In the 14 years that we’ve been going to SXM, this is my first trip report (feeling guilty I guess).
Our flights on Continental were just great and we arrived early in both SXM and Newark on our return.
We decided to try a few new restaurants this year, some good and some not so good. After reading about Bajatzu, we tried it and it was fantastic. We made a reservation, which was a good thing, since all tables were reserved. The restaurant is in the old Mama Mia location and has been totally redone - very nice ambiance. The service was excellent and the food was unbelievable. Although Bajatzu is known for steak, none of us tried it and opted for veal chop, skewered shrimp with tamarind sauce and Mahi Mahi, everything was super. For 4 of us, the cost was $125 per couple - a good value for sure. We also tried the Wharf which was another great find. We were given a 10% off coupon but even if we didn’t have that it was well worth going there. The dining area is quite large with a nice view of the mega yachts in Simpson Bay and the tables were nicely spaced, not close together. They had live music and a dance floor, which we took advantage of. We met the owner, Elvis, who passed on a VIP coupon for 15% off, which we gave to friends who were going there. The food was great, especially the crab cake appetizer. The price is right in line with all the other restaurants in the area. I hope that the Wharf does well since there’s so much competition in the area. Our disappointments were La Moulon Foo in Maho and The Stone in Simpson Bay. At La Moulon Foo, I ordered duck breast, which the waiter said was prepared medium rare. I asked that it be more on the well done side but when it arrived at the table it was bloody rare. I couldn’t even cut it with a steak knife and left most of it on the plate. My husband ordered the jumbo shrimp but when it arrived at the table it had a very fishy smell. According to the chef, everything had just arrived from France and was done to perfection. We would not go back there again. The Stone is a very small restaurant in Simpson Bay across from Rancho. Their concept is different from any other place on the island. Your entree is served on a hot stone and you cook it to your liking. The real problem was that the Stone has no ventilation and the smell of cooking meats permeates your clothing and hair - not really pleasant. The chairs were totally uncomfortable and the walls in the restaurant are concrete making it kind of like a cave with so much noise that you couldn’t talk to anyone. The owners, a nice young couple, are aware of the problems (they’ve only been open for a couple of months) and said they will address the issues as soon as possible.
We also ate at some of our favorite restaurants - La Petite Auberge, Uncle Harry’s , La Rosa Too, La Gondola, Halsey’s and Turtle Pier. La Petite Auberge was totally packed every night so a reservation in high season is a good thing. Francois is a fantastic chef and even made rabbit for our group one night. Uncle Harry’s for the Alaskan King Crab was a must but prices have gone up since last year. We ate twice at La Rosa Too and we were not disappointed - they have the best veal on the island. La Gondola is always good but make a reservation in high season - all tables reserved. I really love Halsey’s. They even bake their own bread and serve it with a pesto sauce - sooooo good. No matter what anybody says about Turtle Pier, they have the best coconut shrimp and we had no problem what so ever with the service.
We signed up for the Pub Crawl, which we had never done before and were really looking forward to. The night we were supposed to go was so bad, pouring rain (the only time in our 3 weeks on the island) windy and cold - burrrrr. Neil said that the pub crawl should be a fun experience and that it would not be so on that night and he canceled the trip. Unfortunately, we could not rebook so we’ll try again next year.
We hung out on Cupecoy Beach for the first 10 days and then the big waves came and we left. John and Danny were doing a lot of business with chairs, drinks, etc. and then it all disappeared. But that is so typical of Cupecoy. We tried Baie Rouge but the big waves were there also, so we bit the bullet and drove over to Club O beach, which became our home for the remainder of our trip. It wasn’t very windy on most days and chairs were hard to find if you arrived late. It really is a nice beach but a long trip from Sapphire Beach Club. We met up with Clem and Paulette again and also met Bill and Elaine and ChiTownHarry. My favorite drink is now the Blue Lagoon made by Willy at the Perch - very quenching in the hot sun.
We checked into real estate at the Cupecoy Village, not yet started, and the prices started at $650,000 for a 2 bedroom condo on the ground floor. All units on the lagoon were going for over $1,000,000. We also looked at mini suites and chalets at Club O. The mini suites were going for 200,000 Euros and the chalets started at 400,000 Euros - forget about it!!! I guess we’ll just keep our timeshare at Sapphire and be happy.
We shared 2 weeks of our time with my husband’s cousin and her husband. Peter and Priska own a hotel and restaurant in Austria. Peter is an unbelievable chef so we enjoyed meals at Sapphire ala Peter. The only problem was that Peter developed a headache and low grade fever which lasted for their last 5 days. Peter was hospitalized immediately once they got home to Austria. Tests were done and nobody’s sure what the problem was but it sure sounded like Dengue Fever. We also met someone at Sapphire who had the same symptoms. Since none of us got it, it was not a contagious virus. We heard that there was an outbreak of Dengue in November and maybe it’s still around so bring your bug spray since Dengue is a mosquito borne virus. By the way, Peter is now out of the hospital and doing well.
Til next year,
Susie
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