Now, this isn't gonna be your typical trip report, the main reason being that I'm not your typical tourist traveler to SXM. My family is from the Island, so I've been here many times, but this is the first time I've been there as a full grown adult with my own car <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> (woohoo.) With that intro, let me begin.

First, thanks to ALL of you on this board for your posts. I don't post too much, but when I did, I usually got great, prompt answers. And not to single them out, but Ed and Sandra, you guys have no idea how helpful your travelouge was.

You might think, if you're from the island, why would you need a travelouge! Ahhh! Because, my parents would shuttle us kids from one relative to another <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />, usually visiting only Friars Bay and eating at Bar de la Mer (back in it's hey day). So, knowing how important food is to me, my husband, brother and his wife and my sister, I took Ed and Sandra's recommendations to heart. These are obviously two people who know and love food. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

Ok, I'm going to start for real.

FOOD -

I stayed at my parents house in Colombier, so most of the restaurants we chose were in Grand Case. Not a big fan of all the damn traffic on the island. I can honestly say, I had not one bad meal in my 2 week stay!

L'Auberge Gourmand (and forgive my misspellings). Absolutely lovely. This was the best lobster I had on the island. Sat on the porch and people watched as we all stuffed ourselves silly. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

L'Alabama. Another great meal. The whole family (including my parents) went to this one here. I had the stuffed chicken with a sauce that still brings tears to my eyes. Great service, my dad was in heaven with his specially ordered dessert, and an overall great experience.

La Spiga. We spent our last night in St. Martin at La Spiga. We decided to treat my parents to dinner, since they housed and fed 5 adults and one baby for 2 weeks! I know that Ed and Sandra had such nice things to say about this place, but even I wasn't prepared for what was my best dining experience on the island. From the decor, to the service, to the food (OH THE FOOD), I will be going back to this place every trip. And more than that, my DAD will. My parents don't eat out much...they cook, have people over, visit family. But they so loved this place, they will definitely be back. Laura was an absolute delight. When she saw the name on my credit card, she asked if I was related to so and so...turns out that my cousin is a frequent visitor to her restaurant, which started a long conversation about our connections to SXM. She's truly a delight, and I HIGHLY recommend Spiga. Oh, and if you're kinda full after dinner, but still want dessert, get the passion parfait. Perfectly light, sweet and delicious! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

Hot Tomatos in Simpson Bay. The hubby and I decided to go out alone, and try this place. Not sure why is was so empty. I thought the food was great, and the service fantastic.

Il Naturo (or Nutinno or something - I am honestly drawing a blank!). That doesn't mean that the food wasn't great. We had a great meal there and the view of Anguilla at night can't be beat.

Other food mentions. Le Bounty - my brother had made this a must stop on his last trip to SXM and I see why. Their baguettes can't be beat along with their great cheese and wine selection. Sis and I went to Talk of the Town for lunch. Great food, johnny cakes to rival mom's (just kidding mom, yours is still the best). Scavenger's Beach Bar - can't say enough about this place. Ate here 3 times, and every time was better than the last. The Scavenger is my new favorite drink, and Ian (the Chairmon) is one of the nicest people we've met!

BEACHES

As I said earlier, in my previous yearly trips to SXM, Dad always took us to Friars. Guess cuz it's closest to home. I love Friars (it was the first beach we went to this trip), it's a great beach, but it was sure nice to visit some others!

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Umbrella.gif" alt="" /> DAWN BEACH - my new favorite. Spent 3 days there. Don't know if it's the beach bar or the beach itself, but me and my family just loved this beach. Even my dad loved it!

LE GALLION - great beach for ppl who aren't good swimmers(uh, like me) or for kiddies. It's also a great beach for walking. I thought this was one of the most beautiful beaches and the restaurant on the beach makes some of the best (and strongest) frozen drinks on the island.

MULLET - The waves were out of control! My husband had a great time body surfing. I prefered to go in about waist deep and let the waves crash over me. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drown.gif" alt="" /> Had a great lunch here too.

OTHER EXCURSIONS. We took two trips to Anguilla. The first trip we visited family in Meads Bay and walked to the beach for a few hours. Heaven. This beach is so pristine. I wonder if they're going to tear down the dolphin prison when they build that new resort? Seems to be a lot of building going on, but I was still struck by how undeveloped Anguilla is. Hope it stays that way.

My hubby and I took a second trip because I felt like he didn't see any of the island. We took a quick cab ride around, visited Cuisinart and Cap and then headed to Shoal Bay where we ate a great lunch at Elodias and allowed Sand Gravity to take hold. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Umbrella.gif" alt="" /> As I noticed at every beach except Le Gallion, the surft was rather ruff, but still delightful.

Pic Paradise - we drove to Pic Paradise (yes, the first time I'd gone there). That road up is crazy! What do you do if two cars are approaching? There's no room! Anyway, once we made it to the top, we parked (saw the broken glass from someone's car) and walked to the lookout. GREAT view. Got scared to death by another couple. They took our picture and off we went to Loterie Farm. We decided to take the unguided hike to the top. It's not for the faint of heart. It's pretty steep up in some places, but so worth it. The view from the top is amazing. I could see my parents house in Colombier. The hike down is easier, but not easy...I had visions of my slipping and twising my ankle. After the hike, we returned to Hidden Forrest Cafe only to find out that they stopped serving lunch. So we drank instead and chatted up the workers (who we saw out later that nite at Bliss). <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> Next trip, I'll eat lunch here.

Random observations. I noticed that there are less stray dogs. Looks like the humane society is doing a good job! Don't get me wrong, there are still lots of dogs and cats, but I just remember what it used to be like, and it's better.

Traffic...S*CKS! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" /> It took us 1 1/2 hours to get from the car rental to my parents house! That's insanity! That's rediculous! And that's why i kept my butt on the French side for most of the trip.

Car Rental - used Unity for 2 cars. They were great, and will rent from them again. Got a flat tire one nite, and they replaced it the next day.

Time share people. Now, I know that these folks need to make a living, and that they work on commission. But seriously, NO MEANS NO. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/duel.gif" alt="" /> What don't they understand about this? My parents LIVE on the island. Why the heck would I want a time share? And WHY would I spend 60 minutes of my valuable time indoors when the weather was so awesome? Granted, I did go to one presenation at Oyster Bay (If i didn't have family on the island, I would have bought it), but that was our first encounter with the time share people. I didn't realize that when I went to Phillipsburg they'd be all over us like flies on doodoo.

Anyway, I think that's really all I got. Hope some of my musings are helpful, or at least entertaining!

Angelface
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