Trip Report Oct 13 – 27


Flights

We traveled on American this time. Early morning flight out of Halifax and the 1110 from JFK to SXM. Everything was on time and going to paradise went very smooth.

Departure on the other hand…flight delayed an hour leaving, arrived at JFK around 930 pm and stood in an immigration line for three hours while 4 immigration officers cleared
7 flights. I guess they were not aware they were coming in…..BS. Left the next morning and arrived in Halifax on schedule at 130pm.


Accomodations

We rented a one bedroom condo from the owner. It was located at Sapphire Beach Club. It offered spectacular views of the ocean from one balcony and the lagoon from the other. We had a couple of problems with the air conditioner but these were fixed immediately. The staff was extremely helpful and polite. On Tuesday of the second week, we noticed some mould on the walls and asked for the unit to be bleached. We were going to be away, staying at a friends’ villa on Orient (more later). We came back on Thursday and nothing was done. The floors had about ¼ inch of water over the entire condo. We called down and they sent the manager on duty up and she immediately moved us to deluxe studio. Very accommodating of them as this was a private rental. .This condo was great and very reasonable. We would definitely stay at Sapphire again.


Grocery Shopping

We went to Food Express in Maho to pick up some essentials (Crown Royal, Vodka, Mix) The fresh stuff was really picked over.. The next day (Sunday) we went to Sang’s
in P’Burg which had a huge assortment but a little pricey. They do however allow you to park their for $2.00 an hour, which we did on two occasions, a lot cheaper than the 65.00 (no receipt) tow job in April.
Le Grande Marche….They have everything, we stocked up on fresh meat, poultry
Vegetables etc.


Orient Beach

We bought the 7 day pass for chairs and umbrella and parking at Club O. This is very convenient and they have showers so you can clean up before you leave. The first two days the Perch was closed due to electrical problems, but when it opened, Willy was there with a big smile on her face and ready to handle the Happy Hour gang. We added considerably to the hat collection. Met many great people over the two weeks, and even attended 3 parties. But alas, damn sand gravity took over and we were absolute beach bums for two weeks except for the day we went to P’burg for the jewels.

Villa Bel Mer

Ohhhhh, the villa. We were very fortunate in April to have met a wonderful couple from Florida. When we ran into them this trip they invited us to spend the evening with them the night of the Baywatch party so we could really enjoy the party (great party by the way Wayne (allovertan)) and not have to drive back to the Dutch side. The villa offers 4 gorgeous bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, dining area, beautiful pool with a private terrace, and a very tasteful Carribean décor. Certainly nothing we expected, but greatly appreciated. As it turned out, our friends were hosting another party the following evening. So, poor us, we had to replenish our sleepover bags and stay again. In the morning, Lisa had the arduous task of sipping her tea in the pool watching the millions of butterflies. Life’s a wonderful thing!
And then came the lobster…….. Our host wanted some pictures of beautiful huge lobsters grilling on their outside grill. So again, we were up to the task! Really, it was a huge chore, but somebody had to do it. Many many thanks to our host and lovely hostess for a very special trip.


PART 2 TO FOLLOW