was packed with families - about 25-30 people in various groups. There was a little seaweed, but the grassy kind, not sargassum. It was a nice beach day, as we happened to put our chair near a good, easy spot to enter the water. We decided to come back for sunset and again found several people enjoying the beach. My guess it is a combination of more villa/condos in Les Terres Basses and the sargassum situation at other beaches that encourage people to seek out alternate beaches - but I am not sure. It was convenient to our villa and beautiful.

With all the distractions from home, I got very few pictures. We ate dinners out and had sandwiches most days for lunch, except a lunch at Cupecoy from Dany one day. We enjoyed French Cocotte, Mr. Chow (ate at the bar at he Oasis), Altro, Pineapple Pete's, and another night back at the Oasis, where we had an eclectic combo of nigiri sushi for appetizer and pizza from Roma for entree! We got the meat lovers and it was good but very salty (I think due to the ham), we'd probably pick a different pizza next time. We enjoyed all meals and were sad to postpone to next trip our plans for Le Cottage, Jai's, Spaghetti House, and a return to JAX.

I did take a few more pictures posted below. Now just trying to decide our timing for next year's trip!

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Rainy Day fabila Yesterday at 09:22 AM We had a rainy day, with at least four heavy downpours throughout the day. Despite that, we still managed to get in some lounging and swims at Kim Sha Beach.

Ate lunch at Buccaneer Beach Bar, which has really stepped things up. The buildings now feature some great pirate-themed murals, and the bathrooms have been completely redone—air-conditioned, clean, and clearly well maintained. (Bathroom entrance leads to 3 individual bathrooms with privacy doors)

For lunch, I had the chicken teriyaki sandwich—moist and flavorful—with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions, accompanied with fries. David went with a cheeseburger with similar toppings and fries; it was a generous portion, definitely larger than your typical 6 oz patty.

Another thing to note is that Peli Deli is now called Pelican Supermarket (or something similar), and it’s been rearranged since our last visit. The store is very well stocked and prices l seemed on par with some of the larger supermarkets.

You can now park in the lot where it and Red Piano are located. The first half hour is free, and after that it’s paid parking. The last time we visited, there wasn’t any accessible parking because the spaces had yellow bars that required a key to open them and we didn’t see any place where you could get that key?

Later, we stopped at the SMYC before heading back to the villa.

We had an enjoyable evening dining with our friends at Spaghetti House in Jordan Village. We reached out to Katarina earlier in the day to secure a reservation and pre-order three portions of her homemade lasagna, which turned out to be a great choice. The lasagna was served with a bold meat sauce flavorful and satisfying.(not the best photo attached but looks can be deceiving)

David went for the blackboard special, choosing the gnocchi with shrimp and clams, and couldn’t stop raving about how good it was.

One concern: we were told the forecast for the next few days may be more of the same, with heavy rain expected. Really hoping that turns out to be wrong.

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Edge II ferry sold SXMScubaman 04/13/2026 04:38 PM Aqua Mania posted this. No mention if new owner will continue service to Saba
"We would like to announce that the Edge II ferry has sold. The purchase is immediate and does not allow for us to be able to make a last voyage.
Edge Ferry Service started connecting the islands in 1993 and it has been a great honor and privilege to serve the island of Saba. Together we have braved rough seas, aftermaths of hurricanes and lock downs … forging a great partnership and friendship with the island people of Saba.
It is quite heartbreaking to end this journey together.
Our special thanks to Captain Mikey Gumbs who started his journey as Captain on Edge in 2006.
Our crew, staff and management are proud of safely transporting countless guests and residents to and from the island, over these past 33 years.
Our special relationships with taxi drivers, Tropic’s Restaurant, James Johnson, agents, dive shops and the many, many individuals and businesses who have supported both Edge vessel’s journeys, will be missed.
Aqua Mania Adventures will continue to promote and support travel to the unique and beautiful island of Saba."

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iVisa ED Card Required? Husker 04/13/2026 02:10 PM I read recently that a iVisa ED card is required for the BVI. I suspect this is actually not the case. ChatGPT confirms its not required for entry to the BVI. Is this a new requirement?

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Massage services French side LuvSXM13 04/13/2026 01:01 PM Good morning, we are interested in a therapeutic massage on the French side. Anyone have a favorite?

Thank you in advance

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Sunday fabila 04/13/2026 12:15 PM We decided to spend the day relaxing by the pool for a change of pace, and instead of putting together our usual baguette sandwiches with cold cuts, we opted to go out for lunch. Headed over to D’s Beach Bar, where a female solo musician was playing—she sang some current songs as well as moving renditions of a popular Amy Winehouse and Etta James song. She had a very smooth and powerful voice. Very enjoyable and relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

David ordered the pulled pork sandwich with fries—huge portion and very tasty. I went with the three fish tacos (panko-crusted) that come with a lime crema sauce. Unfortunately, the sauce just didn’t work for me this time—it tasted a bit off.

We spent the rest of the afternoon unwinding before heading to Mr. Chow for dinner. We started with the crispy spicy tuna rice to share— they had a nice kick.

For my entrée, I had the General Tso’s shrimp, tempura-fried coated in a typical General Tso sauce, served with a couple of pieces of tempura broccoli. This dishes is one of my favorite’s here. You get a choice of sides (white rice, brown rice, smashed potatoes, or wasabi mashed), or you can upgrade to fried rice for $6. I went for the fried rice upgrade, it was fairly plain, with a bit of soy sauce, scallions, and a small amount of egg. I doubt that I would opt for the fried rice in the future.

David ordered the duck breast with blueberry sauce on the side and whipped potatoes. It came out medium rare as requested, but unfortunately it was quite chewy. He also didn’t care for the blueberry sauce, so ended up eating the duck without it. The portion was large and cut into thick slices, which may have contributed—or possibly it just hadn’t rested long enough before being sliced. He ate a few pieces but didn’t finish it.

When the server checked in, we mentioned the issue. He was polite, though we didn’t fully understand his response at the time. When the bill arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to see that 30% had been deducted from the duck (originally $42), which we appreciated.

We wrapped up the evening with a cocktail at the bar before heading back—overall, another great day in Saint Martin!

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Where to stay in Grand Case? LauraJim 04/12/2026 08:15 PM Hello all!
We will be staying in Orient Bay for 3 weeks and thought we would find a place for a couple nights in Grand Case. Does anyone have a favorite place to stay there that is on the beach? TiA

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