Introduction:

Just about a month ago we were finalizing plans for a quick vacation, just the two of us. We were overjoyed with the news that Mel is pregnant with our third child, and know all too well about the “blackout period” that comes with each baby—the two years or so before you can leave the child with grandma for longer than a night or two. So we decided to travel somewhere near home for a long weekend over the July 4th holiday, and had just about finalized our plans.

Then I got the e-mail. It was from my Travelocity Fare Watcher, something about STL—SXM for $453. Not a bad fare, I thought, and as you might guess I’ve had SXM in my Fare Watcher for some time now, just in case. Then I read the e-mail again. What it actually said was STL—SXM for $206, save $453. Oh my. “Mel, you need to come look at this”, I remember saying. Oh my indeed.

After a few quick phone calls to add extra days of babysitting our minds were made up. Just like that we were going to St. Martin since there was no way we could pass up a deal like that. With less than three weeks to prepare we spent plenty of time on TTOL reading trip reports and researching. We had been to island once already for just a day, but after everything we read and all the pictures we had seen we knew we’d be right at home upon arrival.


Transportation:

We were all set for a 6:45 a.m. departure on Thursday. Wednesday evening we dropped our girls off with grandma, followed by final packing, and then to bed early since we had to get up so early. It didn’t go quite as planned since in our excitement I don’t think either of us slept much. Getting up at 4:30 was painful, but it was a good kind of hurt since we were off to Lambert on our way to paradise.

The flight was uneventful, as was the connection in Charlotte. In fact we left the gate about ten minutes early and were over the Atlantic in no time. It’s amazing how it’s almost impossible to tell where the sky ends and the water begins, or is it where the water ends and sky begins. Anyway, it was a beautiful day for flying as anticipation was building with each passing island 37,000 feet below.

Immigration and Customs at Princess Juliana was a breeze. We collected our bags and set out to find Lesley Bruce. Someone was holding a sign with our name on it, but it didn’t look like the man we had seen in pictures. It was Donicio Fortuano with Fortuano Car Rental. He explained that Kenny’s had run out of cars and had sent our business to him. We were disappointed since we had heard many good things about Kenny’s, but as it turns out we had the same white Corolla at the same rate with the same service. Lesley came by as we were sitting in the car completing the transaction and apologized for the situation and explained that we were in good hands, so off we went in our white Corolla.

Upon returning to the airport at the end of our trip Donicio was there to meet us. We arrived two hours early, and we were quite happy we did. We originally hoped to head over to Sunset Beach Bar for a farewell lunch, but after waiting in line to check in, pay the departure tax, and turn in the rental car, we decided to stay in the airport. Soon we were on the bus to the plane and took a deep breath of island air as we climbed the steps onto the 757. The ascent upon departure from St. Maarten is pretty dramatic, with a much steeper climb than normal followed by a hard right turn. We enjoyed a beautiful view of the island as we wondered when we’d return.

Unfortunately Immigration and Customs at Charlotte Douglas was not a breeze. I don’t know if there were a few late flights but the delays were ridiculous. They quickly erased our early arrival by keeping us on the plane for 20 minutes, and then we waited an additional 45 minutes to get through immigration. Customs went quickly, but then we of course had to re-check our bags, go through security again, and hustle to our gate. I barely had enough time to get my pregnant wife and myself something to drink and eat and hop aboard the plane home. No pulled pork barbecue this time, we settled for pizza.

The flight to St. Louis was bumpy but on time. We collected our bags and made the quick drive home to see our girls.


Hotel L’Hoste:

We read mostly good reviews about this hotel, and a few complaints. We booked through CheapCaribbean at a great rate, and had no problems with our booking or the service at CheapCaribbean.

Check in went smoothly, the room was clean, spacious, and had everything we’d need for our five night stay. The room had two king beds, a desk, a television with CNN, HBO, Cinemax, ESPN, and several other stations, and a VCR. The bathroom had a shower only, and a separate room for the toilet. The kitchenette included a small refrigerator, microwave, sink, and some basic dishes and utensils. The pool and breakfast area were steps from our room. One feature I really liked was the “garage door” which could be lowered from inside the room, completely covering the entire sliding glass door. I’m sure it’s primarily for hurricane protection, but it was so useful in blacking out the room for sleeping in each morning. One thing Mel loved were the fresh flowers in the room.

Directly behind L’Hoste is La Playa. We received a free welcome drink from La Playa, as well as beach chairs and towels for our stay. The location is fantastic at mid-beach, and it’s convenient to Le Village D’Orient where there are several restaurants, Tap 5 Market, and an Internet Café.

We found the service to be friendly, the continental breakfast was convenient and delicious, and basically the hotel met our expectations for this trip. We would likely stay there again; however there are other hotels we’d like to try in the future. It will largely depend on price and the type of trip we’re taking, but overall L’Hoste is just fine.


Beaches:

Staying just steps from Orient Beach is great. We loved the beach on our first trip, but also wanted to branch out and see as many other beaches as we reasonably could on a 5-day trip, so we visited Pinel Island, Friars Bay and Happy Bay, and Baie Rouge. We also stopped by Cupecoy, Maho and Great Bay, but did not swim and sunbathe.

Orient: We spent most of our time at La Playa, but walked the length of the beach several times and visited other areas. Friday was the only cruise ship day and the beach was of course more crowded but it wasn’t bad. It was quite windy a couple of days, enough to cause some sand blasting on occasion.

Pinel Island: We loved Pinel Island. The snorkeling wasn’t great since the water wasn’t quite as clear as normal. We hiked over to the other side of the island and were the only ones on the beach. The beach on the left (as you’re facing the water) is much better than the beach on the right.

Friars Bay and Happy Bay: Friars was nice but we didn’t spend much time there. We took the 10 minute hike to Happy Bay and really enjoyed the beauty of that beach. There were jet skiers at one end, but we were once again the only people on the beach.

Baie Rouge: We thought this beach was beautiful, and it was not crowded at all. You could wander down to the left and have a spot all to yourself, and it’s not nearly as windy on that part of the island.

All in all we spent quite a bit of time on the beach. Thank goodness for SPF 30, a good book, and Carib Beer. Of our four full days, the only cruise ship day was Friday. The beaches weren’t crowded at all the other three days.


Dining:

Naturally we found the food on the island to be outstanding. So if you take the terrific restaurants, visit them when you feel like it instead of on a schedule, and are able to enjoy the meals without having to tend to children, the experience is exquisite.

Instead of researching the dining options endlessly we opted to venture out on our own. We were pleased with the results. Our dinner choices were L’Amandier, The Greenhouse, Cheri’s Café, Sunset Café, and Hot Tomatoes. Our lunch choices were Tap 5 Pizza and Pirates Beach Bar. We intended to eat at Sunset Beach Bar on departure day but it didn’t work out. Instead we had ham and gouda cheese melts from a snack bar at the airport. They were quite tasty, actually.

L’Amandier *****: We decided to visit Grand Case our first night, and the menu and atmosphere at L’Amandier were perfect to kick off our trip. We shared a Caesar salad for our appetizer, and are glad we did since it was quite large. We also had the privilege of trying lobster bisque, complements of the chef. The bisque was outstanding, and had a unique flavor we couldn’t quite place. Mel had the lobster and sea scallops for dinner, and I had a tuna steak that was cooked perfectly. For dessert we had chocolate crème brulee, which was enjoyed especially by Mel who is quite the chocolate connoisseur. The service was very good; as was the banana rum we received after dinner. I was lucky to enjoy mine as well as most of Mel’s since she’s pregnant. Speaking of pregnant, one drawback was that since Mel was unable to drink on this trip we skipped indulging in wine at dinner. I’m sure we missed out, but gee, I guess we’ll have to go back for that.

The Greenhouse ****: We went to Philipsburg to see the ships sail away, especially since the two ships in port were the same two that were there for our cruise: the Golden Princess and the Adventure of the Seas. We enjoyed a beautiful evening and happened upon the Greenhouse. The menu featured a great variety so we decided to stop. They were running 2 for 1 drink specials as well as appetizer specials. The conch fritters were quite good. For dinner Mel had a gyro wrap sandwich and I had a barbecue chicken sandwich. Both were good, but it was a casual place not easily comparable to the gourmet meal we had the night before. We didn’t make it to dessert here.

Cheri’s Café ****: One of the only things we planned to do was have dinner in a different spot on the island each night. Tonight was Maho night, and we chose Cheri’s Café. It was a fun atmosphere, complete with a rather talented and funny singing and dancing act. For an appetizer we shared an order of hot wings. Dinner was decent but not outstanding. I had the chicken cordon bleu, and Mel had a ham sandwich and Caesar salad. We stayed to watch the show for a while, then went next door for a Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Meanwhile a group of dancers emerged from the casino next store and began a dance routine in the street. Maho seems to be a great area in the evenings, and we certainly enjoyed ourselves.

Sunset Café ***: This was a split decision, so we averaged our experiences of two stars for me and four stars for Mel to come up with three stars. Maybe I was having a bad day, and maybe I had a headache from being too hungry, but I didn’t think the quality of food and atmosphere matched their prices. We skipped the appetizer and dessert this time. For dinner Mel had a curry chicken dish that was excellent, while I opted for a rib eye steak. Since it was smothered with a French style cream sauce it was impossible distinguish the gristle, and unfortunately there was plenty of it in this cut of meat. They also offered several different rum concoctions, which I think is a nice touch.

Hot Tomatoes ***: Our choice for dinner in Simpson Bay was Hot Tomatoes. The menu offered a good variety of choices, and the outside seating along the lagoon provided a nice atmosphere. Mel ordered curry conch chowder that was very tasty, and for dinner she had a large salad. I ordered a grilled chicken dish with Creole sauce and Caribbean mashed potatoes. The chicken was tasty but a bit overcooked. Unfortunately we were stuffed after dinner once again and skipped dessert.

Tap 5 Pizza ****: We enjoyed a great pizza here. The style is thin crust, which we like, along with tomato sauce, mushrooms, onions, artichokes, and mozzarella. It’s more of a European style pizza, but was hot out of the oven and very tasty. It’s also available to go, and they have sandwiches and other goodies.

Pirates Beach Bar ****: We fully intended to eat at Baywatch, but it was closed on Monday when we went. Next door is the Pirates Beach Bar, which we were pulled into by the enterprising waiter. The food was served hot, the service was good, the prices reasonable, and the location is great. We each enjoyed a burger and fries and were not disappointed.


Bars, Parties, & Nightlife:

Since Mel is pregnant bars, parties, and nightlife weren’t at the top of our list for this trip, but we did get out some. Here’s what we did:

Cliffhangers Beach Bar *****: Our favorite overall, it’s right on the southern end of Cupecoy, mounted on the cliff overlooking the water and the sunset. The service was very friendly and the location is great. It was raining the day we were there and decided it would be a great place to go when there’s more sand at Cupecoy between November and June.

Sunset Beach Bar *****: We visited here twice; the second time they had Caribs for a dollar all day, woohoo! Mel asked about non-alcoholic drinks, so the bartender whipped up a delicious drink that included ice cream, mango juice, and coconut milk. I informed Mel of the condition for drinking free, but she decided to pay. Actually, we didn’t see any women drinking free in either of our trips. It’s a great atmosphere, though. Watching the planes is fun, and watching the nut-jobs trying to withstand jet blast is also entertaining.

Kali’s Full Moon Party ****: We were lucky to find that the full moon was on July 2nd, and we were all set for the party at Kali’s. What a fun time! There was a great mix of people there, Americans, Europeans, and locals. The live reggae band was very good. The place was really hopping by 11 or so, to the point where people had to be creative to find parking spots. We didn’t make it to the bonfire at midnight, but I’d recommend hitting this party if you’re there for a full moon.

La Playa **: We didn’t spend much time here, but it was nothing special. The service was all right, but it never seemed to be hopping.


Shopping:

We didn’t do a whole lot of shopping on this trip. We felt lucky to be on the island at all, and with preparing for a new baby we didn’t want to go overboard with our spending. We stocked up on liquor and souvenirs, and really enjoyed our last morning on the island by visiting Front Street. Only one ship was in port so we shopped along with the cruisers, which made for a nice, bustling atmosphere. I looked at some digital SLR cameras and found prices there to be about the same as what I could mail order from home. Granted I didn’t attempt to haggle, but would be interested to find out what kinds of bargains people actually get there.

The trip report would not be complete without mentioning that we too visited Deepti at DK Gems. She is just as everyone describes her: very friendly, knowledgeable, and laid back. She said she had been to St. Louis recently so we talked about her visit, among other things. We decided not to purchase jewelry on this trip, but I can almost guarantee we will visit Deepti again on our next trip.


Observations:

We thought we’d make a random list of things we observed and learned as first timers that might help others as they prepare for a trip to this wonderful island.

• Phone Home: With two children at home with grandma we wanted to check in, and using an Internet Café was a great way to do so. We used machines at DVD Plus, which is in Orient Village, and paid $6 for a half hour with a fast, reliable connection. They kept track of our time used, so we went back several times to email grandma. We also bought a phone card at Tap 5 for $10 that was good for about 50 minutes of calls to St. Louis from a public phone adjacent to Palm Court.

• Driving: I personally found driving on the island to be a hoot, for the most part. I love to drive and found it rather easy to navigate. We took a few wrong turns, but by the end of our 5 days we were old pros. The great thing about the Corollas is they don’t use a lot of gas.

• Great Expectations: We found that it was nice not to have big plans and expectations for the trip. We arrived, took our watches off and put ourselves on island time. We ate when we were hungry and went to bed when we were tired, instead of following a clock or watch to do those things. It made for a relaxing vacation, believe me. Don’t get me wrong, we had a list of things we wanted to do, and I think we did all of them; we just didn’t plan it all out.

• The Old House: As it was pouring rain on Sunday we were happy to have a few activities ready for such an occasion. If you enjoy history you’ll probably find this place to be a worthwhile stop. Pierre Beauperthuy is the owner, caretaker, historian and tour guide, and he has a wealth of information on the history of the island and priceless artifacts. His great great grandfather was sent to St. Martin by Napolean to build the salt ponds, and he has plenty of stories to tell.


Conclusion:

We really love this island for a lot of different reasons. It’s beautiful, full of great beaches, great food, friendly people, and a great mix of cultures. While there are a number of places we plan to visit in the future, I’m sure at some point we’ll return to St. Martin for a longer stay. We also really loved the people there; we got a lot of friendly service everywhere we went. It truly seems to be an island filled with people who are happy to be there, whether local or tourist. I’m not sure when our next visit will be but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

Our pics: John & Mel's SXM Pics