I guess a late report is better than none at all. Time just slipped by after we returned home and then, before we knew it, we were off to Germany for our son’s wedding. Finally have returned from that trip as well, and am trying to get caught up on everything.

So, here is the summary of our May 19-27 trip to SXM.

Flights: Flew Continental (FF miles) from EWK. Flight on time with no problems. On the return trip we were delayed for about 2 ½ hours in EWK before returning home (CLE) – no flight crew! Finally arrived home around 2 a.m.

Car Rental: Rental, as before, from Marius at St. Louis Car Rental. Had a new Camry with very few miles on it and no problems. Marius was waiting for us at the airport and met us back at Sunset Beach Bar to return the car at the end of our stay.

Weather: VERY hot and humid. Even the locals were commenting on how unusually warm it was. By the end of our stay we finally had a slight breeze on OB. Also had a little rain one day on OB, but not enough to leave or even come out of the water.

Accommodations: This trip we decided to split our time between the Dutch and French sides of the island. The first half of our trip we stayed at Mary’s Boon. Staff, as always, was friendly and helpful. We stayed in one of the “new” beach front rooms (16). Very nice room and we loved the location. Only problems, which really didn’t detract from our stay, was a broken post on the bed which was never fixed during our stay and the fact that the bedspread and upholstered chair were sadly in need of replacement. These were obviously recycled from one of the older units.

The second half of our stay was at Alamanda on Orient Beach. Again, a very nice property, although we would not want to stay in our specific room (108) again. Our patio (pool view) was directly across from the café and every time we walked outside it felt like we were welcoming any restaurant guests into our room. A different room location would have been better, but again, not a big issue.

Beaches: Spent time on Simpson Bay, Orient, Cupecoy, Friar’s and Dawn. Enjoyed them all.

Breakfast: We enjoyed breakfast at a number of different places:

Zee Best (Simpson) - $23 for omelet and french toast, fresh OJ. Food pretty
much as we remembered from previous visits (good).

Sunset Beach Bar - $5 really goes a long way here. OJ brought to your table
(in an ice bucket). Place your order at the grill for cooked items and help yourself
to coffee and breads. A real bargain and pleasant atmosphere.

Pasanggrahan - Made an early Sunday morning visit to Philipsburg. Not much open (as expected), but stopped here for breakfast. First visit and very impressed. A beautiful setting right on the beach, $18.75 (tip included).

Sint Maarten Yacht Club – Arrived early, hoping to watch the bridge open and
boats go through, but found out that the opening was delayed until 9:30. Spoke to Neil for a moment and had a delicious breakfast.

Café Alamanda – Had a light breakfast here of OJ, coffee and basket of bread/
croissants. $10

L’Flottante – Always a favorite of ours. We were a little later than normal and
although we were told they had no ham, in a short while our ham/cheese
croissants were served! With 2 fresh OJ’s - $15.

Baywatch – What is a trip to St. Martin/Orient Beach without at least one trip to have breakfast with Andy? Excellent! $25 for toast/bacon, eggs, sausage, hash
browns, toast and mimosas.

Lunch:

Baywatch – Actually ate here several times. Always excellent food and service.

Cupecoy – Had both the chicken and ribs. Not bad for the price ($10), although
no sides included.

Ms. B’s – Had to stop by while we still could. Split a rib dinner and 2 beers ($15). Excellent meal and value. Also included a visit to Scavenger’s for a “farewell”drink and to pick up some souvenirs. We’ll miss this one when it’s gone.

Pedro’s - Many years ago this was our first meal on OB. Always try to stop
back at least once. This time it was for ribs and a hot dog, 1 beer, 1 water. $20

Sunset Beach Bar – Lunches were as good as breakfast! Especially the last day
when we met our friends for a last lunch/drink. We watched our plane land, then
they dropped us off at the airport.

Dinner:

Pizza Pasta – Good food – gnocchi and penne/sausage, 2 beers, $34. They do not
accept credit cards.

Peg Leg Pub – Missed them last year, so this year it was a must. Food still good,
but service VERY slow. When meal finally arrived (2 filets), one was the wrong
size. Rather than wait another 45 minutes we just ate what was brought. $57

Pizza Gallery – Listening to advice from TTOL, a very worthwhile stop.
Excellent pizza and salad. Sitting outside was very warm with little to no breeze.

Appletree - Had met the owners, Horst and Heike, last year and wanted to stop by
to say hello. Went with another couple we had met previously on SXM (Tiko
Tiko trip). Good german food, and it was nice to chat with them. Total for 2 with
Drinks - $28.

Beau Beau’s – We were invited to the OBBR owner’s cocktail party. Very
pleasant evening. After the party we stayed for dinner – philly sandwich and
wrap, plus drinks - $25. Good food, beautiful location, a fun night.

Il Nettuno – Although we love Italian food, we have never tried this one before.
I don’t know why, and I’m sure it won’t be our last visit. There was no 1:1
exchange, and the meal came to $80. Excellent food with large portions: fried
mozzarella, veal parmesan, veal stuffed ravioli with tomato/mushrooms, 2 drinks,
1 water. After dinner we went to Bistrot Caraibes for crème brulee and
coffee/baileys. No 1:1 exchange. $27 included complimentary ginger rum.
Timed it just right as they were closing for vacation at the end of the week.

Bikini Beach – Probably our most disappointing meal of the week. Service
very slow (even for island time) and food mediocre. Maybe it was just too hot
as there was still no breeze. One chicken caeser salad and one chicken, rice and
vegetables – very bland. $59. Stopped in Orient Village for ice cream and to
watch the locals play bocce.

Spiga – Had wanted to try here earlier in the week, but found they are closed on
Tuesday. Probably our best meal of the trip. They did offer 1:1 exchange ($75).
Had 2 glasses of wine, mixed greens salads, gnocchi with spinach/gorgonzola
cream sauce and crepe duo (one ricotta/spinach and one veggie – baked). After
dinner we walked to Calmos to enjoy our last evening on the beach and then a
short stop at Orient Village on the way back to Alamanda.

Miscellaneous

. Shopping at the Marigot market Saturday morning. Went early before it got too hot or crowded. Found what we were looking for immediately (something for a friend back home), a quick stop at Lipstick for perfume and then on our way to Layla’s. Enjoyed a relaxing drink here after the shopping. Beautiful setting.

.Stopped in to see one of our favorite bartenders from SSBB – Corrina – who now works at Hot Tomatoes (thanks for the info, Neil).

.Stopped at Cliffhanger after our visit to Cupecoy. Beach much nicer here – no rocks and plenty of sand.

.Sat through a travel club sales pitch on Sunday morning in Phillipsburg. Didn’t buy, but it was nice to get out of the hot sun for a while.

.Visited with Luiz for a bathing suit – very pleased with the result. He is a truly remarkable person. Suit was ready the next day as promised.

.Full moon party at Kali’s on Friar’s beach. Had heard much about this one, but had never timed it right before. Arrived around 10:30 and stayed only until shortly after midnight, but at least we can say we experienced it! One round of drinks (for 4), plus a large water - $40.

.Enjoyed happy hour at the Perch numerous times.

.Relaxed at the hotel pools most days once we returned from the beach/before dinner.

.Upon arrival at Alamanda our room was not yet ready. We decided to wait on the beach (Kakao) where chairs are included with your stay. As we were expecting to meet friends at Club O after we checked in, Frank decided to walk down to see if they were on the beach. As he was removing his swimsuit, the beach boy immediately asked him to put it back on – this was not a “nude” sunbathing section! Although he was planning to immediately walk down to Club O, rather than make a fuss he dressed and then undressed just past Kakao’s section of the beach!

.Our room at Mary’s Boon came with our own personal watch dog, Sadie. She seems to have “adopted” the end three units as her territory. Very friendly to residents, but doesn’t want any other strays on “her” turf. As I was missing my dog from home, I loved it, but others may not.

.Stopped by Aqua for a quick look. Very nice. Had an opportunity to meet Bevan who gave us the “grand tour” and shared his plans for this location. A charming man, and although we did not utilize his Caribbean VIP service we wish him well here.

All in all a very relaxing trip. Not too many side trips or new adventures. One exception in the adventure department. On Friday, our first full day on the beach, just after lunch at Baywatch, I was overcome by the heat – we suspect heat exhaustion. Both Cheryl and Adrian were absolutely wonderful in providing plenty of ice and water to get me cooled off, and their concern was evident even as we occupied one of their tables during the busy lunch hour. If it had to happen, I guess we were in the right place to get good help.

Guess I’ve rambled on long enough. As usual, we don’t have a specific date to return to SXM, but that’s OK. We know that someday we will and until then we have our memories and others’ stories here on TTOL.

Frank/MJ