For many years we have got a takeout pizza from a restaurant in Orient Village. It was a very nice thin crust pizza perfect for two people. Does anyone know the brand of the little packets of chili oil they give you with the pizza? I would like to try and find it in the U.S.

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to give my experience in completing the EHAS application and getting approval. I submitted my husbands and my application yesterday around 11:30am. We both received the acknowledgement that our applications were received and in review about 10 minutes after I submitted them. My husbands was approved about 5 minutes after that. Mine took about two hours even though we have separate emails. After 2 hours I
sent an email to the contact information on the website just to inquire if they had received my application. Within about 15 minutes after that I received my approval. I noticed last night around 10:30pm that I received a very nice reply from the contact person who said she apologized and that my application was approved but it did not go through and sent me another copy....At any rate...we are approved and will be there Saturday!!!
Just wanted to share my experience. Doesn't hurt to send an email of inquiry after a few hours if you have not gotten approval!

It’s our last full day…

We left BSV at 7:25 a.m. and drove to Sun Pharmacie in Marigot for Covid testing. Arrived at 7:40 and, although they weren’t open yet, a nice man checked us in (using passports for information). We crossed the street and waited until 8:00 for the Pharmacy to open up. Once it was open, we paid the pharmacist $22.00 each for the tests, and crossed back across the street for testing. We received printed results at 8:19. It was a very easy, efficient and inexpensive process!

We eat most of our breakfasts in, but always make a trip to the Sint Maarten Yacht Club for breakfast. The staff is wonderful and the food is good. Love their Bloody Mary's too. This visit did not disappoint.

We soaked in the pool for the rest of the morning. There were 10 of us in the pool area. Nice people and conversations,

At 1:00 we met Bill & Elaine at the Marigot Marina for lunch at La Main A La Pate. All meals were fantastic, especially the Mussels. The company was even better!

Relaxed in the beautiful BSV pool again.

Time is running out…

We normally don’t eat out three meals a day (getting old), but it’s our last full day in SXM. Headed to Sublime and enjoyed a great Happy Hour there that consists of half priced drinks and 30% off appetizers. Arrived at 5:20 and It was not busy at all. The lovely bartender, Bee, spent a bit of time chatting with us. Drink for Jo was a Porntini (thanks for the recommendation Louise), and Marc ordered Grey Goose vodka on the rocks (generous pour). We weren’t very hungry, so shared 3 delicious appetizers – French Onion soup, Lamb Sliders and Spinach Ravioli in a Mushroom Sauce. We highly recommend Sublime!

And so ends our last full day in paradise!

Monday, May 16, was our last day on the French side. We had a week here and finally decided to try the Dutch side to see if that might be a future option for longer stays.

We spent another perfect day at Orange Fever, had my usual Tuna Tartar with fries and said our goodbyes to JC.

We struggled where to have our last French side meal about whether to go back to Grand Case or stay in the village but laziness won out.

Dinner was La Trattoria in Orient Village. I had the ceasar salad with anchovies and it was large enough for two. The salad was lightly and appropriately dressed which made for a nice start to the meal. They had beef lasagna as a special which was a shallow plate of cheese and goodness. Definitely a different take on the dish since it was thinner than I was used to but packed with flavor. Dessert was the Tiramisu, light creamy and plenty of cocoa powder. The meal was accompanied by the house Bordeaux which paired nicely with the lasagna as well as the Tiramisu.

We had been to La Trattoria before and my wife didn't have the best experience with her veal dish. Fortunately, she tried the veal with a lemon sauce this time and was very pleased. The veal was moist and it was served with a side of pasta with olive oil and garlic that was simple yet elegant.

A good way to end our French side stay!

Tuesday was moving day. We've rented a AirBnb on Simpson Bay that is literally on the water about 50 yards from Mary's Boon. Check-in wasn't until 3pm but we needed to swap our newer Hyundai i20 for a older model car with Lesley. Evidently, this car is highly prized among auto thieves and our parking arrangements aren't secure here so we swapped it out for a older Nissan Versa, The car definitely blends in well with the other cars around the island. Joking aside, the car's a/c works and it gets us back and forth to beaches and dinners. I can honestly say I've never had a breakdown on any of the cars I've rented from Kenny's regardless of their outward appearance.

We arrived at Karakter's by 10:30 am and spent the day relaxing to surf and vibes that is what makes Karakter's a relaxing spot. It's much less windy over on this side of the island but the surf is still rough enough to knock people down as they try to exit the water. You would think I'd get tired of Tuna tartar but I just don't. Lunch was another fine rendition of my favorite dish along with excellent fries. Part of our morning ritual that I've been leaving out is our drink orders in the morning. I get a Bloody Mary (spicy) and my wife gets a Pina Colada. I've noticed over the years that what constitutes a Bloody Mary on the French Side is more tomato-ee and less balanced with other spices than I'm use to. The exception is the FBBC Bloody Mary. They get it right every time! The reason I bring this up is because the Bloody Mary I got at Karakter's is spot-on good and spicy!

Check-in at 3pm was self-service and easy. The place is very very nice! It's in a older two story building with I believe 6 units. Our rental is a one bedroom upstairs facing the ocean and very appropriately furnished. Nice little balcony overlooking Simpson Bay and waves crashing at the door step.....perfect! I'll share the address and link if anyone wants to see after we depart on Friday. I think it was $195/night but after you add the cleaning and service fees it becomes $275 a night for a 3 night stay.

My wife was feeling a little over-done-in-the-sun this evening so we had a pizza delivered from Pizza Del Sol. Thin crust pepperoni and mushroom, good balance of sauce and toppings but not charred enough for my liking. What I did like was it literally arrived within 10 minutes of me making the phone call. It was a good way to end our first day on the Dutch side.

We are 4 arriving on Saturday. We have never had a problem with ferry tickets but apparently this time, we waited too long to pull the trigger. We were hoping to be on the 2:30 from CM to Tortola (now sold out). We were told we could get on standby and would probably be able to get on. If not, there is the 5 o'clock. So, do we wait until we get there to see what's available. Because they are two different operators, if we buy the 5 o'clock, I would doubt that they are refundable or transferrable. Water taxi is a little rich for our blood. Any other suggestions/experience? Thank you.

We finally moved into our own studio on Monday for the last 9 nights of our stay. There really is a big difference for us between a garden and a waterfront, and I am now at peace with the world, well, except for those damned scooters with a death wish. The 2 male cats have noted their new dining location, but Picasso insists on us delivering her nourishment to the prior location. She's always mumbling something about cats once being worshipped in ancient Egypt.

Dinner Tuesday night was at Bistrot Caraibes and we decided to have lobster, which we really haven't had for quite some time. We chose the half grilled half thermidor option, which was excellent, making me wonder why we hadn't had it sooner. Oh yeah, the price, but only due to a brain fart on my part. I thought we had a 1.8 kilo guy at €7/100 g. Turns out, Thiebault quoted me 1.8 POUNDS, not kilos as the weight, so I was expecting the tab to be 70 Euros higher. The final bill came as a complete shock to me, about which I had them recheck the weight, but was assured it was proper. The mussels appetizer was different than before--in cream, tomatoes, and garlic. A new way for me to enjoy them. Dinner was topped off with their excellent creme brulee and two decaf cappuccinos and a leisurely walk back to GCBC.

The prior night we had dined at Spiga, a restaurant that for some reason fell off our radar screen (I suspect because we ate at Piazza Pascal instead), but has now been restored to must-eat status. Beef carpaccio app, seafood medley over risotto for me and lobster ravioli for Mrs Cruzer, finished with a hazelnut tiramisu and decaf cappuccinos. Oh, and they have a cat, Mr. Grey, for whom they named one of their cocktails. He wasn't there that night, recovering from a stepped on tail.

This week seems to be our gourmet focus. We'll do L' Auberge Gourmande later this week.

Saturday we repeated lunch at Tropicana, and were just as impressed as the first meal 10 days prior, picked up some boudin and mauby from Miss Ebbys, some bush tea ingredients for MC's home remedy for aches and pains, and some items from the arts & crafts ladies. Took advantage of the final day of Le Gout du Vin's 25% off sale with 2 bottles of champagne and 2 of Cote du Rhone.

Sunday and Monday's breakfast was the boudin and mango we bought Saturday, a nice change from croissants and baguettes we eat most mornings. And, Tuesday I discovered the Chinese market on the main drag around downtown Grand Case sells patties in the morning, my preference being the salt fish variety. Pretty tasty, and reminiscent of Hilma's Windsor Castle. Well, without the Dutch Coffee and company of Hilma. I also bought a package of Oscar Meyer Bacon for my future dining pleasure.

Sunday's lunch was at Hercule's Resto Creole. MC was in the mood for a burger and fries, which was a bargain at 10 Euros, and I had my standard griot, picliz, and banan peze. As good and tasty as always. Unfortunately, Hercule wasn't there nor any of the usual help. The server spoke minimal English, which isn't a big problem as I am getting pretty competent in menu French. My accent stills sucks, as the server thought I was ordering creole, not griot. At least she didn't ask me to point at it on the menu.

As you may have noticed by now, food is one of my passions here. This trip, we are happy to spend most of our time at the resort, spending a bit of time in the water, despite the seasonal chill to initial beach entry--a very brisk 81 degrees, but warming during the day. Actually, the pool seems to approach bath water temperatures in the late afternoon.

Sunsets tend to be a bust, but that doesn't stop me from sitting out enjoying the onset of darkness. But, our new location's view of sunset is blocked by the point at GCBC, so I have to trek some 75 feet to view it. Life is rough.

After numerous days of sufficient sleep, I seem to be reverting to my normal sleep patterns--highly erratic and probably because I'm catching little catnaps during the day. Really no big deal as I guess I can enjoy more waking hours in paradise.

After some pool time and a nice sunset to end the day, we headed to Porto Cupecoy for dinner at Mama (Italian). A first time for us. Wife had lasagna which was very good and I had the grilled mahi (a board special). Probably should not have ordered fish at an Italian restaurant. While it had a good flavor, it was not fresh (a bit rubbery). It was busy and definitely had more customers than any other Porto restaurant. We will give it another try at some point.

There’s not much to report today as we spent most of it relaxing at the wonderful Beachside Villas,

Lunch was at Bistro Nu in Marigot. Beef Cheeks for Marc and Osso Bucco for Jo. Both meals were served with buttery mashed potatoes and were absolutely delicious.

Happy Hour was at The Palms with a great group of old and new friends.

No rain today!

It's been a few years since we've done the around the island sail. Had great weather and pretty calm seas. Went to BBB after the sail for the happy hour ribs and chicken special. Was just OK. All in all a good day.

I have not heard anyone mention or complain about bugs at all. We are booked for late October/early November at The Belair where my wife and daughter have had constant bites and it tends to be the only detraction from a fabulous time. Despite no reports on TTOL I do see what looks lots of bugs flying around the Holland House webcam. What are others experiencing?