Just got back from the Island on Saturday. <br><br>We stayed at the Logan Hilton the Friday night before. Took the walkway to Terminal E at 5:30 AM for an 8:30 departure. The check in line was huge but it went quick. We had booked through GWV and they used Icelandair. Because we had a stop in the Dominican Public we got to the Island at 3PM SXM time. Great flight. A GWV rep met us at the Airport and told us about the electrical strike. She said if it was unbearable on the French side they would get us a room on the Dutch side. The power problem was not a big issue as every night it was on and most days it was on for a few hours and off a few hours.<br><br><br>We rented Hertz through Mr. SXM. 2001 Kia looked a little worst for the wear but ran fine and got us around the Island. We like the week after the holidays because it is less crowded. This proved to be true as traffic was lighter than I remembered last time. What I didn’t remember was how crazy some of the drivers are especially the ones on scooters and motorbikes. <br><br> We found our way to Cap Caraibes Hotel on Orient Beach. Check in was quick and we were in our room in minutes. Cap Caraibes is a nice Hotel its clean our unit had a king size bed, Kitchenette and a deck that has a slight view of the Ocean. It sits right behind the Waikiki beach bar. Cap Caraibes is the third property we have stayed we have stayed at on the Island. The first was Little Divi before it was destroyed by the hurricane. It was located right on the beach and it had great of cruise ships as they came and went.<br>The second was Mt Vernon/Blue Bay that was three years ago and it had a great view and came with a free breakfast. It is located on the far end of Orient Beach. It is a large property and is located on a hill. While the other two were good hotels Cap Caraibes seemed to have the edge. There were only 30 something rooms it was close to the Beach but yet shielded by the beach bar and vegetation. With the room you got free beach chairs at Wai ki ki beach. The staff was friendly and efficient. While the view was not great I would definitely get the ocean view. The lower rooms all have big sliding doors and remind you of a goldfish bowl. For those wondering the hotel has a notice in the rooms that nudity is not permitted. A great bonus was even with electricity off the showers had hot water and good pressure. <br><br> After we got settled took a walk on the beach and got familiar with our surroundings it was time to eat. We went to Cheri’s the food was good and we got to see the first part of the show. Had we not traveled all day we probably would have stayed longer.<br><br> Sunday morning we got up to get to church in Grand Case for 8 am. To our surprise when we got there it said Mass started a 845 we were plenty early so we decided we would go to the Orientique for croissants and have breakfast on out deck. Good Choice.<br>Back to Grand Case for Mass. A good portion of the Mass was in English so it was easy to follow. They had a youth chorus and adult chorus also. The service gave us a good view of the local culture. After Mass it was straight to the beach until late afternoon.<br>Dinner was at Chez Martine our favorite on the Island great dinner. We were so impressed that we reserved for Friday night at the end of the meal. Went to Point Defiance Casino no luck.<br><br> Monday breakfast at Plantation. Walked the beach then to Phillipsburg. 2 ships were in but it wasn’t that busy. Got the wife a cocktail ring. Shopping for jewelry lost some of its panache for us after Sept 11. ABC ran a news item on the Talibahn making money off tanzanite. Rightly or wrongly it kind of put a cloud over spending a lot of money with people you really don’t know. After shopping we looked over Little Divi Bay it was real quiet there. Got back to orient for a little beach time. Monday night there was a ttol party at Peg Leg Petes we had made reservations at Mary Boon’s that night but were able to stop by for a drink before dinner. We met Dave & Regina, Butch & Kelly. Kevin & Sue and Bill & Phyllis. Great people wished we could have stayed longer. Dinner at Mary Boon’s was great. On the way back. Just before Grand Case we were stopped because of an accident. Two young men were injured. Blood all over the road. <br>We assumed it was one of the motorbike drivers. Whether a pedestrian was involved or not it was hard to tell. <br><br> Tuesday we walked up to Baywatch for breakfast. Great breakfast. Went to Club O to see Dave’s TTOL Flag flying on the beach. Did the Beach thing until 1 pm then massage for both of us in the room. We had the hotel staff arrange it. Back to the Beach.<br>Dinner at Il Nettuno decent dinner but the dessert was a bomb. Lemon tart with meringue. Bought a print from Frenchy after dinner. <br> Wednesday we planned to go to Marigot went to the Beach first. Sand gravity set in and we never left the beach until late. Took a ride around Oyster pond, Dawn beach, and Guanna bay. Went to check out the new cruise dock. They were not allowing people into the cruise dock area without a pass. I don’t know if this is new or has been the policy all along. Ended up getting Subway grinders and eating on the deck.<br><br> Thursday went to Marigot early got a hat at the open market. Checked out Friars bay on the way back then to the Beach. Dinner at Le Escape Great Meal.<br><br> Friday a little rain at the start of the Day drove to cul de sac and Anse Marcel.<br>Back to the Beach chased in by rain a couple and off the beach early. While sitting at our final nights dinner, at Chez Martine, was excellent<br><br> Overall the beach was very slow compared to other years. Grand Case was very slow also.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>If you want to travel you have to leave home<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 1/22/02 04:02 PM.</EM></FONT></P>