Our 8th trip in 2 ½ years and it just keeps getting better!
US Air FF flights BDL CLT SXM and return were uneventful, just the way we like them. We fly mid week and use carry ons only which makes this trip very simple and easy.
We actually arrived about 20 minutes early, and Myra from AAA was waiting for us. We asked for and got an Ignis, and had no problems. It was a little newer and ding free that we would have liked, but all was well.
Checked into Atrium for our two week stay. One bedroom with full kitchen, dining, LR and a nice sized bathroom all very well maintained and clean. Lovely deck overlooking Simpson Bay. Atrium employs a very friendly and competent staff with no waiting or issues at all. Since we were flying Wednesday to Wednesday, we were concerned that we would have to change rooms during our stay, but we got lucky and remained in 302 the entire two weeks. There are pictures of the accommodations in our last August trip report, so I won’t include here. Room was exactly the same, just a different view.
From arrival at Juliana (including car and check in) to cold Carib in hand at BBB with Wanda and our new TTOL friends Carol and Gina (ediemarie) was about 40 minutes.
Most breakfasts were in our room. Lunch was usually packed in our cooler and dinner was always out.
We were very lazy this trip. Never went to P’burg except Rima’s. Didn’t even drive thru Marigot. Our days were pretty repetitive. After breakfast, we spend almost every day at Club O beach on a couple of lounges and umbrella in front of the Perch. When happy hour FINALLY arrived, Bill would get in line while I set up the lunch from our cooler. Sometime between 3 – 4:30 we would head back to Atrium and think about dinner. Clean up, head out and back to BBB for cocktails with Curtis before nighty night. Day after day after day after day……… ho hum
New for us this year:
Shrimpy’s – If you haven’t been, you must put it on your to do list. Loved the atmosphere, loved the food. Staff was very nice and the prices are great. We stopped in 4 or 5 times for drinks or a meal, and all were excellent. I can’t say enough – we are hooked and it will remain on our short list now. And if you’re wireless – this is the place for you. Lots of tables set up for laptop use of the free wi-fi and you can get power (with some international plugs available too) for $2.
We were also happy to find Bill Edwards (OCBILL or SXMBILL) at Shrimpy’s. We (Bill especially) has to keep in touch via email and had always used Bill’s services in the past. Then we couldn’t find him last visit and I had a heck of a time and could never get thru our company’s firewall to get my email. Bill’s concerned about bringing his laptop down (safety), so decided this trip to try a wireless Palm. Day one, got a signal at BBB but by the time Bill figured out all the darn tiny buttons to push, it would time out. Day two, Signal at Shrimpy’s was fine too, but the Palm died a quick death and never started again. Although Shrimpy’s has free wi-fi, it wasn’t doing us any good. Bill Edwards to the rescue. He allowed us to use his personal PC in a back office somewhere. My Bill made sure he was aware of our appreciation. Thanks Bill!!!!!! And while my Bill was busy with that, I had a few cold ones at the bar watching excellent international football games (soccer to you yanks)!
Wajang Doll – Tried to go Sunday nite and it was closed. Went back on Monday and very glad we did. Based on comments here, I really wanted to try the rijsttafel. We both did and really enjoyed every bite. We were the only patrons and had excellent service. It was pretty warm inside, though. Our only disappointment was that we could not finish the meal, there was just too much food. And we ordered the small one! I was a little surprised at the cost (about $78 without tip), as the entrée price did not seem that expensive, perhaps $20 – $25. A bottle of water was $5, so the soup must have been the price buster. We really did enjoy the meal, but for that price – glad we did it, but probably won’t go back.
La Sucriere Simpson Bay – Love it, love it, love it! Stopped several times for breakfast or a baguette. (Try the ham and cheese twist!) Only problem here is parking. The covered deck on the back is lovely. It’s a calm, cool oasis to sit and enjoy the morning.
Old Favorites:
Buccaneer Beach Bar – what can I say? Our home away from home. Thank you Curtis and Neil for taking such good care of us day after day…. Loved the pizza (never thought I would bother with pizza on SXM, but just had to try it and it was wonderful!) and all the other great meals served. We dined here at least 4 – 5 times. Next time you’re there, ask Curtis how he ended up in an old ladies blouse!
We also hosted a TTOL party at BBB on May 17th that was very well attended. Neil provided 2 for 1 drinks, lots of pizza and a shooter or two or three and Curtis served it all up with a smile. Thanks to everyone who attended. It was great to make some new friends, many of which we “tripped” over all over the place. Let’s do it again sometime!
Neil will be opening a new bar in the PJIA terminal when it opens. He will have D last bar on D island!
Kissing Fish – on our arrival day after getting warmed up at BBB, we traveled to Kissing Fish along with Carol and Gina to JanBob’s TTOL party. It was wonderful to visit with Chloe and Thierry, who are the finest hosts on the island. Great pizza here too! We didn’t stay long as it was our travel day and we were beat (read – had our legal limit!), but thanks Jan! Returned for happy hour on our last night to say goodbye to Chloe and Thierry and enjoyed another very nice visit. We really do love the company here, always a very nice crowd and very easy to strike up a conversation. C & T make sure you are comfortable and go out of their way to be sure you are introduced around. And if there are fellow TTOLers in the neighborhood, you will be sure to meet them.
Peg Leg Pub – we were beginning to get worried about PLP. It was one of our first and favorite spots on the island and we always loved going in there, for dinner or just drinks. The last year saw a lot of turnover (or deportation) in bar staff (we usually dine at the bar) and there were many reports posted here of poor service. But we stopped in anyway and were very glad we did. There was, of course, the very warm welcome from Shawn. But to our surprise, Chris was back. He had just returned from Arizona, where he found it too hot!!! He has been re-hired by Jack and Linda to manage the dining room in the evenings. His immediate directive is to find out what’s wrong with the service and fix it! We wish him all the best – and if you have crossed them off your list due to issues in the past year, please do give them another try. A new and lovely barmaid (gosh, I forget her name, Althea?) has been hired to assist Alberto, and we really enjoyed our several visits.
Pineapple Pete’s – we ended up here without reservations on Mothers Day. We were seated immediately, enjoyed a wonderful meal with a great friend, and our every whim was catered to. They were great and did not miss a beat, as we have come to expect. And the place was PACKED!
Halsey’s – this was again Bill’s choice for his birthday dinner. We both enjoyed our dinner and the service was great. We had walked over from the Atrium, and had a pretty wet walk back, but enjoyed every minute of our evening.
Skipjacks – Another great find from our last trip. I really wanted to get the mussels in red curry coconut milk appetizer that we discovered last year. It was the most memorable taste from our last trip. But of course we stopped in on Thursday, and the mussels arrive on Friday. We still enjoyed a very nice meal that evening and hoped there would be enough mussels left over on Saturday, our next chance to stop. And there was, and they were just as wonderful as I remembered. I even got the recipe, as the barmaid’s boyfriend is the chef. It sure helps to know folks in high places, right?
Baywatch – had one breakfast and one lunch, and both were, as always, a real treat.
Le Fish Bar – I mention this for you folks that stay over by Orient. Great “American” breakfast for about $6.
Talk of the Town – as always, excellent food, CHEAP!
Tiko Tiko – Always the highlight of our trip. We talked our friend Rick into going with us as his wife was off island at the time. We were joined by two other couples from CT who we had met on the beach a day or two earlier and a Dad and son team staying at Club O. We had a wonderful time and made some great new friends. Bruce and LyLy are now Bandit on TTOL, and we look forward to many more happy hours with them. Philipe and Melanie were, as always, excellent hosts. We had a wonderful meal and a very, very nice day on Tintemarre.
Other stuff:
We also spent several afternoons, evenings and a couple of nights at our friends Rick and Cyndi’s villa on Orient, Casa Solaris. We love it there, and a lounge by the pool after a day in the sun with a glass of wine, or over early morning coffee and tea is just wonderful. Just watching the world go by. Thanks guys, we miss you.
Traffic was not an issue for us. Perhaps it’s the time of day we travel, but we had no problems at all.
Was disappointed in Food Express this visit. We usually go there for our breakfast items as Bill loves the Dutch Muesli and unprocessed mango yogurt available on the island. Well, all the “local” foodstuffs seemed to be gone. It was like a small American supermarket. We didn’t buy anything. We ended up making our first visit to Grand Marche. Had everything we wanted, and more.
Bounty in Grand Case is our other “grocery” stop. As always, excellent cheeses and meats for our lunches on the beach.
I know everyone is complaining about construction on the island. And I agree, to some extent. But I noticed this time that, besides all the “new” construction, it seemed there was a lot more renovation and general fixing up of many older properties. Not hotels and the like, but real homes, where real people live. It was great to see.
Crews on both sides of the island were constantly cleaning up roadside debris and weed whacking at the side of roads. We actually see this most trips.
No police presence was visible on Dutch side. Some gendarmes around on French side. We did not feel unsafe at any time and walked to and from dinner in Simpson Bay from the Atrium several times.
Loved our TTOL hats. The $$ pocket is great for happy hour at the Perch and we made a few friends who recognized the hats.
Weather was great, with a few quick showers on occasion during the day (oh no, another trip to see Willie!) and a couple of downpours during the evening or night. The island is very green.
We thoroughly enjoyed doing nothing for two weeks, and can’t wait to return. Thanks to all here who share their experiences so we can learn from you.
We’re not that great about picture taking, but some of the TTOL party at BBB and a few random shots of our trip can be found at
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