TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Trip Report - April 2016

Hi St. Maarten – we sure missed you!

It had been three long years since we last vacationed in St. Maarten due to family birthday trips to other islands so we were super excited to come back to our favorite place in the Caribbean.

We flew out on Air Canada and were delayed close to an hour leaving Toronto. We were actually pretty happy about that because the AC flight the week before had been delayed FIVE hours – the poor souls. Our flight was uneventful but we really got tossed around coming in for a landing and when we hit the runway in SXM, we bounced and hit hard again. The winds were something else so we were glad to see the tarmac and get into the terminal. We always rent from Safari and called them before we left to reserve our gently dented Corolla (LOL) but when we walked up to the counter all the cars were gone. REALLY? Thank goodness for Alain at Paradise/Ace Car rental. He scooped us up and had us in a beautiful little blue car before we could blink. We drove straight to Driftwood and parked…grabbed a celebratory Carib and watched the last bit of the sun slip below the waves while the other eye was on our car and our luggage. Gawd we were happy. St. Maarten brings us INCREDIBLE joy… it’s hard to explain but for our fellow TTOLers on this board, no explanation is probably needed. After stocking up at the Maho convenience store we checked into Royal Islander La Plage, freshened up and then walked across the street to take part in our arrival tradition…Cheri’s. We know there are better places to eat but we love this place our first night. For us, it’s like walking into a warm St. Maarten hug…and we were hugged a lot by “Sunshine” our waiter and some of the boys in the band who remembered us. After our fish and seafood dinners, a lot of laughs and some wine, we walked over to the Casino and took in their show. Then we found our favorite machine and had a terrific time, breaking even in the process, but leaving with smiles on our faces. It was so good to be back home. (In St. Maarten – not the casino – LOL!)

Day 2 dawned sunny but windy again. We’re huge plane fanatics so we went right to Maho Beach and set up our chairs for the day. We walked down to Sunset Beach Bar and Grill which is really getting a face lift. I have to say I like what they are doing. They’ve taken over Bliss next door and extended SSBG right around the point. There are new shops and bathrooms along with a wood burning pizza oven that wasn’t working yet. It’s going to be lovely when it’s finished. Then we sat down ready to have our favorite Cheeseburger on the island and boy were we disappointed. We always liked the charcoal taste, the view, the ice cold Caribs and the planes landing in front of our plate but the new renovation has done away with the old BBQ pit and there is a new stainless steel kitchen in place now. The burgers tasted like…dried out sawdust that had been warmed up in a microwave. They need to change their menu – quickly – and bring in a chef to improve the taste of EVERYTHING. Hopefully they’ll get it fixed quickly. While eating our sawdust burger, the big KLM 747 came in for a landing – what a plane! – and we noticed it really landed hard. The larger planes always seem to lay down more rubber than most but this time there was a gigantic cloud of white smoke when the wheels touched down. It taxied to the gate and then missed its scheduled take off time. By now several hours had passed and we were back in our chairs on the beach so I kept checking the SXM departures online and finally it registered – cancelled. Wow. The big bird was going to spend the night in St. Maarten. I posted on TTOL and a big thanks to the person who talked to a friend at the airport because he was able to fill us in on what had happened to ground the plane. The 747 had developed a brake issue and needed fixing. It was a “real time” aviation mystery – solved…Thanks to TTOL! Later that night we drove over to Pineapple Pete to enjoy some crab stuffed shrimp. Pierre Ferland looks fantastic and his restaurant continues to be one of the best run on the island IMHO. Our dinner was delicious as always and the perfect ending to our first full day on the island.

Day 3 took us to Philipsburg to do a little shopping and to visit our favorite jewelry store – DK Gems International! Raj, Jeff, Kamal and the boys are doing well. Deepti (who lives off island now) just had a baby girl so it was nice to catch up with our friends. While hubby and Raj were talking I indulged in my favorite pastime, trying on things I can’t afford. LOL! I was sparkling and twinkling all over the store and just happened to walk by hubby wearing their new “Dancing Diamond” bracelet. Each diamond is in a gold basket that is suspended in the center of the setting by two pins. When you move, the diamonds dance! You really need to check it out. Raj told hubby it was the perfect ABC gift – Anniversary, Christmas and Birthday. Hubby thought that was hilarious. I didn’t laugh (most women will get that) but it sure was pretty. Jewelry fashion show over, we decided to go to Mullet Beach and check out the Easter Monday celebrations. We had only ever heard or read about it, so in the mood for a little adventure, we aimed our little blue car for the beach. We planted our towels in the middle of the action and then sat transfixed watching everyone and everything party like their life depended on it. There were tents and BBQs everywhere along with a huge catamaran party boat that was parked almost on the beach blasting out the tunes and 8-10 jet skis whizzing around doing flips and donuts. They were coming so close to each other and to the swimmers and children in the water, I was sure someone was going to get run over and killed. We stayed on the beach for about an hour and then decided to go home deciding we would never go on Easter Monday again. It’s their island … THEIR party and we respect that, besides, there are other beaches to enjoy. Dinner that night was at Le Moulin Fou in Maho. We had a salad, sushi and a crisp, cold bottle of wine…another perfect ending to a very eventful day.

Day 4 found us heading to Karakters. We got there early to get a good spot by the water but were sad to see their chair set up had changed. The lovely wooden tables and carefully placed beach chairs and pillows were gone and in their place were rows of chairs with plastic tables in between. They were so close together that I was almost rubbing shoulders with my next door neighbor. Putting our disappointment behind us, we planted and ordered our favorite lunch. We love the Taste for Two…smoked salmon, chicken skewers, gazpacho, fish cakes, coconut shrimps with a lime infused mayo sauce and two glasses of bubbly. While the kitchen was preparing our order we walked down the beach to Mary’s Boon. The property is looking great and we really have to stay there soon. It was a glorious day filled with sunshine, turquoise water and we had a great day dining, walking and swimming. In the evening, we went to our friend’s house for dinner up on one of the big hills and we talked long into the night. We stayed up far too late but it was all worth it because good friends that touch your heart are hard to find.

Day 5 and 6 were Anguilla bound! We got up early, packed, checked out and headed for Marigot to catch the ferry. We arrived right at the height of the morning market. I wandered around a few stalls while we waited for the next boat to arrive. The waves were rough and I’m not the best sailor but we made it without incident. Thank goodness. We had stayed at the Allamanda Beach Hotel in Shoal Bay East twice before. It was the perfect location for us (close to Elodia’s) and although not fancy it was fine for a quick stay. This time was different. There were only two other couples staying there and we found out too late that NO ONE from management is on the property at night which made us feel uneasy and scared. What if we had an emergency? I know Anguilla is quite safe but we didn’t sleep well at all. Besides, it’s really run down now and it’s clear no money has been put into the property for years. Next visit will be in a Villa or another hotel. We still had a fabulous time on the beach however and we visited Gwen’s new location. They seem to be doing well – next time we’ll plan to hit their Sunday Beach Party again. Their “Scratch band” is fantastic.

Days 7 and 8. Back in St. Maarten we checked into Sonesta Ocean Point Resort in Maho. It’s all-inclusive which didn’t appeal to us at all but the property was spectacular and we wanted to try it out. Unfortunately we found out too late the Norovirus was still raging next door at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. We tried to get out of our reservation but Ocean Point wouldn’t budge because “we had left it too late”. So we took our chances and played it safe only dining at their restaurant “Azul” and staying away from the bars and restaurants next door (which we had full access to). I must say we were treated pretty well by Ocean Point…we were put in one of their top floor rooms and the view was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Every morning we’d pull on our fluffy white robes and enjoy room service on our balcony. Our days were spent on the beach and at lunch and dinner we enjoyed the five star dining at Azul. The restaurant is perched out over the rocks on the point and the view during the day is spectacular, then at night it’s beautiful with all the lights twinkling around you. The food at Azul was truly amazing. We enjoyed rack of lamb, steak, red snapper done to perfection, delicious pastas, salads, shrimp, crab and huge lobster tails. Their wine selections were wonderful accompaniments and their deserts were divine. We washed and disinfected our hands every hour and managed to return home healthy so for that we were very grateful and glad we took a chance to enjoy Sonesta Ocean Point Resort.

Overall we had a wonderful vacation. It was different, especially trying an all-inclusive hotel on an island that has some of the best dining in the world. Usually we drive all over the island visiting every beach and dining in Marigot, Orient Beach, Philipsburg and Oyster Bay but this time we tried something different. It’s nice to know after visiting St. Maarten for close to 25 years, we can still find new adventures to enjoy on our favorite island.

Thanks for your report. Glad you were able to be back on the island after a few years.

Teresa,

It sounds like a wonderful island stay - but not just any island. Only SXM has all that you experienced and I'm in complete agreement with you on so many things.

Karakter has completely fallen off our must-do list for the reasons you cited, and while we loved the Allamanda back in the day, it, too, is now beyond our radar.

Glad your home-coming was a good one and until next time.... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Those dancing diamonds sound lovely! Haven't been to DK Gems in a few years, may have to make a visit next year to check out that bracelet...am sure my husband will thank you for that--not!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> we made one trip to Karakter this year and were so overwhelmed with the crowded chairs and poor service that we left after half a day and never retuned this trip. A couple of trips to Mary's Boon and El Zafiro made up for our disappointment there..thanks for sharing your travel experiences with us!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Sounds like a wonderful vacation. We have never made it to Anguilla but it is on the to do list. Thank you for the report.

Thanks for your interesting report-not sure we'll visit SBBG again but you've saved me the cost of a cheeseburger which is what I would have ordered. We've also given up on Karakter-too many people not enough space even in the parking lot.

Thanks very much for an interesting trip report! Glad you enjoyed the Ocean Point and even more glad that you did not get sick!

Way back when Sunset used to use wood charcoal to grill the burgers and I think the grills were converted beer kegs if I recall correctly. They also used Certified Angus Beef but that went by the wayside also. They then went to the manufactured briquets and now I guess are on to a gas grill. I think BBB also uses gas. While I would prefer the wood charcoal, briquets are fine and even gas is good IF the meat is of a good quality to begin with.

Personally, the best burger I have had the past couple of years has been at Mark's Place.

I looked over my report this morning and noted with alarm that we seemed to be "disappointed" a lot. Bad Cheeseburgers, crowded beaches, run down hotels (Anguilla) but I just thought I'd let you know that we still had a FABULOUS time! It was sooooo good to be back on St. Maarten after such a long absence. We realize that times change, businesses change and as humans we have to roll with the punches and keep on going. So we did...

Besides, now we have to go to Mark's place for a burger next time - thanks Ruralcarrier!

Our next trip to Anguilla will see us staying at Shoal Bay Villas which is just up the beach from Allamanda. The units are BEAUTIFUL - SandS, google the name and property if you're thinking of going to Anguilla. After our tour by the owner we highly recommend it - AND it's a short walk to Gwen's Reggae Beach Bar and Grill, an island highlight for many on TTOL...

And Shelby2 - not only does DK Gems have "Dancing Diamond" bracelets, but they have earrings, pendants and even rings with the special setting. You really need to check them out. I'm not saying anything, but something might be "dancing" my way in the next few months. Hubby is full of surprises.

And so is St. Maarten. Changes, "surprises" and ever evolving, it's the island many of us call "our second home".

Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.So glad you had a good trip in spite of a few disappointments. We have never thought Allamanda in Anguilla to be a good resort although others here have enjoyed staying there.Have they renovated Shoal Bay Villas? It was in need of repairs and was looking tired too. We usually rent a villa if we stay for a week, but for a few days we like Serenity Cottage on Shoal Bay. It is quiet,has a private beach area and a good restaurant. Sometime we hope to meet you in SXM.

You are convincing me that I may have to check out these diamonds for sure!! Saw Deepti at the TTOL party in March--nice to see you Deepti!--and she invited me back to the store, it's been a while, but think I need to treat myself again!! Sure hope you find a dancing surprise in your life soon <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" /><img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for sharing your trip. Sad about changes to old favorites.