Short notes on a visit

Note: I will put all additions in this thread. Don't see the need to make 25-30 threads each expressing a thought.

We arrived on Sunday...AA (gulp) from PVD/PHL/SXM...minimal issues. close to a two hour delay waiting to be de-iced but no connection so no biggie...just wanted to see more of the Pats game but that one was done by the half. Also no issues with getting checked bags and Leslie was there for us in a few minutes with a comfortably used vehicle...

Weather has been perfect with zero AM showers which usually hamper early morning tennis, Perfect...sunny..warm...not Seekonk, MA at all.

Lots of places are trashed but MANY are doing fine. The devastation at SBR is an extreme contrast with three missing buildings (sad) and all the others looking fantastic. B pool has been totally redone to an infinity pool...still freaking freezing though.... (pics tomorrow)

Disjointed thoughts: ...Lee's is getting there with workers doing their thing....BBB looks unaffected and the ribs and Happy hour two Corona for three bucks helps....Roxy Beach is RIGHT next to Royal Palm and says "opening Soon"..ummmmm...no way.....Happy Bay was great today. minimal vegetation and shade but the beach is great. Only maybe 20 people there..MANY more huge iguanas than people...all sitting in the leafless trees on the walk over the hill. I mean HUGE...and orange....new casino near Lal's..used to be a market..didn't go in..Flamingo is a shell...as is Royal Palm. I could hear workers at Flamingo but absolutely zip at RP...Went to the roundabout Carrefour and was REALLY impressed. Looks like a typical mega-market in France...perfect ....Cost-U-Less has Carib at $18/case but meat looked like it had issues. Stick to Carrefour....BBQ at SBR tonight (every Tuesday)..$10 for BBQ ribs and chicken AND beer. We'll see....

Ok..enough...maybe pics tomorrow...I set up wifi calling for a couple of tennis people and left my phone with one of them.....

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Thanks for the start to the trip report! Did there appear to be work going on at Roxxy Beach? The soft opening was supposed to have been right about NOW...

Sadly, I still think there is more to this, especially with regards to Royal Palm.

Thanks for the update and keeping it organized.

Here we go again. Flamingo has a time table and is going with it as I posted in another update not long ago.

Does Flamingo have whole and quarter share owners? If not,I imagine that’s probably why there are workers there but none at RoyalPalm. Sounds like they’re trying to force the hands of many of those owners. The more they can drive out, the more real estate they have as rentable or saleable inventory down the road. Just a thought........

No idea on that pat. Unlike others, I smell a rat here.

No. Just weekly timeshare or points owners of which some have multiple fixed weeks like we do.

A lot of the problems with the Royal Palm had to do with the lack of funds in the reserve to cover the insurance deductible which caused a special assessment that many haven't paid yet.

That's what I thought and was shocked when I saw the area..Trucks and workers doing their thing. Looks active but far from finished. Also (looking at Simpson bay from the street) just left of Roxy are 9-10 small bar huts in a row a table or two outside ending at the street at an expanded Captain's Rib Shack ....mostly used by locals

The beach (Kim Sha) where La Bamba et. al was is all sand...no evidence of there ever being anything there. Couple of shacks for water sports rental stuff towards Roxy area. Beach not busy...decent amount of people but not overwhelmed.

SBR beach looked comfortably occupied but it is weird to look towards Flamingo where Topper's By the Sea WAS..and I do mean WAS. Just sand and no evidence of anything ever being there....Guess the view from the units is improved (or will be eventually)

I was not aware of a special assessment. We have not received a bill. Do you have information that we need? How much is the special assessment and when is it due?

Thank you i advance, John

That was billed out a year ago. Flamingo had none for fixed week owners. Not sure for this coming year for Flamingo but there are talks of just enough to replenish the insurance reserve for the fixed week owners. Points will be billed full MF as they can go to other Diamond resorts..

I need to re-comment on Kim Sha activity. We emptied a few (many) BBB $1.50 Corona's today while our room was being cleaned and the beach was active....definitely not Sunset Beach active but there were four cruise buses that brought patrons to the beach....and the beach absorbed them easily...MANY more chairs and umbrellas and actually looked great both for the patrons and the economy AND not the fuster cluck of Sunset Beach.....I think Roxy on the far end will be fine during the day...noise level at night TBD

Also went to Super U which we hadn't visited for quite some time...excellent meat/produce/wine selections...wine is France priced and $10 is an expensive bottle....$4-6 is normal. Beer selection is OK but they had my Grimbargen Blond which is my go to beer in Paris...AND, big AND, USD 1:1 for the month of January....perfect

Relay Sports Bar at SBR is new...took over the Stone space. Lots of TV's and quite active during games. Probably will watch the Pats/KC game there on Saturday..AND..for the sports bettors out there (me)..the Hollywood Casino now has sports betting terminals (like slots) around the floor......find your game ...pay the price ..get a ticket...and you're good to go. Not thrilled with the Video poker downgrade but will definitely save me some cash....

I understand that they will be expanding the size of the sports bar there, as well as increasing their menu offerings, which seems to be a good thing to me, as both seemed really small.

I forgot....Monday returning from Carrefour and going over "the hill" we could see perfectly (right to left) Saba, Statia and St. Kitts which is cool since we could see the same in reverse from St. Kitts last year

Pats game is Sunday. Go Pats

Decided to go to Phillipsburg for a couple of reasons. 1) Saturday and no traffic...correct. 2) also plenty of parking...true..3) seven ships in so should be busy and less visibility to hawkers..TOTALLY incorrect. There were hardly any tourists there...Front Street was deserted and every 10 feet we got "special price" invites which gets old after 20 or 30 similar.. Not very many chairs occupied on the beach either. Seems the cruisers are going elsewhere....seven ships..

Left after a short time and drove to Grand Case for our Lolo fill at Talk of the Town. As was mentioned it looks exactly the same and the bartender said just a new roof was needed. Ribs and curry rice was great and $8....five of the six lolo's are operating and also look the same as before. The sixth one (at the end of the left group is gone...just sand now. The pier looks the same except for the end slab which has found the bottom of the sea. Still pretty long though....

Walking down the main street was sad with MANY buildings destroyed but a few new ones also...it will be some time before it is all restored.

I would post some pics but I haven't figured out how to describe each pic as posted. Seems like I can post multiple pics but without captions or post one at a time as a unique response.....I'll think of something

One of the restaurant servers in Philipsburg told me that the cruise ships were discouraging passengers from disembarking in Philipsburg, citing hurricane damage and increased crime. Very sad, as those of us who have been there since Irma know there's no need to stay on the ship.

I forgot: I took a walk around the back of Lee's yesterday and there is a decent size empty field behind his house BUT if you know that area the one lane side streets go STRAIGHT up and are extremely slippery when wet. The lot has the same 45-ish degree angle. It would be a challenge to level that area out and make it a parking area...we'll see

Ok..gonna try to post a few pics in groups and explain what they are

Sunset Beach this week...one pic on a 5 ship day and one on a two ship day (one ship was a smaller vessel)...also Happy Bay on a 6 ship day

That second pic is really neat from a wide angle!! And such a contrast, between there and Happy Bay! Thanks for posting.

Wow. That is one crowded beach day.

Ok...that kinda worked out Ok...

Sunset with Le Grand Bleu in the pic (374 feet) during a rainstorm ....and a view from our SBR condo

(Forgot...the Le Grand Bleu has now been joined by the Eclipse (536 ft) and Symphony (333 ft) so the equilivant of over 4 football fields in 3 ships

Pic of the missing Lolo in Grand Case and a pic of the slightly shorter pier taken from the missing lolo

VERY cool sunset pic! Thanks!

I'll stop here for today...but I forgot to mention that Happy Bay is going through some significant "stuff" in preparation for the event to be held there. Bulldozing around the condos and marking out areas on the ground. We did see many of our "friends" (68) on the way over though

...and a night lagoon pic from the drawbridge

Ok..one more...video of KLM takeoff on the slow Sunset beach day


KLM link

Really love the night picture!! Thanks! And nice video of the idiots on the beach...

Just love that KLM blue.

Great photos. Keep them coming.