TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos Trip Report Part II...We Love SXM!

The nice thing about a two week long trip is that you enjoy the first week so much, knowing that you don't have to leave on Saturday<br><br>We took Bill and Cathy to the airport and then deposited a week's worth of dirty clothes at JAKES laundry in Simpson Bay for pickup later that day...they did an awesome job. Thanks for the tip Norm<br><br>We checked into Royal Palm but there was some confusion regarding which unit we actually own, so it took a while for us to get to our unit. After having been on the island for a week, we took this in stride...however it was pretty interesting to watch folks arriving from the airport getting bent out of shape because they had a slight delay in getting a room. We were rewarded for our patience and placed in a two bedroom unit, even though we actually own a one bedroom RP was in great shape this year. Both elevators worked, the units have been updated, the grounds were clean. We had no complaints.<br><br>We spent Saturday afternoon at SUNSET BEACH BAR, which is always a good time and then we went back to the room to relax. Saturday evening we had dinner at MARY’S BOON. I had arranged with Richard to do a special meal on the beach, however, high winds prevented us from eating outside. Just before dinner, the lights went out on the Dutch side and we finished cocktails and started dinner by candlelight. The lights came back on about halfway through the meal. MB has a set menu every night and on Saturday it was beef tenderloin. The food was pleasant, but not outstanding.<br><br>Sunday, Jack fell ill…he was dizzy, achy and nauseated so he spent the majority of the day in bed. Nan called the hotel doctor who prescribed some medicine for nausea and it seemed to help. Nan picked up a dinner of ribs at LEES. Service was extremely slow, causing some customers to leave when they weren’t acknowledged after five minutes at the bar. However, having become accustomed to “island time” it wasn’t a big deal for Nan because she had no place to go. The food was well worth the wait, the ribs and sides were very good. Later that evening, we drove to Grand Case for sunset at CAPTAIN FRENCHY’S. This is a new beach bar/restaurant next to Rainbow. They have live entertainment on Sundays and it’s a nice laid back atmosphere.<br><br>Monday was a holiday…Ascension Day. We ventured out to play golf. Having played the course in January 2002, it was an improvement this year. The greens fees were $30.00 and club rental was $26.00. The greens fees were fair for the condition of the course. Apparently, some local golfers are hiring a water truck to water the greens this year, so they were in much better shape. After golf, we did some jewelry shopping in Philipsburg…we returned to DYNASTY JEWELERS where Nan “traded up” from her previous year’s purchase Ravi treated us very well, and we plan to return on our next trip. We had a late lunch at THE BLUE PETER at Bobby’s Marina in Philipsburg. That evening, we had a wonderful dinner at SARATOGA in Simpson Bay. We always enjoy Saratoga, it’s a great waterside dining location and the grilled snapper was superb.<br><br>Tuesday, we picked up the watch from Goldfinger…they did an incredible job. We went back to Orient and enjoyed the beach at club O. We had lunch at BAYWATCH. Nan wanted to try the seafood pasta that had been on the menu the previous week, but because of the holiday, Cheryl explained that they did not have mussels but she expected some by Thursday, so we promised to return. We spent the afternoon at the beach and then went to HOT TOMATOES for the party. Ed and Sandra attended and we met Lee & Kate and others. We declined dinner with the group and went to another favorite Dutch side restaurant LA CHAROLAIS. We were greeted warmly by Karin who remembered us from last year’s trips. Jack had a filet with béarnaise sauce, Nan had the ribeye and shrimp provencale. The dinner was absolutely wonderful. We think they serve some of the best steak on the island.<br><br>Wednesday, we caught a 7:30 am flight to St. Barth on Winair. We were the only two passengers on the twin otter. What a flight! The landing on St. Barth is something everyone should experience once, especially if you like roller coasters[laughing]. The flight was $50.00 per person round trip and we had to pay the departure tax. We rented a car (small suv) for $35.00 and set out to explore the island. Since this forum is about St. Martin, we’ll keep this brief. The island is beautiful, laid back, very hilly with extremely narrow roads, driving there was far more frightening than on SXM. We visited three beaches, Saline, Gouverneur and St. Jean. Saline and Gouverneur were nearly deserted and c/o, while St. Jean, which is near the airport was quite busy. The highlight of the day was a visit to TAMARIND and it’s restaurant the CAT’S MIAUO…it was like stepping into Bali. A great atmosphere and wonderful food. We flew back to SXM that afternoon by way of Anguilla, planning to spend a little more time there in the future. We had a nice meal at LAGOON BREEZE, which is a small bar/restaurant next to Hot Tomatoes in Simpson Bay. The owner, Don was gracious and the food was really good and inexpensive, the ribs with sides were $5.00.<br><br>On Thursday we spent the day on Orient beach. We went to BAYWATCH for lunch and as promised Cheryl served the seafood pasta…it was soooo good. Jack had mussels ala Andy again and we left quite satisfied. We said our goodbyes to Cheryl and she told us we’re now part of the family <br><br>When we returned to the beach that afternoon, we met some people who live on the island, they invited us to a party at Bliss. We never go out after dinner, so this was a real challenge. When we returned to the condo, we took a nap and got up at 10pm for our night out. We met the group at BLISS, which is located near Caravansarai. This is a very nice location, but when the music begins, it is quite a party. We had an awesome time with some really fun and interesting people and stayed up way too late. We picked up burgers from the grill at Bliss at about 3am and took them back to the condo to consume them on the balcony.<br><br>On Friday, we slept in and then returned to Orient to meet our friends from the previous evening. Everyone was pretty laid back after the previous night’s activities. We had lunch at PEDROS and spent the rest of the afternoon resting on the beach. We met our friends for dinner at JIMBOS in Simpson Bay. This is a Mexican restaurant that serves Mexican food with a Caribbean flair. The shrimp dish was particularly good and the fajitas were excellent. We met a lot of new people at dinner and had a marvelous time. Our hosts invited us for Thanksgiving dinner when we return in November and we’re looking forward to renewing our friendships.<br><br>Saturday was the last day on the island, after checking in and paying the departure tax, we had our traditional last breakfast at LA CROISSANTERIE. Nan bought some beaded purses at Citrus and we spent our last hours trying to burn the image of the beautiful waters into our brains. The only thing that made leaving tolerable, is knowing that we will be back in November.<br><br>Things we forgot to mention: Rented our car from Marius at St. Louis Car Rental, it was waiting for us at the airport. The car had a security feature on the gear shift that required a key, it took a little getting used to. We rented beach chairs and umbrellas from packlight rentals, this was a nice convenience and Bob was very accommodating. Nan made some phone calls from the villa using a credit card, and we’re still disputing the bill. <br><br>It was an incredible trip to our home away from home, it’s amazing it just gets better every time. We’re sorry about the length of the report, but hope you get something worthwhile out of it.<br><br>Nan & Jack<br>