Air: Flew from Richmond to Charlotte with no problem, except the landing was a little bumpier than it should have been. Charlotte to SXM was also uneventful and even had an empty seat beside me which was lovely. Got in 30 minutes early too.
SXM Immigration: No problems. Took about 10 minutes.
Car Rental: Leslie picked us up outside baggage claim. We had the paperwork done in 5 minutes. The car was clean and didn’t smell of cigarettes. I laughed a little when my mother asked Leslie if it was a problem that all but one of the hubcaps were missing and he said not to worry about it, that he doesn’t replace them because they just get stolen.
Phone: Picked up phone from Sharon’s. Had no trouble finding the place, even without a map. Was in and out in 5 minutes.
OBBR: Check-in was easy and not a lot of people around. Pool was excellent. Construction by the pool was only mildly loud and offered a little excitement and conversation bits if you lay at that end of the pool. My suggestion is too get your towel for the pool early because they run out quickly and have to wait for a truck to bring in a fresh supply. We waited for about an hour for our towels the first day. Also, guests tend to get towels early and then lay claim to chairs for the rest of the day by placing their towels and a magazine in a chair. The room was clean and the AC worked great (they didn’t charge us for AC). The TV had most of the popular US channels (USA, TNT, CNN, TLC, NBC, CBS, Disney, etc.). Slight confusion on check-out: We asked the night before what time check-out was and were told both hotel guests and time share guests needed to check-out by 10 AM. We knew we had read noon and in fact another guest that very day had told us noon, but this girl insisted it was 10 AM for EVERYONE, so we were slightly miffed. When we checked-out at 9, the woman then said we had until noon. So again, we were slightly miffed.
Food:
1st day: drinks at Dinghy Dock ($10); dinner at Captain Oliver’s- mom had the Grilled Mahi-Mahi and I had the Scallops and Shrimp “Caribbean Sky” and we each had a glass of wine ($51). Food wasn’t spectacular, but it was good and we sat next to the side where you can see the turtles and sharks swimming, so overall a great experience.
2nd day: breakfast at Mr. Busbys. Mom and I shared a fruit plate and a cheese and egg Johnnycake and had some coffee ($17). Coffee was instant and it was awful, but the fruit was fresh and yummy and the Johnnycake was good. It’s right on the beach so it makes a good people watching spot. We didn’t have a real lunch- each had a scoop of Haagen-Dazs and stopped into a bakery in Marigot and munched on some heavenly éclairs; dinner at Tijuana Yacht Club- mom had the Chipotle Chicken Burrito and I had the Chicken Adobe Quesadilla. I got some guacamole to go with the chips and salsa that came to the table and the guacamole was probably the best I ever had. And dinner was scrumptious. We each imbibed on free ladies night margaritas and therefore I have no recollection of what the bill total was (sorry).
3rd day: no breakfast; lunch at Big Fish- mom had the seafood wrap and I had the Mediterranean Pasta Salad ($20). Mine was excellent! Mom didn’t like the calamari in her wrap, but she doesn’t like that anyway, so no marks against Big Fish; dinner at Temptation- OMG! This wasn’t dinner, it was an experience! We got there early and were seated without a reservation. We each had a glass of wine and my mom had the Salmon and I had the Sea bass. My risotto was a work of art! Perfection! And my mom’s plate was clean before mine- she said she’d lick the plate, but was worried they’d through her out before dessert. For dessert, my mom had the tempura apple pie- it was gorgeous!! Prettiest dessert I ever laid eyes on- and my mom said it tasted even better. My dessert, chocolate panna cotta with cream and fresh strawberries with some type of cinnamon pastry, was incredible. The chef, Dino, came out and asked how everything was, and I could barely talk to him because he is my new Food God! DO NOT MISS TEMPTATION! ($125)
4th day: no breakfast; lunch at Talk in Time 2 (Lolo in Grand Case)- we both had ribs and French fries and a beer ($23). Ribs were great, beer was cold, and our waiter just had a great energy. If you want a piece of island life, visit the Lolos. FYI- Talk in Time 2 isn’t doing 1:1 anymore, but the Lolo next door is; dinner at Il Nettuno- mom had the veal scallopine and I had the Spinach and Ricotta ravioli. The veal was very thin and tender, the sauce delicious and you could taste the capers. My raviolis melted in my mouth- you can feel and taste the difference in homemade pasta vs. store bought. Mom had the tiramisu and I had the dark chocolate mousse with red fruit sauce for dessert. Mom’s dessert was like a puffy cloud- the crème light, the taste a bit of heaven. My mousse was more of a flourless cake and the fruit sauce a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, and something else I couldn’t put my finger on. It was dark chocolate and the fruit was the perfect compliment. I think we both left dessert with the phrase “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” Truly delicious. ($90). The service wasn’t too great, and we were never offered a wine list. But the place is right on the beach and the sunset was gorgeous.
5th day: brunch at Zee Best- we both had French toast which was actually a mash of diced croissants with cinnamon and brown sugar. Very good. Mom said she had the best grapefruit juice she had ever had, and I had a decent cup of American coffee ($18)
Activities: We had a great time lounging at the pool reading and people watching. My mother and I are champion sitters and sat at the pool for about 4-5 hours everyday. We did go window shopping in both Philipsburg and Marigot. Parking was a snare. We did go to the Butterfly Farm ($10/person) and had a great time (don't forget to use your bug spray before you go in). There’s a guide that gives you all kinds of info and then lets you wander around and take pictures. When we paid, the cashier said the ticket is good for the entire length of your stay on the island. We also did the Seaworld Explorer Coral Reef Tour (boat with the bottom that you can see through the windows at the reef). It was awesome! My mom can’t snorkel because she wears glasses and it’s just too hard for her to see anything without them, so this was a perfect compromise. They have a diver that goes in and feeds the fish and lures them close to the boat for photos. We saw 4 sea turtles, dozens of starfish, sea urchins, tons of fish, and just had a great time. Totally worth the money ($35/person for a 1.25 hour trip) and rum punch at the end!
Miscellaneous tidbits: Rent a car- driving is easy as long as you watch out for speed bumps that pop up for no apparent reason and taxis/buses that just stop at any old place to pick someone up of drop them off. Remember that you’re driving on island time and enjoy it. Rima’s has the best selection of cheap, kid-friendly souvenirs and various other sundries. There’s a market beside Big Fish at OBBR that has all necessities and baguettes and pastries for breakfast if you get there early enough. We saw no crime on the island. There was heavy security at jewelry stores and casinos and we saw quite a few just driving around. Felt safe the entire time. I didn’t find this to be a particularly lush- jungle type island- could be the season, or could have been preconceived notions. There were lots of green trees and some beautiful flowers but they were balanced by lots of dirt/rocks/cactus and I wasn’t expecting that. Beautiful, none the less. The waves are a bit rougher on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island than the Caribbean, which makes sense, but I never had thought about it until I got there. One thing I loved about the island is that it truly doesn’t matter what you look like in a bathing suit - I saw people of all shapes and sizes and no one cared. It was certainly a relief.
Airline home: SXM to Charlotte was on time and uneventful. Customs was a bear. They need to have separate lines for resident aliens and US citizens. Right now they bunch them altogether and if you get behind someone who is a residents alien it takes ten minutes longer from each person in that party. Got through customs in 45 minutes. Charlotte to Richmond was delayed because of storms- sat on tarmac for about 45 minutes before take-off. I was climbing the walls because it was so late and I just wanted to get home. Finally got home. In bed. Short sleep. Off to work. And let me just tell you how depressing work is after a vacation like that….
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