I haven't posted in over two years. This will be a hodgepodge of random things which might offer a bit of new information, maybe not. Hardly a trip report.

Opinions


The island does not seem as busy as other years, and with no exceptions, everyone we talked to agreed with that. Hotel managers, restaurant owners, business owners and fellow tourists. No one seems to know why, they do not blame Zika yet, but are concerned that yet another "virus" could affect business going forward.

I will never get used to the erratic driving habits on the Island, but if you time your traveling to avoid the peak it helps. Motorcycles with no lights at night, splitting the lanes, is hard. It seems like it is getting worse, but maybe I am just getting old.

We felt that many places on the French side gave a fair exchange rate and more are doing 1 to 1. We only got a little "attitude" a couple times. Once on Orient. Once at Anse Marcel. We got different quotes on chairs etc from the bartenders than the beachboys. Not impressed. Ranged from $30 at Kakao to $20 at Bikini. $10 at Pedros and the construction zone. Pedros has bathrooms, others do not.

My wife and I miss the old feel of the "shacks" on Orient. It seems to us that they have allocated a lot of space for kiosks and "shops" and there is minimal space for the restaurants. The occupants currently building bars have taken up a large amount of their deck space to accommodate them. Sterile is the word that comes to mind.

Our preference for beaches was Orient, Mullet, Dawn, Anse Marcel, and Nettle in that order. Sea weed not too bad, good removal efforts, but it was two feet deep at Dreams before they removed it.

I will only comment on "new" food experiences or maybe ones that don't get mentioned much.
[/b]Jam Rock[b] in Cul de Sac is worth trying. Smaller place, hair slow on service but they bend over backwards to make you happy. Jamaican/French couple, he fishes and serves what he catches. Try the trigger fish.

Pancho Villa, also in Cul de sac is the first Mexican place we have eaten at in 14 years. All fresh made, very good. Owner from Canada, used to work for cruiselines. Lived in Mexico for a while.
[/b] Moombas[b] in Maho has new owners. The wife is from Oregon. Interesting menu. Best presentation of fried calamari I have seen, almost a salad. Also, the fettucinni carbonara with a sunny side egg on top was superb.
We have driven by [/b]Rancho Del Sol[b] ( hill overlooking Orient) since they opened and never ate there. We agreed to meet Norm and Betty, and Tom and Judy for dinner and had an enjoyable evening. We almost never eat steak in SXM, but all 6 of us had steak. Rib eye, filet, T- bone and "rump" steak. Everyone was very satisfied, large cuts, reasonable prices, and happy hour until 7:00 PM. Will definitely go back.

We decided to try [/b]Tai Chi[b] in Orient Village. They had a Tai fondue for two on the menu that caught our eye. We ordered it and it was one of best meals we had. They brought an extra table that sat next to ours, which held a gas stove and our pot of chicken broth, coconut milk, curry, lemon grass etc. They added a nice assortment of fresh vegetables and mushrooms to the broth. We also got a bowl of cellophane noodles and a plate of fresh meat. Beef, chicken, shrimp, red snapper and calamari. After the veggies were done cooking we took the meat of our choice and boiled it in the broth. The noodles and meat were held by large slotted spoons. We then added it the vegetable/broth mixture in our individual bowls. It was very filling and excellent. Not too spicy, 56 euro, but well worth it in our mind. The wait staff made sure we realized it was soup, and we will order it again next year.

We finally got to [/b]Dreams[b] and the food was great. When you figure in free chairs, a little more sophisticated lunch is very doable. The beach there is not great, but adequate.

[/b]Hearsay:[b]

We were told that two people drowned in the very rough surf near SSBG. I haven't tried to find anything to confirm that, and did not have good access to the web while on island. Royal Caribbean cruiselines is building a sophisticated zipline complex etc in the Emilio Wilson estate area. It has been approved and rescinded several times due to politics and money. Several cruise ship lines are going to cut back their stops in Phillipsburg because of it.

[/b]Fact:[b]
The day we arrived our housekeeper's teenage son was stabbed. He survived and was released from the hospital. The next week, the bartenders son was shot the morning of the day she was serving drinks. Not sure how he ended up, but we TALKED to both mothers face to face. Very sad. Not so sure everything makes the newspaper.

Luc from [/b]Orange Fever[b] has opened a little pizza shop called MiMo. It is located next to the Cadisco station near Orient beach. Luc told us it was a mess in the construction zone, but he hoped to still try and re-open Orange fever again. He is waiting for his partner Olivier to commit to starting over. Olivier is bartending at the Rio and hasn't decided if he is coming back to Orient.
We Observed a very disoriented man who had been tossed around/rescued from the heavy surf at Mullet. Same day as reported drownings.

We did get bit by a few small midges or?, but not mosquitoes that we are aware of.

[/b]L effet Mer[b] has new owners and chef and eliminated the 32 euro fixed price menu.

The Island is constantly changing and you accept it or don't return. We will be back

Had a little trouble putting headings etc in bold. Sorry if it is hard to read

Very thoughtful and lots of new recommendations, too. So sad about the driving/scooter circus and the violence among/towards the young people you mentioned. I think you are absolutely correct in that all these things don't and probably have never been publicly chronicled - just not the best thing for their tourism situation but very sad nonetheless. And regarding your closing comments, we also choose to return.

Again, TY for sharing.

"Pedros has bathrooms, others do not."

Bikini does and so do some others close to bikini.

Thank you for pointing that out. I foolishly assumed that since "construction zone" preceded the statement, people would think I was talking about the establishments on the South end of Orient. You are correct, ALL the other large Orient venues have bathrooms.

Very nice report, the good, the bad and the ugly, no different than the US or any other country. This will be our 14th year to the island and it's all the good things that keep us coming back. We have 24 more days and a wake up to be there so really appreciate your information and observations!, thank you!

You got off easy. He could have hammered you for misspelling "fettuccine Carbonara".

Thanks for taking the time to post a detailed trip report, I appreciate it.

Not something I would do. Maybe you would since your the one that brought up the misspell.

I wonder if there are fewer Canadians travelling down south this year. Between not really getting bad weather till this month and the absolutely horrible exchange rate for us, it may be the deciding factor for a lot of us. When we were in St Maarten back in January, we heard that there were many Canadians that had canceled their reservations for this year.

Thank you for your informative report.

Nice report. Found some info very helpful for our upcoming trip.

However, I'm now hesitant to post about the trip since a lot of people here are picky, sarcastic, and argumentative about posts.

Please feel free to post a report. Some people will always be picky about spelling, grammar, you name it. Actually, some that are picky about certain things are sometimes offenders and just don't realize it.

Thanks.

Tourism is down this year period. We booked this trip last year and bought U.S. funds when the dollar was at par, so it didn't cost us anything extra. With the exchange rate the way it is, we are sitting on the fence about next year. However, life is too short, and my attitude is you might as well spend your money while you're here and enjoy it.

Post away. There is bound to be someone who enjoys what you say and find it useful. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Please don't hesitate to post a trip report! In any public forum, there's bound to be some disagreement, and that's healthy. It's those who argue just for the sake of argument that spoil it for others. Thankfully there are only a few of those here.

Great report, thanks for sharing. Next time we stay on Orient may have to give Tai Chi another try. Do they have new owners or a new cook?? We ate there twice and were less than impressed but then again it was more than 6 or 7 years ago.

Rosemary etal,

There's almost always at least 'one or two in every crowd' who will find some way to be negative but please, don't let that 'one or two' ruin it for the rest of us.

Trip reports, no matter how long or short, fact based or opinionated, or just plain chatty recaps - are very much appreciated by the majority here. Those who don't enjoy are free to pass on them but those of us who are trying to make it through the long droughts between our own trips do really enjoy them, or at least, I do. I read them all, some of which are headlined in such a way that I have no great interest in the subjects, but I'm often amazed about how much island info I gather from them after the fact.

I would personally urge all who are so inclined to post in the first place, ignore the 'one or two in the crowd' and play to the broader audience here. I know I appreciate the efforts and clearly others do, too. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Just avoid Italian foods - oh, wait...

Agreed, it is impossible to please everyone. People are not perfect, but in almost all cases, there is no ill will intended, even in a somewhat negative response. The vast majority of people here are just very glad to have tales from the tropics to read. And many times, seeming negative posts are misconstrued. It is difficult to do sometimes, but try not to take negativity to heart. It's just a little message board. Enjoy what there is, share your good experiences and don't worry about those who let negativity rule their lives.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Well stated Carol and Pat. Unfortunately though, this forum has lost several good members because of all the negativity and rudeness of those few members. As the expression goes, one bad apple can ruin the barrel! This is so common on Internet forums and really very difficult to eliminate the problem. I can understand how some people are hesitate to write about their adventures.We just need to read the reports and appreciate the contribution being made with no need to pick it apart. We are all different and unique and so will be our reports!

Thanks for the interesting trip report. Always enjoy reading about peoples' experiences. So sad to hear about the two mothers and their sons.

Hey I have nothing better to do <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Post away

Thanks for your report Bruce. Our meal with you and Susan was one of the highlights of our trip(guess that doesn't say much about our trip <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />).

Good info Bruce. Thanks for writing the report. Nice to see you and Susan, at Norm's get together. Sorry we were only on the island for the day, and did not get to have dinner this year.

Norm. Thank you, we also had a great time having dinner with you. Let's do it again next year. Also, thanks for another great party you put together. It is so nice that so many business owners and residents take the time to attend. A tribute to your character. Looking forward to your always outstanding trip report.

Wayne. We too are sorry we didn't get to see more of you this year. Maybe in 2018, unless you tack a St Martin week on to your next adventure in 2017. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

I forgot to mention one fun recommendation in my report. On Wednesdays, at the St Martin Yacht Club during a limited part of high season, the sax player from the band "One White Chick" plays some great tunes from back in the day. Sinatra, Dorsey etc for all you young folks. She starts around 4:30. Happy hour starts at 4 and there are some great priced apps, especially grouper fingers. Park in the big lot across the street and get there by at least 3:45 to get a table.

Thanks to all others who made positive comments. It really is a fun Island!!

Lots of great updates. Glad to hear that we can still get Orange Fever pizza. Always a favorite. We've been coming for 20 years, now. Lots of changes. Great memories, and even though we preferred the island that we first met, we still keep coming back.