Was in SXM with my gf from 3/19 to 3/26 for the first time and all I can say is WOW! Well spent money!

Ironically the only rude person we encountered was also the first person we had to deal with. The Europcar (Lucky Car Rental) guy at the airport was extremely unpleasant to talk to, and it seemed like he had no idea that we were arriving. In the end he just told us to wait for the shuttle outside without giving us any further instructions. When I asked if we should leave the car unlocked so thieves don't break the locks, he laughed at me. Luckily, I am glad to report that from then on, it was much better, and SXM really is the friendly island. Pretty much all the other people we met, be it French, local, American or whatnot, were so great to deal with.
I will not go into details, since I am lazy and since I won't say anything new, but I will give the high and low points.

High point:

Tabba Khady (sp?)
Had heard a lot about this place before we left, but when tried to find it online, I came up empty. Luck had it that we were staying within walking distance of it, and as soon as I saw it, I knew we had to go there. So we went there Wednesday, only to find it closed, since it was their day off. But we returned Thursday and what a treat. Surprisingly the place wasn't that busy. The service was simply great, and the food delicious. They even didn't include the coffee in the check, and also gave you a free after dinner shot. Can't say that I have been to a place with better service. The only complaint (and I'm using the word complaint loosely) that I might have about that place is their dessert. Their crepes were not as good as other places such as l'Escapade or New Largo Cafe. But still, being there only one week, Tabba Khady was the only place that I wouldn't have minded going to more than once.

Low point:

Water on the French side (Oyster Pond at least) would go out without any warning, and it was extremely annoying to return after a day at the beach and find no water to shower. It was so irritating, but it seemed like not many people were that worried about it. We were actually forced to grab these empty water bottles and go to this outside tap that somehow had water to fill them up and then take showers as in medevial times. Not a good experince, and it put a slight damp on our otherwise great vacation.

People loved walking in the streets like there was no tomorrow and forcing you to stop. I mean there was a perfectly good side of the street to walk on, so why would anyone walk in the middle of the street. People didn't seem to care that there was a car coming and it seemed as if they were walking in front of you on purpose.

Pic Paradis
I thought the view from up there was overrated. SXM is so hilly that it offers plenty of nice views throughout the island. There was no need to go all the way up to Pic Paradis. However, we didn't find it unsafe. We were more worried about a snake sneaking up from the tall vegetation, than a criminal doing so.



I know that I listed more low points than high ones, but the good things were way too many to list here. So, all in all SXM was amazing, and I would love returning there, although at the moment I don't know when that will be. I thought that even the crime that people on this board write about, was greatly exaggerated. Obviously, just because it didn't happen to us, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but still nothing to worry about.
To show you what a great impression SXM made on us, I will tell what my gf told me. She is Norwegian, and before we left she was telling me that she would never want to live in a warm climate, that if it didn't snow on XMAS, it wasn't a real XMAS, and the whole nine yards. And it's not like she had never experienced warm weather before. She used to own a vacation home in southern Florida. Anyway, while in SXM as we were driving back from the beach one day, she said that she wouldn't mind moving there. Now, that was a shock for me. When I asked her what had happened to her not wanting to live somewhere warm, she said that SXM was different. So there you have it folks, SXM is special, and we think we have just scratched the surface. We were the most active tourists ever, but still didn't see or do as much as we would have liked. Even checking the email was done away with, since such activity would prevent us from spending 10 more minutes in Paradise.

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