Arrived at the new airport on time and what a relief it was to enter a beautiful, airconditioned space. Luggage came out quickly and I believe this new airport makes arriving and departing so much more pleasurable.
PANORAMIC CAR RENTAL
As always, Mohamed had our car ready and was waiting for us when we exited the building. Rented an almost brand new Hyundai Santa Fe. It was clean and in excellent condition. Mohamed, as usual, was polite and friendly. Our friends rented a Hyundai Getz from him and was just as pleased as we were with his service and the condition of their car. I called Mohamed the day before our departure and he answered right away. I just wanted to confirm our departure time with him.
OUR WEEK
We didn’t do much of anything the entire week except relax and eat! This is what we needed. The electric went out on the Dutch side Thursday afternoon. Generators were running at all the resorts EXCEPT for the villas at Flamingo Beach. There couldn’t be a better way to explain “island time” than in the way this was handled by the staff. ONE person running the front desk He had no answers for us because after two or three hours he said he didn’t have a chance to call GEBE!!!!! We proceeded to visit him in the lobby and found the front desk mgr “stepped out” and would be back in an hour or so. Apparently, he had “stepped out” for quite a while. Jules , the resort mgr, was supposedly off island. We were told the company who was supposed to fix the generator for the villas never came to fix it. Guess nobody follows up on these things. Preventative maintenance isn’t something these people know about. The emergency lights in the rooms also failed. One woman came down and said she almost fell down the stairs because it was so dark. She also said this was her first time there and she had traded her unit in Hawaii for St Maarten and that it would probably be her last time there. Her car was broken into in the parking lot on the resort property. Her car was even parked under the security camera!! We later found out these cameras are inoperable. If anyone else owns at Flamingo Beach Resort and are unhappy about how their units are being maintained or anything else, feel free to contact me. We will be contacting Diamond Resorts, the new owners of Sunterra.
RESTAURANTS
Lee’s Roadside Grill- This had to be the best meal I have ever had at Lee’s. I had a stuffed Mahi Mahi (19.95). It wasn’t really stuffed, but had some shrimp stuffing on top with an amazing sauce over it. Their potato salad is awesome there. I wish I could have taken home a bucket! Everyone loved their meals. A few had their rib meal which they said was very tasty.
Pineapple Petes- I was disappointed with Pineapple Petes this year. I usually have the stuffed shrimp and that was my choice again this year. The shrimps were very small and the stuffing part seemed to be half the amount it usually is. I had a salad with Feta on top which was pretty good. One had the loin of pork which consisted of 3 very small pieces of pork for 19.95. I think if you are going to eat here, stick with the lobster Thermador which everyone who had it said it was very good.
Skipjacks- We enjoyed dinner at this establishment again this year.Service is very good and food always top notch. The crab dip appetizer is yummy! We all had fish meals which were superb.
Boathouse- We stopped going here a few years back because service was terrible. Well, service is better but the food wasn’t very good. A few had seafood pasta dishes which were bland. I had the grilled seafood platter which seemed like it was sautéed as opposed to grilled. It consisted of calamari, scallops, shrimp and Mahi Mahi. Shrimp were probably around the 35 per lb size, calamari was very tender as were the scallops. The pieces of Mahi Mahi were miniscule. One had the crabcake appetizer and said they were so spicy that her lips were on fire. Lobster Bisque had NO pieces of lobster in it and tasted like fishy broth. Wont be going back here again.
La Rosa too – We usually enjoy La Rosa, but I believe it depends on what you order here. I had snapper in tomato sauce which was excellent. One had lasagna which he didn’t enjoy. One had a pasta dish and she said it had no taste. Swordfish dinner was supposedly superb. Best ever! Chicken Picata another good choice here. Their garlic butter is VERY tasty! Crème caramel for dessert is another great choice.
Lido Lolo- An awesome meal for an amazing price. Cant go wrong here. Delicious!!
Le Bec Fin- Our finest meal. Crab Risotto awesome! Lobster bisque contained Large chunks of lobster! Snapper with onion crust very tasty. I was told the Rack of lamb was the best they ever had. Impeccable service here. Definitely will eat here next year.
Le Sucriere- As always AWESOME. Quiches to die for. Great sandwiches and paninis.
Zee Best – Had breakfast here once. Large portion of scrambled eggs and ham with yummy French bread toast. Great almond croissants and Danish.
Wheres Ivan Gelateria – MANY visits here throughout the week! LOL… Hot fudge sundaes..mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… Cherry tart very tasty. Great cappuccino and lattes. A must visit….
The Hideaway – Breakfast at the Hideaway. I had a very delicious ham omelet here. Quick service with a smile. Nice views.
Massage and Reiki
I can go on for days about Martina at La Vista. If you are into Reiki treatments you DEFINITELY need to see Martina. She performs Reiki like no other. Hands of Magic. An experience you will never forget and will look forward to on every visit to SXM. She has a direct connection with the universe and will “heal” your body.
Later in the week I had a massage with Martina. She performs about 50 different techniques during her massage including some Reiki. You will feel amazing after her treatments…
A week on the island is definitely not enough time. If you can, spend as much time as you can here. Traffic was almost non existent. There is a new road being built from Friars Bay into Grand Case. Jaba at Kali’s was entertaining as usual. He is a lot of fun and a great guy. Lunch at Kal’s was deicious. Cristophene (Chayote) Gratinee a must have!!
Hopefully, it wont be a year before we get back.
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