TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos Trip Report 3/31-4/7 Long,realy long version

Well, it took some time to adjust to being back in the states, but here goes our report on the quickest 7days of our lives.<br>First, I want to thank ColeinKC for the use of his condo at a fantastic rate! If anyone is looking to save money on living space and still get a good deal I highly recommend looking into the partyvilla(a sponsor on the board).<br>3/31 Left chilly Chicago at 8:30a.m. on time, connected in San Juan where our flight was delayed an hour, finally left at 5:45p.m. I might add here that we went totally carry-on and from our experience it is the only way to go. When we arrived at sxm we were met by Alamo rep and driven to their office. (set up reservation thru Mr. SXM and week rate of $210 for mid-size car was the best we found on the island). They didn't have the car we requested, but no problem as they bumped us up to the next size and the same rate. Found the villa at Guana Bay with no trouble. Since it was Easter Sunday and we didn't know what was opened or closed so we took a chance and headed for Bananas...closed! However Boathouse across the street was open and what a pleansant surprise Megan, our hostess found us a table and welcomed us to the island with our first of many caribs. The seafood platter and fish sandwich were great, service was prompt and very friendly. After a long day of travelling we decided to get to bed early so no casino.(just as well, never have much luck anyway).<br>4/1After some light shopping for supplies, we decided to head out to Orient. Mistake!!! Easter Monday is a holiday also on the island and all the locals were at the beach. Now it's their island and their beaches and we are their guests, so after a couple of hours we decided that it was just too noisy and crowded so we left to finish our shopping. <br> We decided to go to the Greenhouse for happy hour, forgot what a great deal it is, from 4 to 7 all drinks and appetizers are half-price. What a way to stretch your budget and still eat well. We must have had 4 orders of the conch fritters! Needless to say our appetites were shot, so we decided to head to Cheri's and see what was happening. <br> I've come to the conclusion that the larger the crowd is there the worse the service gets. We've been there and it's about 1/2 to 2/3rds full and the service was great. Twice we've been there with a full house and twice it was almost impossibe to get someone to wait on you and fill your order. So if you go to Cheri's and you see a big crowd, choose somewhere else to go i.e. SSBB.<br>4/2Went to Zee Best for breakfast in Marigot and let me tell you Zee Best is not Zee Best anymore! Pastries were great, but service went downhill in a hurry. Our omlettes were nowhere as good as they had been in the past. We had heard that things were slipping but had to find out for ourselves. <br> Decided to try Dawn beach for a change of pace. What a great decision! We parked by the old Scanvengers and headed away from the beach bar and wound up with our own private beach so to speak. Just a few other couples where there, so wondering about what to wear on the beach was no longer a problem. We had packed a cooler with beer, fruit, cheese, and bread and had a great time for the rest of the day. It was interesting watching the construction going on on the side of hill, seems as though they are building everywhere. <br> Went to Peg Leg Pub for dinner that night, I know they are a sponsor of the board, so it pains me to say the following; this was without a doubt the worst meal we've ever had on the island. Not only was the food bad, but the sevice was almost non-existant. We just missed hooking up with other TTOLers as we were told they had just left, sorry, would have liked to have met some of you guys. The place was packed and they only had ONE waiter for the whole place. Took forever to get drinks and place food order. We were told that the cheeseburger was better here than they were at SSBB. Burger was overcooked and what was worse, when this was pointed out to the ONE waiter, he cut the burger with a knife and agreed. We thought maybe he would re-order another one or take this one off the bill, no way, he just gave us the bill with said overcooked burger still on there. Could have been just a bad night, but boy were we dissapointed..<br>4/3Had breakfast at the Barefoot Terrace in downtown Phillipsburg. What a neat place! Get the johnnycakes and make a breakfast sandwich out of them, sort of an egg mcmuffin thing. We would eat with the locals and watch the boat people arrive, what an intersting perspective... anyway we decided to try Bay Rouge today. <br> Another lovely beach, a favorite of the locals, and we could see why. It was another slightly cloudy day and slightly windy day and the temp. was about 85. Just another crappy day in paradise!! Again if you head away from the beach bar you eventually wind up pretty much alone, and by this time we had become experts at packing a picnic lunch. Periodically, some of the natives would appear out of the bushes and parade themselves in front of us and then sit down by the bushes and took their pants off and seemed as though they were playing with themselves as they watched us. We would play games with them and stand up and stretch or take leisurly strolls to the water. On the whole they were harmless, just disconcerting at first. <br> Decided to head to Gran Case for dinner, and chose Cafe du Soleil. A small restaurant on the bay side run by a very nice young couple. Food was superb!! Fortunatelly ,for us,the island was not busy this week so we didn't need reservations. In fact, as we walked down the street, each restaurant had it's own hawker trying to get you in their door for dinner. Would strongly reccoment du Soleil for a good French meal and not at all overpiced.<br>4/4Went back to Barefoot Terrace for more johnnycakes for breakfast, afraid we are now addicted to these island treats. <br> Had such a good time at Dawn beach the other day, we decided to go there instead of Orient. Found our "private" beach again and again there were maybe four other couples there. Another slightly cloudy, slightly windy day and about 85degrees. Tough conditions, but we managed to withstand the "elements". <br> Dinner this night was at what we feel the best kept secret on the island. L'Hibiscus in Gran Case is without a doubt one of the best places to eat anywhere! It's located at the north end of town, just as you come into Gran Case from orient. A little hard to find but well worth it. It's not just french cuisine, it's a french experience. If you are looking for a romantic dinner for just the two of you, you can't go wrong here. We so thoughly enjoyed ourselves that after dinner we decided to try our luck at the Princess casino and what do you know...we actually walked out there $200 richer, what a great night!!!<br>4/5Guess what??? Yep, johnnycakes again for breakfast!!!. <br>Decided that our last full day on the island should be spend at orient. Beach was full but not crowded, the fact that there were three small boats in town, meant hardly any black soxers on the beach. No clouds today, only the slightest hint of a breeze and still 85 degrees. This is what brings us back to this paradise in the carrabean. Hardest decision was whether it was time for another cold carib, or to roll over, or head into the water. Just another great day in paradise. <br> It was recommended to us to try Mary's Boon for dinner that night. What a choice!! Dinner is served family style and you eat what is being cooked in the kitchen that night. Friday night was lobster creole, and you didn't have to search for the lobster, there were huge cuts in the creole sauce. We guessed that there must have been the equivalent of at least 1 1\2 to 2 lobster tails in each bowl. The best part??? They give you seconds!!!!! Must have eaten at least three lobster tails. For $40/person not a bad deal at all, in fact one of the best deals on the island. We were so full that all we could do was sit on the patio that night and watch the moon's reflection on Guana bay and listen to gentle sound of the surf as it reached the shore.<br>4/6Last dayGuess what??? You got it, johnnycakes one last time and then off to the airport to get our bording passes and pay our departure tax. <br> Since all we had were carry ons the agent told us to be back by 3:00 for our 4:05 departure. She was right, all it took us was about a half hour to get our passport stamped and go through security. When we realized we had a good five hours to kill, the decision was easy...Orient!!! We managed to squeeze in another good 4 hours of quality beach time before cleaning up and returning the rental car. Didn't have to reclaim bags in San Juan so we didn't have to run to gate as in days past, just a leisurely stroll to gate after clearing customs. Arrived five minutes early to a cold and damp Chicago.<br>Sorry this took so long but the more I typed the more I would reminice(sp) about what a great week we had. Thanks to Cole and everyone else with all their personal discoveries. Hope this helps the next people who go to our own little bit of heaven here on earth.... known as.... St. Martin....<br>__________________________<br>Addendum re Party Villa<br>The partyvilla is located in Guana bay, with a great view of the bay. We feared that the location would be out of the way but were pleasantly surprised at how accessable places were from there. You are only five minutes from downtown Phillipsburg, less than 10 minutes to Dawn beach, and maybe 10 minutes to Orient beach.<br>The buildings are reasonalbly new and well kept. Clean towels every other day and sheets were changed once during the week. Large kitchen area and living room was very comfortable. Like I said great view from the deck(good size one at that).<br>The pictures that Cole has on the partyvilla website really do justice and are very representative of the condo.<br>We took pictures at the condo, that we will post at sxm photo site. Will post when I get them loaded.<br>If Cole keeps these prices for those of us on this board, I can't think of a more economical place to stay