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Trip Report: 2/7 - 2/12 KenW 6 minutes ago THE TRIP: Some of you may remember my January 4th post about our having to cancel a cruise that was to start and finish in SXM (“The trip that was not meant to be”). Surgery forced the cancellation, but the U.S. incursion into Venezuela also happened to force the cancellation of our scheduled Delta flight to SXM. Double whammy. That trip was going to include a three-night stay at La Playa on Orient Beach tacked onto the end of the cruise. Well, with me healed enough to travel and with the credits from Delta due to expire in May, we decided to at least recover the SXM portion of our ill-fated trip. So, we used the Delta credits to purchase flights, and off we went to SXM last Saturday for a 5-night stay.

THE HOTEL CHOICE: In four of the five times we have visited SXM, we stayed at La Playa (or L’Hoste, as it was called when we first ventured to SXM). I was not able to find a room at La Playa for this rebooked trip. Even though their booking system clearly indicated space available at the level I desired, their manager told me by email they were sold out. I found this puzzling. However, she told me that their booking system merely gave me the opportunity to request a room, not to actually book it. She was the final arbiter, and there were no more rooms like I wanted. I found that both strange and frustrating. Turned away there, I went searching for a good alternative and landed on Le Domaine at Anse Marcel. While we had visited the Anse Marcel beach club on a previous trip, we had never stayed in the village on the cove. I booked a sea-view studio with a shower for $460 a night. The room was very nice – spotless with fine bathroom, a comfortable king bed, a convenient kitchenette (which we did not use), and a nice view of about half the cove. The buildings wrap around a big central courtyard. I wonder if a pool was once in the middle where there is now a courtyard.

EATING: We had 5 breakfasts and lunches and 3 dinners on site. We ate at all four options on the property, and all were excellent. The breakfasts at the Beach Club were $19 apiece with buffet and continental breakfast choices. Perfect for us. Walking to the Petit Casino to pick up breakfast was not an attractive alternative. Dinners at Le Gourmet were exceptional. Not cheap but priced well for the high-quality food and service. The chalkboard menu changed enough daily that we both enjoyed three different entrees on the three nights we dined there. These meals were as good as any we have had anywhere. On the other two nights, we took the 10-minute walk to Del Arti Italian restaurant right beside the Petit Casino in the village. Excellent pizza and pasta. We checked on the Blue Sail Hotel Restaurant, but their menu at night was essentially limited to appetizers. We did not try the Nippon House.

WEATHER AND SEAWEED: We saw only brief periods of sun on the first three days. Rains came and went. The beach at Anse Marcel Beach Club provides three very-long rows of chairs with umbrellas (the chairs and umbrellas are free for the hotel guests). Cloudy and threatening weather on Day 1 (Sunday) minimized the crowd. But on Monday, early sunny skies led to a full house on the beach and reservations required at the Beach Club restaurant. Strong winds on Monday and Tuesday also brought substantial seaweed, that stayed piled up in ridges on the sand in front of the chairs, and waves that rebuilt the beach for the rest of our stay. Thursday brought the most sun and waves free of seaweed. Wind seems to be the key to how much seaweed washes in. Unlike the Sargasso seaweed we are used to both here and on Mexican beaches, this seaweed was just a straw-like variety and rather benign.

AIRPORT AND TRANSFER: Our arrival experience at Princess Juliana was quite smooth once we got on the ground. However, air traffic was so heavy upon approach that our pilot was forced to circle for about 45 minutes before getting cleared to land. A bus took passengers from the plane to the terminal. After a 20-minute wait, we zipped through the passport-control kiosk. Apparently, I had successfully completed our SXM entry form online. We booked transfers to and from the airport through the hotel. JR’s taxi service was the provider. His “cousin,” Sebastian, texted me to leave by the exit #4, and there he was. JR himself took us back to the airport for our departure. It cost $90 plus tip each way. I thought it was worth it to book in advance and be sure of the ride – stress-free and comfortable. As for the airport itself, we were very pleasantly impressed. Having not been to SXM since 2017, we did not experience any of the problems many of you had over the intervening years. This is now a modern airport that is finally up to par with the heavy passenger load it serves. No longer a third-world vibe. Another improvement over the old days, phone service through ATT. No stopping to rent a cell phone.

All in all, we had a wonderful time on the island. We did not bother to rent a car as we had on all previous trips. But we were happy with what Anse Marcel offered us and did not miss dealing with traffic.

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L'Auberge Gormand restaurant RonDon 4 hours ago L'Auberge on the Blvd in Grand Case now has only two seatings 6pm & 8pm.

I remember back in the early 80's all the restaurants in GC had only two seatings: 7 & 9 pm Once, I called for the early seating at one place as the woman told me they had changed from 2 seatings to open seating 5-10 because they found that American tourists wanted to eat early but didn't relax and take the full 2 hours usually alloted. She then said that the staff would sit doing nothing until the next seating so that's why the change. Now it seems there's a return to the past.

I don't know if it's only L'Auberge or if it's all restaurants in GC. I 've only contacted one so far.

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2026 Jerry_R 20 hours ago RCI trade to Royal Palm. Car booked w/Lesley. AA MIA to SXM. Waiting for departure. 25th trip. Maybe more. June 13-20.

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Cayman Islands tips request CrazyCanuxx Yesterday at 08:33 PM Hi all,

I note this forum is quiet and as Cayman is now my next destination does anyone have any insight on must do or avoid?

I am visiting for Easter and staying near Bodden Town.

I will be visitibg 7 Mile Beach a few days, Georgetown, West end and a few days in east end exploring.

Thanks for any insight.

Cc

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Westjet 2542 thursday jeepers Yesterday at 02:39 AM Anybody know why they apparently went to Puerto Rico then on to st Maarten & 2543 back to Toronto is cancelled?

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medicaL DEVICES AND TSA RonDon 02/12/2026 05:44 PM Thought I'd post info regarding moving through TSA quickly.

Doctor just told hubby to register with TSA regarding hip replacement . Go to TSA website before travel.

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Latest price for taxi from SXM to Orient Village sxmbeachlover 02/12/2026 01:20 AM Just checking. I don't like surprises! Thanks

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Bomba and "Finley" Manpot 02/11/2026 10:19 PM Back from two and a half lovely months at CRC on Little Apple Bay and a couple of interesting things of note.There is a move to open a new "Bomba Shack" across the road from the original..tent set up and free sodas and an invite to bring your own beers and leave a donation.Really hope this gets some support.
And it seems we have a new resident in the bay. Nearly every morning we saw a baby shark, maybe a foot long swimming along the shortbreak eating tiny bait fish.It was very pale in colour and right at the shoreline..I named him/her "Finley"..a lovely sight to see!

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Cell Phones Potter 02/11/2026 05:12 PM We have US Cellular, which has now merged with T-Mobile. Their customer service agent told us it would cost us each an additional $15/day to use cell phones in St. Maarten. Could this be right? I've never encountered something like this but when we used to travel to St. Maarten annually, we had Verizon. She didn't seem like the brightest bulb so I'll call again, but this forum will probably be more assistance than their call center.Thanks!

Edit: I should add that she told us it wouldn't cost anything is we're on Wifi and Airplane mode off. Not sure that makes sense, either.

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Groceries Near The Village Potter 02/11/2026 04:41 PM We land around 3:00 Monday, renting a car, and staying at Palm Court near the village. We haven't been to the island since before Irma. Looking for assistance as to the best place to grab groceries enroute from the airport to the hotel. We usually just grab stuff for sandwiches, snacks, beer/wine, etc., nothing fancy. TIA

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