Trip Report 4/18 to 4/27 <br><br>Wed 4/18 – Our 10:10AM US Air flight from Philly was on time and Budget was there to meet us at the airport. After a short shuttle ride to Budget’s office the first good thing happened to us. Our car was not available and we were upgraded to a SUV for no additional charge. After 10 minutes we were on our way with the sunroof open headed toward Club O. We arrived at 3:30PM dropped our luggage and clothes and walked from Mini Suite #162 to the beach and plopped. At 5:30 we went over to Papagayo’s for their Wed night Wine & Cheese Party. We met some people there from last year (Madie and Harry from Calgary & Painter Steve and wife Cathy from Nova Scotia) plus some new arrivals. Dinner was Hamburger La Fromage for me and a salad for Ann. Due to flight day and practically little anxious sleep the night before we just crashed for the evening hoping to shake the colds we brought with us.<br><br>Thur 4/19 – Awoke at our usual 6:30AM and after making and downing a pot of coffee it was off to the beach and the ritual 1 ½ mile walk down Orient Beach and back. We saw the beach erosion in front of Pedros and walked up and over it through Pedro’s both ways. After setting up on the beach for a long day of catching rays I spotted a TTOL Flag attached to the yellow umbrella. Of course we trekked over to see who was in town and lo and behold we met the legendary Contessa and her beautiful friends LeAnn, Robin and her daughter Stacy parked by the Perch. Delightful people and we made a habit of stopping by daily and chatting with them. We noticed that Papagayos did not have their roaming waitress this year since I had to make several trips to the bar to quench our thirst. After a full day in the sun it was off to US Import/Export Supermache in Sandy Ground for vital supplies – rum,rum,rum oh yes milk, rum ,rum,water rum,rum,juice,rum,rum. Then it was on to Chillis for dinner –so we thought. Arrived at Chillis around 8:00PM and we were seated right away, however right behind us were groups of people coming in and we noticed the Matre D and the waiter were one and the same catching Chilis completely understaffed for the amount of tables occupied. After waiting 20 mins for someone to take our drink order we just left. While heading into Marigot we stopped at Village Pizza and ordered a pie. Two nights in one of the gastronomical capitals of the world and I had hamburger and pizza. Back to our unit and bed with another battle against our colds.<br><br>Fri – 4/20 We took our morning walk greeting all that we passed by. Breakfast was take out croissants from L’Orientique and then back to the beach. Again we chatted with Contessa and friends and met Whalema_Jeff from this board. We also socialized with Liz and Roland from Phoenix, who we met at the Wine & Cheese party and made a date for Cheri’s that evening. Scared off by negative food reports we decided to eat first at LaRosa behind Cheri’s. The service was excellent but because our taste buds were losing the battle with the cold virus we could not judge the food, although Liz and Roland said the meal was good.<br><br>Sat – 4/21 Same routine. Ritual walk and greeting, take out from L’Orientique and beached for the afternoon. This night we stayed at Papagayo’s for their excellent prime rib and fun entertainment. There was a lively crowd there to dance and sing and everyone had a great time. Although the place was packed, Jack the new manager, jumped in and waited tables and his management has made a big difference in service time and quality compared to last year. Kudos to you Jack.<br><br>Sun – 4/22 We attempted our daily walk and made it as far as the big rock half way down the beach when the wind kicked up to a sustained gust and it rained. We immediately turned back to Club O facing the wind and rain and what a walk it was. The wind blew the rain so hard that it actually stung. We barely made it back to Pedro’s where we took shelter behind their plastic windscreen until the storm was over. The wind kept up all day and with the heavy cloud cover made sitting on the beach chilly. We returned to our unit early and prepared for the TTOL Party at SSBB. The weather was a lot better by this time and all had a good time. I finally met Neil Rooney who was partying with the crowd and chatted with him about his expansion plans. The bulldozers were coming the next day to start clearing the way. We also met Paul Z and his wife, Jamie, Whalema_Jeff and many more who we embarrassingly forgot their names. Contessa reigned supreme at the party resplendent with her tiara. After the party we joined Contessa,LeAnn,Robin and Stacy for dinner at Talk of the Town in Grand Case where we practically closed the place down. Dinner and drinks were $10 PP. So far we are well under our dining budget on this trip.<br><br>Mon - 4/23 We attempted another walk but it started to rain and we did not want a repeat of yesterday. We went to the Marigot Marina Royalle for breakfast at La Crotierre (sp?) and some shopping then on to Match to re supply then back to Club O. A lot of exercise today running from the beach back to our unit due to the frequent heavy rain showers and accompanying high winds. I think the best place to go in this situation is in the water where it is warmer and you’re wet anyway. Later that evening another TTOL Party was taking place at Bikini Beach however we did not arrive until 8:00PM and the party was over. We did hear that Contessa abdicated her crown to a six-year-old boy who was celebrating his birthday and had designs on her tiara. As a gracious <br>Queen she bequeathed her crown to the boy and it made his night. <br>Back to bed to again battle our colds.<br><br>Tues – 4/24 Finally we are able to resume our morning walk and greetings. We stopped by to see Contessa and friends and she introduced us to FunCouple from this board and the great Jack Rinaldi aka Mr. St Martin. Both Contessa and Jack know how to throw a beach party. Paul Z and wife were there also. Hey Jack, what was that concoction you made with the iced tea? Barely made it back to my chaise only to discover Ybrenner from this board strolling up the beach with his lovely wife Paula. We had made plans via email to meet the week before but never found each other till now. That evening we met Burl & Debbie from Montana and Terry and Kim from Kansas City at the happy hour and partied all night. Papagayos had a good local band and a lively crowd that formed a looong naked conga line snaking around the restaurant. Lots of fun and laughs. <br><br>Wed – 4/25 After our morning walk it was take out again from L’Orientique and then down to the beach for some strenuous elbow bending with Contessa, Jack and gang. This being Contessa’s last full day the party was in full swing. At the end of the day it was sad to say goodbye to Contessa, LeAnn, Robin & Stacy since Ann and I enjoyed their company and they are such fine people. I truly hope that we meet up in SXM or anywhere again. This was also our second Wine and Cheese Party this trip and it is always a good occasion to meet new people. After the party it was off to the Marina in Marigot for dinner at Le Galleon – standard fare at reasonable prices.<br><br>Thurs – 4/26 Our last full day and it started as usual with our walk and then we went out to breakfast at Rancho Del Sol above Orient Bay. Standard fare and reasonable here but the view and atmosphere were outstanding. We will definitely have breakfast here more often on future trips. After breakfast we rode over to the Ma Doudou Factory and stocked up on the Banane Vanile Rum plus a couple of bottles of Vanilla extract for baking and a bottle of Baj bardi their aphrodisiac rum with the bark in it. Taste test and result for future report. There was a big empty spot by the Perch where Contessa reined and we missed her and her friends. I rented a waverunner with Burl and Terry and we roamed Orient Beach, Pinel and Green Key. Spotted two barracuda’s around Green Key. In the middle of the day only eight couples in front of Blue Bay. I heard they will be closing in Sept and offering to sell as condos. Our last night we spent at Papagayos.<br><br>Fri – 4/27 Our last morning and back to the routine of the walk and take out breakfast (croissants). I settled affairs at L’Orientique & Papagayos and told Jack what a positive difference he has made there. We relaxed under a palm tree in front of Papagayos with Ybrenner and wife until it was time to leave. Returning our SUV to Budget was a breeze and our flight left and arrived home on time.<br><br>Observations <br><br>The Island – Cleaner and greener than last year. We noticed a lot more flowers also. <br><br>Roads – Like driving an obstacle course. Those minibikers are reckless and a menace. Traffic during the night was not bad at all.<br><br>People – On The Friendly Island, the friendliest people we met were fellow tourists and TTOL’ers. Although we spent 95% of our time in the French side, we felt the Dutch side to be more hospitable.<br><br>Club O - allows the plaid/black soxers to plop down fully clothed in groups around its naked guests for their viewing pleasure. They also allow day-trippers, with their own umbrellas and chairs, to set up by the shore in front of paying guests.<br>Suggestion – Club O should set up a visiting area for the plaid/black soxers so they can gawk and point from a distance or acclimate to their surroundings. The day-trippers should not be allowed to bring their own chairs and umbrellas to block the view of the guests. Since they are allowed to park for free and have free access to the beach, at least they should pay Niko for the orderly use of chairs and umbrellas like the guests.<br><br>Time – It passes much too quickly here.<br><br>Crime – None while we were there but the week before according to our friend Frenchy the artist, a family driving down Grand Case Blvd bumped another car and the occupants jumped out and pulled the family out of their car and administered a severe beating to the husband and assaulted his wife in front of their screaming children. Not a soul among the throngs walking and dining lifted a finger to help.<br><br>Sand Gravity – We had heard of this disease last year as we scurried all over the island trying to see and do everything in 1 week but we caught it this year. We just could not get off Orient Beach and do all the things we planned to do this year even though we were down for 10 days. I guess next year we will stay for 2 weeks. <br><br> <br><br> <br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 4/30/01 03:51 PM.</EM></FONT></P>