First of all, thanks for all of the TTOL information on Beach Side Villas. BSV was a great place to stay, and we will definitely be back. We were able to get a low season special rate which made it very affordable. We only used the water-view master bedroom in the two-bedroom suite (#13). It was very comfortable with a full kitchen and great back porch on the beach which we enjoyed most every night. Thankfully, bugs, for some reason were not in attendance.
We were the only ones staying at BSV for about half the time we were there, but we felt safe with the security people around all night long. Emanuel, Vicky, and the housekeepers were all great. We kept the curtains open to the sea as much as we could (basically all the time) to enjoy the beach/sea connection. It was great meeting TTOLer’s Scott and Betsy at BSV. We even had an impromptu happy hour with them during the fun with tropical storm Philippe.
Travel
Backing up a bit, our fights on Spirit Air were uneventful. Both ways the flights between BWI and FLL were full but between FLL and SXM were empty. Spirit was ok but not cheaper than our usual United flights. Spirit nickels and dimes you for everything. We took Spirit because we could leave from BWI which is more convenient than driving from Annapolis to Newark (for United) and parking for 3 weeks. Just watch out, the weight limit on Spirit is 40 lbs per checked bag rather than the normal 50lbs. I imagine some get blindsided by this.
Getting Around
The island was very quiet during our stay but there was plenty to do. The traffic was very light, so travel from place to place was relatively effortless. The number of Butterflies was amazing, all over, but mostly on the east side of the island. We tried to take some pics / videos of them but the butterflies were white and small, so they did not show up in the images. (They possibly were vampire butterflies ) We did laundry three times by dropping it off at the laundry in Cole Bay across from the car dealers and next door to the big white apartment building. $12.50 for up to 10 lbs. and you usually get it back the same day.
Weather
Our first week on SXM was brutally hot with almost no breeze, but things cooled off a bit after that with the wind picking up a bit. Actually, the wind picked up a lot for our last few days, 50+ MPH with tropical storm Philippe hanging around. Philippe also gave us quite a show with crazy surf on Simpson Bay Beach.
Beaches
On beach days, we alternated between Simpson Bay, Orient Bay and Mullet Bay. Every day the sargassum was at either Simpson Bay or Orient Bay seemingly depending on wind direction. South or SE wind then sargassum = Simpson Bay, East or Northeast wind then sargassum = Orient Bay. We did not see any at Mullet. When the sargassum was in attendance, swimming was not in the cards for pretty much anyone. The water was quite warm (Just a slight cool tingle felt when first entering) and great for swimming when it was clean. Wanted to mention this, even though we are talking to a group of seasoned beach swimmers. Each of the beaches had areas for smooth water entry and exit but there were occasionally areas of large drop off that could make things difficult. We found that at all beaches, just moving down the beach 5 or 10 yards, a smooth transition could always be found for easily getting out. We saw a few folks, much younger than us, crawling out of the water on all 4’s. (Mostly at Mullet).
Dining
I managed to gain a few pounds on the trip even though about a third of the restaurants were closed for September. Laraine, on the other hand, maintained well, even with the French bread diet. Most all of the larger Orient Beach restaurants were closed (Kon Tiki, Wai Plage, Coco, etc) but the ones just north of Club O were pretty much all open. We are not gourmet eating folks, but we do like good fresh food and usually do appetizers along with sharing an entrée.
Dingy Beach Bar – We visited numerous times as it is right next door to the Beach Side Villas. We found extremely friendly staff and owners. All of the food that we ordered was very good, Taco Tuesday tacos were yummy as well as the jerk chicken dishes.
Buccaneer’s Beach Bar – Good Mahi platter on our first day on the island. Sausage and pepper thin crust pizza later in the trip was also very good.
Sint Maarten Yacht Club – Good breakfast, eggs benedict with bloody marys happened a few times. Late night espresso martinis and dessert with Koko bartending is always a treat.
Rendezvous Lounge Puerto Cupecoy - we went to listen to Alfredo Acosta who was excellent as always. We had pizza along with shrimp and egg plant appetizers. The appetizers were ok, the pizza was not good at all.
Johnny B (Under the Tree) – Good lobster and accompaniments but not good atmosphere with fluorescent lights and music blasting from the lolo next door. Lobster prices were about the same as Skipjacks, and others. We asked for a couple of glasses of Rose but it was definitely white zinfandel. We did not bother to argue about it.
Le String Orient Bay – We spent the day on the beach at Le String one Sunday and had a wonderful time. We ate at the restaurant a number of times with excellent food, good service and reasonable prices each time. The Tuna Tartar and sauce was wonderful as was the curry chicken entrée.
Chez Leandra Orient beach - was excellent and good value. We had the lobster salad along with sides. Service was good as well.
Juggie’s Place – Located in the alley next to the Catholic Church, Juggie is always fun to hang with more than once per trip. His “Smallest Bar in the World” usually has an interesting group of patrons and of course there is Juggie dispensing his words of wisdom (AKA BS). His home-made spices and jerk seasonings are great for bringing home. Juggie’s wife Anita and Rena are wonderful and make great drinks.
Sublime Maho Top Floor – Very good food and two for one drinks for happy hour 5 to 7 pm every day. We visited a few times and had lamb sliders and tuna tartar which were excellent.
Sunset Café Grand Case – Incredible location for breakfast or any other meal. Views of Anguilla and the channel are great and relaxing. Our breakfast was not the best with overdone omelets but the service was very good.
The Perch Lite Club Orient – Great two for one drink happy hour from 1:30 to 2:30 each day. The food is very good and reasonable, we had the tuna salad sub sandwich and grilled chicken sandwich. The Perch is owned by the chef and his family who work there.
Beirut Simpson Bay – Excellent burgers and we did a hookah pipe, even though we don’t smoke. Fun stuff.
Dingy dock bar – Good basic dive bar. Stopped in a few times. We had the wahoo platter which was actually quite good as was the steak and cheese sub.
Bakeries - Many days we picked up French bread sandwiches at Le Sucriere or Zee Best. Ham / turkey / cheese were great to put in the cooler for island adventures.
Tortuga Maho – We stopped in for a drink and a pizza at the bar. It was just ok.
Vesna Taverna Simpson Bay – They were open only for breakfast and lunch. We were hoping to have dinner here as it is one of our favorites for dining on the island. We did have lunch burgers which were as good as a burger gets.
Driftwood Maho Beach - A big surprise, the chicken shawarma was one of the best meals that we had on the island. The sauce was amazing.
The Watering Hole Mullet Bay Beach – Pricy but we had a great grilled chicken sandwich that we brought back to the chairs.
Chesterfields was only open for the last few day we were on the island so we only had one breakfast there. It was excellent as always.
Skip Jack Simpson Bay – We shared a nice 3 lb. lobster which was more than enough food for us. It was done perfectly. Prices were pretty standard, about $21 per pound.
Tap & Still (formerly Toppers, formerly Bananas) Had a very good burger in a paper bag. We almost walked out before ordering due to blasting music but the very nice girl behind the bar saw us and reduced the volume.
Rancho Del Sol French Cul de Sac – Beautiful views of Orient Bay and Peacock roaming through the restaurant. Pizza and salad were great. Burrito not so much with a lot of rice inside.
Entertainment, etc
Jimmy and Tammi, friends of ours from FB, who are also SXM veterans, were on the island for a one-day cruise ship stop. We were happy to pick them up for an around-the-island adventure. We stopped by BSV, then a visit with Dany at Cupecoy Beach Bar along with a dip in the Cupecoy pools. Then on to some shopping and some beach time on Orient. The last stop was a visit to Juggies Place for some BS. Fun day!
Bamboo House – Amazing ambiance with great happy hours Monday through Friday 5 to 7pm. We went on two Thursday evenings looking for jazz. Bamboo usually has jazz on Thursday nights at 7pm but they did not on our second visit. The Fire Coral band was excellent on our first visit. Fire Coral, with two female singers and one guitar player fit the mood perfectly. The food was very good. On the first visit we did the Bamboo sampler platter with shrimp, wings, dumplings, etc. On the second visit we had sushi rolls and dumpling which were good as well. We realized finally that Bamboo House is the reincarnation of Bamboo Bernie’s.
Hon, Hon, Hon Bar Philipsburg - We met our island friends Vanessa, Andy, Catherine and Kevin on a Friday night when Kevin’s band was playing. (Just Play’n SXM Band) Good music and they have a good cheeseburger here as well. Happy to say that the boardwalk was very safe in the evening walking back to Bobby’s Marina parking. Volleyball courts on the beach and a muscle beach area keep the young people busy. Lot’s of young kids riding bicycles as well.
Cafe Rembrandt Madame Estates– has amazing live music every other Sunday evening 6 to 9 PM. Thanks to our island friends Andy and Vanessa, we had a front row table for Ronnie Santana, Alfredo Acosta and Franco. Aside from the music it’s funny to see them busting on each other.
Monday night jam at Hupple the Pub is a great time with some of the best local musicians playing each week.
Hole in the wall – Was closed most of the time for September but we did stop in for a drink twice. Not too much new here but we did enjoy running into Scott and Betsy again on our last night.
Aloha – After one Sunday on the beach at Le String, we went into Aloha to check out the entertainment. We were expecting an excellent live music experience as in the past when Nathalie was the owner. As it turned out it was a DJ with some of the servers dancing around. Maybe things will improve as high season rolls in.
Shopping Sexy Fruits Orient Beach – Laraine picked up a couple of very nice new bikinis for about $50 each. Euro – Dollar is close to parity which helps.
Amsterdam Cheese Shop – picked up some Dutch Gouda. We would have got more if not for Spirit’s 40 lb. bag limit.
On our last trip in Jan 2023 Laraine bought a beautiful leaf mesh jacket at Leather World on Front Street for $120. We were in St Augustine FL after that and saw the same jacket in several stores for about $395. We picked up another one on this trip in a different color for $120.
Dk Gems – We stopped in to say hi to some old friends. Jeff was on extended vacation overseas but most of the family was there.
Art store across from Le Sucriere - bought a couple of beachy prints by local artist Antoine Chapon.
All in all a great trip. Looking forward to our next visit! Jim & Laraine
