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Trip Report January 19 to January 28 #275043
02/08/2022 01:07 PM
02/08/2022 01:07 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 207
Clearwater, FL
RABBY Offline OP
Traveler
RABBY  Offline OP
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 207
Clearwater, FL

Notified by United that our flight for 1/18 was cancelled, so down one vacay day. Could reschedule for next day, but had to upgrade to Economy Plus seats as that was all that was available! Great beginning to our trip, Lol.

1/18/22
Drove the 1.5 hours to Newark, NJ. We live outside of Philly, but always take the United direct flight from Newark. It always works out much better than Philly. Stayed at the Doubletree By Hilton, and the price included parking for ten days.

1/19/2
Took shuttle to airport, arrived with plenty of time to spare. We already checked in on line and uploaded all our docs, so check in was quick.. Before boarding we enjoyed a $94 breakfast at an airport restaurant. Yes, we saw the prices on the menu, but were starving and so we paid the "New York" prices...wow. Crazy. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, OJ and coffee. Flight was smooth, fast and uneventful. Arrived on time, picked up by Sax Car Rental, did the paperwork, and were off to Orient. We rented an Airbnb this time, as it was only a quick, ten day trip, to celebrate by retirement in December. I'm getting a lot of mileage out of this retirement thing! We always have stayed on the French side (except twice) in all our thirty-plus years of traveling to SXM. We stopped at Yellow Sub first for lunch. Larry had a burger, I had a goat cheese salad, couple of Heinekens and we were ready to go! $39. Our rental was lovely for the most part. A couple of things. Parking was next to impossible; there were only two visitor spots and they were usually taken. So you had to park wherever you could, usually on a steep hill. The kitchen was located outside on the balcony, next to a mosquito/no seeums condo! I never experienced so many damn mosquitos on the island. Lathered up in Mosquito Milk and they still attacked while cooking. Larry stood behind me waving the portable bug zapper that came with the room smile

1/20/22
Breakfast at Good Morning. French toast, continental breakfast, OJ and the best coffee this side of Dunkin Donuts. Also lovely conversation with Roman, the owner. Delicious food. $26. Off to see Jeff at DK Gems. I needed a repair to a ring, but while waiting what's a girl to do ? Yet another retirement gift, a pretty gold bracelet. Felt bad then, so I let Larry buy himself a new watch. Stopped for groceries at the Super U before heading back to room. I love browsing in the market. Always find interesting things. We picked up a rotisserie chicken, among other items, for dinner that night.

1/21/22
Beach Day. Club O. Our favorite. Still miss staying at the old Club O, such fond memories. We met friends on the beach, David and Tammy, and spent a nice time relaxing ad snoozing. Dinner was at Al Dente. Excellent meal. Lasagna, Bolognese pizza, salad, cocktails and gelato. $74. Leftovers too! Yay.

1/22/22
Into Marigot for a Secret Spot tee shirt for Larry, who has quite the collection. Had breakfast at LeCroissant Royale. We've been coming here for breakfast for over thirty years. Even though it's new owners, still delish. Crepes, french toast, bacon, coffee, OJ for $38. Back to DK to pick up my ring. Stopped in the Longchamp store also - just too look - Ha Ha. Who am I kidding. Yes, another "retirement" gift. That's it, I swear. I have the best hubby. Dinner was in unit, leftovers.

1/23/22
Breakfast at Good Morning. Afternoon spent at the pool. That evening we met SXM friends, Elaine and Bill, at Cafe Rembrandt on the Dutch side, in Madame Estate. We enjoyed some great, really professional, acoustical music and some Dutch snacks. Six drinks, snacks etc., $36. Nice evening with Elaine and Bil

1/24/22
Breakfast with our mosquito friends on the balcony. I had to make extra. Today the road from Orient to Grand Case was blocked due to the land-owner protests. We were turned around at El Rancho del Sol. I am in total agreement with peaceful protests and have read the issues with the land, but when it takes its toll on residents and visitors alike it serves no purpose. So we headed to the beach instead, even though it wasn't a great beach day. Lunch at Orange Fever. Great pepperoni pizza. Hey, I'm a Philly girl and we know our pizza, well this pizza was perfect, thin crust etc. Some chicken wings too and a couple of cocktails. $36. Dinner in room.

1/25/22
Road remains closed. So, we took the around the island tour for something to do. Through French Quarter, etc. Stopped at the ATM in Hope Estate (no fee ATM) and headed back around, through Sandy Ground, no issues. Stayed at pool for the remainder of afternoon. We met friends David and Tammy at L'Atelier in Orient Village. This was to be a "splurge" meal and it certainly was. We stated with two smokey old fashioneds made tableside. We shared a green salad with burrata cheese, crispy proscuitto and it was just delicious. One of the best salads I've had. Larry had duck breast and I had a skirt steak with shallot sauce. Our companions had Iberian pork, and a bone marrow bruschetta. We shared caramel ice cream for dessert which contained lots of delicious components. $180 (might have to return the bracelet) Ha Ha

1/26/22
The perfect beach day dawned. Lunch at Perch. Shrimp special, cheeseburger, four drinks $45. Dinner was take out from On Dirait Le Sud which is located near Good Morning. We've always wanted to stop there. It's a lovely place, full of good things. We bought lasagna, wine, roasted peppers and a cute little gift for my neighbor who feeds our cats. $59.

1/27/22
Road still blocked. Took the long way to Bellevue Pharmacy for our Covid tests. Organized, fast, negative. Got our forms and headed back, and luckily, ,the road is now open. We stopped at One Love Shop in Hope Estate and bought a couple of shirts. Spent the rest of the day at the beach as this was our last day. Dinner was at L'Petite Bistro. First time there, and sadly, was not impressed. We wanted beef bourguignon but they were out. I ordered a steak instead which turned out to be quite mediocre. Larry ordered beef stew (grandmom style) which he said was just ok. It was served with a dinosaur bone on top, which contained lots of marrow, which is not very appetizing to either of us. We took the bone "to go" and gave it to the resident dog at our rental. He was happy. Dessert was creme brulee for me which was watery and tasteless. Was disappointed overall with this restaurant. We had planned on LaVilla in Grand Case, but the road situation was "iffy" and we didn't want to get stuck. $108 for the meal.

1/28/22
Time to say Au Revoir. Breakfast at Good Morning, where we met Chloe and Thierry from Club F and had a nice visit with them. Packed up the car, headed to Sax, dropped off at airport with plenty of time to spare. Last trip we left on a Sunday and the airport was total chaos. Leaving on a Friday was much better. Quick check in, fast lines, security etc. Had sandwiches for lunch, plane was on time, and we landed in Newark just ahead of a major snowstorm. Another wonderful tip in the books. Till next time...


..."there's this one particular harbor"....
SXM Sponsors
Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: RABBY] #275048
02/08/2022 01:57 PM
02/08/2022 01:57 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,571
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Offline
Traveler
SXMScubaman  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,571
Auburn, WA
NIce report.

Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: RABBY] #275051
02/08/2022 02:16 PM
02/08/2022 02:16 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,485
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
Traveler
Carol_Hill  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,485
Central Florida!
Nice, detailed report. Sounds like you had a wonderful time overall, despite quite a bit of disruption from the road blockages and losing a whole day of vacation. The rental unit seemed like it had some problems. I personally would be very concerned about no parking and the bugs, as I am a mosquito magnet!! It sounds like overall, you are a 'glass half full' kind of person.


Carol Hill
Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: RABBY] #275056
02/08/2022 02:49 PM
02/08/2022 02:49 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
Traveler
pat  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
Very nice report and hey! You worked hard for all those years up to retirement so make the most of it.

Itโ€™s sad you lost a day of your trip but it could have been worse. We had friends who lost almost half of their vacation a few years ago due to midwinter weather. They couldnโ€™t see the logic in paying for trip insurance but they do ever since that happened.

Thanks again for your very nice report and your sense of humor which rings through out it.๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜Š


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: RABBY] #275059
02/08/2022 03:22 PM
02/08/2022 03:22 PM
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,157
Cobourg Ontario Canada
J
jeepers Offline
Traveler
jeepers  Offline
Traveler
J
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,157
Cobourg Ontario Canada
great report! Geez now I'll really have to go some to beat that one. Wait for it. Coming shortly. Need to organize it. This trip was weird with covid on the mind as we navigated around. But boy do I have photos. Coming here soon. Maybe a few photos today write up later! ๐Ÿค—

Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: jeepers] #275066
02/08/2022 04:29 PM
02/08/2022 04:29 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
Traveler
pat  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
Canโ€™t wait for any and all of it! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: jeepers] #275067
02/08/2022 04:57 PM
02/08/2022 04:57 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,485
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
Traveler
Carol_Hill  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,485
Central Florida!
Jeepers--I definitely look forward to it also!


Carol Hill
Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: RABBY] #275072
02/08/2022 07:40 PM
02/08/2022 07:40 PM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 334
S
StMartinFan Online content
Traveler
StMartinFan  Online Content
Traveler
S
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 334
Great trip report! Hard to understand a kitchen on the balcony with the bugs! I wouldn't even think to check for that in an apartment review.

Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: RABBY] #275075
02/08/2022 08:13 PM
02/08/2022 08:13 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,864
Portland, OR
jazzgal Offline
Traveler
jazzgal  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,864
Portland, OR
Happy retirement, Cleta, and thanks for the report!. Sorry for all the road blocks; that would be a drag, for sure.


[Linked Image]
Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: StMartinFan] #275090
02/08/2022 11:10 PM
02/08/2022 11:10 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,571
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Offline
Traveler
SXMScubaman  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,571
Auburn, WA
Extra protein in fixings.

Re: Trip Report January 19 to January 28 [Re: RABBY] #275281
02/11/2022 05:10 PM
02/11/2022 05:10 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,141
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
islandgem Offline
Traveler
islandgem  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,141
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
I enjoyed reading your report and happy that all went well. Looking forward to seeing you on your next visit after you sell the gold bracelet !!





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