TRIP REPORT 10-22 to 10-29
This trip my wife, Ronalee, and I were joined by another couple, Charlie and Jill from southern OH. They had visited on cruises before but never stayed on the island.
AIR:USAirways from DAY to CLT then onto SXM. Flight out of DAY was 45 minutes late leaving due to mechanical problems. I want to fly on a safe plane but when it is only a few month old CRJ regional jet that over-nighted in DAY, how is the mechanical problem not addressed the night before. We did make the connection in CLT, left late and arrived in SXM about 45 minutes late. Return flight left SXM 25 minutes late, which would not have been a problem but we then circled CLT 2 or 3 times (weather), and therefore missed our connection to DAY. There was a later flight so we did make it home very late that night. Luggage actually made it both ways this time on the same flights we were on. The employees of USAir I encountered really seem to be trying and are in good spirits and I want to see them make it. I still have a problem with the tight connections in CLT when you have to clear immigration and customs and when the airlines can not meet the schedules THEY set for themselves.
CAR: Kenny’s Car rental and Lesley Bruce. Truly a class act. He meets you at the airport on both ends, you are on your way in a few minutes and it is a very pleasant experience. He is busy due to his service and referrals so I would strongly suggest booking early as he does run out of cars. Your standard, white Toyota Corolla, a/c and automatic with easy to remember license plate numbers.
CELL PHONE: Sharon Harris provides a very fairly priced rental of phones on SXM. I usually borrow a local friends phone but opted to use Sharon Harris this time. You can email her ahead of time and get your number assigned. We did this but when we got the phone Michael, her assistant in her absence, told me the number had been changed and to compensate for this inconvenience he put an extra $5 credit on the phone. The phone I was to have was lost, stolen or not returned on time so this was no fault of Sharon or Michael. I like having a cell phone while on SXM as I have local friends and it makes arranging meeting times, etc. very convenient. I also had a very ill mother at home this trip so having the phone was even more important. It worked great whenever I needed to use it and the price is VERY GOOD. Contact Sharon at Sharon Harris at:
queenofsxm2000@yahoo.com It is the only way to go if you want a cell phone while on the island.
LODGING: The Horny Toad Guesthouse on beautiful Simpson Bay Beach was our choice. We had 2 separate upstairs units, both had a/c in the bedrooms and afford a great view. Service is great at this, small, well-kept and well-furnished guesthouse. You could actually spend your entire time there if you wanted to cook or grill your own meals and not visit other beaches. The beach there is great, un-crowded and offers a great area to walk. The Horny Toad Guesthouse is located behind the airport runway, between Mary’s Boon and The Royal Palm.
BEACHES: Most time was spent on Simpson Bay although we did spend a day at Dawn Beach, it was as calm as I have ever seen it and was extremely clean. We spend our time at Ms. B’s, where Joan and her staff will take good care of you and the ribs and food are very good, right Norm? When walking to our chairs I heard someone call my name, it was Ric Hetzel, formerly owner of Ric’s Place. We have known Ric and Kathy for many years and it was nice to see them enjoying the beach. We ended up sitting beside them and had a nice visit during they day. We also took two of our local friends (children) to the beach that day, they really enjoy this and seldom get to enjoy what us “tourists” do. We did go to Orient one day, it was crowded, had some seaweed but is always something to see. We just walked to beach that day and talked to Cheryl at Baywatch.
DINING: Most breakfasts were enjoyed on the porch balcony at The Horny Toad. Either Johnny Cakes from Hilma or French pastries from the bakery were on the menu. We did have one breakfast at Ric’s Place (still good) and from a sidewalk café in Marigot.
Lunches :Touloula Mango’s, Ms. B’s, SSBB, Ric’s Place and Philly Joe’s Pizza were the places we had lunch. Service was slow at Mango’s and Philly Joe’s Pizza was a very pleasant surprise. The burgers at SSBB are NOT like they used to be.
Dinners: Peg Leg Pub (and Shawn), excellent steaks and service. The Hideaway at La Vista was very good and also very crowded. Jean-Marie, an old friend from the old Greenhouse days, provides excellent drinks and service. This is the first evening meal I have ever had there, it was excellent and I would suggest reservations. La Gondola was a new choice this time, it was also very good with excellent service. Mark’s Place is another excellent choice with a wide variety and many local residents dining there. The Boathouse was also very good and crowded also. Pizza Pasta was enjoyed also and it was crowded with a wait the night we were there also.
ENTERTAINMENT: Buccaneer Beach Bar provided most of the evening entertainment for us. We met several old TTOL friends there and made some new ones. Jill got to see what a “body shot” really is. Neil was his usual self, which is entertaining also. Hollywood Casino was good to Charlie and Jill. I am not a big gambler but I think they enjoyed it and paid for part of their trip. Probably the best form of entertainment is knowing and dining with my local friends. We did this several nights and one never knows what the topic of conversation might be. It could range from politics to rice recipes. Knowing the Bruney family and having a godchild on the island gives St. Maarten very special meaning to me. I have never laughed so hard as I did this trip with some of the dinner conversations. Priceless!!
Other entertainment/bars were SSBB, Lee’s and Cliffhanger.
ANGUILLA: The ferry cost is now $12 per person each way. Anguilla is undergoing a major airport project. The island was VERY slow. We met Nell on the ferry and made arrangements to be driven to Shoal Bay and picked up at a specified time. Raymond of Skyline Rentals rented us our chairs for the day, we were his only 4 customers. Uncle Ernie’s was busy for lunch but nothing more than that. Shoal Bay is beautiful and I recommend this trip highly.
SHOPPING: I am not big on the shopping scene but a mandatory trip (or 2) to town always happens. Time was spent at Caribbean Gems with Max for some purchases. We stopped in to visit with Deepti and Jeff at DK also for a minor repair. We have shopped with Caribbean Gems for a long time and are comfortable dealing with them. I just became acquainted with DK through TTOL and they seem to have many happy customers also. I doubt you could go wrong with either.
OVERALL: St. Maarten was busy for this time of year. Traffic in Simpson Bay was very slow at times. Many of the restaurants were busy with reservations needed at some. The island was very green. Front Street will be nice once finished but is a mess now. The airport project is underway and will provide some big changes in that area. Once again, we did not visit all the restaurants we wanted to but that provides more reason to return. It was also great to see several of the people I met last year, Carl and Jill, Chris and Paul and Jim and Tina from Ireland. Jim and Tina had their share of problems and I look forward to their reprt also. I know I have left something out but that is the way it goes.
J.D.
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