TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos Trip Report 3/30 to 4/4

Just got back yesterday from our 4 ½ days in Paradise! I thought I would post a trip report here to help others going to SXM. This group helped me so much before my trip. It’s a long report, but I’ve included as much as I could…

Before I start the day-by-day descriptions, the weather was perfect. No rain in our entire time there, with steady tradewinds and a few clouds. The week before we got there, people told us it had been rainy and dreary.

Day 1: March 30th. We arrived last Tuesday via US Airways from Charlotte. The flight was really bumpy – lots of clear-air turbulence. Not severe, just annoying. The pilot tried about 5 different altitudes looking for smooth air, but it was nowhere to be found. As we approached the Caribbean, no one cared about the bumps anymore. We started seeing the Virgin Islands in the distance and the beautiful turquoise water.

Before we knew it, there was Anguilla along with St. Martin in the distance. The landing at the airport is amazing. You’re so low when you cross the beach. I could see lots of people just below us watching the landing. We cleared customs and had our bags within 15 minutes. We just beat a throng of people from a KLM 747!!! Those 15 minutes would have been more like 45 otherwise! Our driver from Unity Car Rental was right there as promised and drove us to the office. It’s not exactly a beautiful place where they take you, but Michael was most accommodating. Within 10 minutes, we had our white Corolla and were on our way to Orient Beach. Geez, there are more white Corollas than you could count on this island! The roads are “interesting”, but we managed to find our way.

Traffic to our hotel was a bit slow. Getting through Marigot was very slow, but we didn’t care. We started getting into the Caribbean spirit – and stress was not a part of that! Besides, it can’t compare to normal Chicago traffic. We arrived at L’Hoste around 5:30 p.m. and quickly got checked in. Karl was not there, but “Fred”, a young French woman that ran the front desk in the evening, helped us. Our room was clean and functional with lots of space. We had two king-sized beds to use – one for my wife and me – the other for my daughters. The mattresses were brand-new. The hotel is a great choice for staying at Orient Beach. The breakfast was really nice too. There was always a nice selection of fresh fruits, yogurts, breads, cheeses, and juices. For an extra fee, you could get eggs or bacon. The staff was always very helpful and friendly. When one of my daughters got sunburned (see below), they told us where to go for medications.

We never used the pool, as the ocean was too inviting! Speaking of the ocean, we immediately opened our suitcases and threw on our swimsuits. Oh My God! The sight of that beach was amazing. Within a matter of seconds, we saw our first naturist couple. My daughters were warned about what they would see and took it in stride. My wife commented that some of the naturists deserved to be undressed, while others should have stayed covered! After seeing so many naked bodies, you really start to ignore it. We walked down the beach about ½ a mile and then started getting hungry. We ended up at the Bikini Beach restaurant/bar and had a wonderful meal. We got to meet the manager – Elisa Cohen – and were very pleased with her hospitality. The food was so good, but a bit expensive. If you go there, order the egg rolls. They’re the best I’ve ever had at any restaurant – Chinese or otherwise. The Bouillabaisse was great too! They also made one of my daughters a wonderful cold lobster salad with fresh mango.

A long first day… off to bed.

Day 2: March 31st… This was our whole day for Orient Beach. WARNING! Please use your high SPF sunscreen frequently if you’re white and pale from the winter. One of my daughters got a pretty bad sunburn even after applying sunscreen every hour. She apparently did not use enough when she applied it and got burned on her face and back. We ended up buying a French product at the pharmacy that really helped her. Other than the sunburn, we had a blast. We swam, waded, people-watched (lots to see!), sunbathed, and ate lunch at the beach. Another warning: If you’re staying at L’Hoste you get free use of chairs and umbrellas at La Playa Beach Club. Don’t try and bring food into their beach area unless you bought it from the La Playa restaurant. They complained quite strongly about it. I finally spoke to one of the managers and told him we did not know this rule. He was much calmer about it. The beach runners are more aggressive, since it takes tips away from them. This was not a problem, just a bit of an annoyance.

After lunch, my wife and daughters decided to try parasailing. I was chicken… After they got back down, my wife got a ride back to the beach to get me on the boat. She told me I would love it… I screwed up the courage and tried it… After about 2 minutes, I relaxed and realized how great it was! Smooth as glass, with a beautiful view of Orient Beach. Once you get away from the boat, you only hear the wind. It was so much fun that I went again! The boat from La Playa gives you a little dunk just before they pull you in. You get your feet wet, which is fun. The other parasailing boats seemed to give less exciting rides. Later, my wife and one daughter got massages while my other daughter and I went jet skiing. All in all, a great day at beautiful Orient Beach (other than the strength of the sun). If I had it to do over again, I would have gone inside between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on the first day to avoid the strongest sunlight. Live and learn…

For dinner that night, we went to Fish Pot at Grand case. The meal was very nice, with a great sunset to boot! Apparently it was one of the few nice sunsets they had seen lately. The only complaint I had was the cost – especially with the value of the dollar versus the euro! Also, certain restaurants gave better exchange rates than others. Fish Pot gave the poorest exchange rate we saw. Our dinner for the four of us was close to $320 (including tip). Oh well… you can’t take it with you!

Day 3: Today was our shopping day in Phillipsburg. It’s a nice town, with lots of stores that will gladly sell you anything you want. My wife ended up getting a beautiful tanzanite ring at DK International. The price just kept getting lower and lower, as it was the end of the day and they wanted the sale. It had been a slow day for them. Some of the shops in town put people in front of the stores to try and get you inside. It got kind of annoying after awhile, but we politely said “no”. I forgot to mention that we went to the Butterfly Farm on the way to Phillipsburg. It was really a nice hour away from the beaches and shops.

Dinner that night was Le’ Pressoir at Grand Case. WOW!!! This was one of the finest meals I’ve had in years. The dining room is beautiful – and the food is even better! My wife had a marvelous Foie gras appetizer. I had Lobster ravioli, and my daughters had soup. For entrees, I had an amazing halibut dish with ginger lime coating. My wife had sweetbreads in a morel sauce. One of my daughters had duck breast, while the other had seafood pasta. Dessert was equally impressive. I had the white chocolate/passion fruit mousse that was stunning. My daughters each had the “bouquet of sorbets”. My wife was too full to eat dessert! My description does not do justice to this wonderful restaurant… I would go back any time I could.

Day 4: Today was our day to spend on the Random Wind charter. THANKS to all here that suggested this. What a beautiful way to spend the day. The crew consisted of the wife of the husband/wife owners, along with a fellow named Eddie. He’s from South Africa and quite a character (in a good way!). The husband, Martin, checked us in, but was spending the day on a fishing charter. The wife’s name is Suskia or something like that… They’re Dutch. The boat is absolutely beautiful and well maintained. As we set sail, Suskia presented us with wonderful appetizers. There were 14 people on board, plus the two crewmembers. We set sail for Creole Rock for some snorkeling and swimming. Creole Rock would not rate high on my list of premiere snorkeling sites, but it was pretty windy that day. Also the water was a bit rough in the channel between St. Martin and Anguilla. I think Creole Rock was the best available place given the conditions. It was very sheltered and calm. Suskia mentioned they rely on the weather to determine what they can and cannot do each day. The week before our trip they had to cancel many daytrips due to bad weather.

After snorkeling, we headed to Happy Bay for swimming and lunch. Lunch was wonderful. Suskia makes a chicken pie (not like anything you’ve ever had in the states!) with homemade mango chutney. Not one drop of it was left! That’s after everyone had 2nd and 3rd helpings! There was an open bar for the entire cruise, including rum punch.

We got back at 4:30, but no one wanted to leave the boat!!! We had a “mooning contest” with members of the Heineken catamaran that was nearby. It was fun! They kept throwing Heinekens at us. We threw back Caribe Beers! Everyone on the boat was fun and friendly. If I had millions in the bank, I think I’d buy a boat like this and spend months touring the islands. What a peaceful, relaxing way to spend the day. I highly recommend this daytrip for anyone looking for a relaxing and fun way to see the Caribbean.

For dinner that night, we grabbed a quick meal at Ric’s. It was cheap, and the food was really good. McDonalds should learn from them how to make a hamburger. The waitress told us about some of the owners of the HUGE yachts nearby. I forgot to mention that the day before, a large yacht had anchored in Orient Bay. It apparently belonged to Mariah Carey. There was a full-time armed guard in a boat that kept circling the yacht. In addition, the paparazzi were circling in a helicopter. Later that evening she was gone.

Day 5: On Saturday, we did Orient Beach in the morning, Phillipsburg for some last minute shopping around lunchtime, and more Orient Beach that afternoon. This was when I did my second parasailing trip. For dinner, our daughters convinced us to go back to Fish Pot. That was a mistake. They had a new chef since we had been there a few days earlier. The food that was served did not match the description on the menu! The explanation was that the new chef was trying to “update” the menu and make a good impression. Maybe so, but you need to tell your patrons when they’re ordering that the food will be different than what you expect. I would not recommend Fish Pot after our second visit. Wait until they get their new chef settled in. Besides, there are SO MANY more restaurants to choose from. They all looked wonderful. Le’ Pressoir would be high on my list!

Sunday was our last day. We had to get back to return the car and check-in for our flight home. We got one last lunch at Ric’s (still tasted great) and then headed to the airport.

All in all, this was a wonderful trip. I came back totally relaxed. All of us agreed we wanted to come back. On our next trip, I think we’ll try some other things too. I’d still like to try and get a daytrip to Anguilla, and possibly St. Barts. I’d also like to have more time to explore other areas of the island. I really wanted to see Dawn Beach, but we just didn’t have the time. I also want to try some of the other Grand Case restaurants. As far as beaches to stay on, I’d still pick Orient Beach. It was a lot of fun. You could have relative peace and quiet there, or get crazy and silly.

Thanks again to all those that gave me suggestions prior to the trip. I hope my report will be helpful.