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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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My wife, 10 and 6 yr olds and I are back from a 7 night trip to the VI. First time there, with all-inclusive stay at Bolongo Bay Resort in Ts Thomas. I should explain that last year we went to Beaches Negril, Jamaica. In our limited Caribbean travels, this set a very high standard for resort/beach comparison. Bolongo Bay Beach Resort was certainly a disappointment from a facilities stand point. At least one couple called their travel agents to be transferred elsewhere. I understand they ended up at the Marriott and for the same money there is no comparison in facilities and beach. Other couples during our stay expressed similar feelings. Bolongo Bay does have a couple advantages. They do have a nice PADI dive shop and boat on the premises. Also the large catamaran sail boat which provides a day cruise to St. John is based there. Rooms and resort were very clean but age has taken its toll. The beach experience was dampened by the rocks at tide line. Food and service are adequate. Again, if other resorts such as the Marriott are about the same money, this was not a good value. We enjoyed touring the island, the sunset tramway experience and a couple of the St. Tomas nice beaches. Unfortunately, we did not get over to St. John until the end of our stay. Without a doubt, for us, the best experience for the Virgin Islands would have been to stay on St. John with a day trip or two to St. Thomas. A totally different world. From our limited St. John experience the beaches/water rival the Negril, Jamaica area. We feel Negril has the advantage of the resorts being right on the more expansive beaches. Each destination has its unique qualities. Although we had no security problems in Jamaica, one thing that is very appealing of the USVI, is the security of the US in general. Any questions or comments?
Trip 3/98 Our 'about' 30th visit to Orient Beach. This time we stayed at Club Orient. The resort is in great shape with new facilities and landscaping. Recent additions include expanded restaurant, grocery, reception, and new fitness unit. My wife I stayed in a Beach Chalet .. an independent cottage with kitchen, separate bedroom, full kitchen. This would be the choice for relaxation, but not for those offended by nudity, i.e. a clothing-optional resort. We also revisted all of our other hotels on Orient Beach.. Green Cay Village, Esmeralda, L'Hoste, St. Tropez, la Plantation and private villas, Casa Blanca, Sunbird, and Coccinelle. Also included, the Sunrise Hotel around the corner from Orient Beach in the Cul-de-Sac area. We had clients at all except the latter and gave us a chance to visit with them. The only notable change was that Green Cay Village has dedicated 2 villas as time-share units .. not for everyone, but nevertheless, this is an extraordinary property. As far as the island, what impressed us most was how quiet and less congested the island seemed .. unfortunately for the hotels, March was not the best, but great for the visitors with less traffic and quieter than expected for this usually popular period. February and April are again back to normal. Weather was close to perfect, with a bit more wind on 2 days than desired, but not excessive. As for restaurants, we tried 2 new ones... L'Hibiscus at the north end of Grand Case (excellent and reasonably priced) .. and, for the first time, La Samanna .. ate at outside cafe that for 4 persons ran a tab of $190 for a light dinner with drinks .. frankly rather good for the ambiance at evening sunset .. and better value than full dinner in the main restaurant. We didn't have an opportunity to return to our long-term favorite, Bistrot Caraibes, but did to Le Picolo in the French Cul-de-Sac .. the best value on island as far as I know. And ah yes, hit the Casino Royale .. our only trip to Dutch side .. invested 4 bucks and said good-bye .. apparently US Treasury was keeping the counterfeit dollars in tow .. when not there, payouts can be attractive, but don't bring dollars back to US, i.e. buy your LearJet before departure and fly in back home. The return flight on AA was fine, but at San Juan immigration/customs posed a delay when the luggage claim belt broke .. didn't think our baggage would be transferred .. but all came through!
Well, I guess it's time to contribute to this board after being a "taker" for a long time. Arlene and I just returned from 8 wonderful days in SXM (4/18 - 4/26). After visiting SXM twice on cruises, we thought it was about time to spend some quality time there. Thanks to all for all the contributions that made our vacation perfect. It seemed like we were old hands on the island due to all the information supplied on this board. Originally Arlene and I had planned to go by ourselves - renting a small villa in Cul de Sac. At the last minute some good friends decided to join us, so we had to scramble to find a larger villa. Luckily we connected with Maria Licari at Coral Isles, and lucked into a last minute cancellation for Villa Arches, at 54 Rue Dufy in Terres Basse. Upon arriving on 4/18 at 2:40 pm via American, we were met by Rick from St. Maarten Villa Rentals (the local agent) who escorted us to the villa. Our friends had arrived a couple of hours earlier and were waiting for us at the airport. The villa was on a hill overlooking Baie Long and Plum Bay - what a view! Bedrooms at opposite ends afforded privacy, a living room with space to entertain 50 people (that was never used), a large pool, and starter supplies of rum, vodka, and beer. Oh yes, I guess there was also milk, cereal, and coffee! Nicely done. After quickly settling in, it was off to the Super Marche in Sandy Ground to stock up on some supplies for the coming week. Then we decided to check out the Carnival in Phillipsburg since we thought Saturday night would be one of the best times. When we got there at about 7:00 PM we discovered there was a $12 pp cover charge for entertainment that wouldn't start until late - we decided to pass. On the way out of Phillipsburg I managed to get a ticket for running a red light at the bridge at the end of Pondfill Road (I could have sworn it was yellow, but my wife said it looked pretty red to her). It was a pretty strange experience, since I was pulled over by one of St. Maarten's finest standing in the middle of the road waving a flashlight at me. Net result: Later in the week a trip to the prosecutors office above Benneton in P'burg who stamped the ticket in the amount of 150 guilders (which I originally thought was dollars), followed by a trip to another gov't office 3 blocks east of the police station, followed by a trip to a bank to break a 100 dollar bill since the office wouldn't accept 100's, then back to finally pay my fine - which came to $87. Welcome to Paradise 8-(. After getting the ticket we were all tired and hungry. We opted for La Rosa Too behind Cheri's. None of us were very impressed, but that may have been the result of our states of mind. Sunday, 4/19: A day of recuperation - we basically chilled out around the pool at the villa most of the day. Did I say "chilled?" Wrong choice of words - we sweated around the pool between dips to cool off. The weather for the entire week was in the mid 90's, which I guess is a tad on the hot side for SXM. However, we'll take sweating over freezing any day. Late afternoon we headed out with Grand Case our destination. Oh yeah, on the way out of the villa driveway I managed to scrape/dent the Avis car on a low rock wall. I really am a pretty good driver, but you wouldn't know it from my first 24 hours in SXM. I'm just waiting for Avis to send me some sort of damage notice. They didn't say anything when I returned the car, but I have a hunch it will catch up to me. Oh well, I guess that's what gold cards are for! We meandered our way toward Grand Case - doing a little site- seeing along the way. Luckily there were no stop lights between the villa and Grand Case where I could run a red light. After comparing all the menus in Grand Case - and taking into consideration the reports on this board - we settled on La Testavin. We got the last open table and proceeded to enjoy a fabulous meal. It totaled $290 for the 4 of us. One minor complaint - the owner or maitre'd was a bit "snippy" to us Americans, but it really didn't spoil the evening. Monday, 4/20: First thing in the morning (like about 9:30) we headed in to Marigot to sample croissants and breakfast at Zee Best. We weren't disappointed! Then spent a good portion of the day wandering around Marigot - shopping, people-watching, and even climbed the hill to the fort. Of course that just worked up our appetite for a late lunch at one of the restaurants in Marina Royale. Then back to the villa for snooze by the pool to wait for our appetites to return for dinner. Sure 'nuf - appetites returned - so off we headed to Maho for dinner at Cheri's and to begin our casino contributions. Tuesday, 4/21: Did some more wandering around (no scrapes and no red lights) on the way to Orient. Since we had all gotten quite a bit of sun the previous day, we thought it would only be prudent to find some shade - which we did at Pedro's. Sat and people-watched most of the afternoon. On our way back to Terres Basse, we ran into the postal strike blockade on the east side of Marigot. Had to turn around and go all the way around the island - P'Burg was just about gridlocked. By the time we got to the airport we were all pretty thirsty, so we HAD to stop at the Sunset Bar at the end of the runway to quench our thirst. That evening we had reservations at Mario's for the 9pm seating (arranged by our rental agent Maria). Got there a little early, so went down to Chili's for a drink. Had a lot of fun instructing them on how to make our drinks. Could only wonder about how their tex-mex food was. Mario's was fabulous - surprise, surprise! The first thing that impressed us was Martine's refusal to accept our order - indicating it was too much food. She was right - Arlene finished her beef for breakfast the next day. Martine and DiDi (sp), along with the atmosphere sitting along the water, and great food all add up to a wonderful event - and at only $220 for the 4 of us. Wednesday, 4/22: Had to do it - a shopping day in P'Burg. And wouldn't you know it, there were 4 cruise ships in port. Even the merchants were surprised. I overheard them saying that only two were scheduled - the other two were "charters" that arrived unexpectedly. Actually it wasn't all that bad - none of them were of the "megaship" variety. I couldn't pass up the 1.75 liter Absolute for $10.50 a bottle and of course Arlene couldn't pass up some diamond earings at Joe's - sorry Heeru! Grabbed burgers for lunch at the Pasanggrahan Hotel. That evening we did the Lady Mary dinner cruise. Frankly, we were a bit disappointed - maybe because it was so hot (we did the 5-8 pm cruise). Dinner was fried chicken and ribs that was passable. I guess we were just spoiled by our experiences at Mario's and La Testavin. We would have rather spent the $65pp at one of them. Thursday, 4/23: Headed for Cul de Sac to catch the boat to Pinel for some snorkeling. Apparently we got the first boat of the day at 10am because we were the first on the island. We staked out a shady spot under one of the palms. We rented equipment for $10 each plus a deposit of $10 - good for the entire day. The snorkeling within the white buoys was really pretty good for fish, but nothing in the way of coral. Early afternoon we headed over to Orient. Since we had quite a bit of sun at Pinel, we thought it only prudent to again seek shade at Pedros <g>. There were a bunch of coast guardsmen there that started flirting with Arlene. It made her day until one of them admonished the other to cut it out - saying she was old enough to be his mother!! When we left Orient we decided to run down to dawn beach to take a look at it. Spectacular view coming down the hill! We stopped at Busby's for a beer, then headed back to the villa. By the time we got to the villa, it was about 5pm so we put together a tray of snacks and some drinks and headed to Plum beach to watch the sunset. No "green flash" however. Dinner that night was at Piccolo's in Cul de Sac (We stopped and made reservations earlier in the day). If you haven't gathered yet, we really enjoy running back and forth on the island from one end to the other - right. As mentioned on this board, Piccolo's is quite a bargain pricewise - probably about half the price of the Grand Case restaurants. As far as the food goes, I'll withhold judgment for our next visit - we were a little bit too wasted to really offer a fair critique. Friday, 4/24: The guys and gals split up for the day. The gals took the Edge to Saba for the day - a good trick considering fairly rough water combined with hangovers!! Despite these obstacles causing a slow start, Arlene and Sharon almost made it to the top of Saba. Roy and I headed over to Marigot to Zee Best for breakfast. In the afternoon we did the 12 meter races out of Bobbies Marina in P'Burg. We thoroughly enjoyed it despite the heavy rain we sailed in (the only significant rain in the day for the entire week). We were in the Canadian boat and managed to beat Stars & Stripes. For dinner we went to Marina Royale where we decided to do a progressive dinner among multiple restaurants. As we were walking along the pier a sudden downpour decided our first stop for us - I don't recall the name, and the appetizers were also forgettable. Next stop was Jean Dupont - much, much better. Again did appetizers and then called it quits. Would like to return for a full dinner sometime. Saturday, 4/25: This was the last day for our friends - we dropped them at the airport at about 11am. Arlene and I stopped at a little deli for cheese and French bread. With that and a bottle of wine, we headed to the east end of Cupecoy for a picnic lunch. Other than having to move away from the salamanders who wanted to share our lunch, we really enjoyed the beach. Very laidback nude sunbathing without the commercialism of Orient. For dinner our last night we went back to Grand Case. We wound up at L'Auberge Gourmande across the street from Le Testavin. The proprietor, Christine, was charming; service was great; and the food excellent. Definitely a favorite! Since someone on this board had mentioned all the money they made at the slots in the Pelican Casino, we decided to stop by to get our share. I guess the P* members had already gotten their allotment and didn't leave any for us. However, you'll all be happy to know that we started restocking the P* fund. Sunday, 4/26, departure day: Luckily we had a fairly late flight, so in the morning we went to Baie Long for a morning stroll on the beach and our last taste of SXM sun. We caught our American flight at 2:40 pm and the trip home to Toledo was uneventful except that it was 12:30am before we got home. American to Miami, American to Detroit, drive to Toledo. Odds and Ends: I forgot to mention that we visited the Cliffside bar on Cupecoy one of the days - I don't remember which one. We met Frank and Nina - Also saw Frank every time we went to Zee Best - it must be part of his daily routine. Frank was having fits, because some people came in with sandwiches and wanted to order drinks. Is he really an excop? Also, some comments regarding our villa rental. The facilities were great - really too much for what we needed. Having a private pool was a real plus with absolute privacy. However that privacy comes at a price - we had to get in a car to do anything (we weren't within walking distance to the beach). Although originally we had some trepidations about having an onsite caretaker (in his own cottage), it turned out we were glad he was around from a security standpoint. Not that we had any problems, but as isolated as we were it was nice to know he was around. I take that back - we did have some security problems. On two occasions a big black moth the size of a bat invaded our villa. Also, the couple with us was awakened in the middle of the night by scratching on the screen door to their bedroom. It was a landcrab almost a foot across climbing up the screen. I wish I'd been awake with a camera to catch Roy chasing it with a broom. We don't regret renting the villa in the least, but I can say that we also wouldn't do it again. The next time around I think we'll opt for a little more civilization - perhaps one of the small hotels in Grand Case. Also, I'd again like to thank all the regulars on this board who really made our vacation so much more of a success than it would have been without you. Although it will be quite a while due to other commitments we have, we will definitely return to SXM.
Just returned from 18 days in SXM and thought we'd share the latest info. The weather was a little different than the past 14 trips. We did have 4 days of rain all day...two it poured. The rest of the time the days were wonderful but more in the 93 and humid range than the usual 85 and breezy. Many people said the weather felt much more like Mexico weather. Never have been there so I'm not sure. Some days there was a nice breeze and others it was completely still. Our day at Orient was great but with little air compared to usual. Normally that side of the island has a wonderful breeze. The first week was fairly busy but not crowded. The second...Easter week was busier and the third was very quiet. In general I would say it was quieter than I have seen it in a long time. That made the trip even more wonderful as there was never a wait at meals or much traffic to contend with.....you could even get across the road at the Maho area without nearly being killed. We mainly stayed on the Dutch side and went from Royal Islander to The Ocean Club area. Royal Islander was very busy with lots of music and limbo and things during the day. They've added a nice bar and eating area by the pool and swings. It seems more family oriented than other resorts.......it was a bit noisy and had many small ones the first two weeks. Ocean Club area was nice and quiet ....the beach was great and stayed There was more total nudity on Copecoy than I've ever seen so if you're with young ones it may be a problem. The water went form very rough to calm. Some days people went over to Mullet to find an easier access in and out of the waves. Mullet beach was mobbed but I think mainly with locals as they had off many days we were there...good Friday, Sat, Easter, Holy mon and some other days I can't remember. The casinos were busy but not packed....no one seemed to be coming home with large hits. WE ate at the usual spots....Laguana..near the airport is wonderful....their Filet is incredible and the Lobster fantastic. The service is perfect and the view and everything is nice. Cheries was good...some nights better than others but the entertainment is always fun. It was carnival so they did lots of little shows at Cheries. The pasta place in back had great pizza and the other things looked good. La Rosa was excellent and great service. A new addition was the Cloud 10. Great ribs and cute place. The service was slow but very pleasant and if it's a ht night there is only fans so it can get pretty warm. The guys said they were the best ribs ever eaten. The ribs on the beach at Grand Case this year were also wonderful...and at $4.00 a rack and $2.00 a beer how can you go wrong. We did our usual Mini Club in Marigot. It's our favorite. Although it's a buffet it's fine dining....you have your choice o 3 soups...all wonderful...breads...great salad items...wonderful fish, duck, chicken, prime rib or roast, whole pig, ham, quiche and lobster tails. It is all you can eat and at last count the kids...all 17 had 2 soups, 1 salad and 10 lobster tails each. It also includes 3 types of wine ...all you can drink. They just place the bottles on the table and keep replacing them.....your plate is removed if you move an inch and there is a wonderful man playing great music as you dine. The desserts are wonderful it you can get them down and each time we seem so enjoy it more. We went twice as different people were there different weeks and everyone insists on going. The buffet is only Wed or sat. I guess they have regular menus the other days but I haven't gone. The Fish Pot got raves from friends also but we missed it. Breakfast was pretty much Boat House, Sambuccas, Stop and Shop. Each was good ...the Boat house maybe being the best but Sambuccas gave lots of breads and rolls etc. if that's what you like. We did dinner at the Boat house also. It's good but not excellent. We missed Marys Boon this year but heard it was good and was also going time share. The cliff side, although we never made it, the kids did and they said it was as pleasant as ever. I think it's one of the prettiest places on the island. Can't believe we missed it ...guess . I'll just have to go back. Marigot had it's usual market plus more vendors with food etc. on wed and sat. Phill. also had it's own market on the back streets. It looked nice and the sold the usual things. Downtown was ok. ...I never saw more than 2 ships at a time. I think they send them to Everything's Cool as it was mobbed with people on the beach and getting drinks....with about 50 frozen drinks we always stop after working up a shopping thirst...even the beers in the jewelry stores doesn't help. Prices seemed about normal except many places charged 5 for a drink and I remember more like 3.50. Gas you had to be careful with or they would over charge so we started asking for a set amount Marigot seemed higher on some things...after paying 7.50 for 24 Tylenol I figured I could have lived with the head ache. The Marina area looked great and was nice and quiet. Nettle Bay area was looking pretty also. All in all it was wonderful. Everyone was friendlier than ever and helpful. Ocean Club added a tiny store so you can grab milk etc...even liquor without moving....The little bar there was ice...they'd run and even get anything you needed at the store. Sapphire is still building but it was Quiet...last year they pounded away while we were there...more people selling Pineapple etc, by Sapphire so that was nice I miss it already and can't wait to get back. I guess it is an addictive island as two of the newer couples to the island bought timeshare before we left and have already looked into flights. I have some numbers for flight from the Atrium...guess also ATM or some airline is planning on going direct from Miami so if you can get to Miami reasonable that may work....met people who got bumped Sunday. Mon and Tues. off American. I think they ended up with almost 3000 each plus they put them up at Maho and paid for food. I guess it pays to book flights at the end of Easter week. We had no bumps but our flight was great and arrived in Bos. at 8.20 after leaving P.R. at 5. I envy any of you on your way. If you have any questions just ask....I'm afraid I'm a bit sun or rum dad after 18 days.
Trip 4/98 Edie and I just got back from our 17th trip to paradise. The briefest possible summary would be: aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh. I will bring everyone up to date on the latest news and happenings in SXM over the next few days in a series of trip reports. So relax, sit back, make sure your tray is in the locked and upright position...next stop SXM! Wednesday, 4/8 After yet another uneventful flight to SXM on American, we arrived 5 minutes ahead of schedule. I did notice on each of our four legs (down and back) that the American Airlines stewardesses seemed stressed out and were somewhat short tempered with some of the paying customers. Since I make a point of having the seats nearest to them during the flight (hey they must be in the safest location, right?) I have them in stitches with my dumb jokes and net my normal pair of complimentary earphones. It's not yet a stand up gig, but my kids expect the earphones now so I'm obligated. We flew through immigration in under 2 minutes (a new record!) and then waited 20 minutes for our luggage to arrive..Upon exiting the airport, we saw our first change. The rental car stalls are now situated outside the airport exit door and not in the parking lot. Good idea! This saves valuable parking lot space. Right on schedule, Joe from Unity Car rental met us at the exit door and within 5 minutes I had my rental car and was on my way. Second change: you now pay your $1 parking ticket in the center of the parking lot. After having it validated, you feed it back into the machine at the exit which goes directly out of the parking lot onto the road. Another good idea! This definitely reduces congestion at the airport. Gosh, is it possible that SXM is becoming efficient? Well, maybe. Make sure you have the parking ticket validated first. The gate will not let you out and SXM drivers do not need another excuse to use their horns. We stopped in at the Cliffside for just a few minutes to say "Hi" to Frank and Nina and admire the largest beach area I have ever seen at Cupecoy. Yes...I'm back home <g>. We then drove over to Orient Beach, got checked in, and were soon strolling Orient Beach. The island has had a relatively dry last six months. It has been somewhat rainy during the previous week and as a result had "greened up" somewhat. The replanted palms along Orient Beach are getting larger also. Most are now 6 feet tall or so. For our first dinner that night, we decide to try a new restaurant for us. La Maison Sur Le Port (located near the ferry landing at the Marigot harbor) was a very pretty place to begin our gourmet oddysey It has 3 waterfalls, lush tropical plants, birds and that French ambiance we were looking for. Edie and I opted for the fixed price ($21.75) dinner which included an entree , main course and desert. This translated to 2 chicken salads, sirloin steak in a pepper sauce, gilled salmon and 2 hot apple tarts with vanilla ice cream. Listening to the waterfalls in the background and looking at the beautiful harbor lights, I could only once more fall in love with a place I call home. Thursday, 4/9 Headed over to Simpson Bay Yacht club and the Cyber Cafe to try out E-Mail. $15/half hour for internet access? Yeah right! I went across the street to the International Data Limited (IDL) and signed on for $3/hour. Although the service is acceptable for just getting and receiving E-Mail, it is much to slow (currently) for bilk transfers. I had emailed myself a 3/4 meg file to time the transfer rate..actual speed was less than 4800 baud. Definitely not ready for prime time surfing the net and business applications. They told me they were working on getting the speed up to a reasonable rate. I will check it again during this summer's trip. By the way, there are two internet provider's on the island now. They quoted me a rate of $168 for 6 month's of internet access at your home via a dial up line. Still on the expensive side but becoming more reasonable. Next we stopped at the airport and picked up friends who flew in and would be sharing our 3 room villa at Green Caye. One of the most enjoyable aspects is to meet friends down on the island and share vacations. That evening we ate at L'escapade in Grand Case. Truly wonderful ambiance between the waves lapping practically at your feet and the beautiful lights of Anguilla in the distance. We had French Onion soup, Red snapper in an orange sauce, Linguini pasta with vegetables, all of which were very good for a reasonable price of $55. Service was somewhat slow but in such a beautiful surrounding, it really doesn't matter. That evening we went to the Atlantis casino and Casino Royale and won enough to pay for dinner. After a beautiful day on the beach, a great meal and luck at the casino...I wondered how we would top it. The only negative was when I remembered it was 2 years ago on that date (coming home from a great vacation in SXM!) that we found out our house had burned down. I couldn't really blame Edie for calling home and checking that everything was OK. She seemed immensely relieved when my son answered the phone which indicated we still had a phone and also a house. Friday, 4/10 Another gorgeous day at the beach. The gang from Cleveland arrives (They're there every April during this week). This means the daily volleyball games begin! Over the years these games have evolved to the point where we play for about an hour and then talk about them for the next 2 or 3. Although the play is competitive, we all have a great time. I especially enjoy the 5 minute breaks between games. Everyone goes into the blue waters of Orient Beach to cool off. Actually now that I think back on it, I'm much better at the water breaks than I am at the volleyball games <g>. That night we go into Grand Case again. Destination: Talk of the Town lolo for local SXM cuisine. Chicken, ribs, rice and peas, plantans and a crusty johnny cake for $13. You just can't beat these prices. Its a nice feeling when you stop into a lolo and the locals call you by your first name. I like being a regular to these friendly, warm people. Is it my imagination or do they give me larger proportions than more casual diners...Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Saturday, April 11 An early morning ritual that I cherish in SXM is to pick up the daily Chronicle newspaper. Two local stories got quite a bit of attention on this trip. The two main political parties (as usual) on SXM were going at it. The DP party was all over the radio and newspapers claiming that the SPA party was doing nothing on the issues that got them elected. SPA retaliated by saying that DP should bring concerns to the island council rather than trying to serve a political agenda. The one universal truth of SXM politics is this: After all is said and done...a lot more is said than done! The second big story was about the French side postal strike which was into its second week, with no one taken much notice. Its seems that the postal system (designed in the early 70s) was supposed to handle a population of 8,000 and not the present 35,000+ on the French side. Besides being overworked (hmmmm..I'll leave that one alone) the postal workers do not like the fact that rats infest their post office building. The workers walked out and demanded that the Post Office General negotiate with them. Unfortunately he lives in Guadeloupe and has no money to fly to SXM so he wants them to come to him. Hence no bargaining is going on and no one really notices that the mail is no being delivered since it often is not even when no strike is going on. By the way, I learned that when a postal worker is sick or on vacation, the mail he/she would normally deliver does not get delivered until he/she comes back to work. Ya gotta love this island....Anyway they are on strike and no one is really noticing..so what to do? Obviously you wait until management is inside the post office building and then you padlock the only door (on the outside) and yell threatening remarks like "Fire!". The Gendarmes had to be called to release them. The next day they started blocking roads with postal vehicles. Just another day in paradise! Anyway back to my diary.... Saturday, I played tennis with a German fellow and played several good sets of tennis. Later in the day, another series of rousing volleyball games in a doomed effort to offset the daily influx of French gourmet calories <g>. That afternoon we were joined by our other couple and we transferred into Green Caye Villa. What can I say about Green Caye villas other than I love them! Great facilities, your own pool to cool off in and just a gorgeous view of Orient beach that takes your breath away. Unfortunately Green Caye villas are becoming timeshares so future stays there are doubtful. Dinner that night was at Le Cotonnier in Cul De Sac where Mark's place formerly was. A very good meal of warm goat cheese salad, fricasee of chicken and pasta with Pisten sauce for a very reasonable price of $33. After dark, we went down to Coconut Grove beach and danced in the sand to a Reggae band that was performing at the watersports shop. Afterwards, all three couples gathered on our Green Caye villa balcony and with the lights off and looked at the clear sky full of stars that were so bright you could almost touch them. To this glorious vision, I played ENYA's latest hit "Paint the sky with stars". Every trip has one moment that stays with me above all else. As we say here in Rochester, THIS was a Kodak moment.....
I have gone to Saint Martin during the first week of January. This year we did many of the same things that I've written about in years past, so it seems appropriate to write this year's travelogue as an update, rather than a new article. The complete version of this travelogue (with graphics) is available on my web site at http://www.mollica.net/sxm98.htm. WEATHER The weather this year in January seemed to be a little more windy and cloudy, and a little more rainy than we've come to expect. We had about four days of great weather, one so-so day, and two days with a lot of wind and rain. El Nino seems to be having an affect. RENTAL CAR After our disastrous experience with Summer Set Car Rental last year, we switched to Empress Car Rental and found the price and quality of their cars and service to be excellent. We used Empress Car Rental again this year and had another very good experience with them. Empress is located at the Pelican Resort, so they might not be practical option for vacationers who don't stay at the Pelican or a nearby resort. For Pelican owners, Empress gives a 10% discount on prices that are already competitive. As I said last year: The Empress jeep provided trouble-free service all week and we would recommend Empress to anyone (their phone number is 011-45293 Ext. 5190). BEACHES Here are quick descriptions of the beaches we liked the best. BAIE ROUGE ...is still my favorite beach. The surrounding scenery is beautiful (in addition to the tops- optional aspect). The beach itself has one section where the waves have a lot of action (which my son absolutely loved) and the rest is fairly calm. There are two lo-lo's on the beach (Gus's Place and Chez Raymond) with a handful of tables with umbrellas where you can get all kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, barbecue, and sandwiches. You can rent beach chairs and umbrellas ($5 each), buy T-shirts and wrap-arounds from local "entrepreneurs", and even get a massage right on your lounger (mine was 30 minutes of heaven for $20). Another nice feature is that there is a security guard who watches the cars in the parking lot now. That's what I said last year, and I'm stickin' to it. Unfortunately, however, this year's experience wasn't as good as the one I described last year, because the day I chose to spend at Baie Rouge was one of the two rainy days we had. There were two downpours while I was at the beach, the second of which dumped two inches of rain in about 30 minutes. I waited out that storm drinking Carib beer with several other hardy vacationers under the tarps at Chez Raymond's lo-lo. PRUNE BAY ...is another great tops-optional beach. This beach is a little bit off the beaten path, but it is well worth the trip...well, except maybe on the day that I went this year. First, as I was parking my jeep, a man pulling out of the parking area showed me that someone had just pried open the passenger door of his car to steal a radio and other belongings that had been on the front seat. I was leaving nothing in my vehicle (and thieves don't have to destroy a jeep to break into it anyway), so after sympathizing with the poor guy, I meandered up the path to the beach. Well, the large estates in the area use dogs to patrol their fenced-in properties. I had noticed on the way to the beach that there was a pack of dogs at a new construction site that didn't seem to be fenced in. Sure enough, just as I was starting to settle down on the beach, that pack of five or six dogs came running after me. I covered the 100 yards from the beach to my Jeep in Olympic-qualifying time! I know this sounds bad...with the rain at Baie Rouge and the dogs at Prune Bay, my luck wasn't going very well. But don't let that discourage you; for you, the weather will be better and the dogs will be back behind their fences when you visit. ORIENT BEACH ...was at its best. I know, I said that last year. But Orient Beach this year was at its absolute best. Perfect water and wind conditions; perfect weather; great crowds; restaurants and concessions going full speed. My day at Orient Beach was one of the best of the vacation. By the way, I used the entrance at Parc Orientale and didn't pay any parking fee. I understand from a local resident that the entrance near Club Orient has parking for a fee now. GRAND CASE BEACH CLUB ...is still one of the best kept secrets on the island, in my opinion. Except to add a link which takes you to the Grand Case Beach Club, and add some contact information , I can't really add to what I wrote last year: :..even if you don't stay there, you can use many of their facilities. They have a great tops-optional beach at the north end of the hotel, a nice casual restaurant right at the waterfront, waiters who serve drinks to the sunbathers, a small store, clean public rest rooms, and rental equipment (chairs, umbrellas, floats, snorkeling gear). We really love that place. Telephone: 05 90 87 51 87 Fax: 05 90 87 59 93 US Toll Free Number: 1.800.447.7462 PELICAN RESORT BEACH ... a good "comfortable" beach I mention Pelican's beach not because it's one of the great beaches on the island, but because it is a very nice beach with convenience and lots of amenities. There are 18 thatch-umbrella'd tables that provide plenty of shade; beach chairs galore; two concession stands for food and drink; a small beach store nearby; BBQ grills...and the water is calm and well protected by two jetties. This is an excellent spot for kids. PRICKLY PEAR Last year we had so much fun taking the Lambada catamaran snorkeling excursion to Prickly Pear, that we did it again this year. Prickly Pear is an island off the coast of Anguilla and is reportedly the best snorkeling trip left in the SXM area. It also has a magnificent beach and one of the top ten bars in the Caribbean! The trip goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, costs $65 per adult (less for kids) and includes, an open bar and snacks on board, snorkel gear and snorkeling instructions, a BBQ lunch. Another nice feature of the trip is that you get a great view of the beaches along the south and southwest shores of Saint Martin. RESTAURANTS Here are the restaurants described in the following food report. The list is in alphabetical order, but the descriptions are arranged first by restaurants we've tried in previous years, restaurants we tried for the first time this year, and then casual restaurants for breakfast and lunch. Casino Royale Cafe Crocadile Don Carlos Indiana Beach Kali's Bar Le Main a Pate Le Pressoir Lynette's Mario's Bistro Michael's Cafe Rancho Argentina Ren & Stimpy's Spartaco But first, a warning: Restaurants often include a 15% tip in your bill without telling you. If you see a dollar amount next to the label TAX or GRATUITY or SERVICE CHARGE - that's the tip. Don't add to that unless you want to. LE PRESSOIR Every year I rave about this restaurant, and somehow it keeps getting better and better. It is an exceptional restaurant, and still the one we would choose if we could only eat at one restaurant on the island. Located in Grand Case in the oldest house on SXM, Le Pressoir combines absolutely superb French cooking with exceptional service and wonderful ambiance. We had three dinners with appetizers and desserts for about $120, and for about $42 we had a tasty bottle of 1994 Sauvignon Blanc wine from Sancerre d'Antan, which the manager recommended to complement a Sea Bass entree. It was great. RANCHO ARGENTINEAN GRILL Located in the Palapa Center in Simpson Bay, the Rancho Argentinean Grill was a huge disappointment this year. The ribs were good, the steaks great, the dessert was disappointing, and the service absolutely sucked. People waited 10 minutes to get their first order of drinks and 20 minutes to have their food orders taken. I know they were having problems with their computer system that evening, but it was clear that the real problem was not having nearly enough staff to support the waiters and waitresses. Cost for three dinners with appetizers, desserts, and drinks was $89. We didn't need reservations, but it doesn't matter; we won't go back, nor do we recommend it to anyone else anymore. MARIO'S BISTRO Mario's continues to be one of the toughest reservations to get in Saint Martin. We called for reservations on a Monday and the only table available before we were to leave on the following Saturday was at 8:00PM on Friday night. They are closed on Sundays. The food was great, but it seemed like Martine (Mario's wife) was having to train some new wait staff. Service wasn't up to the standard we have grown accustomed to at Mario's, but I still recommend you go there. Appetizers, dinners, and desserts all were wonderful, and Martine is just a treasure - she is the epitome of grace and hospitality - and really gives the place its dynamic personality. Including drinks, we paid about $115 for the three of us. By the way, we noticed that Martine was directing people who showed up without reservations to a bar at the end of the street, and telling them to return at 9:30PM; she promised to seat them as tables became available after 9:30. REN & STIMPY'S Wow! I continue to love this place. It is an utterly casual Italian and Creole restaurant with simply excellent food. Addie, the waitress who served us for the last two years, told us that "the veal is guaranteed best on the island, so all the veal dishes are great." Sure enough, the Veal Scallopine Marsala was scrumptious, but so was the Steak with Mushrooms and Creole Chicken. Everything we've ever ordered there has been excellent. We spent about $65 for three dinners, appetizers, and drinks. Ren & Stimpy's is located in Simpson Bay. Heading from Simpson Bay to the airport, take the first left before the bridge - you'll probably see the sign for Pizza Hut before Ren & Stimpy's hand- lettered sign. LA MAIN A LA PATE We like to eat lunch at La Main a la Pate at the Marigot Marina. The food and service are great, prices are reasonable, and you can't beat the scenery! They serve a Creole Platter that contains conch and crab fritters, salad, and stuffed crab that is really good. And my 12-year old son claims they have the best cheeseburger on the island. The menu selection is extensive and we've liked everything we've ordered here over the years A full lunch, with drinks, for three of us was $41. SPARTACO Spartaco is an Italian restaurant located in an eye-popping old plantation house with a garden of Italian statuary in Cole Bay. The service and decor at Spartaco's are impeccable. The pasta dishes, appetizers, bread, and desserts (all homemade daily) were to die for. The chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto was perfectly cooked, but surprisingly bland (so I wouldn't order that again), but that was the only negative on our visit. We paid about $80 for three meals with appetizers, desserts, and drinks. Spartaco's E-mail: spartaco@best-caribbean.com LYNETTE'S This is a favorite of many Saint Martin regulars, so we stopped in to see if it's as good as it sounded...and it is. Located at Simpson Bay, Lynette's had very reasonably priced, large portioned dinners, and very attentive service. The place looks unassuming from the outside, but is very nicely appointed inside. For only $55, my wife and I had an outstanding dinner. We were there on a Thursday, so we missed the "King Beau Beau" show that takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays. BREAKFAST or CASUAL LUNCH RESTAURANTS This year in this category I place: CROCODILE - at the Pelican Resort INDIANA BEACH - (formerly Felix's) down the hill from the Pelican DON CARLOS - which really is a dinner restaurant near Juliana Airport that advertises a hearty American style breakfast MICHAEL'S CAFE - new cafe on the beach at Grand Case - by far the best breakfast we ever had on the island. CASINO ROYALE CAFE - do I have the name right? Behind Cheri's Cafe in Maho Plaza. KALI'S BEACH BAR - a fun place at Friar's Bay JOHNNO'S BAR AND GRILL - on Prickly Pear Island; rated one of the top ten in the Caribbean. MICHAEL'S CAFE Michael's Cafe is a real treat. Michael and Marilyn Petone (pronounced Pet-TONY) from Harvard, Massachusetts, USA opened Michael's Cafe tin August 1997 on the beach at Grand Case. Make absolutely sure that you visit Michael's Cafe early in your vacation (closed on Mondays), because it would be a sin not to go there more than once. I don't know how he does it, but Mike cooks up the best breakfast I've ever eaten, and he and Marilyn are very friendly folks who are a lot of fun to chat with. Right now they serve breakfast, lunch, and stay open for evening happy hour. They plan on starting a menu with light Italian fare - according to Marilyn, a menu that costs "less than the $200 dinners in Grand Case's fancy restaurants, but more than what the lo-los offer." You eat your breakfast with the same fantastic view that the Sunrise Cafe has at the Grand Case Beach Hotel - postcard perfect. Great food and incredible Caribbean vista - no wonder my 12-year old son awarded Michael's Cafe what we jokingly call "Joey's 5- Star Rating." Mike is talking about offering beach chairs for his customers. My best advice? Get yourself one those fantastic breakfasts, brunches, or lunches, and then collapse on the beautiful beach right next to the cafe. A big breakfast of omelet and homefries with all the fixin's for three people came to $22.50. I think breakfast food can't be made any better than this, so the price was well worth it. By the way, check out the portrait in the bar of Mike's grandfather. As a child, Mike went everywhere with his grandfather, so now his grandfather goes everywhere with him! These are nice people. INDIANA BEACH After Michael's Cafe, this and Crocodile Cafe are the best spots we found for breakfast. Indiana Beach's food, service, and prices are excellent. They also have a jungle-like ambiance, including statuary, two live monkeys, and birds. The two monkeys are named Tic and Tac. They both escaped about a week prior to our visit, but Tic was back by the time we showed up. Good ole Tac was still running around the hills surrounding the Pelican Resort, and reportedly was stealing ketchup and mayonnaise from their outside snack stands when he wasn't running across the rooves of the Pelican! CROCODILE CAFE Crocodile is Pelican resort's casual restaurant. They really do a great job on the breakfasts and lunches at a reasonable price. Say hello to Maria - she provides good service and one of those super Caribbean smiles with your breakfast. DON CARLOS I've heard great things about Don Carlos as a Mexican dinner restaurant, but I recommend that you don't spend your money there for breakfast. I don't know what they do to make the breakfast food taste so bland, but there was nothing on my ham-egg-and- homefries plate that had any flavor whatsoever. Everywhere I had breakfast was better than Don Carlos at Simpson Bay. CASINO ROYALE CAFE Not sure if I have the name right, but it's the small cafe next to Casino Royale and behind Cheri's Cafe at Maho Plaza. The food here was good-not-great, though the coffee was excellent, and the service was simply awful. Maybe a worse sin was that they didn't have homefries on the breakfast menu. KALI'S BEACH BAR Kali is a Rastafarian who is married to a Parisienne expatriate named Caroline. They run Kali's Beach Bar on the beach at Friar's Bay. Kali's is a nothing-fancy place, the kind of laid back beach bar that you could hang around for the rest of your born days. The restaurant serves excellent food in large portions, the beach is tops-optional (and I didn't see anyone complain about the completely naked lady sunbathing), the water is perfect for swimming and snorkeling, and everyone is so friendly! One night each month when the moon is full, Kali's has a big party with a bonfire and band, so check out with Caroline if any festivities are scheduled during your vacation. JOHNNO's BAR AND GRILL Johnno's is located on Prickly Pear Island, right offshore of Anguilla. I think the Prickly Pear restaurant is actually an extension of Johnno's on Anguilla, which has been rated by a Caribbean travel magazine as one of the top ten restaurants in the Caribbean. How do you get to Johnno's and that great Prickly Pear beach? There are several catamarans that take day trips - Lambada at Pelican, and Scoobido and El Tigre in Marigot. If you just want a fun beach bar, go to Kali's. If you want the beach bar with a a few hours of sailing and great snorkeling, go to Prickly Pear. MISCELLANEOUS Marigot Market. Lots of vendors at the Marigot Market, but mostly hawking the same stuff. Little or no haggling. Paintings and local spice blends are fun "souvenirs." Paper mache products are cheaper at the Sea Life store in the Marigot Marina. Chocolate. A tiny shop in the Marigot Marina maze called Haribo makes delicious candies and chocolates - the owner makes fresh truffles on Tuesdays - $2.00 each and worth it! Handicrafts. Very friendly French lady has a terrific selection of handmade paper mache products and other island memorabilia in the Sea Life store in the Marigot Marina. Cigars. I only stopped at three cigar shops on this trip: The Connoisseur shop in Simpson Bay, the one on the waterfront at Marigot Marina (can't remember the name - there are five cigar stores in Marigot), and the cigar store at Julianna Airport. The Connoisseur shop still had the best price on a box of Monte Cristo's ($25 less than the store in Marigot). You can't see a sign with the name "The Connoisseur" from Simpson road, but you can see a neon sign that says "Havana Cigars.” Arawak Museum. The $5 admission price gets you an interesting view of Saint Martin from its earliest settlement through today. They also have a small but nice gift shop. Sly Stallone in St Maarten? We were commenting to a local restaurant owner about a yacht anchored in Simpson Bay with a helicopter on the stern deck and a "chase boat" tied up. She said that the yacht is named "Starship," that Sly Stallone had been renting it recently, and that he reportedly threw a party aboard the yacht with as many as 300 people attending (not all at once, of course). Caribbean Cyber Cafe. Located in the Simpson Bay Marina complex, this little oasis of Internet connectivity is great for those who suffer Internet withdrawal on their vacations. The cafe has a half dozen computers on which you can check your AOL account or use the Cafe's Netscape or MS Internet Explorer browsers to surf the net and do e-mail. I noticed that they also had Microsoft Office set up on the machine I used, so if you really needed to do some office work on your vacation, you could. Hours are Monday -Friday 9:00AM - 8:00PM; Saturday 9:00AM - 6:00PM That’s it for this year, Folks!
Left Memphis, Tn bound for Sxm of 6 wks. ( 7 days after disc surgery, not a good decision). We change planes 3 times, takes 12- 14 hrs and pay $900 + to get there. Those of you from the NE don't know how lucky you are with schedules and price. The first 2 wks were spent recuperating from the surgery or the plane trip, not sure which?? Relaxing on the beach was nice. We stayed at the Royal Palm for the first 4 wks. This is a great place, they have lots of things going on and the staff is wonderful. Charles teamed up with some nice guys at the RP and played a lot of golf. We ate close to home during this time as riding in a car was not my cup of tea. Ren and Stimpys was one of our favorites on the Dutch side. The Lasagne is the best I've ever had. Cloud 10 was new to us this yr. The price was right and the food and service great, try the mahi mahi and the Snapper. Rancho is also a good choice, mixed grill served at your table on small charcoal grill. Visited the LoLo's for lunch several times, the crowds are back, ribs, corn on cob and johnny cakes. When I was able to spend 2-3 hrs for dinner we headed for Grand Case. We ate at several wonderful places but Rainbow is still my favorite. The Veal Scaloppine, endive salad w/puff pastries filled w/goat cheese and baked apples in a warm carmel sauce . We made several trips back. Charles ate Snapper- grilled, baked, blackened etc. The view is great and Fleur the owner is very entertaining. The Fish Pot and Le Tastevin as always was excellent. In Marigot we ate at le bar several times, grilled shrimp, grilled lobster and snapper, this outdoor place is lively and fun. Tropicanna good food and service. Don Cammillo's, had may heart set on mussel appetizer, was not on the menu, ask the server about it and they were able to come up with one of the best appetizers I had on my trip. Mussels breaded, covered with cheese and baked. WOW!! Breakfast and lunch at Le Consinniear's, of course choc crossiants, great quiche, and crepes. La Rosa always good food and service. Pizza manai at the Atlantis was outstanding-the last 2 wks they were closed don't know if it was temporary or permanent, it's worth checking out. Mario's- first 2 trips great veal and mussel appetizer, 3rd trip decided to try the rack of lamb, bad choice, it was tough, will stay with the veal from now on. We did a few things other than eating, the butterfly farm as a first for us and I would recommend this trip to all. Made several trips into town mainly to see Heeru and do some upgrading, always a fun time. Charles entered the Animal Relief Golf Tournament and won. His prize was 2 tickets for the 12 meter Regatta on the America Cup winner the Stars and Stripes. We sailed with the crew on the qualifying round of the Heinken Regatta, very exciting. We were at Mullet beach during the eclipse never saw the waves so high on SXM, we had a 95% eclipse, I understand a little south of us the stars came out. The last 2 wks we stayed at the Towers at Mullet Bay, disappointed that they have not started to work on the rest of the resort. Our 2 new granddaughters 1 yr. and 8 mos. joined us for the last 2 wks and that was the highlight of the trip. We had a great 6 wks and can hardly wait for next year.
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