Grab a sandwich and a drink, this may take awhile….also, this is my first trip report, so be kind!!

Trip report for our visit of April 8-15.

Flights
Flew US Airways through Charlotte on the way down without any issues, however friends traveling separately had two flights combined into one which meant that flight was oversold. Fortunately, they made it to CLT in time to join us on the flight to SXM.

Airport Arrival
Much better than our last visit. No lines at immigration, however it did take awhile for our luggage to make it to the baggage claim, but what the heck, at least we were on the island.

Rental cars
We rented three cars through Value Car Rental and had trouble with two of them. One went through three batteries during the trip and the other had overheating issues. On the bright side, when we called Value with the problems, they responded much quicker than we expected.

Villa
We stayed in a villa in the Orient area which turned out to be great. Easy access to the beach as well as privacy.

Beach
We pretty much were OB beach bums all week. Rented chairs at Bikini every day and let sand gravity take its toll. Found that the snack bar at Coco made great paninis so we hit that almost every day. The beach was great most of the time until the cruise ship buses hit. It is no wonder that the rest of the world hates Americans. They can take a nice laid-back atmosphere and turn it into a hectic “day at the shore” in no time.

Dinners
Our best laid plans to sample several restaurants got modified after long days in the sun. We went to Marigot one night and ate at La Brasserie and one night at Tiramisu in Maho. Both dinners were very good and not as expensive as some may lead you to believe. Other nights we opted for the quick and easy meals at Bikini and SSBB. Meals at both were good, but I have to say that the burgers at SSBB were excellent. Drinks at SSBB were a little higher than other places so I wouldn’t want to drink there every day, but it has a great atmosphere (the reggae band was great).

Misc
- We were lucky enough to be in SXM during a full moon for the 2nd time, so we went to Friar’s Bay for the Full Moon Party. It was better 3 years ago. The band this year was not really a reggae band, more of a cover band with a little island flavor. It also rained most of the night, which put a damper on the festivities. We almost got parked-in, as they have no real parking plan and most people do the “free-style” parking move.

- This was our first visit during high season and the traffic was much worse than in July ’03. In spite of the volume, it seemed to flow pretty well. The only real bad area is in the Simpson Bay area, especially where you turn up the hill toward Phillipsburg.

- Shopping was not as crowded as we had worried about. Even though there were several cruise ships in port, the streets were OK to walk around on. Also, being able to drink a beer while shopping is a great stress reducer. The wives got diamond earrings and we were rewarded with “free” beer from the jeweler. Of course that turned out to be the most expensive beer on the trip!

- Parasailing was a blast. This was our 1st time and we regret not having done it on our last trip. If you are worried about getting motion-sick, don’t worry, it is as smooth a ride as you’ll ever experience.

- Tiko Tiko cruise was booked all week so we couldn’t go on it until our next to last day there. Even though it rained part of the time, it was well worth the time and money. The food is fantastic and our fellow sailors were a great group. Phillipe and Melanie have the trip down to a science and they really know how to make for an enjoyable day.

- Almost everywhere in the OB area accepts $US cash at an even exchange rate with the euro, however some restaurants did not take credit cards, which we found odd since they cater to tourists. Phillipsburg stores also readily accept $US but some use a 1.2 to 1 conversion rate.

- Luiz Gomes spun his magic for two of the wives. They each got custom made suits, which looked great and fit perfectly. He definitely has the touch. Some have said that he is expensive, but after seeing the prices of suits in the US, he is not too unreasonable, especially after seeing how good the ladies looked in their Marlyndy creations

Airport departure
One word – nightmare. Total chaos at the US Airways area. A lady was kind of keeping control over the lines and then she left. Others would just cut in line and there was no one to police the situation. Once in line, the hand inspection of each checked bag adds to the delays. Hopefully the new terminal will result in a much smoother process.

Flights
We flew back through Philly. The return through Immigration and Customs went extremely smoothly with no delays. As much as people bash US Airways, I must say that our four legs all went off without a hitch and all were on, or ahead of schedule.

TTOL
I want to thank all of the posters on the board because over the last 4 months, we got a lot of useful tips, suggestions, warnings, and recommendations. Even though there is the periodic foray into useless attacks on someone’s comment, the moderators do a great job keeping the board on track and it is an EXCELLENT resource for all of us who love to visit SXM. I also have to thank Jeff Berger and his site for all of his hard work and excellent info on the island. These two sites are the best.



Overall
This was an excellent week for all of us. For the other two couples with us, this was their inaugural visit to SXM and they are now hooked. Now, if only we could find a way to make our visit a 365 day a year vacation…..