Eating Our Way Across SXM
David & Regina’s Trip “Short” Trip Report
July 12-21 2007

Sorry no pictures! Just don't have the time right now. You will have to imagine the various meals.

I know that we promised ourselves that we would never do a 1 week trip to the island ever again, but that was all the time we had and with FF miles and oodles of points for RCI it was actually cheaper to go to SXM than it would have been to take a week trip around here…But we planned a very different kind of trip. No TTOL parties, no organizing day charters or trips to other islands. Our plan was simple. Sit on the beach, read, snooze, swim and then eat our way across the island. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Rofl.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Oink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Oink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Oink.gif" alt="" /> In retrospect that was exactly the kind of rest we needed in order to be prepared for what we had to face upon our return. I was so glad we went.

Uneventful travel day on US Air out of Boston via Charlotte. Very glad we booked in ample lay over time both legs as we needed it due to mechanical problems on the way there.

Stayed at our unit in the Sapphire for 7 nights and stayed at Club O for a couple.

Walked the beach most mornings and a couple of afternoons. When we did not walk the whole beach we would do multiple circuits of the section from rocks at Pedros to the rocks in front of Papagayos. (.249 miles for those who wonder). Never walked less than 3 miles a day. The rest of Orient beach seemed deserted, no matter what time of day we walked it. I do have multiple GPS readings up and down the beach if people want to pin point on Google earth or some other mapping program specific locations just PM me and I’ll see if I have the point you are interested in logged. Next trip I was asked to log in the actual locations of the three rafts at Club O for folks who exercise by swimming from raft to raft.

Snorkeled and stayed in the water much more than we have ever done before. Wore my wet suit do avoid getting totally burnt to a crisp on the back when snorkeling. Forgot to cover the back of my ears one day and that turned purple with being so burnt. It was our first trip during the summer and the sun is much less forgiving in mid-summer than when we go in January.

Had a wonderful breakfast with Dennis, the new General Manager at Club Orient. It was a working breakfast on naturist issues about the beach and some data gathering for us on some other naturist issues. Dennis was heading out for his family vacation in France early during our stay so we had to grab what time we could. I am excited about some of the changes coming to the resort. Also met up with Rachel, the marketing director at Club O and enjoyed our time with her and her children.

Children at Club O was a special blessing this trip. At one point there was a castle building group of 11 children all gathered and watching them play, build, run and swim really made a big difference in our enjoyment of the beach.

Communion service on the beach was a good time to reflect on the blessings we were enjoying and very needed when we got home to discover that Regina’s Dad had suffered a severe stroke while we were in route back home. On the beach we reflected and talked with many people and got to know a whole new group of folks we now call friends. It was good to meet you all, especially Forest and Lori, Ed & Robin, Lesa and Chris, Julie and Brian, Bruce and Sandee, Angela and her new husband Peter, Bruce and Sheila, Andrea and Bennie, Pam and Paul, Karen (Kitty) and John. Reconnecting with old friends like Jim and Jan, Neil, Johan, Philippe and William were also a special time.

Great Day on the Tiko Tiko with some new friends. It was especially nice to go with a Danish family with their two young children. Combine their two with 3 that belonged to Frederique and Philippe and we had the privilege to see the cruise through the eyes of children romping in the waves, riding on the bow, playing on the beach. A very touching moment was during the low time in the afternoon when Annette read a children’s book to her boys under the shade of the beach umbrellas. The reef on the end of Tintemarre is certainly coming back and I saw more parrotfish this trip than ever before.

We enjoyed massages in the new beachside pavilion by Water Sports at Club Orient. Terrie from France was very good and would go back again. He did some gentle spinal readjustments in addition to the massage and also did some pressure points that felt like Shiatsu.

Could not enjoy the Celine as Neil had engine trouble while we were there and the times we tried sunset sails or pub crawls he did not sail. But since he could not sail that meant we could go around the island and try some new restaurants… So then we ate our way around the island.

First night Papagayos with Forest and Lori. Very excellent meal of Tilapia and Buillabaisse. One of the bestmeals we have ever had at Papagayos and the staff was attentive and took very good care of us.

Second day …. Breakfast at Baywatch. Italian Omelet for RAB, Chili omelet for DHB.
Ribs for late, late lunch at Baywatch, snacks for dinner ( after a 2 all over tan happy hour at the Perch.

Third Day hash Omelets at Bay Watch, 2 mudslide lunch (opps actually 3). Then checked out of Club O and moved to Sapphire. Met Neil for dinner at Thai Savanah. Tad Pai, Satay Chicken, Pressed Duck, Thai Rolls, California Sushi. It was an incredible feed and then topped off with sorbet for dessert.

Fourth Day – breakfast in. Bought croissants at the shop for snacking on the beach. Shared happy hour with the 3 sisters. Susan we wish you the very best! Stopped at the Lido on the way home from a side trip to Philippsburg. Never seen it so deserted, but then again we have never been there during low-low season before. Back street is a royal mess. Hope they get it cleaned up before the high season. Met Tony and Cherie at the Perch along with their friends, MaryAnn and companion.

5th day Breakfast with Dennis at Papagyo. It is still my favorite place on the beach to have breakfast in terms of the view. Fresh squeezed orange juice, eggs toast, coffee and tea for me. Tiko Tiko for the rest of the day. Grilled snapper, chicken with a wine sauce, baked potatoes, 2 kinds of wine, champagne, cheese cake and plumb rum for aperitif. Life is good!

Followed by wine and cheese party at Club O. Followed by dinner at Papagayos with Jim and Jan. Regina had a pasta dish with beef, I had the grouper. It too was excellent and the wine choice was good to. Only thing I hated was having to put on clothes and drive back to the Sapphire.

6th Day Lunch at Baywatch. I had Caesar Salad with two kind of shrimp, Regina had the Roast Beef and some hot peppers that brought tears to our eyes. Drove into see the folks at DK Gems to pick-up a set of earrings I had ordered. They were not what Regina liked so we made arrangements for them to get a different set and they would ship them to us here in the states. Tried to go on the Sunset Cruise with Neil and his oil pan was still not in from the states on his port engine so we could not go. No problem, lets go out to eat instead! So off we went to L’Otterie Farm. What a feast!
Appetizers: Konch Fritter with mango salsa, Shrimp cocktail with hazelnut and horseradish paste, Crevitz (white fish in lemon juice served with crispy wedges of tortilla with vegetables and salsa.
Main course: Friend Lentil balls with Brussels Sprouts, lightly seasons veggies and yams and potato. Julie’s famous Curry veggies and spinach. Pork loin with loads of veggies, plumb sauce (enough pork loin to feed 3 people my size)

We have to say this meal was one of the best we have ever had on the island. We were so stuffed we could not fit dessert. Next time!

7th day Ate breakfast in. Arrived beach a bit later than usual so we walked the beach with cover-ups as we had heard about the couple who had gotten detained the day before at Coco beach area. We’ve since learned that (no surprise to us) the Sous Perfect has been informed that the detention was not actually legal and has informed by folks higher up in the authorities not to do that again. When I get more news on this issue I’ll post it here. It is still a work in progress.

We ate lunch with Kitty and John and enjoyed our second Caesar salads with scallops and shrimp. Ross made us some special Italian Lemon Ice Vodka Smoothies… <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> wow
! were those Good!

On our way out for our evening we stopped at Cliffside and checked out the GeoCache nearby then we ventured off to the Stone for a tremendous meal by Johan. After the night before our standards had been raised to a new bar and Johan did more than meet it!

Johan and his two new assistants David & Stephen out did themselves. What can we say? The décor has been softened with new chairs, rugs and wall hangings. David and Stephen know the food, the nuances of educating people how to cook them on their stones and were very attentive to our needs. The food has gotten better. Johan is only 23 years old and we have seen his food mature over these past few years. The best way I can describe the flavors this time is that they have gotten more subtle and richer.

Appetizers: Calamari browned and caramelized on the stone. Vietnamese Vegetable Spring rolls with a mint sauce that made them just melt in the mouth. Main dishes were his Sea Special and his Farm Special. Shrimp, Scallops, Tuna and Tilapia and Flank Steak, Duck and Sirloin. The usual lightly cooked veggies, sauces, mushroom and teriyaki, mustard and something mixed in. Delightful Italian Red wine.

For dessert I had the Silky Smooth, Kalua, Bailies, caramel and vanilla ice cream with Coffee ligueur on top. Regina had a banana liqueur based smoothie with vanilla ice cream, walnuts and Frangelico.

8th Day We ate left overs for breakfast as we began to clean out the fridge for our departure. We journeyed over to Orient Beach and said good bye to our new friends. Walked the beach one last time. Ate an early lunch at Bay Watch as it clouded over early in the day and started to look very threatening.

After leaving the beach we stopped in at the Amego Phone Store on the way home and purchased a French side phone sim for our phone. The UTS sim is okay but we found we had much better reception the time we had used the Amigo chip when we had borrowed one two years previously, especially in our area of Cupecoy and the Sapphire. We once again had zero reception in our room with the UTS sim and as soon as we switched to the Amigo chip we had 4 bars.. Another benefit is that you don’t have to stock-up on recharge cards and recharge every 60 – 90 days. We did some other shopping that afternoon in the rain. We ate light lunch at the Sapphire restaurant when we got back from shopping, soaked a bit in our Jacuzzi on the balcony. Regina wanted to finish her book and take a nap.

That night we went back to L’Otterie Farm to be able to try Julie’s famous desserts. We were not disappointed. The same waitress wondered why we only ordered appetizers until we told her the reason why… Cheryl had sent us back with a mission to try Julie’s desserts, saying that we had missed the best on the island.

I had a spring roll type appetizer. Regina had salad. Then we splurged with Julies famous Pecan Pie and Cheese Cake. Both lived up to their reputations. Took a photo with Julie as well as all the foods. They will appear on our webpage trip report at a later date.

Day 9 time to go home. Ate in, Checked out, stored our bags in the desk area and then walked to Cupecoy and spent a delightful morning with Danny at the beach. Walked back to the Sapphire, showered and went to the airport. For a Saturday departure it was not bad. Maybe this low seasons thing is something we will try again. Ate lunch at the airport restaurant. Plane was late getting there but as we had planned a leisurely 4 hour lay over in Charlotte we were not worried.

Uneventful ride home until we hit customs. The conveyor belt broke and it took them over 1 hour to get the bags up to us. Many people missed connections. We had just enough time to go to Chili’s in the airport and had some heavy sandwiches to tide us over till we got home. With all the delays did not get to our home until 3:00 am on Sunday.

It was not until we went to church a few hours later that we learned that Regina’s Dad was in ICU and fading fast. He crossed over 2 days later and thank goodness for friends, neighbors and the members of our church. We would not have made it through the rest of the week without their love and support. I guess God knew we needed to rest up a bit on SXM to be ready for all that hit us when we got home. Lord knows without the trip we would not have had the energy to get through the next week with much grace.