I had the pleasure of staying at kazanusxm.com in the French part of Oyster Pond on the island of St Martin. Not my first stay at the property: I stayed there in February 2021, and the new owner, Tim, has made several changes to the property, all positive.
As mentioned in an earlier post, Tim has installed a gravel parking area that guests can use to park off-street. It's a small area, with room for just three cars, if they're carefully parked. He's also installed a solid-metal sliding gate to the parking area, with plans to add motorized remote control for guests to use.
Wifi has been updated and is very fast. Big improvement from my last visit. Also, Tim is working on creating space for a fitness room.
While my unit had air conditioning, I never used it. The ocean breezes were sufficient to keep my room comfortable, and the sounds of the surf helped me sleep.
Also important: Tim has made a laundry room available for guests to use.
My room had a battery-powered fly swatter. It was oddly satisfying to hear the SNAP when I pushed the button and made contact with a mosquito! Dead bug!
Tim made himself available to help with anything or answer questions. He was present, but not intrusive (he lives on-site). Also, Tim's sister (and business partner) also stopped by for a visit. She was as friendly as her brother.
I walked to Bread-and-Butter almost every day. While it's a hilly walk, it's not a great distance away. I dined out a couple times, once at l'Oasis (next to B-and-B) and Mama Pizza. Had pizza at both. Good food. And the pastries at B-and-B were fantastic.
While I was there, Tim contracted to have some painting done on the outside of the building. And I briefly spoke to the artist, not knowing who he was! You might have seen Jimmy Sheik's work while driving around. Photos are below.
If you plan to visit yourself, keep these things in mind: 1. Guests are responsible for taking their trash to the curb. There's a shared garbage receptacle he near the street, west of the property. 2. On the Sunday of my stay, the cleaning service visited. She washed all towels, including the ones that I brought. And she washed (and dried) a shirt of mine. So if you leave something out, she'll throw it in the washer. 3. If you're in Philipsburg, stop by Tim's gelato shop. It's on the Boardwalk on the east end. Easy to find. 4. Tap water is not potable. B-and-B sells large bottles of water.
