Posted By: RickandJulie
Trip Report 02/12/ thru 02/22 - 03/08/2022 07:44 PM
This was our 7th or 8th trip to the island, but for the first time we had another couple join us. It was their first trip to the Caribbean, so it was fun introducing them to all the things that make it so magical.
We departed from Boston on Delta, through JFK, and then on to SXM. We had been forewarning them about the expected lines and wait times (after all, we were arriving on a Saturday), but lo and behold, we breezed right through. Picked up our car from Michael at Unity and headed to our villa in French Cul de Sac. Again, we had warned them about the probable traffic jams through Marigot but (yep, you guessed it) we breezed right through without any slowdown. I think they were beginning to question our island knowledge. LOL
Our villa was one we had never rented before. It was right on the water with clear views of Pinel and Anguilla in the distance. It had a small private pool which we enjoyed immensely during our stay. The owners had provided Kayaks for our use, but I’m embarrassed to say we never used them. Overall, it was a nice villa. I guess our main complaint was a lack of comfortable seating.
Our mornings usually consisted of one of us going to the Bacchus Express patisserie in Hope Estate for their incredible Almond Croissants and daily baguette. That, with strong French coffee helped get us up and going. Several days we went to Orient beach. Others, we explored the island and showed our friends around. One day was spent in Phillipsburg. It was VERY quiet in town.
We enjoyed a lot of our favorite restaurants; Orange Fever on Orient (twice for lunch), La Villa, Le Bistronome and Talk of the Town Lolo in Grand Case, Le Piment and Yellow Sub in Orient Village, Le Taitu in Cul de Sac and Caribbean Blend on the boardwalk in Phillipsburg. We also spent an afternoon at Driftwood Beach Bar watching the planes. We got lucky on the parking. I must admit; I was one of the ones pulling up on the sidewalk. There was a space. I took it. Got to see both KLM and Air France arrive. Our friends loved the experience.
Oh, I almost forgot. One night we went to Yvette’s in Quarter D’Orleans for dinner. One of our most enjoyable evenings. Fun setting, great local cuisine, good service. A great experience for someone new to the islands. I had oxtail stew, my wife had creole chicken, our friends had mahi mahi along with conch fritters. Just a really fun time.
Most evenings were spent lounging by the pool, watching the boats in the harbor come and go, seeing the moon rise, maybe drinking a Pina Colada or two…………….
Observations:
It was windy the entire 10 days. Normally we come in late March or early April and have never experienced the wind as we had it. We were told by locals that it is normal for this time of year. I think we are going to return to our April timeframe for our visits.
The sargassum was not an issue. We were really worried about what we would encounter as we had continued to read about it on TTOL; but it was fine. The last 2 days we had some at Orient Beach but overall, it was not bad at all.
The repairs on the Front Street pavers in Phillipsburg were well done. Very easy to navigate on foot. The shop owners were nice and tried to be upbeat, but you could tell they were depressed over the lack of business. We tried to leave a little money in town but it’s going to take a lot more than us to really bring back the vibe that once existed.
Not going to spend a lot of time talking about the hoops you had to jump through to get on and off the island. It wasn’t bad and hopefully it will be relaxed in the future.
Finally, I apologize for no pictures. I’ve just never been one to take a lot of photos.
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