TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos Trip Report, June 23-28, Week 3

Monday, June 23

It was a Divi Day primarily due to the black clouds. I was on and off the beach and in and out of the Infinity Pool dodging the rain. I was glad I hadn’t gone across the island and gotten caught in rain so far from “home.” I still got some sun but it was a challenge.

Ventured out for dinner and decided upon Caribbean Grilled Flavors by the bridge, where I’d never been before. I was their first dinner customer, but it filled up pretty quickly after I was seated. I picked grilled prawns, which were good but not great. The steamed vegetables were delicious, but I don’t know how quickly I’ll be back here with all the other fabulous places on the island to go. There was a very nice view of the lighted causeway.


Tuesday, June 24

A perfect beach day! I went to Friar’s Bay and settled in front of FBBC. Since I planned to eat there, they charged me only $3 for the cushion. There were fewer than 15 people in loungers in front of FBCC. I had to go inside to get someone to help me with the umbrella, and there didn’t appear to be any “chair service” going on for food and drinks; that said, there was a World Cup game going on. The water was gentle with very easy access.



It appeared that Kali’s, or whatever it is now, was also open, and more people were down there.

Even though Pat has been urging me for a couple of years, today was the first time I actually ate at FBCC. I went up to the Café to eat and OMG – it was possibly my best meal of the trip. Those French really know what to do with potatoes, and the duck confit was perfection.



After lunch, back to my lounger and the water. I didn’t leave until after 5 PM. An extremely satisfying beach day.

Due to the large lunch, I stayed in at Divi for the evening. From Seabreeze pool, it was fun watching the cruise ships leave.



Wednesday, June 25

I decided to give Anse Marcel another try and spent quite a bit of time floating in the divine water. There were very few people on the beach and none in front of Lonvilliers, which looked pretty dead – hardly any cars in their parking lot. There were a few folks in front of Riu but, really, the beach was largely unoccupied. Floating in the water, I saw large, dark clouds coming my way and didn’t want a repeat of the sopping-wet walk back to the car so I left the beach. (In hindsight, I shouldn’t have as it didn’t rain.) I walked through the Riu lobby and checked out some of the shops, which I had not done before. I came across a nice little restaurant, Calypso, and decided to have lunch. I ordered an omelette with ham, cheese, onions, and herbs; it was exquisite. Light, fluffy, flavor-filled; Chesterfield’s could take a lesson or two.



Calypso is also open for dinner; I’d like to try it sometime but am not sure I’d want to navigate the hill in the dark.

On the way to Anse Marcel I had stopped at the Paradise View shops for souvenirs. I also chatted with Bernadine and donated for the feline cause. She has been suffering from chikungunya for a couple of weeks now; even though she’s taking medication, she says getting out of bed each morning is an ordeal. The white kitten without a tail is now thriving and has grown a lot since last year.

I wended my way back through the lowlands and returned to Divi. For the first time in three weeks, the watersports shop was out of towels. While annoying, this trip has been a vast improvement over prior trips where fresh towels were very scarce. I spent the rest of the afternoon sunning and reading by the Infinity Pool.

When I was leaving Divi for dinner, a movie was being shown at the Seabreeze Pool. The “screen” was the first building right next to the pool. The crowd was sparse, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Upon the recommendation of others who had eaten there earlier, I decided to give the Chart House a try. It’s a nice setting (the former Saratoga), and service was attentive. I thought the food was good, although not outstanding, and overpriced. But with the excellent service, it was a pleasant experience. The pana cotta with strawberries was lovely.




Thursday, June 26

That awful feeling of the trip nearing its end is settling in. I spent the morning at the Infinity Pool and starting to get organized for packing. It’s amazing how much you can “spread out” in three weeks.

I went to Karakter for the afternoon. I’m sorry for those who haven’t had good experiences lately, but both my visits this trip were as expected and as they have been in prior years. I found a parking space to back in to which always makes departure easier. Adding to the ambiance was the music: Stan Getz all afternoon. Service was friendly, gracious, and there when I needed it. I had the French Karakter: goat cheese salad. Delicious. Weather was wonderful. Another very good beach experience. It was a bit windy, and it appears that Karakter needs to get some new umbrellas.



I made my last visit of the trip to Fusion and had a salad followed by bacon-wrapped scallops. Excellent.



Friday, June 27

Infinity Pool, Little Bay Beach, and the dreaded packing. It’s been my tradition to have my final dinner at Rare. Now that it’s closed, I met the Shaws at Temptation, where I hadn’t dined before. There was a piano player which added to the ambiance in a beautiful setting. A nice touch was the sprig of rosemary under the raffia around the napkin.



The onion soup was outstanding, and the pana cotta beautifully presented.



Dino made several appearances in the restaurant during the evening, which I don’t recall his doing at Rare. It was a very nice “last meal.”


Saturday, June 28

The long day begins. I had to wait over an hour for a bellman. Moseyed through Simpson Bay for the last time. I dropped by Horny Toad Guesthouse hoping I could talk to their on-site manager in person about a November 2015 reservation. However, their gate was closed and there was no way I was leaving my car parked outside the gate with luggage in it. Returned the Vesna to AAA (I thought it was a gas hog); smooth handoff. They drove me to the airport and helped me take my bags inside. Note to Self: learn to pack less. I killed time in the business lounge which, to me, is well worth the $20 they charge.

The flight to MIA was on time. I was the fourth person off the plane and the long walk was smooth. I hadn’t used the kiosk for passport control before; apparently it’s for everyone, not just Global Entry folks. I walked direct to an agent and was done with that step; no lines there.

Then it began. Luggage was, of course, at the furthest location, and orange stickers did not come off first. After eventually retrieving my luggage, I joined the winding lines to get to the next step (I’ve forgotten the order of everything you have to go through). At some point there was immigration, dropping luggage back off, security check, etc. etc. Just a royal hassle, which took about an hour from landing to actually being able to start to my next gate. The flight to DFW was smooth once we got off the ground. It seemed as though we waited about half an hour after pushing off from the gate to actually take off.

We landed in the C terminal. I had a reservation at the Grand Hyatt, which is in D terminal. I thought I’d be able to take the Sky Train, but that ended out not being the case. I was directed to a shuttle which drove to D terminal and the Grand Hyatt and checked in about 11:30 PM. I love this hotel. For an in-airport facility, I think it’s beautiful with some really nice touches. Shower and to bed.

Sunday, June 29

An uneventful and timely flight home. My seat mate noticed I was reading a book about retirement in Costa Rica; he was returning from Argentina, where he works in the maritime industry. We had interesting conversations about Central and South America. While I miss SXM, it was wonderful being reunited with my wonderful felines.

Divi Observations

I think Divi is in the best shape I’ve seen it. Comments in no particular order:

• New deck furniture
  
• Colored night lights in Seabreeze Pool
  
• Nice arbor with a cover providing shade at Infinity Pool
  
• Check-in desk is being remodeled, and I understand there will be a covered lobby. Completion on this is apparently still a couple of months away
• Housekeeping was consistently good up until the last couple of days prior to checkout, when apparently you become dead meat
  
• With only one exception in three weeks, there was no shortage of beach towels. And Divi was the “fullest” I’ve seen it in the eight years I’ve been going there.
• No shortage of umbrellas
  
• New washing machines although one was already out of order toward the end of my stay
• I didn’t eat at Toucans or Gizmo’s so can’t comment on the food. I ate at Seabreeze for lunch twice; one salad was OK, another was good. Service is still ridiculous there: highly inattentive.
  
• Check-out is also ridiculously slow. Someone used my room number for a charge at Gizmo’s; they found the slip and acknowledged it wasn’t mine. However getting it reversed and producing a revised invoice took several attempts and supervisor intervention before it was right.
• Geckos everywhere! In prior years, I’ve seen an occasional one at Divi. Not this year: lots and lots and lots.

Traveling Solo Observations

This is not the first time I’ve traveled to SXM by myself so I’m not sure what was different this time, but I found myself not doing as many activities. Most of the people I know who go at the same time I do hang out at Club O every day, but limiting myself to just one location just isn’t my thing. I like variety but would have liked a bit more of it – perhaps another boat excursion or two. I think the only real downside to traveling solo is not having anyone to put sunscreen on your back! I did have a good trip and will shortly start looking at air for next June.