PREFACE We were in St. Martin August 3-18, 2005. This trip was awesome, they just keep getting better.
Fifteen days can turn into an awfully long trip report, so here are just some highlights.
THE PLAN Last year we took our first vacation without the kids in 20 years. We went to St. Martin of course and we stayed at Club Orient for the first time. It was incredible. Within a few days of getting back we booked it again for this year.
Our plans changed. A few weeks before we left, Pam suggested to our son James (20) that he and his girlfriend Nicole (21), along with our daughter Kathleen (14), all join us in St. Martin. They weren't really interested. James and Nicole were working all summer between semesters at college and Kathleen was looking forward to some time with Mom and Dad away. Oh, well. About a week later, they all changed their minds and wanted to come!
We now had two parts to our trip. Pam and I would still stay at Club Orient for nine days, then the kids would join us for six more days. To do this, Pam and I would have to extend our vacation from nine days to fifteen, but we didn't mind.
We called Jim and Mary Ruos at
Caribbean Islands Travel Service Service (1-800-476-5849), a TTOL Sponsor, for our reservations again. They have always been great. We've used them for our reservations a few times before and even when things got a bit complicated for a trip a few years ago, their knowledge of Orient Beach accommodations made everything so easy. With our latest complications, we were glad we were using them again. Club Orient was still offering the "3 nights for the price of 2 Special" for me and Pam which can't be beat, but when the kids got there, we wanted a bigger place where we could all stay together.
Jim and Mary knew a number of places for the five of us right on Orient Beach and after weighing each of them, we decided to return to the Caribbean Princess Condos where we stayed three years before. Jim and Mary changed our dates at Club Orient and set us up at the Princess.
The Caribbean Princess is three buildings with twelve beachfront condos right on Orient between the Waikiki Beach Bar and Coco's. It's a beautiful place with two bedrooms, large living room with sofa bed, full modern kitchen with a nice deck and patio. There is a small pool with additional pool privileges at the Cap Caraibes Hotel next door and free beach chairs at Waikiki.
AIRLINES We checked airfares almost every day for the next ten months hoping to get a good deal. With just a few weeks to go, American Airlines dropped the fare from Newark, NJ with a connection in San Juan, PR. We wanted a non-stop, like the one Continental has from Newark, but that would have cost us a few hundred dollars more. We booked the non-refundable American flights. Wouldn't you know it? A few days later Continental dropped the non-stop fare to about the same price as the American flights through San Juan. Oh, well. At least we had flights and we were going.
When the kids decided to join us we got them booked on the Continental non-stop. Good for them. Then Pam and I paid the change fees to American Airlines and changed the date for our outbound flights.
The flights all worked out fine. Upon arrival in St. Maarten Pam and I were the first ones at Customs/Immigration. The kids were also first in line when they came down. I was proud.
On the return we breezed through Customs/Immigration in San Juan, but the kids, along with over a thousand other people, were delayed clearing in Newark due to a Customs Department computer problem. American Airlines lost one of our bags on our return to Newark and delivered it to the house about 24 hours later. Oh, well. We wish we could do carry-on only, but I doubt that will ever happen with us.
RENTAL CAR For the rental car, TTOL Sponsor Lesley Bruce (
bruce@sintmaarten.net ) at
Kenny's Car Rental Is The Man! The Best service, great price, wouldn't do it any other way. We sent him an email, he responded right away, and our car was set. Thank you Sir. Lesley Bruce was outside within five minutes of our arrival with our rental car and I had copies of all four of our drivers' licenses for him to speed up the paperwork. Good idea since James and Nicole were still in New Jersey and we wanted them to be able to drive the car when they arrived in nine days. Check out
http://www.kennyscarrental.com/. The car was the same white Corolla we had last year and even though it had one of the new style license plates, it had the same plate number as last year, "R2". We're pretty sure we had the same plate number three years ago also. Anyway, we liked "R2". Just like the droid in Star Wars, "R2" (Artoo) was our friend. Ready Artoo? Let's go!
CELL PHONE Last year we rented a cell phone from Sharon Harris (
queenofsxm2000@yahoo.com ) to keep in touch with the kids. We would do the same now. Another email, another quick response, and our phone was set. We knew the phone number ahead of time so we could tell those we wanted to keep in touch with. We picked up the phone from Sharon at the Royal Palm Hotel when we arrived and when we left we just dropped it off at the front desk there. Easy. Sharon has a new web site developing at
http://www.queenofsxm.com/ check it out.
The kids were able to call us from our house phone just fine, but we found out their Sprint cell phones could not make international calls. We'll get this fixed before next year's trip.
CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT First of all, the road getting to Club Orient is still awful. Maybe it's a little bit better than last year since parts of it were graded a little bit a long time ago, but it's still pretty bad.
Check-in at Club Orient put us in Mini-Suite #155. Not to be picky, but we would prefer to be in a Mini-Suite on the other side, that much closer to the beach. Since all the other Mini-Suites were taken, (and all the Studios were taken), we would have to wait a day to make a move. A lot of folks were checking out the next day. No problem. We weren't ready to unpack right away, we were ready for the beach! The next afternoon we would make the move to Mini-Suite #138, the same one we had last year, ("R2" remembers), which we were very happy with.
Check-in at the Caribbean Princess was also fast and easy. We were in the Princess Lauren condo this time with very easy access to the beach.
Check-out of both places went well. There were no surprise charges added at either place and the bills were actually lower than we expected.
GROCERY STORES When we arrived we stopped at Island Food Supermarket, a small place in Simpson Bay to get a case of water and a case of Carib and to my surprise Diet Pepsi, and in a few minutes we were on our way. We like the convenience of this little store. It's fast, easy, and friendly.
Club Orient's L'Orientique is a nice place with a good selection of most things. While staying at Club Orient, the convenience can't be beat. It was always fast and friendly. We would very often stop in for fresh breakfast items there which were simple, but so good. The only problem is they are only open from 8-5.
Tap 5 in Orient Village opens at 7am. They have a nice selection as well.
Food Express, Cole Bay, was the best stocked store we stopped at. We wish we would have gone there more often.
Match Supermarche in Howell Center stinks, literally. It's a big store, but they had few things that we wanted, parts of the store were flooded on a day with no rain, and the place stunk like rotting fish. We won't go there again.
We couldn't find Cuban Coffee anywhere. For no particular reason we just wanted to try some.
RESTAURANTS Baywatch was closed for the length of our stay for a nice upgrade to the kitchen, but Andy was there most days working with the crew. Andy and I are from the same place in New Jersey and knowing he would appreciate a taste of home, we brought him a Care Package from a fantastic Italian food store in our hometown. Andy was thrilled. He always took good care of us, it felt good to take care of him.
Papagayo makes a good burger, but regular dinners were just mediocre. Service was very slow and not attentive at all. Happy Hour from 5-6pm was good for drinks. The place closed for an upgrade near the end of our stay and we didn't mind at all. Let's hope it gets better when it reopens.
The Perch is a great place for Happy Hour 12:30-1:30, or for drinks anytime with good service. Willy was on vacation, but Jeremy and a few others did a fine job.
Pedro's was also doing construction on the kitchen, but stayed open cooking in a truck parked alongside. Burgers, ribs, chicken and drinks were all good. Service was ok.
We went to Tap 5 Pizza twice, once in and once to go. The pizza at Tap 5 is a Thin Crust, not what I'm used to, but it was good.
Tiko Hut on Orient Beach for burger and fajita. Ok, nothing special. There were no expectations here though.
The Blue restaurant on Pinel Island was so slow that we left without even getting a drink order in. That's ok, their prices were high.
On a day when we left the kids to themselves they went to Sunset Cafe at the Grand Case Beach Club. Their food was good, but they thought is was pricey. They'll learn.
Spiga was great. Fantastic meal with great service. Go there.
Talk Of The Town is one of our favorite places on the island. We went there a bunch including a take-out stop for ribs. The ribs are wonderful and a great deal. The lobster was just ok. The Ice Cream Lady at Talk Of The Town was on vacation the first day we were there, but she returned. Her home-made Coconut Ice Cream is So Good!
Il Nettuno is one of the finest Italian restaurants in the world. We go there on every trip. They were fantastic as always.
There is a new place on Grand Case Boulevard called G's Ice Cream and Snacks that had good live music outside a few times. It was interesting, but we didn't go in. We were always too full for snacks.
Friar's Bay Beach Cafe had good food. We had the Mahi-Mahi Kebob and the Grilled Tuna Steak. Some friends of our were almost over-charged for their food there the week before, so check the check there carefully.
We went to the Greenhouse in Philipsburg for lunch on a Margarita Monday. Great drinks, good food.
We made a stop at Zee Best in Simpson Bay Yacht Club for a very light second-breakfast snack. It was good. We'd return.
Buccaneer Beach Bar is a whole lot of fun. They have the best music and the best BBCs on the island, just what we would expect from a Neil Rooney establishment. Although we didn't meet Neil on this trip we still blame him for our good time there. We joined a TTOL Mini-Party there on Monday, August 15th and we raised our glasses in a toast to all those TTOLers who weren't there. Haha!
Pineapple Pete's in Simpson Bay was a great surprise for us. We weren't expecting more than an average burger joint, but once seeing the menu we had to test their skills. We went there twice. The Mahi-Mahi Fingers, Rum Jumbie Coconut Shrimp, Salmon Pasta with Vodka Sauce, and more were just incredible! Fantastic food, great service, good prices. Try something beyond the simple fare and we're sure you won't be disappointed.
Peg Leb Pub is also one of our favorite places that we go to on every trip. We went there twice again. The filet mignon is the best. One of the nights we went there was a Sunday and was Shawn's night off. Not to disappoint, he showed up anyway during our meal and came right up to us, shook hands, hugged and welcomed us back. He then stopped a every table to welcome the guests. He's quite the character, we really like him.
Sunset Beach Bar has changed a bit. There is a lower deck, televisions, live music, and airport control tower radio. They post airline arrival times on a surfboard there, but don't believe it, it's wrong info, whatever. The burgers and grouper are really good there and the service from the waitress we always had, Liz, from Chicago, was always great.
Cliffhanger Beach Bar makes a great drink called a Green Flash. Service from the bar was fine. We didn't eat there.
We wanted to try a new restaurant next to Temptation called Rare, or Dare To Be Rare. We've heard they'll be great, but they won't be open for a few more weeks. That one will have to wait for our next trip.
Danny was cooking great chicken and ribs at Cupeoy and he delivers food and drinks to you in your beach chairs. Very good.
Gus at Baie Rouge also made us some good ribs, burgers and such.
BEACHES The Club Orient Beach is our favorite by far. We had no trouble at all getting beach chairs any time of the day. There were usually two rows of chairs with lots of room left over and no crowding. The beach was always clean. Snorkeling was good. The rafts are so nice to relax on. The people you meet there are the nicest on the planet. If only someone would serve drinks to the beach chairs...
Waikiki gave us free use of beach chairs on Orient Beach while we stayed at the Caribbean Princess. They put out a lot of chairs, packed closely. They get a lot of cruise ship folks who drop and scatter an incredible amount of trash all over the place. The beach boys clean most of it up at the end of each day, but what a mess.
Just north of Waikiki, before you get to Coco's there is now a large drainage ditch dug inland from the beach with ugly water draining out. It's easy to get around it though.
We Went to Pinel Island again this year and went across to the Blue side. Closely packed chairs. Fairly clean. Nice water. Good Snorkeling. We snorkeled around to the back of the island and found the other beach there. It was a rocky hike back.
The kids went to LeGalion Beach and left right away reporting that the beach was full of trash.
The kids then went to the beach at the Grand Case Beach Club and enjoyed it.
The beach at Friar's Bay Beach Cafe was nice, but when we were there the sand was too hot to walk on.
Happy Bay is still incredibly beautiful. It's one of our favorites. It's getting crowded though. Most of the time there were four or five other people in sight. A sailboat came by stopping for lunch and a few more swam to shore for a short while. The path getting there over the hill doesn't seem as well worn as it used to be, but we attribute that to the rains increasing the lush greenery all over the island. It's fine with us.
When going to Happy Bay, make sure you take the turn from the main road just outside of Grand Case that has a sign for Friar's Bay Beach Cafe and not the road with the government sign for Friar's Baie that will take you to Kali's. On the beach there is now another large drainage ditch dug inland from the beach that is not so easy to cross. This effectively separates the beach into two separate sections reached by different access roads. Both roads are horrible, but take it slow and you'll make it.
Baie Rouge, another one of our favorites was just fine. The beach was clean. The snorkeling is great by the rocks on the right side. We had no trouble at all parking.
Cupecoy was the first beach we visited on the island 21 years ago. It's kind of special to us. It's much different now than it was then, but it's been holding up well lately. The new construction in the area is sure to change the place forever and we find that saddening.
The Maho Beach at the end of the runway has airplanes flying low over it, but that's about all you can say for it.
TIKO TIKO Pam and I did two Tiko Tiko trips this year. We did the Tiko Tiko trip to Tintamarre first. This was our third time taking this trip and we've already decided we'll do it again next time too. It's always fun. Philippe and Melanie are an outstanding crew. The sailing was nice, the drinks flowed well, the food was exceptional, the mud was so much fun, and the people you meet, well, that's the best part!
Eight days later we left the kids and took the Tiko Tiko Sunday trip around the island. Again Philippe and Melanie were outstanding. The sun was shining bright and the drinks were flowing. It was a counter-clockwise sail around the island stopping at Friar's to go ashore for lunch. The beginning of the trip was rather calm, smooth, and relaxing. As we were heading east, south of the island, Melanie warned us that the ride would get rougher and we may get wet if we stayed up front on the netting. Well, we weren't disappointed in the least. It got wet and wild for sure. Pam and I stayed up front on the netting the whole way to everyone's amusement getting sprayed, splashed and knocked around by the waves crashing on the front of the boat. A real "E Ticket" ride. It was a lot of fun.
SPUTTERS Many of you know Ric and Kathy Hetzel, the great folks who ran Ric's Place for years. Ric's Place has now been sold to the Lopez family who will continue to provide excellent food and great service at a reasonable price. That doesn't mean that Ric and Kathy will disappear into retirement. They have a new venture, unique on the island, known as Sputters.
Sputters is a brand new miniature golf course, the only one on the island. Not just any mini golf course, Sputters is Mini Golf St. Maarten style. First of all, Kathy is the Greeter, greeting all players with her wonderful smile. Ric makes sure everything runs smoothly. These are jobs they're both very good at.
The course is rather special, of course. The course obstacles relate to the charming Dutch and French character of the island. There is the Courthouse, the airport, the Eiffel Tower, the windmill, and more you'll have to see for yourself.
There is a comfortable deck overlooking the course where you can relax with $2 beers. Miniature Golf and $2 beers are a great combo, especially the way I play mini golf!
Sputters is in Simpson Bay across the street from Peg Leg Pub and Pineapple Pete's. They are open from 3-10 daily. Stop in for a round of mini golf and a round of beers. We had fun with both.
SHOPPING As much as we tried we couldn't keep away from a shopping trip to Philipsburg. They've done a nice job fixing up Front Street and the boardwalk/promenade area on the beach side.
A stop at DK Gems was a must. We met the incredibly lovely Deepti who is herself a gem. Speaking of gems, Pam came out with a beautiful Tanzanite, Opal, Diamond, and Gold bracelet that we all really love. We're already planning next year's purchase. Thank you Deepti, you're wonderful.
Pam had been wanting a new digital camera for a while and after seeing what some friends just purchased at Caribbean Camera Center on Front Street we had to go in. Pam ended up with a nice compact Nikon that we liked so much our son James bought the same camera for himself. The price wasn't really any better than the best price we could have gotten here, but that's what happens when you're on vacation in a buying mood.
CASINO For the first time in all our trips to St. Maarten we finally went into a casino. It was the Hollywood Casino. Just over an hour. A very modest loss after being up a bit. Ok, been there, done that too.
WEATHER We've only been to St. Martin in July, August, and September, and we've always had good weather.
The island was Greener than we ever saw it, no doubt due to the fact that it was Wetter than we ever had it. Although we had some short rain showers most days and probably every night, it never really got in our way.
This year we saw very few ants, however there were Lots of mosquitos. This certainly is also due to the rain.
MEDICAL The day after the kids arrived, a Saturday, our daughter Kathleen had a very sore throat and it sure didn't look good. I went through my notes and found that, just in case, I had printed out a post on TTOL by "RLM" recommending Dr. Datema in Simpson Bay Yacht Club. So, off we went to Simpson Bay Yacht Club. There we found the Medical Center, a nice, modern looking place that a doctor friend of ours would refer to as a "Doc In The Box". Dr. Datema was not in, but Dr. Buser was on duty. This was shortly after noon on a Saturday. After a short wait, Kathleen saw the doctor, got two prescriptions, and we strolled a few doors down to the Simpson Bay Pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled.
The doctor visit cost $35 and the pharmacy was $54.
Kathleen's throat started feeling better and so we all started feeling better.
Thank you RLM. Thank you TTOL.
PEOPLE This was the best part. We met a bunch of folks from TTOL, a bunch of folks from last year, folks from years before, and a bunch of new faces who we'll remember on our next trips. We always have so much fun with the people we've met on the island and we cherish the memories. We'd like to thank each and every one of you for enhancing our vacation. Thank you very much. We'll see you next time.
EPILOGUE We still love the place and we still want to go back.
Yeah, there were places we meant to go, things we meant to do, and people we wanted to spend more time with, but didn't get to. Too much Sand Gravity. Oh, well, we just gotta go back again!
Pretty soon I guess we'll call Jim and Mary at Caribbean Islands Travel Service and book for next year. I can't wait much longer. I need the Countdown.
Thanks to everyone on TTOL and everyone on the island.
See you in Paradise,
Bob & Pam <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Umbrella.gif" alt="" />
