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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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Trip 1/01 Our first trip to St. Barths was a wonderful experience! The beaches are beautiful and the restaurants are outstanding. We had heard all about the island from a friend who goes back every January. Did not know how he could love it so much to keep returning until we went there ourselves. American Airlines from Cleveland to Miami and St. Maarten, then Winair to St. Barths. The Winair flight was not as bad as I had anticipated from the pervious travelers! Rented a Smart Car for the week. What a blast!! The roads were definitely as challenging as we had heard. (My husband did all the driving, I just held on tight!) We stayed at the Sereno Beach Hotel, where the people were very helpful and nice. The rooms were clean and perfectly adequate considering the amount of time you are in them. Very nice breakfast each morning looking out over the water. Staff knew our names and room number from day one. We got to a few different beaches. All were fabulous!! St. Jean was the best for relaxing in the water and swimming. No big waves. Saline beautiful and great for body surfing. We went to Shell beach for the sunset. Not to be missed! The restaurants we visited were all good. Our favorite dinners were at La Gloriette. Wonderful service and even better food! The prices were extremely reasonable. Terrazza had excellent Italian food at good prices. For lunch out, we liked KiKi-e Mo for grabbing a piece of pizza or panini sandwich. Good lunches at Le Rivage but not too good for dinner food. Marine Service in Gustavia had the most helpful and friendly staff for the snorkeling tour we took on Friday afternoon. About $45.00 each person for half day trip which included snorkeling gear, open bar and snacks on the way back. Our guides were Sierge and Tessa. Wonderful people! We are already planning our trip back to St. Barths in January 2003!! This was the best place to go for complete relaxation. If you are looking for busy nightlife and casinos, this is not the place for you. Activities for the day include which beach to go to after breakfast, where to grab lunch, a nap or book to read by the pool and where to have dinner! My kind of vacation!!
We went to St. Lucia for 6 nights in March 2001. Overall impressions. The island is best navigated by boat when possible as there are only a few main roads that are often congested and choked with vehicle emissions (worse than NYC - maybe they use leaded gas?). Very pretty island overall with lots of outdoor stuff to do like scuba diving, mtn biking in the rainforest, volcanoes to climb, etc. Great place to do watersports because there are a few bays that have calm water. Water taxis can be hired to go anywhere and there are a large number of tours available for tourists. The island is developed in the north and mountainous and relatively undeveloped in the south. The developed part was a typical of a poor tropical country and is not very pretty and I wasn't very impressed by it. The south is very poor but beautiful. The driving can be challenging if you're used to American suburban driving but if you have driving experience in large American congested cities or in Europe it will not be as challenging though still expect some thrills. The roads are very narrow, often steep and winding, and are poorly maintained, there can be lots of traffic and driving is on the left with steering wheels on the right. Only confident and experienced drivers should attempt to drive here. Luckily one can always take a boat and land taxi to most locations. Taxis are plentiful everywhere, and of course you can rent a car but it will be expensive - around $100 US per day after taxes, insurance, etc. One thing we were disappointed with was the prices - usually comparable or more expensive than the US for everything which is surprising given that St. Lucia is a developing nation - one would expect things to be relatively inexpensive. Perhaps it's so expensive because everything has to be imported. There is excellent scuba diving in St. Lucia. If you expect to stay at a very nice resort-type of accommodation up to standards such as the Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico, etc., expect to pay an outrageous amount of money ($300+ per night US). Overall a wonderful island for the adventurous but not for those looking for something very Americanized. We stayed at the Papillon for 6 nights. Overall the resort was pretty good. All meals and drinks/cocktails are included. Here are the details. Rooms. We spent half our stay in a standard room and the other half in a superior room. Standard rooms have extremely small stall-type showers with no virtually no water pressure, the outlets cannot handle hair dryers (and there are none included in the room), have A/C, no television, are fairly large with good closet space, a porch or terrace, and poor views. Superior rooms have "normal" bathrooms, hair dryer built in, cable TV (with many American cable channels including HBO and Cinemax), A/C, nice views depending on the room, a large porch, and are larger than standard rooms. Some have high (10- 12') vaulted ceilings. We found the superior room to be very nice and the standard room to be unacceptable because of the shower and hair dryer situation. Water Sports. Included free are: Sailing, Hobie catamaran sailboats and kayaking. Inexpensive lessons are available. The following motorized water sports are available: Waterskiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, banana boat rides, tube rides (lots of fun!), parasailing. The fees for these are surprisingly inexpensive (e.g., $12 for a few waterskiing laps of the interior bay) and inexpensive lessons are also available. Jet skiis can be rented on the beach privately for US $20/15 minutes. Overall this was the best part of the resort. Daily scuba demonstrations for non-certified divers by St. Lucia Scuba. Must pass the demonstration to go on their Resort Dive, which includes some training, safety videos, transfers via boat to and from dive site, lunch, and a 30-40 minute dive in 10-30 feet of water for $95 (well worth it!!). Beach. On the best beach in St. Lucia, relatively uncrowded and waves are generally gentle enough to allow for water recreation (less than 1 foot high). However, the last 2 days the waves were 5-7 feet high, when combined with the undertoe, closed down all water recreation at the Papillon and all the other hotels on the beach. Beach is quite small but very nice. Food. All meals are included and are buffet style. Breakfast food was often not very good (e.g., they can't make acceptable pancakes) and generally consisted of the same thing every day. Included machine juice, cereal, fruits, eggs, potatoes and an omlette station which was excellent. Lunch and dinner are often very similar and repetitive. Always included local fish which was excellent, and usually chicken and pork and/or some other meat. Always included vegetarian dishes and vegetables. Deserts were not good at all and sometimes one could not tell what the dish was supposed to be. The food was very flavorful, especially the meats and fish, though it was often simple. Bar is open from 11 AM till past midnight with unlimited drinks available, and a snack bar with fast-food quality food from 11 AM - 6PM. You never pay for anything you want to drink or eat. Service. The staff are very friendly and helpful despite the fact that I never saw anyone ever receive a tip. The service during the meals was often better than that at American restaurants. Service was excellent but you need to be sure you're clear about what you want because of misunderstandings that can occur because of the differences in accents :) Grounds/Facilities. Grounds could have been more neatly kept. Some trash around though generally clean. Plastic furniture abundant. Pool is 25% gated off into very shallow areas for kids (less than 2 feet) and is fairly small (though always empty). Freshwater Jacuzzi is large and very pleasant. Workout center has 5-6 cybex machines and a large range of dumbells. Activities. There are various fun activities going on at the Papillon such as beach olympics, sand castle building contests, etc. Almost always evening entertaining ranging from shows to live bands and dancing to Karoke. Did not see many kids and unless they love watersports am not quite sure what they would do there. Other resorts. On the same beach are the Rex St. Lucian, Rex Royal St. Lucian, and Hyatt (further down towards Pigeon island). These resorts are much nicer than the Papillon and are more like what one traditionally expects from in large tropical resorts but in our opinion the additional cost of these resorts is not worth it unless you have a lot money with nothing else to spend it on. Note that the beach in front of the Papillon is relatively small but far less crowded than the beaches on these other resorts.
Trip 2/01 I have just returned from a stay in St. Lucia. Before my departure I found many sources for entertainment listings on the island. All the usual travel websites, although filled with valuable general information, none of them seemed to give a good idea of what the nightlife was really like. On our first night on the town, a Thursday, we headed into Castries. We had been to the market earlier in the day, and found it bustling with locals and visitors alike. Seeing three cruise ships in the harbor, we assumed there would be some kind of nightlife. We were wrong. Castries had shut down! Aside from the handfuls of people hanging outside of the few fast-food restaurants, the main streets were empty. After crisscrossing the one-way intersections, we did find a small number of open pool halls and bars on the outskirts of town. Each one was shadier than the next. We ended up following the flow of traffic Up-the-Morne. Up-the-Morne is what the locals call the area of Castries that is located on a mountainside. Our Thursday evening was spent at a lookout point with the entire city in full view. The view was amazing and made for a relaxing environment The next night, a Friday, we left the house around 10 oclock and headed to Gros Islet, north of Castries. What we found was a pleasant street festival alive in the middle of a charming village. The main street was blocked off, and in front of the rows of small brightly colored Caribbean cottage homes, were more than a dozen food vendors. We dined on fried fish, fish cakes, jerk chicken fresh from the sizzling grill, rice and peas, and other local dishes all at very reasonable prices. The beer was cheap and cold, served right out of the cooler and mixed drinks were available at the bar on the corner. The music was loud and pulsating. The cool thing about this spot was the crowd. Tourist from all corners of the globe and of all ages were mingling and dancing with the locals. Everyone seemed to be having an amazing time. The presence of the police kept anyone from getting too carried away. The guidebooks refer to this party as Jump Up and the locals simply call it Friday Night. On Saturday, we headed back to Gros Islet, upset that the street from the night before was empty. We found a happening strip of small restaurants and open aired bars, in the Rodney Bay area. This street runs adjacent to some of the larger hotels, such as the Royal St. Lucian and the Rex Papillion. You can dine on Indian, Italian, Caribbean, and Chinese cuisine all on the same block. After that follow the music to the two most happening clubs, The Lime and The Triangle. Both clubs have different music themes every night of the week. Saturday was Roots Reggae and the places were packed. On Sunday we took it easy and opted to turn in early, but not before witnessing an amazing sunset at Spinnakers. Spinnakers is a casual restaurant and bar located directly on the sand of Reduit Beach. It is part of the Marlin Quay Hotel. A great choice for a kickback atmosphere. On the weeknights we gave up searching for the spot and focused on leisurely dinners. Our favorites were San Antoine and the Green Parrot, both Up-the-Morne. The next Friday, we set out in our rental car around a quarter to five and headed towards the tiny fishing village of Anse la Raye. Hitting Castries so close to five was a bad move. Castries does have a rush hour and we were stuck in traffic until about 5:30. Anse le Raye, is located south of Castires, on the road to Soufriere. Every Friday, the village hosts a Friday Night Fish Fry. The road was actually pretty crowded all the way down due to this event popularity growth. The fish were fresh and tasty and in many cases prepared by the fisherman himself. The town is very small, so the activity made it appear full. There was live music in the park, which is directly across from the beach stands where the food vendors were set up. It was a quiet night, as far street parties go. The second Saturday, we made it to Marigot Bay and the infamous J.J.s Paradise. Yes, we must admit, we were two of the party-seekers enjoying the loud live music. Thankfully, we went on a night when the band was decent. Even though the crowd was minimal, we could see the potential for the club to be annoying to the nearby resorts. The main thing J.J.s has going for it, is the tropical atmosphere, created by its idyllic location. We had a great time every night of our trip but I must say that the Jump-Up/Friday Night in Gros Islet was our favorite pick. It is exactly the kind of place a nightlife seeker dreams of while stuck in a stuffy, overcrowded nightclub in the blizzard months of winter.
I used this forum to conduct some of my research on St. Lucia and thought that I should pay the forum back by sharing my experience. I was in St. Lucia from Feb. 19-26, 2001. There were five adults in our party. We stayed at the Orange Grove Hotel. Since we are independent travelers who are fussy about food, we took the European plan, dined out everyday, and arranged our own way around the island. The arrangement worked out well for us. We got to sample the various restaurants in St. Lucia, and it probably ended up costing just a little bit more than if we had opted for the all-inclusive plan. Of the various restaurants we sampled, I would most recommend the Lime. The seafood (but not the meat dishes) is good, and the restaurant offers the best value. Sample the lobster. Razmataz is also good. We had mixed reaction to The Green Parrot. We had expected to find entertainment on Wednesday night -- we even called to ask -- only to find that there is only entertainment on Saturdays. Having said this however, the food is okay, even if the service is a bit inept. The Chef is very welcoming though and makes you feel comfortable. For diving and snorkeling, we made reservations with Scuba St. Lucia through the Internet and took three day trips to Anse Chastanet. Scuba St. Lucia picks you up from your hotel in the morning and then transfer you to a boat that brings you to Anse Chastanet. The dives are at 11 am and 1 pm. The dives are very calm, a big difference from the turbo-charged drift dives found in many other places. I did not see a lot of large fish during my dives, but I still greatly enjoyed the dives. The coral reefs are in very good shape, and I saw a lot of the rarer fish, worms, corals, and sponges. The snorkeling is not bad as well. If however you are planning to go to Anse Chastanet expecting to find a white powder sand beach, forget it. The beach has a scenic setting, but the sand is gritty and grey. The water also turns deep quickly. Even worse, if you are on a day trip to Anse Chastanet, you will only be permitted to use a small portion of the beach close to where all the boats dock. There is also only one perpetually crowded washroom available for day trippers. If you are not diving or snorkeling, do not go. We saw various resorts while we were there. The most beautiful one that we visited is Windjammer Landing. It is just the right size (does not feel too large like the Hyatt near Pigeon Island), is situated in a semi-secluded bay, and has a decent beach. Hilton Jalousie looks nice as well, though I am a bit disturbed by its location, between the Pitons, an area that should probably have been protected as a park. As far as I can tell, the St. Lucia government has done a good job of protecting the natural environment. There are reportedly more a lot more park space now than when St. Lucia was a British colony. In general, I find that the beaches in St. Lucia, even the ones in the northern part of the island, is not as white and fine as the ones in the Mayan Riviera, for example. However, the island more than makes up for this small shortcoming but having spectacular mountain and coastal scenery. When arranging for a day trip, check prices with the local taxi drivers first before booking the trip with your tour group agent. The taxi drivers receive government training and are very capable tourist guides. We opted to use a local taxi and saved a bundle this way. When arranging a day trip with a taxi, choose one that has a newer car or van. Some of the older taxis do not have good air conditioning. This can result in a hot and uncomfortable trip. Talk to the St. Lucians and you'll discover how friendly they are. We did not encounter pushy vendors -- a firm no suffices here. The islanders are also very gracious and never openly asked for a tip. We felt safe throughout the island. We roamed around Castries and Soufriere without feeling uncomfortable. The only time we felt mildly uncomfortable in St. Lucia was during the Jump Up held Friday nights in Gros Islet. If you're going by taxi, do not agree on a pick-up time beforehand, since you may not wish to linger as long as you think you would. You can always get another taxi back to your hotel. Orange Grove is a good choice for travelers like us who intend to travel independently and do not intend to use the resort facilities. Looking around, the Bay Gardens may be another good choice for people like us. The Orange Grove is situated in a hill and does not have an adjacent beach. It does however a free shuttle to the Pigeon Island National Park, where you can use the two small beaches. When checking out from Orange Grove, check your bill carefully. We did and discovered a large billing error.
February 3 through 11, 2001 We normally visit St. Martin in the off season, but decided to take our first mid winter trip to St. Martin this year after a hectic fall and holiday season. We visited the island from February 3 through the 11th and stayed at Club Orient, which was very relaxing as always. We own 2 weeks of timeshare at the Pelican in Simpson Bay, which we normally use in July when our kids and their friends come along. The weather was great the whole week except for the wind, which gradually increased in intensity all week. Since the wind was blowing in from the ocean, you could at least sit near the water and not get sand blasted. Unfortunately, by the end of the week Orient beach essentially empty by noon. Beaches on the West side of the island were probably not as bad. The island didn't seem very crowded for it being in season; most of the business people that we talked to agreed, attributing it to the slowdown in the U.S. economy. Traffic on the roads was light by St. Martin standards. We have benefited by reading the CTR before each trip to St. Martin but this is our first contribution. We found out about many of the places that we frequent by reading the Roundup. Our first trip was about 10 years ago; we immediately fell in love with the island and have returned once or twice a year ever since. Since this is our first CTR contribution after may visits to St.Martin, we figured it would be best to just do a summary of our experiences and share some experiences, rather than do a travel log of our last trip. In general hurricane Luis seemed to be a turning point for the island. The devastation seemed to wake St. Martin up to things like the environment and appreciation of tourism. Although the environmental arena still seems to need work, you no longer see litter along the sides of the roads like in earlier days. Local groups like St. Martin Pride have taken the initiative to organize clean up efforts as well as sponsor other programs to promote the general good. The people of St. Martin were always friendly, but after Luis, we noticed that people from both the Dutch and French side of the island seemed more accommodating to the tourist trade than before. Restaurants & Bars & Stories: We usually stick to medium priced restaurants, but we do like to make one trip to Grand Case on each vacation. On this last trip we had dinner at Le Cottage. Dinner consisted of a bottle of wine, French onion soup as a starter and lobster (shared) for the main course. Everything was wonderful, this proved be to an extremely relaxing dinner. <<From past trips we also have liked Sebastianos and Laubourge Gormande as well as Marios in Sandy Ground near Marigot. We have been to Fish Pot and LAlabama but were not overly impressed. Service at the Fish Pot was somewhat snooty. At LAlabama our snapper dish was stronger (fishy) tasting than we prefer but I tend to think that this might have been an isolated incident since most people rave about the place. We have had some excellent pizza at Portofino, but the road noise is quite loud. Lunch at the roadside barbeques is always a treat. Our favorite restaurant in the Simpson Bay area is the Bavaria, situated on Airport Road at the entrance to the Pelican resort and Hollywood Casino. The atmosphere is very relaxing and the German cuisine is excellent and affordable. The owner, Annette, is there every night to greet her customers and also works behind the bar. There is usually a colorful cast of very friendly expatriates at the bar who are more than willing to tip a glass and share local stories with you. On the road next to the Julianna airport runway is Don Carlos. They have very good Mexican food as well as seafood entrees and a great Caesar salad. They also have a fun bar scene with a mix of expats and tourists. The Turtle Pier, across from the airport has great lobster, and lots of atmosphere, being built out over the water. On a past trip, there was a Moray eel that could be seen living under the pier. The turtle pier also has an interesting bar crowd and entertainment on Wednesday nights. The old Turtle Pier was totally destroyed by Luis and subsequently bought and rebuilt by the old owners brother. The old Turtle Pier (before Luis) was incredibly rustic, and frequented by a colorful, to say the least, band of characters from all over. Murry, a Dutchman used to be the dock master and would occasionally help with taking care of customers. Murry used to drink a bit so you usually had to retrieve your drinks after they were delivered to the wrong table. The first time we met Murry he was having a drink with a parrot that was strolling around the bar. Well, needless to say, I fell for the old Does Your Parrot Bite trick. Murry disappeared after the Luis; the stories of his departure range from Moved to another island to Took a job crewing on a boat for some questionable characters and was thrown overboard. John Snowy was one of the old Turtle Pier crowd and can actually still be found holding down a bar stool at the Turtle Pier or the Bavaria. He is a white haired English gentleman with a fine sense of humor. His trip to St. Martin from South Africa on his sailboat included travels up the Amazon River and encounters with pirates. The first time we met him, he was about to leave the island to sail up the east coast of the U.S. and finally back to the U.K. That was 10 years ago and he is still in St. Martin! Snowy is getting up in years but still likes to dance with any willing ladies. Unfortunately, Luis destroyed Snowys sailboat, along with hundreds of others in Simpson Bay. Simpson Bay was designated as a safe hurricane hole for ships during the hurricane but the intense storm surge during Luis turned Simpson Bay into the equivalent of open ocean. Sambucca, a favorite Italian restaurant in Simpson Bay, closed after the last hurricane and have not yet reopened. The Pelican Reef steak house is located in the Pelican resort and has excellent steaks and seafood. It is somewhat more expensive than the other Simpson Bay eateries but well worth the tariff. We normally only go to Philipsburg during the day so we cant say much about the dinner situation but we have had good lunches at the Kangaroo Café and the Greenhouse. The new cruise terminal in Philipsburg is in operation. Now the cruise ships pull directly up to the terminal so passengers don't have to ride the launches to Bobbies Marina or the Philipsburg Pier. This has initiated a battle between the Philipsburg merchants and the taxi drivers. Since the distance from the new ship terminal is quite a long walk for most people, most of the cruise ship passengers now have to get in a taxi. Once in the taxi, the drivers push the passengers towards going to Marigot or Orient Beach instead of just the few blocks to Philipsburg (bigger fare). Because of this, business is down considerably in Philipsburg. The merchants and timeshare hawkers are noticeably more aggressive at trying to get your attention and business as a result. Nightlife: Here is the nightly rundown to the best of my knowledge. Monday Night Cheris (Everynight) Tuesday Night Greenhouse Bobbys Marina, Philipsburg Rock Music- 2 for 1 drinks- Young Crowd Papagayo Club Orient Restaurant South End of Orient Bay Island Band Clothing Optional Wednesday Night Turtle Pier Simpson Bay Pop Music Lobster Night Middle Age to Older Crowd Bavaria Simpson Bay Piano Player Lobster Night Middle Age to Older Crowd Thursday Night Marigo Marina Marigo Roaming Bands Wild Costumes Mixed Crowd- Entertainment at Bars Indiana Beach Simpson Bay - Rock Music- 2 for 1 drinks- Young Crowd- (heard a rumor that this might have been shut down due to noise) Friday Night Boathouse Simpson Bay - Rock Music- Young Crowd to Middle Age Crowd BooBoo Jam Beach Bar at North End of Orient Bay Mixed Crowd Saturday Night Papagayo Club Orient Restaurant South End of Orient Bay Karaoke Clothing Optional Sunday Night Kon Tiki Near Bikini Beach area of Orient Beach Music - Mixed Crowd Any Night Cheris Next to Casino Royale, Maho Island Music Mixed Crowd Sunset Beach Bar Maho Beach, at east end of Julianna Airport runway Sopranos Piano Bar Across the street from Cheris While on the subject of the Sunset Beach Bar, Go during the day to watch the big jets land, its spectacular. Also watch the Darwin Award contenders do some Jet Wash Surfing. This consists of hanging onto the chain link fence at the beginning of the runway behind a 747 that is revving up its engines for take off, its hilarious. According to the bartenders and regular patrons, the Air France 747 that comes in daily, knocks down the fence at the beginning of the runway on a regular basis. This has caused Air France to be renamed Air Fence in Sunset Beach Bar Land. If you haven't seen their website, check it out. There is even a live web cam. HYPERLINK "http://www.sunsetbeachbar.com/"http://www.sunsetbeachbar.com/. Thursday nights in Marigo marina are a great show complete with roaming marimba band and drag queens. Most of the open-air restaurants around the marina in Marigot have great thin crust brick oven type pizza and wonderful atmosphere. We tried a new place on this trip called BDLG, on the corner of the marina. BDLG has excellent food and a festive atmosphere. We always make it a point to have breakfast at Zee Best, the egg crepes and pastries are awesome. For those familiar, Danny and family are doing well. On Orient beach, one or more visits to Baywatch are always a must. Cheryl and Andy, transplants from New Jersey, are doing great in this location, which is just past the north end of Club Orient. They originally had the Surf Club South on Grand Case Beach, which was voted one of the top ten beach bars in the world by several travel magazines until it was blown away by Luis. Baywatch now closes in the late afternoon, so Andy and Cheryl are enjoying working the day shift together. They said that they don't have any plans at this point to add evening entertainment. Their lunches are excellent (Caesar Salads, steak subs, etc). Andy is always good for a dose (or overdose) of comic relief. His latest diversion is the Eye ball Olympics complete with a one to ten rating scale (on paper plates) for people passing on the beach. (Naked people get an automatic ten whether they deserve it or not). The Papagayo restaurant in Club Orient has excellent food and atmosphere as long as you don't mind seeing a number of au naturale diners. Papagayo also has entertainment on Tuesday and Saturday nights. This time, they had a very good island band on Tuesday night and Karaoke on Saturday night. If you have any exhibitionist or voyeuristic tendencies, this is not to be missed. Radio Laser 101 FM airs the Rude Awakening morning radio show Monday through Friday. We make a point to bring a radio if we don't think well have one in our room. The announcers, Bulldog (from the US) and Cassanova (from the Islands), are tastefully (usually) irreverent. They banter with callers and like to discuss current local news as well as island political buffoonery. They seem to enjoy keeping the local politicians on their toes. We were listening last July when the topic of discussion was the towing away of illegally parked cars on front street. Towing away illegally parked cars seems fine until you realize that the no parking signs were written only in Dutch. New signs in several languages were up when we visited in February. Laser 101 has a web site HYPERLINK "http://www.laser101.fm" www.laser101.fm with a listen live link but I have yet to find it working. That would be a great way to keep up on what's happening on the island. Telephones: Thanks to info on the CTR we found out about Eastern Caribbean Cellular. On every trip we now bring our cell phone and get it programmed locally. Its great for convenience and reasonably priced. When our kids come along we get two phones programmed with local numbers so everyone can keep in touch. Also, you can get your phone at home set up with an international calling plan which lets people at home call you direct for about 40 cents / minute. AT&T charges 1 to 2 dollars a month for the service. (That if you really want people to be able to find you). If you go to Eastern Caribbean Cellulars web site you can get more information, however, I've never had any luck pre applying for service via the internet. In my experience you always have to go into the office in Philipsburg or Marigot. Crime: We have never had any problems except for having some packages taken from our rental car when we left it open in Grande Case for a minute. We try not to keep anything in the car anymore, but if we have to, we make sure we put the items in the trunk before getting to our destination so no one sees. Violent crimes against tourists seem to be extremely rare but it never hurts to be careful. Also, I would stay away from the back street area of Philipsburg at night since there have been some killings of local people in that area. Roads: Roads are generally improving. We found a new short cut on this trip (it may have been there for years). When driving to Marigot from Grand Case and you get to the traffic circle before Marigot, take the first right instead of the second to get to the harbor area (Ferry Landing). This is especially useful if you're going to Sandy Ground or Nettle Bay areas. Leaving St. Martin: One thing that we learned the hard way, don't leave your rental car parked in front of the airport terminal while you check in, park it in the lot. The police will tow it within minutes and charge you $75 to get it back. This is not fun when you are trying to get to your flight. If you get to the airport early, you can check in and go have breakfast at Don Carlos, Turtle Pier or the Quick Stop, which is across the street from the terminal and quite good. One of the local airlines, Sorry I forgot the name, is now offering service between Grande Case Airport and San Juan. This would be a nice way to side step Julianna Airport and all the confusion. Construction is progressing on the improvements to Julianna Airport. Soon, if you come on one of the larger planes, you will exit onto a jetway instead of on to the roll up stairway. I think that Ill miss having the warm tropical air greet me as I exit the plane. Were already thinking about our next trip.
INTRODUCTION The year 2001 marked our seventh year vacationing in Saint Martin during the month of January. We vacationed between January 7th and January 21st, and, as always, the vacation was superb. The painting on the left by Peter Lynn appears on the cover of an AT&T sponsored road map for St. Maarten * St. Martin. Peter Lynn has a studio at 83 Boulevard de Grand Case. The AT&T map contains good street maps that you might find useful. Ti Gourmet is still my favorite guidebook because it is pocket-sized and packed with information. I notice that others are mimicking Ti Gourmet's format now - The Quick Pick Guide and Discover, for example. In any case, you can find these free guidebooks and maps at your resort, and in stores and restaurants. The island has recovered well from the hurricanes of prior years (except for Cupecoy), the Mullet Bay ghost town was finally being torn down, and Philipsburg is undergoing rejuvenation. Cruise ships now dock near Bobby's Marina at the head of Phillipsburg, so the shops at that end of town are getting a lot more business. They've built a boardwalk-like string of shops on the beach at the head of town, and the beach itself is in excellent condition (for the first time I can remember). Also, parking is prohibited on Front Street when ships are in port. The whole scene was much nicer than I had experienced in the past. Grand Case and Marigot don't seem to change - except that Marigot's Market gets better each year. Over in Simpson Bay, there's a new movie theater complex near the drawbridge and several new stores are being built to take advantage of the theater complex's expected drawing power. Saint Martin continues to change ... for the better, I think. You can find more travelogues on my Travel Page or in the Caribbean Travel Roundup (which has hundreds of travelogues about St. Martin and other Caribbean islands). As usual, this year's travelogue covers the weather, rental cars, beaches, restaurants, and miscellaneous topics. There are lots of great things about Saint Martin that I don't cover each year - but you can find information about those things in my travelogues from 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 WEATHER As was the case last year, thirteen of 14 days were gorgeous at least half of the day and usually all day; the remaining day was too overcast to go to the beach. RENTAL CAR We used Adventure Car Rental (011-43688) again this year. We didn't have a reservation - just stopped at their concession at the airport. Instead of getting our usual jeep, this year we rented a vanilla-flavored Toyota something-or-other. It was a relatively new vehicle in outstanding condition, which I find to be true of Adventure's cars in general. It was a little worse for wear when we turned it in (we scraped a quarter panel and broke a turn indicator light), but Adventure only charged us what I thought was a very reasonable $75 to repair the damage. I have no qualms whatsoever recommending Adventure to you. You can reserve a vehicle via their web site. BEACHES The beaches that we like were in great shape this year - except for Cupecoy, which was still in disastrous condition. My four favorite beaches this year were Prune Bay Baie Rouge Orient Friar's Bay PRUNE BAY Prune Bay ... still spectacular, in my opinion. There are no facilities and no concessions. It is a gorgeous beach with great swimming conditions. An excellent place for the family. Tops Optional. I'll repeat the driving directions for you here: Use your map to get to the Prune Bay "exit" from the main road (between Baie Rouge and Long Bay). There's a sign at the exit road and now there's also a guardhouse that operates between 6:00pm and 6:00am each day. When you see the sign and/or guard house, leave the main road. Take the left fork in the road for one mile, at which point you'll see a cement wall on the right side that is about eight feet tall. The wall is weird - just two small sections that intersect with each other to form a wedge. The wall is at an intersection with Rue Dufy. Turn right onto Rue Dufy. ˇ Take your first left and follow it all the way. The beach is at the end of this winding road. Stop someplace to get food and drink before you go to Prune Bay - there are no facilities there. You might consider also bringing your own umbrella, because there isn't much shade. BAIE ROUGE Baie Rouge is back in great shape after having suffered some erosion last year. Gus's Place and Raymond's (two lo-los) still serve great lunches and $2 beers. My favorite day at Baie Rouge is Sunday, which is when the local Marigot population comes out to relax. My only caution this year would be to keep an eye on the guy selling beach chairs and umbrellas - if you give him a large denomination bill, he says he will bring you change when he gets it. Yeah, right. I recommend that instead of forking over a large bill, either give him the correct change ($5 each for chair and umbrella) or tell him you'll pay him when he gets change for your $20 bill (or whatever). This is a nice family beach. Tops Optional. ORIENT BEACH Orient Beach was outstanding this year. Although there has been quite a bit of beach erosion in front of Pedro's, the rest of the beach looked fine. Unfortunately, the bars and restaurants set up far too many beach chairs to be appealing. They jam as many chairs side-by-side as possible, not realizing that being jammed together is what most vacationers are trying to escape. I'd think by now the restaurants and bars would figure out that their sardine-can-designed beach chair layout is why people don't want to use their beach chairs. This overcrowding probably also explains why the Orient Beach Club section of the beach is getting so many more people - plenty of room to stretch out! Tatyana, the lovely waitress who brought food and drinks to the beach chairs last year on the Orient Beach Club section, was not to be found this year. An unexpected attraction, however, was a lithe young woman who decided to conduct yoga exercises about five feet in front of my chair. She was tall with long black hair gathered up with a clip in the back. Physically fit, pale skin, sunglasses - kind of Italian looking, She removed her bathing suit and started a 30-minute routine of arching and stretching ... front view ... rear view ... in her own world ... uninhibited ... all very nice ... and then she was gone. I figured she must have been from one of the cruise ships ... but I saw her collecting seashells the next day at the Pelican Resort's beach. And I never expected to find a fashion faux pas on Orient Beach, but sure enough, we're walking along the beach and we look up to see a short, fat guy power-walking completely naked except for a fanny pack! The visual was just too much. Check out this web site about Orient Beach. FRIAR'S BAY The Cranberry Cafe is gone, so now there are only two beach restaurants at Friars Bay: Kali's Beach Bar and Friar's Bay Beach Cafe. I still recommend - strongly - that you head for the area in front of Friars Bay Beach Cafe (FBBC). The lounge chairs and umbrellas in front of the FBBC are free if you eat at the FBBC...and the food is excellent. They have a great menu, reasonable prices, and the beach itself is picture-perfect. You're going to love the ambiance of Friar's Bay - added to the regular mix of French, Italians, Latin Americans, and North Americans this year was a group of Russians. Tops Optional ... lots. PELICAN RESORT BEACH Those of you who read my travelogues each year know that I think this is a great beach - it doesn't have the class of Prune Bay, the excitement of Orient, or the seclusion of Happy Bay - but it has free lounge chairs and umbrellas, a very nice beach protected by rock jetties on both sides, and two beach bars - the thatched one serves up the best barbecued burgers I've had on the island. And of course you have all the other amenities of the Pelican Resort right there. Small Beach (Grand Case) The beach at the Grand Case Beach Club was in great condition. This is a very nice tops optional beach, and the Grand Case Beach Club has lounges on the beach near their Sunset Cafe. The chairs have flag hoists so that you can signal to the bar when you want drinks. You can access the beach by parking on the road and using the access path next to the Grand Case Beach Club, or just park in The GCBC's parking lot and use their facilities. CUPECOY BEACH The Cupecoy beach furthest from the Sapphire resort was still a disaster in January 2001. As I told you last year, damage from the 1999 hurricanes made a mess of Cupecoy. Sand erosion left boulders at the water's edge and what what little beach is left is mostly ugly; the treeline suffered severe damage from erosion; the concession was destroyed (but the locals still set up a small lo-lo on the beach). RESTAURANTS, CAFES, BARS This year we didn't go to some of our favorites, like Le Pressoir, Mario's, and Michael's Cafe - but we did eat at several restaurants that we had seen or heard about - and now wish we had tried long before now! I'll start the descriptions this year with the new restaurants - new to us, anyway. The first three are You-Just-Have- To-Go restaurants, in my humble opinion. Restaurants and Cafes New to Us This Year L'Amandier Beach This place is quite an experience. Incredible, really. Located in Grand Case, the restaurant has an open Creole style room facing beautiful Grand Case Bay. The menu is extensive - mostly French and Creole, but also American-style fare; the food is delicious - exceptionally well prepared; service is friendly and attentive; and the view is spectacular. In addition, L'Amandier has a couple of bars, a swimming pool (kids bored?), a gift shop, and a Tops Optional beach right in front of the restaurant. It doesn't get any better than this. A mixed seafood grill cost about $24, a Creole Ribs Plate was $12, and a huge salad cost $11.50. The portions were generous and all of the food was prepared to perfection. The wait staff was very attentive (especially the young fella waiting on the two gorgeous topless French women on the beach!). The Boathouse What a great combination of excellent food, service, and ambiance! I think everyone knew about the Boathouse but me. For years we've been driving by the place on Airport Road in Simpson Bay, but this year we finally stopped in for lunch. I wish we had done so a lot sooner. The Boathouse has a nice decor and the wait staff had personality. My wife ordered a Boathouse Steak and Cheese sandwich and Cajun onion rings that were just great. I had a Chicken and Parmesian dish that was delicious. We sat on a covered deck overlooking Simpson Bay. The food, service, and scenery all were wonderful. I forget how much we paid, but I do remember that the price was reasonable for such generous portions and that a 15% service charge was already included in the check. We'll definitely go back. The Hideaway Wow. Make a reservation or try your luck, but go to the Hideaway. The Hideaway Restaurant is located at the La Vista Resort, which is just past the Pelican Resort. It is an elegantly simple restaurant looking out at Saba Island in the Caribbean. My wife had a dish called Chicken Foresterie ($15) and I had Mixed Seafood in Puff Pastry ($22.50) - both were outstanding. Delicious. Throw in a mixed salad ($5), a shrimp & scallop appetizer ($7.50), a couple glasses of wine and ice tea, and a 15% surcharge and we had an exquisite dinner for about $63. The quality of service was great and the waitress had an outstanding personality. The Village Baker The Village Baker is a new French bakery located just off Airport Road in Simpson Bay, on Billy Folly Road (the road up to the Pelican Resort). What a great little place! Fresh bread, croissants, sweets - everything you'd expect. Eat in or take out. We "found" this place late in our vacation after driving by it for almost two weeks - big mistake! Should have stopped in on Day One. The Boulevard Cafe The Boulevard Cafe is Saint Martin's version of an all-night diner. We've been driving by it for years, figuring that the morning crowds must indicate that the food is good ... so we finally stopped in to see ... and ended up going back a couple of times. Sure enough, the breakfasts and lunches are excellent. Their omelets were especially good, as were their homefried potatoes. Portions are generous and service is friendly and prompt. The descriptions of some of the dishes on the menu are pretty funny and everything that we tasted there (except the pizza) was great. The Boulevard's advertising claims that their pizza was voted 1999 Best Pizza in the Caribbean - I don't know who did the voting, but their pizza tasted like a frozen pizza from the grocery store to me and my wife. And be sure to check out the pictures hanging above the counter! The Bamboo The Bamboo is located in Marigot across the street from The Market in the same location as the now defunct Fregate. We stopped at The Bamboo for a brunch after doing The Market scene. The food at The Bamboo was good (especially the garlic potatoes), but the service was pretty bad. Try a different restaurant. Updates on Previously Visited Restaurants & Cafes Pizza-Pasta Italian Trattoria (behind Cheri's at Maho Bay) We loved this informal, cash-only restaurant last year, but we only went there once this year. Maybe we hit the Pizza-Pasta on a bad night (Thursday, January 11th) - the service was lousy, the waitress had no personality, and the food tasted pretty average for some reason. So .. what do I recommend to you? Give Pizza-Pasta a try. This has been one of our favorite places in the past. A couple can eat for less than $40, usually, and the food, service, and personality has been very good in the past. See last year's report. Remember...this is a cash-only restaurant and they're closed on Fridays. Turtle Pier (Simpson Bay) We have always loved Turtle Pier - however... this was our only other disappointing dining experience during this trip. We went there for breakfast, which usually is great, but the food tasted like it had been cooked earlier and not brought back to its proper temperature before being served to us (referring especially to the bacon and potatoes). The waitress messed up my order on two counts, and waiting on us seemed like a chore for her - no personality or energy - so for the first time, we didn't enjoy our experience there. My recommendation for you? Give Turtle Pier a try, because, as I said in a past travelogue: The kids will love all the birds and animals that line the walkway into the restaurant. Be sure to take a seat right at the water if you bring kids - they'll love to toss bread to the fish. Turtle Pier serves an outstanding breakfast with plenty of coffee refills. Lunches are also dependably delicious - everything is flavorful, fairly portioned, and reasonably priced. For example, a lunch of hamburger and onion rings costs $6.50. All that and you get a great view too. Sunset Beach Bar (Maho) Famous for its sign that says, "topless women drink for free," the Sunset Beach Bar has picnic tables on a large deck overlooking Maho Bay and Juliana Airport. It's so simple in its sheer enjoyment that you gotta love this place. Last year's report pretty much says it all. This place stays the same and others try to imitate their success. Sunset is a great place to enjoy cold drinks on the way back from a day at the beach. Everyone (including me) always talks about the Sunset as a great spot to watch the planes take off and land - which it is - but we also found that the local pelicans are a show in themselves. We caught them "fishing" between 3:30pm and 4:30pm along the coast right there at the Sunset. If you've never seen pelicans fishing for food, you're missing quite a show! Friar's Bay Beach Cafe (Friar's Bay) Great food in large portions at fair prices with attentive service on a gorgeous beach full of topless women. Need I say more? My sister Marcia and her husband Dave went to Saint Martin last year and this beach was Dave's favorite spot. This was Dave's favorite because of the food and beach ... not the pretty topless women ... right? This year Pam and I had a lunch of Stuffed Crab and Fish Plate with Creole Sauce, Salad with Roasted Camembert & Bread, soda, beer, and wine ... all for $38.50. Richard's Crepes Cafe (Simpson Bay) I suggest that you don't mess with the eggs and sandwiches - they're good, but you can get those anywhere. Go for the crepes. The service at Richard's Crepes Cafe is a little slow sometimes ... okay, a lot slow sometimes (depends who's working) ... but the food is delicious! Last year's report. A little pricey, but portions are very large - this year we had two breakfasts of crepes, potatoes, and coffees for $25 - but well worth at least on visit during your vacation. Closed on Mondays. La Main a la Pate (Marigot Marina) La Main a La Pate, which means "The Hand in the Dough," is located in the Marigot Marina. The waiters are from France and they are always upbeat and friendly. The menu at Main a la Pate is extensive. This time around I had the Caribbean Seafood Pot - pasta, clams, shrimp, and mahi-mahi in a flavorful tomato sauce - a delicious meal for $23. Pam had a simple lunch of cheeseburger and fries for $6 or $7. Throw in a couple of beers and ice tea and the whole bill came to $36. Food and service at Main a la Pate is consistently excellent - and this is a super place to relax, check out the yachts, and figure out a way to retire in Saint Martin. Le Charolais (Simpson Bay) We went to Le Charolais twice this year. One night we weren't hungry enough for a full meal, so we ordered a Mixed Salad, a Farmer's Salad, dessert (a Mousse and a Raspberry Sorbet) and some wine and tea - all for $36. Outstanding. The salads at Le Charolais are huge and scrumptious. So keep them in mind when you want to eat light. Last year's report. Gabe's Bistro (Maho Bay) Gabe's is a Sunset Beach Bar "Wannabe" that is located next to the Sunset Beach Bar. In fact, the bartender is a lady who used to work at Sunset. This isn't a bad place ... but it isn't Sunset. Location is great, but we were told that the absentee owner isn't doing what's necessary to spruce up the place. Let me know if things get better ... otherwise, stay at Sunset. Bay Watch II (Maho Bay) The Bay Watch II is the next bar down from Gabe's and Sunset. As you can see from the advertisement at the right, Baywatch II has lots of sizzle ... and, in fact, the layout of the place is pretty darn nice. But we're told that four out of five of the original owners have quit. And it was easy to see that nothing was happening at Bay Watch II when we stopped by. Let me know if things improve ... otherwise, stay at Sunset. Surf Club South - Nope ... Baywatch Bar and Grill (Orient Beach) Not to be mistaken for the Bay Watch II, The Baywatch Bar and Grill is the reincarnation of the former Surf Club South - the great beach bar that originally was located in Grand Case and then moved inland. Well, Surf Club South has reinvented itself yet again, this time as Baywatch on Orient Beach - close to Pedro's. Same owners...same signage...same atmosphere (minus the bra's in the tree). Baywatch opens at 6:30am (coffee between 6:30am - 8:00am is free) and still serves a good American breakfast (Western omelet, homefries, toast, and coffee goes for $6.25). Pelican Reef Steak and Seafood House (Simpson Bay) We don't have much luck at the Pelican Reef, which is an upscale restaurant located at the Pelican Resort. Acclaimed by travel writers as the best steak house on the island, I went there in 1999 and did not have a good experience. This year my wife and I went to Pelican Reef for dessert after having an outstanding dinner at La Vista's Hideaway restaurant. I ordered their trademark dessert called "Chocolate Island," which, for about $10 was overpriced, but tasty. My wife ordered the "Very Chocolate Cake." Here is her description: "Save four bucks and get a box of Ho-Ho's ... they have more chocolate and taste better. Nowhere on the menu does it say that cherries or any kind of liquor are included, but Very Chocolate Cake had both. The chocolate in very Chocolate Cake are the few chunks of chocolate that they sprinkle on the plate." We even asked the waitress if the recipe had been prepared correctly - she checked with the chef and said that it had. Further, the coffee tasted like it had been on the burner since lunchtime. We had the two desserts, a glass of wine, and two leftover cups of coffee for $30.50. I know that lots of people rave about Pelican Reef, but I wouldn't recommend it to you. Talk of the Town (Grand Case) Talk of the Town is one of the lo-lo's clustered in Grand Case that everyone talks about. The food here is good, and down-to-Earth atmosphere is refreshing and fun. We ordered a "Plate of Food" with Shrimp for $10, and a "Plate of Food" with Ribs and Chicken for $8. I recommend that you try one of these lo-lo's because the lo-lo's are a "cultural thing," the food is definitely good, and the prices are pretty reasonable. But don't let the hype set your expectations overly high - service is so-so and the food is mostly rewarmed. Miscellaneous Notes Rhino Safari Let me tell you first that we didn't go on the Rhino Safari, which is a 2-1/2 hour snorkeling trip on individual "Rhino Rider" Seadoos ... but one morning we were having breakfast at Richard's Crepe Cafe, and watched as the trip started out from the dock right in front of the cafe. We watched as guides outfitted each customer with snorkeling gear and life vests, and then helped each person onto a 2-person Seadoo and instructed him how to operate it. Each Seadoo had a 2-way radio. All of the customers practiced operating the little sea craft in Simpson Lagoon for a few minutes, and then they formed up behind a guide in the lead boat. Off they went along the coastline to a snorkeling site (I don't know which one). The Discount Activity Center in Simpson Bay offers the Rhino Safari for $39.95 per person. For that price you get your own Rhino Rider, a guide on his own Rhino, instructions and lessons, snorkeling gear, and a complimentary drink. It looked like a ton of fun to me! Paradise Peak We made the trek up to Paradise Peak again this year...fantastic views, as always ... but our car was burglarized in the parking area this year! We inadvertently left one door of the car unlocked, so someone took our cash and a Diamond Rio ball cap - they didn't take credit cards or anything else in the car. The only people we saw up there at the time were two European-looking, 20-something guys whom we thought were tourists. Guess not. Anyway ... I like to park at the top, near the metal tower, and then walk the few yards back to the viewing area. This year we noticed that there is a path just to the left of the fenced area around the tower. Follow that path and you'll be rewarded with a sensational view of Phillipsburg. Bethel Bethel is the name of the concession stand at the top of the hill on the road from Cole Bay to Phillipsburg. The top of the hill is a nice place to take pictures, but I mention it here because of a conversation I had with the concession-owner. As he was getting my cold drink, I asked, "How's business?" I was just making small talk, but in return I got a great piece of philosophy. The man responded with an easy smile on his face and serenity in his voice, "We don't worry about business. We offer a nice view and a refreshing drink to people. Worrying about business leads to an early death." That man's words made my day. The Old House The Old House is a recently opened museum on the road between Cole Bay and Marigot - not far from the Boundary Monument. Our guide grew up in the house, which was the center of a sugar cane plantation, and he gave an excellent tour. The antiques in that house must be worth a fortune. He and his ancestors were the Forrest Gumps of St Martin - meaning that they seem to have been involved with quite a few historic people and events. An interesting sidelight ... the guide remembered going to Orient Beach as a small boy and riding on the backs of sea turtles that came ashore to lay their eggs. Seen any sea turtles at Orient Beach lately? Arawak Pottery Factory Michel Besson is a potter who lives with his wife in a very primitive Amerinidan-style hut next to the pottery factory on the road between Cole Bay and Marigot - across the street from The Old House. Michel uses clay from the island of Tintamare to make his pottery. Nothing fancy about Michel or his factory, but definitely interesting - he was featured in a cover page article in the locally produced Today newspaper. Stop by for a few minutes after you tour The Old House across the street. Hollywood Casino We made a donation to the new Hollywood Casino, which is located at the Pelican Resort. Despite the fancy advertising in the tourist magazines, Hollywood Casino didn't seem like much to me. I would recommend that you make your donations at The Dolphin, Casino Royale, or somewhere else with pizzazz. 2-Seasons Laundromat Dirty clothes started piling up, so we stopped at the 2-Seasons Laundromat in the shopping center in Cole Bay (next to the Harley Davidson store). A nice lady from New Orleans owns the place. As you might expect, costs for electricity, gas, and water are pretty high in a place like Saint Martin, so prices to do laundry are comparably high. Here's a comparison of prices at 2-Seasons with my own laundromat in Maryland (using 6.5FF per dollar and 2.2 pounds per kilo to make the comparison): Saint Martin Maryland 12-pound washer $3.45 $1.29 18-pound washer $5.75 $1.79 35 pound washer $9.20 $2.69 Dryers $1.18 for 7 minutes $0.29 for 10 minutes Wash-Dry-Fold $0.35 per pound $0.85 per pound If I copied the price for their Wash-Dry-Fold service correctly (2.5FF per Kilo), then using their Wash-Dry-Fold service is a terrific bargain! [Wash-Dry-Fold means the Laundromat does your laundry and folds it for a fixed price per pound.] Just drop off your laundry, and let them do it for you while you enjoy the day in Saint Martin! Marigot Market The market is going strong! It's better than ever, and construction was underway to build facilities to house more of the vendors. And remember my recommendation to you about Magic Spice? Well, now you can buy it vacuum-sealed jars! That's it for this year, Folks! Have a great time in St Martin!
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