[color:"blue"]Travel details[/color]—from Minnesota, via Charlotte. Except in high season (when SunCountry runs a non-stop charter flight) a trip from MSP to SXM requires a tight connection (or, more comfortably, an overnight) somewhere, such as Newark, Atlanta, Chicago, or Charlotte. We’ve tried Newark on previous trips—NEVER AGAIN! Fights were delayed, everything was crowded, people were crabby, and the hotels and meals were pricey. This was our second time flying through Charlotte--what a delight! All of our flights were on time or a bit early, people were kind and friendly, and customs coming back was a breeze. We overnighted both directions at the La Quinta South, on Tryon St, which was inexpensive, clean, quiet, and has a shuttle that runs every half hour to/from the airport. The La Quinta is next door to an Embassy Suites, which has an Omaha Steakhouse whose bar is open til 11 pm. Their main menu is pretty heavy (steaks, chops, etc), which is generally more than we want at that time of night. This time we discovered that you can also order sandwiches/fries at the bar, so we were quite content. Their French Onion Soup also makes a nice light meal after a day of traveling.

All of our flights were more or less on time, customs and immigration at both SXM and CLT went quickly, and we each had only a carryon, so we were out of the airport in no time.

[color:"blue"]Car Rental.[/color] We’ve used several local car rental providers in the past. This time, based on the overwhelmingly positive comments about him here on TTOL, we tried Lesley Bruce at Kenny’s Car Rental. He was waiting for us at the airport with our rental phone from Sharon, and we were on our way in less than 10 minutes. Both my husband and I were listed as approved drivers with no extra fee, which we appreciated. Unfortunately, we had some vandalism to the car (it was spray painted in Grand Case one night), and while we’re still waiting for a response from the insurance company, all dealings with Lesley Bruce have been prompt and friendly, and he faxed all the paperwork I needed as soon as he had it. Overall we were quite pleased with our experience, and will add our voices to the chorus of satisfied Kenny’s customers.

[color:"blue"]Lodging.[/color] We again rented one of the waterfront apartments over La California Restaurant in Grand Case from Zuzu (a TTOL sponsor). Her apartments are simple, clean and quiet, with AC and a small but complete kitchen area (full-size fridge, coffeemaker, toaster, microwave, stovetop and oven.) The balcony is a plus, with a lovely view of Anguilla. The only downside to the one bedroom unit is that the bedroom is a loft up a rather steep stairway, which is a challenge when one has to use the bathroom (downstairs) in the middle of the night. We prefer to lodge in Grand Case (which has an adequate beach, okay for walking, not so great for hanging out) and drive during the day to our beach of choice. This lets us come home in the afternoon, park the car, and be within walking distance of dozens of restaurant choices for dinner—and not have to worry about driving after dark or after a bottle of wine with dinner. One of the reasons we like la California so much is that the apartment rental includes off-street, gated parking in a lot across the street; even in off season, parking in Grand Case can be a hassle, we can’t imagine trying to do so in high season! We were disappointed to find that the lock on the gate had been changed (the owner of the lot had changed the lock before going on vacation), so we had to park on the street. One morning we came out to find our car had been vandalized with spray paint, so we were doubly disappointed that the off-street parking wasn’t available!

[color:"blue"]Days/People.[/color] We spent our days at Club O, mostly near the Perch. There were a few days on which the wind was too strong to put umbrellas up except in the (relatively) sheltered area down by Papagayos. We found the weather windier and rainier than we remember it being in previous Decembers. I gather this was the start of the “Christmas Winds” I’ve heard about. One thing we really like is meeting the same folks over several years. Barbara and Joe, great to see you again! And it was fun to meet others whose names I know from TTOL (Ray and Vlasta, Sugarae and others), as well as new folks such as Frank and Jane. To Trish and Dave, who we met at Kokomarina several times, we hope you had a chance to use our extra Club O chairs/umbrella ticket.

[color:"blue"]Meals.[/color] Lunches were mostly at [color:"blue"]Kokomarina[/color], probably our favorite spot on the island. Koko and Marina do a fabulous job with, well, everything. We enjoyed meeting their new server, Vanessa, recently arrived from Paris. Everything we ordered was great—grouper with lime butter, various burgers, salads, brochettes, steak, yum! Try the molten chocolate cake for dessert… The food is wonderful, yes, and they do 1:1, but it’s the gracious, friendly atmosphere and ambiance as much as the food that keeps us coming back. A long, leisurely lunch (why hurry, we’re waiting for the rain to pass!) among friends, what could be better?

Dinners were all in Grand Case (see rationale, above.) We had two delicious meals at [color:"blue"]Spiga[/color]. We love their appetizers and their pastas and gnocchi so much that we’ve never actually ordered off the latter meat/fish part of the menu. One of these days I’ll have to exercise restraint and skip the pasta so as to try some of their other creations. Spiga was one of the few restaurants that was full at dinner.

We ate once at [color:"blue"]Le Cottage[/color], and to be honest, found it just a bit disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a lovely meal, just not quite the exquisite experience we’ve had there many times before. They have redone the menu since July, and my sense is that prices stayed approximately the same (or even perhaps went down a bit) but I found myself wondering if they made some small compromises to do so. Or, maybe we just caught them on an off night. My sea scallops wrapped in bacon were good, but the asparagus mousse/soufflé that came with them had separated and was watery. The dish was originally served with a mushroom side, but since I don’t eat mushrooms, they substituted sautéed vegetables, and the baby squash, while pretty, was overcooked. My husband’s sea bass, served with a red wine risotto, was good but not spectacular. We shared a tasty complicated dessert that included cherries, cookies, cranberry ice cream, and various other layers.

We had two fabulous meals at [color:"blue"]L’Escapade[/color]. It’s definitely one of our favorite places in Grand Case, and I’m surprised not to read more about it. Each time we stopped in just as they were opening for the day and requested seaside table for later in the evening, which they were able to accommodate. One night we shared the lobster ravioli appetizer, which was delicious, rich but not overwhelming. We each then had the Mediterranean sea bass special, over a spinach (maybe some basil, too?) and bacon risotto with (if I remember correctly) a lemongrass sauce and a little skewer of sweet potato gnocchi. Oh, wow! The other night our friends split the lobster ravioli, I had the three-way duck plate (magret, confit and potato cake, and seared foie gras, which was fabulous. My husband and our friends all had the red snapper, and though I don’t recall how it was prepared, they all enjoyed it…

We ate two dinners at [color:"blue"]La California[/color]. They offer 1:1. Again, we reserved tables in the afternoon, and were able to be seated seaside both times. The mussels and pizzas were good (especially if you ask for slightly less cheese on the pizzas—to our taste they overwhelm the rather thin crust with too much cheese.) They also have printed a new menu, and prices have risen since July. To us, the prices of the main dishes and specials were high (30 or so euros, up to 35 euros for a beef tenderloin steak), particularly startling in contrast to restaurants that feel more elegant and upscale, like le Cottage or L’Escapade, whose entrees are less expensive. The servers were friendly and efficient. They take a digital photo of your table when they bring the food, and present you with a copy of it to take home, which we think is a nice touch.
[color:"blue"]
Other thoughts and observations.[/color]

Even wearing DEET repellent, I accumulated mosquito bites, mostly in the evenings. The modest widening of the road from Grand Case to Orient (and beyond, I think, but we never drove that portion) has made rounding the curves a little less harried.
[color:"blue"]
Saturdays.[/color] This trip we arrived and departed on Saturday, which we generally try to avoid because it’s often timeshare turn over day. Despite that, we found the airport to be quite sane both coming and going, no lines to speak of—we cleared immigration quickly on our way in, and check in and Security on the way home went swiftly. Stopping at the Grand Marché Saturday mid-afternoon we found several basic items (such as cheap bottled water, bacon) out of stock. Traffic moves slowly in Marigot on Saturdays, but never really ground to a halt.

We have developed a perhaps absurd fondness for the road leading to Galion/Club O, it’s almost like a game trying to find a decent path through the ruts and potholes. Just go slowly!

Nothing like a sharp contrast—we experienced a 100 degree drop in temperature between leaving SXM and arriving in Minnesota, where the weather was a balmy -12 F.

All in all, another great trip. We keep saying to ourselves, yes, St. Martin is great, but we should vary our trips, there are so many other places to go! But somehow we always end up back on the island. In fact, we’re already trying to figure out when we can go again.