Trip report March 8 – 21
We took some advice from Pat and made the trip with the theme “Relax, remember, rediscover and then revel in all the preceding”. Pat provided a couple other favors that helped our trip and that I guess is that falls into the theme of having friends such as Pat on this forum and elsewhere.

People are a special part of SXM, and even though we admit we kept to ourselves more than usual we enjoyed meeting new and old friends on the island. We met people at the TTOL party at the Greenhouse, and met many people on the beach at Cupecoy. Spent a few evenings and parts of some days with Bill and Elaine which always makes us smile, a nice dinner with Sharon and Mike which we enjoyed as we usually only get to mingle with Sharon at TTOL parties. Scottish Girl, aka Evelyn and her husband Tony also stayed at the Towers so we got to meet up with them as well.

Flights – We flew Delta both ways with a red eye from Portland Oregon to Atlanta, had time for breakfast before the trip to SXM. Immigration was quick, we were carry on only so in no time we were out of the airport. Return trip allowed us a later start from SXM and then we spent the night in Atlanta which makes for an easy trip back the next day. All went well for our flights, no complaints at all. It is nice arriving and departing mid week.

Car Rental – As quick as we got out of the airport, Unity had a person waiting and off we went. Quick, hassle free, and we were off in our Yaris from Unity.

We have learned over time that it is ok to enjoy the vacation the way you want to. If you want AI, while it is not our cup of tea, that is ok. Rent a car or not, type of food you want, type of place you wish to stay, which beach you like, CO or textile, and on and on. The nice thing is that SXM provides the options that each trip we can do different if we choose.

Phone – From Sharon, did not use much but was nice to have and came in handy when for the calls we made and received. There is peace of mind having the phone. People calling me probably just wish I would answer it.

Lodging – The Towers at Mullet Bay. We had not stayed at this property since 2004, we looked forward to going back and it did not disappoint at all. We had a 1 bedroom unit for the first two weeks and then a studio for our final two nights. One of the nice things that the Towers does is when you move from room to room you just pack up most of your stuff and they come in and move you while we enjoyed the beach. This included our hang up clothes, stuff in fridge, etc. Atrium I hear does the same thing, it worked out great and this type of service pretty much the norm for all their staff from the front desk to housekeeping.

The Towers is a bit more remote than some prefer and a long walk to Mullet Beach. It is not a place full of noise and life like being in Maho or in the Pelican Key area, but it sure is nice and peaceful to be there. 90+ percent of the time we would drive from any location to another beach or a place to eat regardless of what timeshare we stay at so for us it is no big deal. The units could use some updates but I give them credit that the furniture and construction of the place was well done and still holds its charm. We would put the Towers in our upper groups for timeshares on island, would be more than happy to stay there again.

We did make a stop by Caravanserai where I purchased a studio unit on a resale, purchased it sight unseen. Thomasina gave us a quick tour and showed us a similar unit to the one we purchased. We rode the elevator, saw the pools open, looked around and it looks pretty nice. We have not been in for the long haul so again can not feel the grief that many went through but I thought the place looks pretty nice now.

Food –
We both caught colds on our way down to SXM, it happens, we dealt with it. We planned on a few upper end dinners but we lost interest in this as we would tire earlier in the evenings. While under the some love it and some do not and we understand, we of course went to Lal’s a couple times and still love Lal and the food. We made a few other stops at places like Skip Jacks and Peg Leg but I would be telling nothing new on these places so I will focus on only a couple.

Shadow’s – If you are ok with Lolo places, then this is the place that is a can not miss. It is off the road a bit near where the old Lal’s location is. It is simple, but the food is a value and fantastic. Excellent ribs, fish, and he also does a pasta dish that I swear could be considered desert it is so good. I also highly recommend the chicken and mushroom dish, which I think was about $12 and more food than I could eat when hungry. We went back a couple times, each time was excellent. This is our new find value lock, can not miss place. Thanks Elaine and Bill for finding this place for us.

Frog’s Bistro – This is at the Atlantis Casino in the alley that goes to the main road. We enjoyed our first evening there so much that we went back. This again is a value place but excellent. If you are looking for a place like Mario’s Bistro, Temptation, or other fine places then this may not fit the bill for you. But, this is about a third of the price, and very good. Did not have a menu item that we did not love, but my favorite was the Stewed Pork, fantastic. I would say they are still getting the kinks out but I suggest trying this place if you want a good value. BobD suggested this place to E&B and was relayed to us, again lucky us for knowing the celebs we know.

Enold’s – We spent two days on their beach, both originally planned for Orient but the winds on Orient were too high so we went to Enold’s on Grand Case. Winner winner, even the Creole Chicken Dinner. Grand Case is not our preferred beach but Enolds is about as good as local food gets. English is a distant second language here but they do their best to communicate and the entire staff is enjoyable.

Karakter – Worth a mention again. A few years back when we first tried this place and wrote about it we were among the first. I would call it a can not miss place, and the food was as good as ever and the service continue to be top notch. Jorrit and Marlene (sp?) have done a great job with this place and are doing more. The Chorizo Quiche was excellent, as was the Apple Pie and everything else we tried.

The Palm’s – Ok, did not eat much here but the Hummus plate is excellent. Key item here is that they have the best Mojito that I have found on island, tried several places but this one is top of the charts. Not too sweet, done just right. Their other signature cocktails were also excellent.

Misc – Three Palms, had a nice lunch here. BBB – their pizza is pretty good, Ernest and Fidels – Good breakfast but not for the extremely hungry crowd but was fine for us. Ocean Club – great value cocktails and enjoy the staff, also a very good Philly Cheese Steak and their salads are good as well.

Shopping – Did very little this trip. Purchased some liquor at Gulmohar’s, and MJ picked up some pearls from the lady at the Marigot Market that she likes and that is about it. We were on island 100 days prior and the need to shop was just not there.

Beaches –
Simpson Bay at Karakter – Still in our favorite list. Love the music they play, the beach is very nice and easy to get in and out of the water, they have bathrooms and excellent service.

Grand Case - Enold’s – Again, not our favorite beach but it was a nice change and a very nice day when you factor in the food they serve.

Mullet – As part of the Towers we get free chairs there, they had new ones which were nice, but Mullet is just not in our favorite list. Nice, but just does not grab us like some of the others do.

Orient – Tried twice, winds too high. This is our first trip that we did not spend a few days on Orient, and we are getting tired of driving over there and finding high winds so we do not try as much. We did stop by on one of our last days on our way to go see Ursula and since we had been shopping we were wearing normal shorts and clothes. Walked past the Perch to find Sugarae and John to say hi and while we were comfortable we must have looked like Cruisers. But, it was our chance to say hi and I was not going to miss that. Nice tan lines Sugarae!

Cupecoy – Ok, we have been going to the island since 2002 and have been on island for at least 20 weeks and up to this point we had spent about 3 days at Cupecoy in all that time. Well, we fell in love with Baby Beach and Danny taking care of us. This became our main hang out, and the beach and water was fantastic. I will complain that the damn nude people are way too social (lol) but the group of people there are about as nice as you will find anywhere. We got to meet Wendyk and a few other new people and visited with Patty as well as some more quality time with Bill and Elaine. On one of our final days the group that we seemed to run into each day there asked if we were coming back and we told them that for sure on Sunday as Harry and Allen were coming in. The entire crowd gave us the “Harry and Alan are coming in?” excited response, and we came to find out that Harry and Alan are better known and loved on Cupecoy than Cubs are in Chicago. We did not know they were celebs, just know that they are great people, now we know. It was time well spent, glad we stayed close to there and I am sure we will be back a lot more in the future.

I love my Dog – Ursula is doing some great work and we took the time this trip to stop by with a small donation and a chance to visit and see the place. I thank Bruce for getting us exposed to what Ursula is doing and the needs she has. We almost took a puppy home but we were short on the time it would take and also feel that a trip all the way back to the West Coast is a bit difficult. I encourage everybody to take the time and stop by, make a donation or find a way to help. She has nice calendars for sale that also help out.

Along the same note, more thanks to Sharon and the others that are helping with Ray and his battles.

I close with these two items because it has become much more than just an island to MJ and I, it is part of our soul. We live a pretty good life knowing that we will get to be back again in November where we will get to relax and spend more time with friends that are both visitors and locals.

Cheers,
Todd & MJ