This was our seventh visit to SXM. With each visit I think it can’t get better than this. And every year it does. Highlights and topics of interest follow:
Airline: We fly Delta, our best connection to SXM. That being said, from north Idaho there is no really good connection to our favorite island. The last three years we have stayed over one night in Atlanta both going to SXM and coming home (on Delta there is a direct flight on weekends from Atlanta to SXM). Even though we spend more travel time than if we booked one long marathon series of connections, we are not exhausted before we get to SXM—so the extra couple of days are worth it for us. We left Spokane April 11th (springtime, right)? Well, our plane had to be de-iced before we could soar aloft, so needless to say the sunny, warm weather and tropical breezes of St. Martin were a welcome relief from a long, cold, Idaho winter.
Rental Car: We have always rented a car while visiting SXM, and we have tried several car rental services over the years. The last two years we have gone through Mohammed at Panoramic (Ace) Car Rental. We have been very pleased with Panoramic—Mohammed has been very accommodating and efficient. We experienced no delays in picking up the car or returning it—virtually no wait for the airport shuttle. We paid $135.00 a week for the car, which is considerably less than we have paid for car rental services in the past. We will continue to use Panoramic in the future.
Roads and Traffic: We had been hearing negative comments about the increase in traffic all over SXM, but we personally had no difficulty getting around. For example, it never took us more than fifteen minutes to get from Club O to Phillipsburg. In fact, since last year, several of the roads on the French side have been widened and resurfaced (I sure wish they would fix the mine-field of a road into Club O, however). Highway/roadway Transportation will continue to be a major infrastructure challenge on the island, I’m afraid, especially once all of the new high-rise hotels around Cupecoy and elsewhere are up and running.
Accommodations: In the past we have stayed in time-shares and hotels on the Dutch side, and hotels on the French side. Three years ago we started spending part of our time at Club O, and now we spend all of our time there. We love it. We have always spent the majority of our time at Orient Beach anyway, and nothing is more convenient than Club O and knowing that you will always have a beach chair and umbrella exactly where you want it, and that beautiful Orient Beach is literally out your front or back door. The service at Club O is excellent, and the staff has been wonderful every year. The Boutique has been remodeled and is more light, bright, and open. I marvel at what a good job they do in stocking the essential items one always seems to need.
Eating Out: We cooked most of our meals in our mini-suite at Club O, with a couple of notable exceptions. I packed a small bar-b-cue in our suitcase and that really came in handy—it’s amazing the good things you can cook on one little grill (I can’t believe how good grilled plantains are!). I mainly got my fresh produce from the local vendors in the “Market under the Tree” in D’Orleans. The ladies are so nice and helpful there. They have shown me how to prepare some of the more exotic local fruits and vegetables that I do not have access to where we live. We did partake of the Friday night “lobster-mania” at the Greenhouse in Phillipsburg (a tradition for us). It was excellent as always. We ate lunch once at Baywatch, and I had Andy’s famous mussels—they really do melt in your mouth.
Parties: We attended the TTOL party at Shrimpy’s on April 17th. The party was very well-attended, which was good. However, the space that was set aside for TTOL, was not really big enough, and it was hard to get in and out of the tables, which made it difficult to mingle. We did have a good time, but didn’t stay as long as we might have had it been easier to move between groups of people. We also attended the Baywatch party, Saturday, April 27th. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. Mother Nature chose to bestow us with a truly drenching rain for the duration of the party—however, the downpour in no way dampened our party spirit. We had a ball, and Andy and Cheryl provided excellent (as usual) entrees, and the service was first-rate. Party favors were handed out, and cute little yellow coolers with the date and place (Baywatch) were given to each couple. The live entertainment was really good, and some of us—we know who we are (some of you do, too)—provided plenty of live entertainment of our own! A lot of people that signed up for the party assumed that it had been cancelled because of the weather. All I can say is so much for assumptions, and you missed a great party.
Casinos: We enjoy gambling in St. Martin for a couple of reasons, the main one being that house rules for table games (we play Blackjack and Caribbean stud poker) are so much more advantageous to the players than any place we have gambled in the states. For instance, in Blackjack you can play three hands without doubling your bet. Also, if you are dealt a blackjack and the dealer does not have a face card you get paid for your blackjack immediately—in other words, if the dealer draws to “21” you do not push, since you have already been paid. We were going to gamble at the new Westin Casino, but when we got there, the casino was practically deserted AND the minimum bet for table games was $10.00 per hand, not $5.00, like they are in every other casino we have been to on the island. We gambled just at the Princess Casino this trip.
Purchases: This year I bought a custom-made swimsuit from Luiz on Orient Beach. Buying a swimsuit from Luiz is like a happening. Friends show up for the fitting (naturally, get it)? I have not talked to one person that has not loved their new beach wear from Luiz. Also, I was thrilled to see that the Spice Lady (from the Marigot Market) has a satellite booth behind Baywatch (Luiz is there, too). I bought some wonderful spices and marinades to take home, and was thrilled that I got whole vanilla beans, three for $5.00. Then I accidentally left the vanilla beans in the fridge at Club O when we left. Oh well, I’ll just have to go to SXM next year to buy more vanilla beans from the Spice Lady.
<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> The friendships we have made over the years while visiting SXM have been priceless and one of the most wonderful aspects of our SXM experience. This year we spent most of our beach time, including morning walks on the beach, with our special friends, Dave and Sue. Sue put on a beautiful buffet dinner for our mutual friends, Ken and Stacy, on the night of their arrival, and we were joined by new friends, Dave and Karen, the latter whom we all just instantly bonded with. It was great to see Contessa, and LeeLee again, and their many friends on the beach. Dick and Bev are special friends who we also count on seeing every year (I’m still laughing over Bev’s “Dick and Jane” jokes). The same for Don and Lorrie; I mean, SXM would not be the same without their energy and enthusiasm. New friends who we had the pleasure of meeting this year included Dave and Karen (mentioned above), Bill and Kathy, Dick and Chris, Steve and Liz, Bob and Alice (who generously shared their groceries with us when they left Club O), Dave and Ilene, Chris and Pam, newlyweds Gina and Roger, and last, but not least, my “cousin” Kim from Charleston. Perfect weather, Club O, beautiful Orient Beach, and great friends: It doesn’t get any better than this.

Yours recently returned from Paradise,
Robogirl <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />[b][/b]