SXM Trip Report
June 7 – 15, 2005

Tuesday, June 7

Finished up our two-week bareboat sailing trip in the BVI’s and USVI’s and grabbed a LIAT flight out of Tortola over to St Maarten. FYI, had a GREAT time just “cruising” the BVI’s and USVI’s on our Colorado neighbor’s 47-foot catamaran – I highly recommend it. We were good crewmembers so hopefully, they’ll ask us back again.

As usual, Marius, of St Louis Car Rental was there to meet us with a smile and another fine car. A friendly handshake from me, a hug from Joan and some minimal paperwork and we were on our way toward L’Hoste. But screwed up again and drove through Simpson Bay and Cole Bay – THE TRAFFIC WAS HORRIBLE – worst we’ve EVER seen it, but kind of expected it from all of the posts about how bad it was getting. Should have gone through Terre Basse. Took us a while to get to L’Hoste but finally made it into the parking lot (after a quick stop at The Bounty in Grand Case for some fois gras, wine, cheese, etc. where Dominique greeted us with a “bon jour, welcome back again”). Agnes’ greeted us at the front desk at L’Hoste with her usual friendly smile and escorted us up into our room within minutes. A little unpacking and then a quick walk to the beach (just to make sure it was still there. It was. As we usually do, grabbed dinner that night at Le Fish Bar – heck, it’s quick, the food is good, it’s reasonably priced and it’s a short walk from L’Hoste. Stopped by Tap Five for some ice cream on the way back to the room and bumped into “Nautical Joe” and Lynn along with their crowd who were eating pizza. We both crashed fairly early, tired from our full day of traveling.

Wednesday, June 8

I was up early as usual and headed out for my first morning walk on O.B. – now I’m REALLY back in St Martin! Back to the room and then down for our morning breakfast enjoying the wonderful fresh-baked French breads and pastries, fresh fruits, and that good, dark, rich French coffee that they always have ready early in the morning down by the pool under the cabana. Back to the room, greased up and headed for Orient Beach. Stopped by to tell Andy hello and then headed for the chairs at Club O. Spent the whole day just chillin’ on the beach and renewing old acquaintances and meeting new ones. A great, beautiful day on O.B. Went to BayWatch for lunch because Andy had told us that the fresh scallops had just arrived and we just can’t resist Andy’s beer-battered scallops – we weren’t disappointed. It was good seeing Andy, Cheryl, Adrian and Ross again and we chatted with them and caught up on “the news”. Told Cheryl that “I was mad at her” for being open. If you remember, we had initially tried to schedule the Friday TTOL party there at BayWatch but Cheryl had told us that they would be closed for the first two weeks in June for the kitchen renovation. Of course, two days before they were to close, Andy decided to stay open and instead, close in August. We were disappointed that we weren’t able to have the party there, on the beach, but, on the other hand, glad that they were open so that we could “hang” there each day for lunch and enjoy the friendly conversation. BayWatch sure does add a lot of ambiance to the O.B. experience, doesn’t it? Left the beach and drove in to check out things at the BBB for the upcoming TTOL party on Friday night – “tested” their shooters to be sure they were OK. What the heck, since we were that close, we stopped by Peg Leg’s for dinner. Shawn greeted us with a hug and set us up at a table of our choice. As usual, the filets were wonderful. Joan had on her TTOL T-shirt and Jack (the owner) saw her and came up and we had a nice conversation. What great service and food for a very reasonable price. For those of you who haven’t tried it, don’t miss Peg Leg’s folks – it’s a good choice.

Thursday, June 9

Decided to go in today and do some shopping and exploring. Nothing in particular but just drove around Simpson Bay, Marigot, etc., visiting shops and so on. Looked at an apartment at one of the new construction sites but decided “not” to decide on anything. Would LOVE to have some kind of permanent place on St Martin but it’s still in the thinking stages and don’t know if it will ever happen. Returned to O.B. in the afternoon for a little beach time. That evening, the MONSOONS came – have NEVER seen it rain so hard for so long a time on SXM. The lightning snapped and the thunder rumbled and the lights at L’Hoste went on and off about 4 or 5 times, but each time for only a minute or so. Had the flashlight and candles out but really didn’t need them. The television did “die” though. Tried to wait it out but it just kept coming. Decided to run over to Tap Five with towels over our heads for a pizza that we took back to the room just before another downpour began. Read in the next day’s paper where it was the most rain St Martin had received since February, 2004. The roads were even “more” of a mess for a couple of days with dirt, potholes, standing water, etc.

Friday, June 10
(The day of the TTOL party)

Woke up to a very dreary day with clouds and sprinkling rain. This continued throughout the morning and into the afternoon. We thought, “Oh hell, there goes the party”. Drove to Marigot and cruised the shops at Marina Royale and had lunch there. Then back to the room to get ready for the party – still drizzling rain. Packed up the party stuff and drove to the BBB and glory be, the sun was out and the skies were blue with only light clouds. Could it be we just might “luck out” on this? Folks began to show up around 5:00 PM and by 7:00 PM, we had a large group of friends enjoying the party. Met lots of new people and renewed some old friendships. Neil had set up the “toilet shooter” on the bar and everyone (at least most everyone) sampled the shots from the commode. Neil also cooked up some sausage for the group and everyone seemed to have a great time mixing and talking and drinking and eating. We had 64 nametags made up and we wound up with only 14 left after it was all said and done so looks like we had about 50 folks who enjoyed the party. Thanks to all who showed up and made this a good TTOL party. After snacking and drinking at the party, we just heading back to the room, snacked on our fois gras and cheese and crashed for the night. It started raining again during the night. Were we LUCKY with the weather for the party or were we REALLY lucky? Look for the party pictures on SXM Photos 2 sometime in the next week or so.


Saturday, June 11

Another dreary day but it cleared up enough during the afternoon and the sun came out and we were able to get in some quality beach time – half a day anyway. Dinner that night was at the LoLo, “Talk of the Town” in Grand Case. A little disappointed because the ribs were very dry. Other than that, the chicken and side dishes were good (as was the Carib’s of course).

Sunday, June 12

Decided to go to church this morning and went to our Lady of the Sea, the Catholic Church in Grand Case. It was a really nice mass with lots of singing and camaraderie. One of the senior members of the congregation was celebrating her 77 birthday and the choir sang “happy birthday” to her. We all gathered after mass and wished her a personal happy birthday. Saw Tom and Evelyn, our TTOL friends from Austin, TX. Then back for a day hanging out at the beach at Club O.


Monday, June 13

Decided to explore some other beaches today. Left the hotel and started toward Marigot and the traffic was backed up and barely moving. So decided to turn off at Friar’s Bay and let the traffic subside. Took the walk over the hill to Happy Bay and who do we run into again but Tom and Evelyn. Spent an hour or so there just enjoying the beach and water and then headed back to the car. Drove through Marigot and stopped at Bay Rouge. It wasn’t crowded but it was very, very warm – OK, let’s be truthful, it was sweltering and there was NO breeze. Even a Carib under an umbrella didn’t provide much of a cooling off sensation. Packed up from there and headed to Cupecoy. Walked down and found a nice little cove and spent some time there swimming and sunning – the water was awesome. From there it was off through Simpson Bay, through Phillipsburg and on toward Dawn Beach for a late lunch at Scavenger’s. The new construction is something to see but I’m not sure if I really like it. Talked to Mike, the owner at Scavenger’s and he tells me that September will be the “last gasp” for Scavenger’s. Too bad, because it’s a great little beach bar that’s fun to visit and hang at. Plus, their burgers are not to be missed. If you’re going to be on SXM between now and September, better make a “last visit” to Scavenger’s before it’s gone for good. Mike showed us a picture of the proposed hotel and it’s absolutely huge. Sure will change the look of Dawn Beach forever.

That evening, decided to drive back to Oyster Bay to have dinner at Le Fregate (and yes, the spelling of “Fregate” is as it is on the menus). We were warmly greeted by Martiene, the owner and waitperson, who is just a delightful lady with a wonderful personality and really makes you feel welcome. This was probably our fourth or fifth visit to her establishment and she remembers us each time. Joan ordered the mixed seafood grill that she said was excellent and included fish, shrimp and scallops and - she could hardly finish it all. I, as usual, ordered the veal and pasta, which I dearly love – two large, tender veal medallions with a brown mushroom gravy sauce to top the pasta. A couple of glasses of the house wine accented the meal nicely. The portions are very generous so dessert was not an option for either of us. The pricing is also quite reasonable. We both recommend Le Fregate most highly. Martiene will treat you royally.

Tuesday, June 14

Our last (or so we thought) full day in St Martin. Again, just chose to chill down at Club O. Beautiful sunny day. Lunch at BayWatch one last time. Dinner was in Grand Case at L’Escapade which was absolutely excellent. We started by sharing the fois gras appetizer - three different types of fois gras with toast wedges beautifully presented. We both thought it was outstanding. For the entrée, Joan had the beef filet and I had the veal filets, which were both wonderfully prepared and presented. A house pinot noir complemented both meals nicely. The setting, overlooking the water was breathtaking even though it was a little cloudy that evening. Can’t say enough about the excellent service. All of the young ladies at L’Escapade were so very friendly and professional at their jobs. All in all, a wonderful culinary experience – we recommend it highly.

Wednesday, June 15

Unfortunately, our departure day had arrived. A last early morning walk along the beach was obligatory, of course. Then breakfast one last time under the cabana at the pool at L’Hoste. We checked out at 11:00 AM and headed for the airport with the intention of checking in early for our flight and then doing some running around until time for our scheduled boarding time of 2:50 PM. When we arrived at the airport at about noon, we were told that our 3:32 PM American Airlines flight from SXM to Miami had been cancelled due to “technical” difficulties with the aircraft – quite a surprise to say the least. American had rescheduled us for the next day for the same flight. They issued us a voucher for a one nights stay at the Maho Sonesta near the airport along with dinner and breakfast vouchers and two vouchers for taxi fare to and from the hotel. OK, since we’re retired and flexible, we can stand another day/night in SXM. Just wish we’d have known earlier so that we could have had a full beach day. Checked in at the Maho and then walked down to the SSBB about 4:30 PM and watched the other planes landing and taking off. The wind had died completely so Air France decided to take off to the west and came right over us. Let me tell you, that aircraft used every bit of that runway and didn’t rotate until it appeared that there was just a few hundred feet left – quite a sight. Then the “Crab Man” came around and we bought chances on the “crab race”. Joan’s crab was dead when he dumped them out of the bucket so her crab “finished” last. Back to the Maho for the buffet dinner while listening to the steel band. Nice evening but the food left something to be desired. After L’escapade the night before, guess we shouldn’t have had such high expectations.


Thursday, June 16

Checked out of the hotel at 11:00 AM and headed for the airport to check in. Left there and headed for the Cole Bay Harley Davidson shop to buy a T-shirt for our friend who is picking us up at the airport. Stopped by Ric’s for lunch (good burgers) and watched some of the U.S. Open on the big screen. Then on to the airport and checked in. Bumped into Mike & Julie, Jim, Tom, Jim and Hazel in the gate waiting area and had ice cream and a Carib and just spent the time visiting. Our departure for Miami was right on time and the 757 wasn’t crowded at all. Had plenty of room to stretch out. The landing in Miami left a lot to be desired – didn’t know a 757 could hit the ground so hard without collapsing the landing gear – we must have bounced 10 feet before the right wing came back down again. The Miami airport never ceases to amaze us. Was there any future site plan consideration when they laid this monster out? Didn’t think we’d EVER get to the passport offices. Finally did and whisked right on through. Then it was a wait for the bags. They finally showed up and there was no problem getting through customs. But then you find out that you’ve left the secure area and you have to go through the TSA check all over again. I’ll bet that between our deplaning on the SXM to Miami flight and our arrival at our connecting flight departure gate, we must have been asked for our boarding passes and passports 6 different times by six different people (and I’m not talking about the “official” customs officers). I’m all for security but this is ridiculous. Our flight out to New Orleans was scheduled to leave at 8:30 PM so we finally made it to the gate area. But our 8:05 boarding time comes and goes and guess what, the flight attendant crew failed to show up so we couldn’t board the plane until a new, standby crew was called in. Which took until about 9:15 PM. So we finally get to board the plane and now what happens? A thunderstorm hits the airport and we get to sit on this packed 737 for 2 hours because they had to close the ramps. Understand, I don’t want to take off during a thunderstorm either but, had the flight crew been on time, we’d have beaten the storm by 45 minutes. Finally we got to leave the Miami airport and arrived into New Orleans at about 12:30 PM instead of the scheduled 9:30 PM. And our arrival was accompanied by another landing that threatened to blow out the tires and/or landing gear. Don’t know what was with the pilots on these two flight segments but they need a little brush up on flaring out their landings. OK, OK, enough already, suffice it to say it just wasn’t American Airlines finest performance (cancelled flight the day before, three hour delay today, semi-crash landings). At least it was on the RETURN flight where you don’t give a damn nearly as much as you do on the incoming SXM flight.

But all in all, a GREAT trip to SXM.

Again, thanks to everyone who made the TTOL party at the BBB on June 10th a success. We’ll have to do this again, maybe in November if we can swing a second trip this year. And thanks to all on this board who make being a TTOL’er such a wonderful experience.

Jerry & Joan <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />
Silverthorne, Colorado