TRIP REPORT 9/17 – 10/3
Pics will be up soon, assuming I can figure out how. We had a great trip with very little to complain about. Two weeks allowed for us to see the sights and then let sand gravity take over and really relax. We felt like we relaxed on week one, but week two was a new level of relaxation which was very much needed.
Travel-
We began our trip after a long day of work on the red eye from Portland Oregon to Hotlanta on Delta, then about 4.5 hours in the airport, met Carol and then loaded up for the trip to SXM. As Carol stated previously, we sat in the jet for some extra time and then MJ saw somebody pull up and hand the pilot his passport so we could go. No excuse for that, felt sorry for the Rental Car person waiting for us.
Trip back included an early departure, then a unscheduled stop in Orlando for a on board medical emergency (hope he is ok), and then off to Atlanta where we were already scheduled to spend the night at the Hilton which fit the bill nicely. I am sure many missed their connectors but I though Delta handled the stop well, and who is to argue a stop like that. Final flight to PDX from ATL went smoothly as well. All our flights were on B757’s and in all but one we had the middle seat open even though most the flights were nearly full, lucky us. Another note about the B757 and take offs. A very loaded 757 can take off nearly straight up because of the power ratio which is why taking off either direction at SXM is not an issue typically. Saw a previous post on this subject so thought I would add that. Delta did a good job for us.
Car Rental-
While we hesitate to rent from somebody that is not a sponsor I felt the desire to rent a Smart Car and try it out, for the fun of it. After much research I rented from Sens Unique. We were greeted at the airport and shuttled to our hotel to drop of luggage and then he took me to the office near the Stadium in Marigot. All went smoothly, and we had a blast with the car. A bit more expensive than the standard Corolla but on the fun scale it was worth it to us. We got the soft top version which has a roof that opens a large area all the way back behind our heads. Plenty of pep even with the AC on, sequential shift with no clutch, and at about 7’ long we could park just about anywhere. Only draw back was a short wheelbase and rough roads, next time back to a sponsor or a Peugeot!
Lodging-
Week 1 we were at the Towers at Mullet Bay. We had a one bedroom unit facing the pool. I shot some pictures of the rooms, hallways, lobby, as well as the grounds for others to see since there seems to be little available for view elsewhere. This is a nice place, friendly staff, well kept and quiet. We had a bit of a water problem with discoloration, very unappealing but it would come and go. This is a good place if you want or are ok with being away from it all. Draw backs for some would be that you are away from it all. No beach on site, although Mullet is a medium walk (long walk if it is 90 outside). It has a nice pool though and very nice beach towels as well. All in all a quality place.
Week 2 we moved to the Royal Islander La Plage to another 1 bedroom unit. We even were able to move all our luggage and ourselves in one trip in the Smart Car. Royal Islander is a very nicely appointed place that has more of a resort feel to it. Very nice rooms, no water issues, relaxing view, and being in Maho you have a lot to walk and do onsite. The staff and facilities are very nice, and after a week of traveling the island it was nice to spend some time relaxing with out moving too far from our room.
Activities-
We did the Celine Pub Crawl with the other TTOLers on our first Monday evening. We had a great time with everybody, the details are in their trip reports but would like to comment that Neil and his son do a great job. Also, thanks go to Sherrie and Christina for organizing this event.
The rest fall under the “were going to do but sand gravity won over” which included unrealized plans to go to Anguilla or St Barths, the 12 meter races, and a few other possible activities.
Beaches-
Spent the most time at Dawn, which is our favorite. Hope to stay at Oyster Bay Resort the next time, they sure have made improvements since I was on the island a year and a half ago. Great beach, Ms B’s has nice chairs with large umbrellas and the ribs are the best. We also spent time at Orient, at or near Baywatch as we prefer the chairs there as well as the hospitality by Adrian and Cheryl (did not meet Andy). Would get our chairs, walk a bit of the beach, drink a few, spend time in the water, happy hour at the perch, lunch preferably at Baywatch if they were open. Enjoyed talking to Contessa and Leelee at the Perch, kind of like talking to TTOL Celebs. When your rubbing elbows with them as well as Carol and Eric it is hard to stay grounded, tried to not let it go to our heads. We also visited Mullet for a day and spent time on Maho. Last trip we hit at least 15 beaches, this trip 4.
Food and spirits-
Almost every drive began with a Carib for the road, which by the way the door pockets of a Smart Car can easily hold 3 empty bottles on each side with out much rattle. The food is probably my favorite part of the SXM experience, the quality added to the people that you meet serving you or sitting near you is not found in other places. Below is a list of the places that we went to.
Lido – Stopped by on day one and picked up ribs and chicken to take back to our room. Ribs were $3, chicken was near that, we added the sides to an order of each and picked up an extra $3 of ribs as well as two beers for the road and I think we hit $15 including a tip. Note that we were eating this food into the next day as well. Liked the ribs, chicken and the potatoes.
JB under the Tree- In our pictures you will see a plate of the ribs which cost $5. They were good as was the shrimp.
Pedro’s- stopped by and said hi to Buff who is our favorite there. Had ribs for a few days before going there and so we went with burgers. Good, but will stick to the ribs there in the future.
Baywatch – MJ had a grouper sandwich which was excellent, I had the margarita buffalo wings which were also excellent. Probably the best food, drink and service on the island. Sit in a lounge chair, drinks served promptly, menu’s brought to you, when the food is ready they come get you and have a table ready, and once again Adrian and Cheryl do a great job of making it a pleasant experience.
Ms B’s- 2nd best chairs to Baywatch, but they have the best ribs. Very meaty and a good sauce. The ribs and chicken combo is also nice with a boneless chicken breast to go along with the ribs. Similar to Baywatch we would go up and order our food, and they would let us know when it was ready and have a table ready for us. What a great life.
Sky’s the Limit – This is a lolo in Grand Case directly across from Talk of the Town which was closed. The shrimp were the best we had, but the ribs ($4) were only ok.
Ric’s – Watched some Sunday football and had a few drinks and some snacks. Good place to go for this.
Tortuga – The pool bar and grill at the Royal Islander. MJ really like the Tuna Sandwich, I had Penne with a meat sauce that was mediocre at best. Enjoyed happy hour by the pool with two for one drinks from 3 – 5pm.
SSBB – Had the chicken sandwich, enjoyed the drinks and crowds a couple of times.
Le St Germaine – The crepes were ok, MJ had the spinach and I had a ham and cheese. Good service, good coffee, good location but the food was just ok this time. Have had better in previous trips.
Peg Leg – Went there first on the Pub Crawl, then went back the next night for full orders of what we sampled. Flat out excellent. I had the Filet Mignon and MJ had the Swordfish. Then….leaving our hotel heading to find a place for lunch we heard a radio commercial for Peg Leg for lunch and the next thing we knew we were back. MJ had a swordfish sandwich that was nearly an inch thick ($9) and I had the brisket special ($7) which included mashed potatoes and green beans w/bacon that also were great. Did this lunch late in our stay, in hind sight we would be back there a few times over two weeks.
Bakery across from the Marigot market – can not remember the name but it was very good. Stopped there twice and it was a success both times. From quiche to pastries to dessert type items it was very good. Good way to start off a Wednesday morning before hitting the open air market.
Captain Olivers – On Oyster Bay in the marina area this place has a Roquefort Burger that is simply the best burger anywhere, states or island. We went here twice to split a burger and fries, add in a good glass of chilled red wine and a view of the marina and it makes it another must go place for us. I know some have issues with the Turtles in captivity at this place, while I understand the concern, I would suggest reading the sign posted there which will be in my pics.
BBB – Only went for drinks, but do enjoy this place.
Café Atlantico – This bakery across from Hot Tomato’s in Simpson Bay is a nice breakfast stop. Coffee and an Apple turnover this time.
Hot Tomato’s – MJ had a very large Tuna sandwich. Very good and plenty for later. I had the Brisket sandwich, had this on a previous trip and it also was huge, this time it was modest but still good.
Pizza Pasta – Did not think I would ever order pizza on this island but after a long tough day drinking and sitting in a beach chair I could not find the energy a couple of time to venture far from our place in Maho. While the pasta smelled good and looked good I only had the pizza there and it was very good, would take back to our room. Different than what we get on the left coast, much thinner.
Kangaroo Court – We ate lunch there and had the breakfast special during our stay. Lunch was very good, but can not remember what we had other than it was a relaxing environment and made us decide to go back for a breakfast. Breakfast was Americanish and very good as well as a good value.
Berry’s – Stopped by and brought back to our place for Lunch. Had the Shrimp($9 or $10) and it was good but nothing that would bring me back. For the price I would stick with the Lolo’s, which we liked better.
Bistro Caraibes – One of only a few places open in Grand Case, enjoyed it very much. Went on our 20th Anniversary. For MJ it was a Caesar Salad, Red Snapper in an asparagus, mussel saffron sauce. The Caesar was very good, a bit fishy for me but she loved it. The Red Snapper was excellent. I had the Onion Soup and a grilled rib eye center cut, I would suggest that you stick with the fish items. The steak was good, but not to the level of the place that served it. Crème Brulee for desert, which we make at home but this was good and gave us new inspiration for home. Great service, would return.
Sopranos – Not really night owls, but went there near the end of our trip at about 10:30pm and the next thing we knew it was 1am. Had fun, good crowd, and would go back.
Bamboo Bernies – Went there for Reggae music, but it was rather lame. Enjoyed the setting and drinks, the bbq buffet looked good but we had already eaten. Probably a fun place in the busy season.
La Main a la Pate – On Marina Royale this place had the benefit that no boats were directly in front of it so we had a view to the lights across Simpson Lagoon. This was our last evening and we really just came by the area to walk around and decided to stay and eat. Best meal we had on the island, and the service was very enjoyable. Keep in mind there was only one other table being served when we got there thanks to the slow season, we ended up with the waiter and maitre d giving us all the attention we needed as well as entertainment. The bribed us with drinks to get us in, although they did not need to do that. MJ had the Mussel’s, a lot of them. They were served in a large pot that was as very large and stacked high, she says they were the best she has ever had. I had the Lobster crepes, which the presentation alone was worth the price, and they did not disappoint. Once again I had the Crème Brulee and it was excellent as well. After dinner the Maitre D would sit down with us and a bottle of Banana Vanilla Coffee Rum liquor and drink with us. Told us secrets on making it, and kept pouring. It was a great way to end a great trip. With a bottle of wine, food and all, it came to about $75.00. Worth much more.
Shopping-
I have been searching for a watch for over two years. Not a particular brand, but a watch that grabs my eye. Usually the problem is what I find is about $3k, walked into DK and found a watch that I was sure would be once again more than I would wish to spend but….I was wrong and now the search is over. Great service and a great deal.
We also went to a place in the Maho area next to the place that sells cigars (good ones I might add) and MJ found a ring that she liked so we added that to our purchases. Good deal, gotta love off season. Name of place slips the mind at time of writing but I know we have the info for the place somewhere.
Also purchased a lot of banana rum from the Marigot Market as well as spices. If you buy enough rum it gets down to about $6 per bottle, which we did. Special thanks to Dave for helping us reach these quantity levels and teaching us how to get the best deal there.
How much alcohol can you bring back to the states? Here is your answer as it was explained to us by US Customs when we were pulled aside for our extra search. Each person is able to carry 8 bottles onto a plane as a max. Which we did, 16 between the two of us. Going into ATL you are allowed 4 liters, one of which needs to be a local product of where you came from. Unfortunately for the information flow I can not tell you the exact duties per bottle over the amount (think it is aroung $2.50 per, as it is with cigarettes per box) because upon showing the customs person a bottle he declared it decorative and sent us on. Shows what a pleasant attitude can do for you.
It was another great trip for us, and I expect many more to this island. Thanks to all you who post info that allow us to make better decisions while there. Next time maybe we will do the things we said we would do before, then again, probably not. Sand gravity.
What a trip!
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