Trip Report - December 2 - 9, 2003

Note: Wrote this with the thought that some TTOL "newbies", who are not familiar with SXM, may benefit from the information contained herein, so, you TTOL"old timers", bear with me if you find this a little detailed.

Flight from New Orleans to Miami right on time, but AA's 757 from Miami was delayed leaving because of some kind of problem so we were about one hour late leaving and an hour late getting into St Maarten. Immigration wait was LONG. Took us about 45 minutes to get through. Of course we picked the slowest line :>).

Marius, of St Louis Car Rental was waiting for us and we picked up the car and headed to L'Hoste to check in. Contrary to some of the things I've read, this was our second time renting from Marius and everything went very well. We'll absolutely rent from him again. "Fred" greeted us upon our arrival at L'Hoste and helped us settle in. Did a "quick change" and headed back to the Ocean Club for the TTOL party hosted by Eric and Carol. Arrived late but did get to meet some of the folks who were there. Good food, good drinks and good conversation. Thanks to Eric and Carol for hosting the party - it was our first one.

Spent the next six days mostly on OB just "chilling", walking the beach, talking to folks, drinking, etc. Just loved the early morning walks from LaPlaya up to OB and then back to Mount Vernon after having breakfast around the pool at L'Hoste. What a nice complementary breakfast - great fresh pastries, fruit, yogurt, etc. with some of the best, rich, dark, strong coffee I've ever enjoyed (and that's coming from a guy born and raised in the south Louisiana Cajun country and used to "strong" coffee). The service there at breakfast was friendly and efficient. Every morning during our beach walk, bumped into a group of about 10 folks from Club O who were out for their morning walk with nothing on but their Santa Claus stocking hats - they were into the Christmas sprit.

Just love the location of L'Hoste. Walk to and from the beach and, if you forget something, just a short walk back to the room to get it. We returned from the beach to the room a few days for lunch and feasted on some wonderful cheese, fois gras, fruit, baguettes, and of course, wine, purchased from "The Bounty" in Grand Case, our favorite little store.

Our room was actually at the Boca Raton (Karl told me later that he was "full up" thus we were on the second floor of Boca Raton about 20 good steps from the L'Hoste pool so we were really "right there") but we dealt exclusively with Karl and L'Hoste during our stay (apparently L'Hoste "swaps out" with some of the adjacent properties when they overbook). The room was very nice - large with two king sized beds, dresser, chair, etc. with small refrigerator, in-room safe and lot's of closet space (for what I don't know because we didn't pack that much). You know, you learn quickly about how little you really need to pack on a trip like this. Being this close to the beach means we will be able to pack even less the next time. Also a nice bathroom and a good-sized balcony with chairs and table. It didn't overlook the beach but there were some nice large palms and other vegetation below the balcony. Slept with the curtains open at night and watched the moon and a couple of outside lights cast shadows of the palms against our walls. The air conditioner was very adequate and the daily maid service was also excellent. Won't hesitate to stay there again. The balcony privacy was adequate for CO anytime.

Food & Restaurants

As I've said, the breakfast at L'Hoste was wonderful every morning and that's what we did. A couple of stops at "The Bounty" and we were well stocked on the small stuff for the room (and wine of course). The first night it was back to the Sunset Café (which we had enjoyed so much when we dined there in May). It was again excellent - both the food and the service, and what a great setting sitting there at the table with the waves crashing on the rocks just below. Joan had the filet of Sole with shrimp that was on the "special" and I had the grilled Sea Bass. Both dishes were wonderfully prepared and beautifully presented. The wines by the glass were excellent, as was the service by Estelle and Stefan. Forgot to mention that we had cocktails at the bar prior to being seated and had good conversation with Sandra, the bartender. She mixes a nice martini. The little after dinner complimentary rum with passion fruit was a nice finishing touch. We seldom order dessert as we find that it's kind of nice to go back to the room, get comfy, and share a nice chocolate mousse that we buy from The Bounty and keep "spares" in the refrigerator.

Tried Peg Legs another night on the recommendation of Eric and Carol (and others) and had a wonderful steak there. Sure doesn't look like it would be a place to stop for a good meal but don't let that fool you (as I'm sure that most of you reading this already know). Don't know where they get their meat but it's a fine cut and well prepared. Both Joan and I each had the small filet, which was plenty for both of us. The salad and backed potato were also quite good. Eric and Carol wound up coming in and sitting at the table next to us that evening so we were able to chat.

On another night, we went back to L'Alabama to again sample their menu. Joan had the Grouper with Dijon mustard sauce and I had the breast of duck filets. Both were well prepared and elegantly presented, however, each dish seemed to just lack a little something. Can't put my finger on it, but somehow the flavors just didn't come through as I had expected. Again, it was good - it just didn't knock us over. The service, of course, was top notch and we were treated like royalty. Again desert back in the room :>).

Our last night there, we opted to return again to the Sunset Café where we sat at the bar and visited with Sandra while enjoying her excellent martinis and conversation. Then, Estelle escorted us back to "our" little table to order dinner. Tonight, Joan had the ribeye, which was really more like a prime rib in our opinion but wonderfully prepared and seasoned with a delicious light brown gravy spooned over the meat. I had the filets of veal topped with a light cheese sauce, which was terrific. We shared a small bottle of a nice Graves red wine which complimented both of the dishes very well. Both Estelle and Stefan handled the service this night and we enjoyed light conversation with both of them. Both Joan and I think that this is becoming our "favorite" restaurant, at least in Grand Case.

Drove over to Dawn Beach one day around noon and had one of Scavenger's wonderful cheeseburgers for lunch (washed down with a couple of Caribes). Marty and Mike run a nice place, but it's one that you wouldn't give a second look if you didn't know about it (as their bumper sticker says, "It is what it is" :>). There was a volleyball game going on just down from Scavengers and the group would periodically take breaks and come up for tequila shots (must have been a fun game :>).

Other

Did the "shopping thing" one afternoon in Philipsburg for a few hours. I had wanted to get Joan some jewelry and we wound up at DK Gems dealing with Deepti (again, who probably most of you already know from this website). What a nice person she is. No high pressure, just showed us things that she thought Joan might like after Joan described her thoughts and we wound up buying a few things - nothing major I might add but stuff that fit our budget :>). I highly recommend DK Gems and Deepti (or her brother Jeff) whenever any of you are in St Maarten and may want to splurge and buy some "sparklers" for your wives and/or girlfriends. Come on guys, we need to treat the ladies to some nice things every now and then don't we? Tell Deepti or Jeff that you are TTOL'ers.

As I've mentioned earlier, the rental car from Marius at St Louis Car Rental was perfect. No problems what so ever. Marius and I had picked a time at which to meet to return the car at the airport on Tuesday morning. However, on Monday, we wound up changing our flight reservations to later that afternoon. Called Marius on Monday afternoon and told him that we'd meet him at 1:00 PM instead of 8:00 AM as we had previously agreed and he had not problem with the change. We wound up getting to the airport about 15 minutes early. As I pulled into the parking space to unload the luggage, Marius was there to greet us. Joan and I are certainly pleased with the service and will rent from him again.

The "signing privileges" at the five beach bars with your L'Hoste card is nice. You don't need to lug a lot of cash with you to the beach that way.

Walk through the parking lot across from the pool and you've got a little store for groceries, beer, water, etc. plus some Internet Kiosks there on the sidewalk - convenient!

CO was prevalent at LaPlaya's beach area all during our stay. Certainly not the "norm" but I'd estimate certainly 10% or so were CO. Never was I asked to cover up except on Sunday morning when the beach boy came over and told me that Sunday was "family day" and would I mind wearing something today.

The traffic on the island seems to be getting worse (if that's possible :>). Hit Marigot at a couple of bad times and it was "slow going" all through town.

The Bounty in Grand Case. We LIKE this store. Nice little wine selection, good fresh baguettes, etc. and some of the nicest little chocolate mousse pastries. Nice little deli with lots of "stuff' that you can buy and take back with you to your room. The cheeses, fois gras, pate, etc. are just fine! Friendly folks working there although sometime, the ones behind the deli have a difficult time with our English but we've always been able to make ourselves understood :>). Dominique, who's sometimes at the register checking you out, is just a pleasure to converse with.

The weather wasn't the best I've seen but it was good. A few rain showers but only a few. Only got chased from the beach twice during the week and then only for a short time, then the sun returned. One day during the weekend was a "washout" but at about 2 PM the sun returned so we were able to get in some beach time that day also.

Sure was difficult trying to get the Oklahoma, USC and LSU game scores on Sunday morning. Couldn't find a paper that had them. Finally resorted to the Internet Kiosks, dropped in my 4 Euro's, logged on and was shocked at some of the scores. Was able to get off a few e-mail messages also.

The island phone system continues to baffle us. It sure isn't like the states. Even had trouble with a prepaid card. What the heck, what do you need phones for anyway when you're on SXM?

All in all, a very good trip. We've been back now for only a few days and we're already thinking of when can we return to St Martin again :>). But it's ski season now and time to get out the skis. Plus, it just seems a little more like Christmas with some "white stuff' on the ground :>).

Merry Christmas to all,

Jerry and Joan <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />
Somewhere in the snowy mountains of Colorado