Posted By: GaKaye
Trip Report - Observations - 12/11/2021 04:28 PM
Just general observations and comments about our stay.
The only time we were ever asked for our vaccine card was when we checked into Grand Case Beach Club. That is also the only place on the French side where we were required to wear a mask. Many places had a sign requiring masks and/or the French Sanitary Pass, but we were never asked for it. That said, we never really went indoors on the French side. On the Dutch side, masks are required in indoor settings.
Seaweed on Orient got really bad towards the end of our stay. On Thursday the beach bars weren't even trying to remove it during the day; it would have been impossible.
There are a lot fewer vendors on Orient, most are very polite and accept your refusal. There are the two or three pushy ones who haven't changed...
The weather was absolutely perfect, with only one day of our three+ weeks a complete rainout. There were often showers overnight and early morning, and a couple of downpours during the day and evening, but nothing to ruin a day. I don't know that I've ever seen the island as green, and the butterflies were out in force.
The French side protests were definitely a factor during our stay, but we only changed our plans twice in the entire three weeks. The worst was in Sandy Ground, which we generally avoid anyway. Similar to what sometimes happens in the US, the protests were used as an excuse by criminals to destroy property. The gendarmes seemed to get a handle on it after a week or so.
St. Maarten changing the requirements for fully-vaccinated travelers certainly made our arrival much less stressful; I confess I wasn't really excited about the trip until that happened, then all the stress and uncertainty dissolved. Living in the middle of nowhere where we do, the testing isn't as easy to accomplish.
Having the reentry requirements change in the middle of our stay was a bit stressful, but the MedWorks clinic in Porto del Sol handles the tests so efficiently it was a non-issue. They changed our original Wednesday appointment to Thursday via email, and we were in and out before our actual appointment time, and had our results in about half an hour.
Flying still isn't much fun with the requirement to be masked the entire time, and there's no such thing as a "meal" in first class, but at least you can get a cocktail or two. I got a decent vegetarian grain salad on our flight departing SXM that was actually pretty tasty.
As always, the best part of our visit is spending time with the friends we've made over the years. Some of those we only see once a year on the island, and some we catch up with here at home, even though we live far apart. There's something really special about this island that brings us all together.
The only time we were ever asked for our vaccine card was when we checked into Grand Case Beach Club. That is also the only place on the French side where we were required to wear a mask. Many places had a sign requiring masks and/or the French Sanitary Pass, but we were never asked for it. That said, we never really went indoors on the French side. On the Dutch side, masks are required in indoor settings.
Seaweed on Orient got really bad towards the end of our stay. On Thursday the beach bars weren't even trying to remove it during the day; it would have been impossible.
There are a lot fewer vendors on Orient, most are very polite and accept your refusal. There are the two or three pushy ones who haven't changed...
The weather was absolutely perfect, with only one day of our three+ weeks a complete rainout. There were often showers overnight and early morning, and a couple of downpours during the day and evening, but nothing to ruin a day. I don't know that I've ever seen the island as green, and the butterflies were out in force.
The French side protests were definitely a factor during our stay, but we only changed our plans twice in the entire three weeks. The worst was in Sandy Ground, which we generally avoid anyway. Similar to what sometimes happens in the US, the protests were used as an excuse by criminals to destroy property. The gendarmes seemed to get a handle on it after a week or so.
St. Maarten changing the requirements for fully-vaccinated travelers certainly made our arrival much less stressful; I confess I wasn't really excited about the trip until that happened, then all the stress and uncertainty dissolved. Living in the middle of nowhere where we do, the testing isn't as easy to accomplish.
Having the reentry requirements change in the middle of our stay was a bit stressful, but the MedWorks clinic in Porto del Sol handles the tests so efficiently it was a non-issue. They changed our original Wednesday appointment to Thursday via email, and we were in and out before our actual appointment time, and had our results in about half an hour.
Flying still isn't much fun with the requirement to be masked the entire time, and there's no such thing as a "meal" in first class, but at least you can get a cocktail or two. I got a decent vegetarian grain salad on our flight departing SXM that was actually pretty tasty.
As always, the best part of our visit is spending time with the friends we've made over the years. Some of those we only see once a year on the island, and some we catch up with here at home, even though we live far apart. There's something really special about this island that brings us all together.