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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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Having stayed at the Wyndham Sugar Bay in St. Thomas, we decided to try the Wyndham Morgan Bay in St. Lucia, another all-inclusive. We flew to Puerto Rico with a 2 hour layover, before transferring to an American Eagle flight to Vigie Airport in St. Lucia. One word about the airports - you have the choice of flying a commuter flight to Vigie (where all the main hotels are) or a jet to Hewannora Airport. We opted for the smaller flight since we were told the hotel was only 10 minutes from the airport. We spoke to quite a few people who flew into the larger airport and said it was an hour and a half cab ride to the hotel and the roads were terrible and the cabs were very hot. A few people told me they felt sick on the ride - so I suggest - fly to Vigie Airport - a longer flight, but less hassle getting to the hotel. We immediately got a taxi to our hotel which was only about 5 minutes from the airport. Upon arrival, you were met with a cool rum drink while checking in. The lobby area of the hotel is very open, only a roof - with the entrance all open to the outside. Room was on the 3rd floor of one of the buildings - with an ocean view. Nice room with cable tv, coffee pot, and hair dryer. St. Lucia is 220V, so you need a converter for any electrical appliances. You can get one at the desk, but only for one hour at a time. Choices for dinner were either at the Tradewinds Restaurant (ala- carte) and you needed reservations, or the Palm Grill which was a different theme buffet every night and you didn't need reservations. We opted for the Tradewinds and had no problem making a reservation for 8:00 p.m. Dinner was very good - large menu selections, with a nightly special and a pasta special. After dinner, there was entertainment at the bar where you could either sit under a canopy, in the bar itself (which is open, but has a roof), or out by the pool. Anything you wanted to drink was available. Waitress service at the bar area was very good. The only have 2 kinds of beer (all on draft) - Heiniken and Piton ( a local beer, but not too bad). With the exception of jet skis, all water sports were included - even water skiing. There were windsurfing lessons, bananna boat rides, tube rides and catamarans. Beautiful beach - very clean - with lots of palm trees to get out of the sun. It was extremely hot and muggy the first couple of days. Rained a little bit every day, but usually cleared up. Every morning we would sit out on the balcony and have coffee, watch all the sailboats and look at the rainbow - we saw one every morning! Went into Vigie to do some shopping - not too much to see - local straw market and a few stores. They have a new duty-free shopping area across the harbor where there are some nicer stores (Little Switzerland, etc), and you could get there by ferry for $1.00. There was one cruise ship in port, but it wasn't too crowded. Even though we were at an all inclusive, we decided to leave one night and go out to dinner. Went to Rodney Bay (only a $10 cab ride) and had dinner at the Chart House (right on the water). We did find out if you wanted a table on the water, you had to ask way in advance. Very good dinner - drinks, appetizer, salad (included), steaks, one dessert and coffee for $80 (including tip). They automatically added in a 15% tip to the bill. Every evening at the hotel they had some kind of entertainment ranging from local dancers, to a jazz band, limbo show, steel band, etc. The guests at the hotel were a mix of nationalities - predominantly British - some Americans, quite a few Germans, French, Austrians, etc. The only bad thing about the entire trip was the trip home. We had to leave our hotel at 2:00 p.m. for a 4:00 p.m. flight - after checking in at the airport - we had about an hour and a half to kill. The airport is very small, with only one waiting room after you clear security. After a two-hour flight to Puerto Rico, we had to claim our bags, go through customs (extremely long lines) and had another 2 hour wait for our connection to Philadelphia. The flight coming in was about a half hour late, so we were late taking off. All in all, from the time we left our hotel in St. Lucia until the time we arrived home it was a total of 12 hours travel time. Closing thoughts - St. Lucia is a gorgeous island - very lush - laid back. I think they are novices at tourism compared to some of the other islands we have visited. I would go back again, but for at least 10 days instead of a week. But there are too many other islands we have visited that are just as nice and a lot less travel time.
We spent a wonderful week at the Sapphire Beach Hotel, fantastic unit we got through Barb and Sam Fusco, perfect view, etc. First, I'll discuss the food - what fantastic meals we had. Sun. night we ate at Chanticlair (sp?) at the Marina in Marigot. Loved my mussels appetizer and tuna (should have gotten it rare) with incredible garlic mashed potatoes. Pete had escargot with mushrooms and goat cheese - HE liked it! Next night we attempted to go to L'abama (?), it was closed (maybe closed on Mon?) so, on a recommendation we went to Le Tastevin, which we ended up returning to for our best meals of the trip. Had an oceanfront table with an incredible view of Anguilla. Pete had scallops with passion fruit sauce and I had salmon rolls with dill sauce- both perfect appetizers. We both had the red snapper with potato crust and a Caribbean anise sauce, - light, subtle sauce. We shared a thin-crust apple pie with raspberries. The meal was beautifully presented and service was excellent. We ate there our last night, also, and Pete had escargot in a potato shell, with tuna medallions. I had crispy salmon rolls and red snapper, again. We both had thin-crust banana pie with coconut sauce - again, perfect. Mario's Bistro, while excellent, did not work out as well as we hoped. Pete had great escargot (until I started this, I did not realize how crazy he is about escargot!) but his whole red snapper, deboned at the table, was full of tiny bones and hard to eat. My salmon sushi appetizer was perfect; however, I would not recommend the oriental red snapper (again, I guess I am nuts about red snapper!) with marinated onions, which were 'way too spicy (and I like spicy food) and overpowered the fish. We had a dream lunch at LaSanna - very expensive - the setting was ideal, though, and Pete loved the beef tartare. This was the 2nd week of Dec. and there were only 2 other tables being used. Lunch one day at Yvette's, conch salad, which came with rice and peas and fried plantains, great conch stew - inexpensive and good food, definitely will return there. Had our usual pizza and Salade Exotique at La Belle Epoque and enjoyed pizza and calamari at Sambuca. We looked for the little bakery next to Lynette's - I wanted to get the jonnycakes and fresh baked bread someone had described on this BB. There was a boarded-up ice-cream and pastry shop that must have been Claire's place. We did get some jonnycakes at the bagel shop next to the drive to the Pelican. For the first, and probably last, time we climbed to the top of Pic Paradis. I was moaning and groaning, it was nearly noon and the heat was becoming intense. On the other hand, I was feeling rather proud of myself that I was doing this, when we rounded one of the last curves near the top and here came a tall, skinny French (she didn't speak, but I KNOW she was French!) girl in a tank-top, mini skirt and 3-inch spike heels, strolling down from the peak! She hadn't broken a sweat - I just know she was dropped off by a helicopter up there - for anyone who had climbed that hill, there is no way she could do it in those shoes. Now, the highlight of the trip! First night at the Pelican Casino, I won $1600, second night at Atlantis, I won $900, last night at Pelican, on the same slot machine as first night, I won $1600, again. This has Never happened before and I doubt it ever will again. Last year we lost every time we played. I was thrilled! Unfortunately, after such a grand, relaxing week - wonderful weather, food, etc.- our flight home was disastrous. We left SXM bound for Miami on time, arrived in Miami for our 7:30 flight to Cleveland, boarded our American Airlines flight and sat there for one hour, until they told us there was an engine problem that they couldn't fix. We were to take a 10:30 flight - at 10:30, we were told "the pilot is sick". We ended up leaving Miami at 2:30 a.m., bound for Cleveland. Not the way you like to end such a delightful week! Hope I haven't bored you with this long recitation (of food)!
We arrived on Sunday, 12/21, smooth flights from PHL-SJU- SXM. We even passed through immigration in 5 minutes, luggage intact !! OK, off to a good beginning. Got a couple of hours on the beach. Our dining companion for the first 3 nights was our friend from FL. whose husband was home until Wed. I mention this because the dinners I will mention included her; hence more to review. First night; Brasserie DeLa Gare. Good, but not great salade nicoise for 2 of us and pizza for "M". The ambiance is what it's all about there. A nice way to start the vacation. Next night; La Rosa. I ordered my first of 4 veal chop dinners. Pasta for the other two. We loved everything. Dessert was shared; the first of many Tira Misu type desserts to be shared at several places. La Rosa's is right up there with the best. Next night; back to Marigot to Belle Epoque. Their salade nicoise was super. It was exactly what I remembered from trips to France. Very authentic. "M" had lamb chops; not a good choice for a bistro. He was sorry he did that instead of onion soup and salad. Next night; now we're a party of 4 (Husband arrived). It was X-mas Eve and we did Don Camillo. It was so much better than last year. The restaurant has expanded and the tables are somewhat separated. Additionally, the staff us up to handling the crowds. We all enjoyed whatever we had, mainly veal dishes. If you want an unusual appetizer, try the stuffed red pepper, please share it. It's big and good. Tira Misu for dessert. Very rich. X-mas Day, back to La Rosa (a tradition). Again, it was good enough to warrant as many return visits as we do !! Shrimp Fra-diavalo was as good as ever. I tried a chicken dish and was pleasantly surprised. I usually don't order chicken out since I eat so much of it at home. Next night; "M" and I alone at last. We did Saratoga. I had another veal chop which I loved and "M" had a penne dish which he raved about. We shared crab/lobster cake appetizer. It was very tasty and big enough to split. Next night; 4 of us off to Mario's for the first of 2 meals there. In my quest for the veal chop, I tried their presentation. Martine told us in advance that is was very expensive. ($42.00). It was very good, the best so far. "M" loved his duck, Larry enjoyed his steak, and Paula loved her pasta. The highlight of the meal was the mussel appetizer. They were, by far, the best mussels we've ever had, thanks in no small part to the sauce. A double order could serve four for dinner ! We loved the table by the water and excellent service. Very consistent with all of our dinners at Mario's. Sunday night (where does the time go ? ) we went to DaLivio. Greeted by Danny, we were once again in for another great meal. I odered the veal chop, naturally. I pronounce it "the best"; simple, huge and grilled to perfection. No sauce. "M" and Paula had lobster with linguini on the side and Larry has fish. A taste-test proved all dishes superb. The next night we went to Le Bistro Gourmand (across from Sapphire Beach Club) with the Mayers. The atmosphere was truly delightful. Very sophisticated, very European. The food was very good. I had a delicious filet and "M" had rack of lamb. There was a lobster special which was ordered by some of the Mayer gang and they loved it. I hope to see this restaurant on our next trip. It is one to put on the "must do" list. I'll finish the list on my next report. Le Santal and Tropicana both deserve some extra space and I'm on page 6 here... As we continue eating our way through the vacation we find ourselves, a party of 6, at one of the most romantic, exquisite, beautiful, etc., etc. restaurants I've ever seen: Le Santal. We had no idea what to expect, especially since the street leading to the door is less than impressive. We were told to valet park the car or risk the consequences of self-park. WOW, what a warning. We followed the advice, walked into the unassuming entrance and then jaws dropped. Our table was overlooking the water and Anguilla. The table setting could hold it's own anywhere in Paris. The beautiful fabric draping the ceiling is a work of art. The background music set the mood. Now for the food. Simply devine !! Tiny caviar hors d'ouvres were on the table already. The apperitif of choice was the house special, champagne with rasberries. The choice of appetizers was huge but quickly narrowed down to bountiful onion soup for "M", a delicate salad for a few of us and escargot. This was followed by a palate cleanser. Most of us ordered the lobster medallions. "M" had a filet which was actually more like a small roast. The presentation matched the food...flawless. Wine and champagne flowed throught the meal. Desserts, sumptious. Does it sound like I was impressed ? This does not say it all. I highly recommend Le Santal for the special occasion or one big splurge. (the ladies menu was sans prices but I guess $200.00 per couple would do it) Now, how does one follow that act? Return to Mario's, of course ! We did that. Again had mussels, and probably will again and again. I had rack of lamb and "M" had sauted grouper (I think). Loved it. I forgot to mention New Year's Eve. We had to stay close to home so we chose Sandro's at the Maho Beach Hotel It was wonderful, especially since they were packed to capacity and under a lot of pressure. It's Northern Italian and the dishes were light and tasty. I had delicious spinach ravioli. I tasted the veal, also excellent. There was a buffet of wonderful roasted veggies to go with the entrees or eat as an appetizer. Plenty to eat and worth returning. We loved Tropicana. It's on the marina in Marigot and we've been ignoring it for years. That will change. As was previously mentioned, the filet is excellent. So was the rack of lamb. The prices are reasonable considering the quality of food served. It is not a pizza place (we always thought it was) and holds it's own with any Grand Case restaurant without the drive. What made this trip different from the others was that we shared so many meals with Paula and Larry. It's fun to have good dining companions. They just added to our excitement and gave us something to look forward to. I was on a mission to replace my jewelry. Many items were already sent to me in advance of the trip by Heeru at Touch of Gold. By the time we left for SXM, the list was considerably shorter. Nonetheless, I was going shopping !! To say I did well is an understatement. We went into many stores in Phillipsburg that I had never shopped in just to see what's new and of course, to get prices. In the end, Heeru replaced everything on the "wish-list" except for a certain watch which she does not carry. The watch was available on both sides of the island and I purchased it on the French Side because it was almost $300.00 cheaper !! Maybe the Dutch tax has something to do with it; maybe the French franc was in our favor; we'll never know for sure. I'mm happy with the result and can only suggest that a little comparison shopping may pay off. I have even greater respect for Heeru than ever before. During her busiest season she found the time to spend with me alone; several hours on different days. Please understand that there are plenty of people with much more to spend than me and they were also her customers on the island at the same time. I know that they were treated just as well because I know some of them. I did a little shopping for leather goods. One of my favorite stores is Desmo in Marigot, located on the corner across from Brasserie DeLa Gare. What a store. They now carry Furla and Elizabeth DiCamerino as well as the name-sake, Desmo. The selection is beautiful. While I also enjoy Ashburry's for leather goods, we didn't get there this trip. For a real treat, Oro Del Sol has the latest and best of the Italian designer jewelry. This is up-scale stuff !! Prices to match. Check out the Bulgari line. I really don't have much else to report about shopping except to say that the Food Center is as good as ever for most daily supplies. Even the croissants are good and freeze well. I loaded up and continued to enjoy them during most of the vacation. The bottled water was.65 per bottle compared to $2.25 at our little convenience store. Mt Gay rum was on sale for $5.95 per litre. Lots of rum and coke !! Nice cheese selection but, curiously, no French cheeses. I did get delicious brie at the deli next to Bistro Gourmand restaurant (across from Sapphire Beach). Great French gourmet store in Marigot but too crowded to shop in (New Year's Eve day). I can't wait to return in July. Less crowded and more for me !!!
I'd been dreaming of a white Christmas...on a powdery-soft white sand beach, that is! So we packed up for our third visit to St. Martin, Dec. 21-28. Generally, John and I consider ourselves to be educated travelers, booking our own airline flights and hotels. It's a hobby of mine to research locations, hunt for deals and do my own legwork. This trip, however, we opted for an Apple Vacations package out of Chicago, for two reasons: we had friends going who were already booked for this package, and for Christmas week, decent airfares were non-existent and hotel availability was dwindling. Admittedly, I had some trepidations about booking with Apple, based on horror stories from others about delayed flights, etc. But overall, I would rate it a positive experience, with the notable exception of the on-site rep in St. Martin...more about her later. Apple handled airport check-in efficiently. All personnel were attentive and cheerful, a feat considering it was only 5:00 a.m. when we got to O'Hare. We left Chicago about 40 minutes late, on a brand- new airbus, into only its third day of service. Many of the flight attendants were new as well, on their first flight as Apple employees. They, too, were cheerful and efficient. And maybe I was just hungry, but breakfast was perhaps the best airline food I've had. We touched down at Princess Juliana Airport about 1:35, a half hour late. Maybe it was just that we came from a cold, gray, overcast Chicago, but my first impression was that St. Martin looked more green and lush than it had just seven months earlier. Foliage seems to be making a post-Luis comeback. We cleared customs quickly enough, claimed our luggage and set out to find our rental car from Budget. The package from Apple included transfers between airport and hotel, but knowing we would want to have a car, we reserved ahead and decided to pick it up at the airport. But first, we had our initial encounter with Cathy, the on-site rep from Apple. She handed us a card noting the time of a welcoming reception she would hold that evening at the hotel. We mentioned that we'd been to St. Martin twice before and knew the island pretty well and she replied, "Well, you had better come anyway because I'll tell you all kinds of things you never knew about." Yeah, sure she will. For starters, she couldn't even tell us where the Budget desk was. Until recently, rental car agencies at the airport were in a building across the parking lot from the arrivals area. This has been changed so that just a handful of agencies are located immediately outside the baggage claim area, and all others you either have to take a taxi to, walk to or arrange to have someone meet you. On our last trip, we used Avis, a simple walk across the street from the airport. Since Cathy was of no help, we asked around a bit more and were told the Budget office was just past Avis. So off we went, dragging our wheeled bags behind us. Well, "just past" turned out to be at least a quarter mile. I've heard some horror stories about Budget recently and, while nothing bad happened, I saw potential for trouble. When we got to the office, one man was there ahead of us to pick up his car. He and we were both told that, at the moment, no cars were available because all vehicles due back that afternoon were late coming in. By this point, it was around 2:30, and I couldn't help but wonder if a major screw-up was about to happen. We were told they would shuttle us to our hotels and drop off a car as soon as one became available. The shuttle driver, however, seemed a little distressed about having to take us all the way to the Hotel Mt. Vernon, on the other side of the island. Well, just at that moment, a returning car came in. The woman behind the desk decided to give it to us, rather than the gentleman who was there before us, saving the shuttle driver the trip to Orient Bay. This made everyone happy, except, of course, for the man ahead of us, who happened to be staying at a hotel very close to the airport. In Budget's lot, there were a number of cars in various states of repair, or maybe I should say disrepair, and it seems to me if they could get some of these running, there would be ample cars to go around. Anyway, we got our car and we were happy, even though it had no antennae, no rear speakers, an assortment of dents and dings, a little rust and over 33,000 kilometers. Someone once told us there's a law on the island that rental agencies must turn over cars to the locals every 2 years; it must be getting close to the end of the 2- year cycle. Because it was Sunday afternoon, grocery stores were closed so we headed straight for the Mt. Vernon, a large, 370-room hotel on Orient Beach. The advantages of this hotel: location, location, location. It anchors the north end of one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. It's also a full-service hotel with bars and restaurants, a fitness room (which we never saw), activities during the day, entertainment in the evenings and a very large, very nice pool. An ample breakfast buffet is included in the price of the room, as well. The buffet included hot items such as sausages, scrambled eggs and made-to-order pancakes, along with pastries, cereal, breads, fresh fruit, sliced meat and cheese, juices and coffee. Because it closed promptly at 10:00, however, there were a couple of days we felt lazy and chose instead to munch on food we had in our room. Mt. Vernon's rooms are large and ours had a full ocean view right over the beach, which we had requested and paid extra for. Our room had a very comfortable king-size bed, dresser with six average-sized drawers and a sitting area with sofa, chair and cocktail table. An ample-sized balcony included 2 PVC chairs and a table. The closet had a section about 3 feet wide for hanging, with a dozen or so hangers and a 3-foot-wide section of shelves. The bathroom included a large vanity, and only a shower, no tub. The shower had a retractable clothesline in it. There was no hair dryer provided, and the one plug in the bathroom said "for razors only" -- I don't know if a hair dryer would work in that outlet. Otherwise, the current in St. Martin is 220V and American appliances require an adapter that steps down the current. One nice feature of the room was a tiny kitchenette with a minifridge, a little kitchen sink and a two-burner stove. We never tested out the stove, as no pots or pans were provided. Because I can't live without a cup of coffee first thing in the a.m., we had brought along our own portable French-style coffee press for making a morning cup and found that the water right out of the tap was plenty hot for this purpose. What did we NOT like about the Mt. Vernon? Even though it's been renovated since the hurricane, parts of it still look run down. For example, by the pool there were some cracked deck boards sticking up dangerously, but renovation work is still in progress. In general, this hotel seems too big. Our past two trips we stayed at the St. Tropez, also on Orient Beach, and absolutely love that hotel, small enough that the staff knows you by name. There's not enough parking at the Mt. Vernon and the parking area can be quite a hike from your room. The layout of the hotel is on a hillside and it can be physically taxing to walk anywhere. If you have even the slightest difficulty walking, I would not recommend this hotel. While it's technically wheelchair accessible, I'd hate to try pushing a wheelchair up some of these steep hills. And as far as its location on Orient Beach, the hotel is at the far north end, which is where all the seaweed washes up. Would we stay here again? Not if we could get a room at St. Tropez (or its sister hotel, L'Hoste), but if those weren't available, I would at least consider Mt. Vernon as an option. Check-in was handled efficiently, but our bags did not follow us to the room. After about 45 minutes, we inquired about them and the bellman admitted he didn't realize they needed to be brought up. Once we unpacked and settled in, we headed down for a rum punch at the pool bar and went to the beach for an hour or so. Then it was time for our "welcome" reception with Cathy from Apple. I mentioned earlier in this write-up that I like to research my vacation spots. I've read all the St. Martin articles here on Caribbean Travel Roundup, I've spent hours on the AOL message board, I've read all the guides like Frommer's. Plus, we've been to the island twice before and know our way around pretty well. So I recognized right away that Cathy gave out all kinds of misinformation. When anyone tried to disagree with her, she became argumentative. She tried to intimidate people into booking her excursions to other islands, bad-talking trips offered by any other companies. She even said Mario's Bistro isn't very good. Admittedly, we've never been there ourselves, but can all those legions of Mario's fans be so wrong?!? To push this bad experience out of our minds, we headed to Le Taitu for dinner. On our first visit to SXM, this restaurant became a fast favorite of mine, and remains so. We shared an appetizer of seafood croquettes, known locally as accras de morue. I also had a wonderful salad of home-grown tomatoes and onions, and John had a tasty vegetable soup. For main dishes, we each got one of the specials: John, the shrimp Colombo, which is in a curry-based sauce, and I had the chicken Basquaise, a specialty of the house in a sauce of fresh tomatoes and green peppers. We splurged on dessert (as we would end up doing every night), John with profiterolles and me the coupe colonel, which was lemon sorbet in a lot of vodka...refreshing and STRONG. All this, plus 2 rum punches a piece and tip came to $80. After dinner, they gave us each a complimentary homemade punch made with rum and passion fruit. With all that we had to eat and drink, plus the fact that we had gotten up at 3:00 that morning to catch our flight, we decided to skip our plan to head over to Surf Club South's Sunday night party, choosing instead to return to the hotel for a late-evening swim in the pool. Monday morning, we had massage appointments awaiting us at Club Orient. Considering we had just been to SXM at the end of May, we were surprised how much construction was in progress on the island in general, and by how much had been built at Club O in those 7 months. We trudged through the sand to where we thought the massage pavilion was, only to get up to it and realize that's become the Papagayo Watersports desk. Papagayo's Restaurant has a new patio on the front of it and there's an additional new beach bar about halfway down the Club O beach. Massages are now given at Club O's new indoor fitness center! At first, I was a little disappointed I wouldn't get my massage seaside, but in retrospect, the quiet air-conditioned comfort of the fitness center was better. And if you really must have a seaside massage, there is a table at the new beach bar as well. Anyway, Ana gave us each a wonderful massage and chased away any residual tension from the previous day's travels and the encounter with Cathy. After a couple of drinks at Papagayo's, we went to Match to stock up on snacks, drinks and related supplies for the week. A trip to Match is like grocery shopping in Paris! John and I are definitely not among those who prefer the Americanized shopping you find at Food Center in Phillipsburg or Cole Bay. And John's a corporate chef by trade, so he really enjoys the variety found at Match, imagining the dishes he would make! Monday night's dinner took us to Grand Case. We strolled all the way up one end and down the other and finally settled on L'Atlantic Cafe, an unassuming place you might mistake for an ice cream parlor from the outside. Inside, however, a variety of great food is served. Their menu features a section of lighter fare, like sandwiches and spaghetti, a section of individual pizzas, and each night they have a list of specials featuring classically prepared French dishes...that's what I call a versatile kitchen! John started with soupe du poisson, a smooth seafood soup that comes with cheese, croutons and a garlic sauce called rouille, and I had a salad with goat cheese. I opted for pizza for dinner--it was fabulous, and this is coming from a Chicagoan! John had one of the specials, extremely country French in style...calf's liver with maple cream sauce! I'm not a liver lover, but he tells me it was excellent. For dessert, we each had passion fruit sorbet and espresso. Between us, we had also had one rum punch and three glasses of wine, bringing the total tab to $70, including tip. The Atlantic does not accept credit cards, but traveler's checks posed no problems. Just like the night before, along with the check came complimentary homemade liqueur with rum, herbs and spices, plus as a Christmas treat they gave us each a tiny Sumatran cigar. Normally, we're not smokers, but indulged on the wee cigars this night. Truly a quaint, romantic night to remember in a restaurant we'd mistakenly overlooked on earlier visits. The staff of two (waiter/owner and chef) treated us like royalty. Tuesday we had signed up for the Nude Cruise at Club Orient. This is really a great way to spend a day. John, being a corporate chef, has his own set of standards for food and recreational activities: he says it's truly successful if you feel like you're a king for a day...and on the Tiko Tiko, you will! The drinks flow from the moment you get on the boat, and you never have to move a muscle if you don't want to. Guillaume and his crew, Phillipe and Chris, make certain all your needs are met. The sail is to the small island of Tintamarre, about 1-1/2 miles off Orient Bay. There, they set you up with umbrellas, floats for the water (the only negative: there weren't enough floats to go around for the group of 6 passengers) and a cooler full of drinks. Then, you have a couple of hours to do nothing more than sun, swim, snorkel (gear provided), explore the island, or just quaff Caribe and chat with your fellow cruisers. I recommend booking the excursion early in your visit to SXM; it's a good way to make friends and have familiar faces to talk to the rest of the week. We shared our cruise with a lovely couple from Britain that we then ran into several more times during the week, as well as a nice couple from New Jersey. There had been some reports that while the Tiko Tiko was in dry dock for maintenance this past autumn, it suffered hull damage at the hands of an inept crane operator. These reports were greatly exaggerated. The damage was all cosmetic, easily repaired personally by Guillaume and Phillipe, and the Tiko Tiko is in great sailing shape! The island Tintamarre has been discovered by other cruises. When we first came in, two boats, the Golden Eagle I and II, were already there, loaded with snorklers. After about 45 minutes, they left, but in the afternoon both boats returned with 70-80 people between them. There were also a number of privately owned boats...at one point, I counted 13 vessels. They kept to themselves and didn't seem bothered too much by the nudity. At 1:00, a gourmet lunch is served aboard the Tiko Tiko and includes French champagne, wines and after-dinner liqueurs. More time for swimming after lunch, to work off all that food and drink, with the return to Club Orient about 4:30. One would think that after all the food and drink we had during the cruise, we would take it easy and just get a sandwich for dinner. Are you kidding? And pass up a dinner in the culinary capital of the Caribbean? Besides, all that sunning works up a "bon appetit!" Tuesday night’s dinner found us, along with our friends from Chicago, at the Restaurant du Soleil. The menu is somewhat limited and we spent a lot of money here, too, because John got lobster, and had to choose the biggest one in the tank. I had chicken colombo, which was flavorful, but somewhat short of fabulous. John’s dinner included an appetizer of seafood croquettes (those accras de morue again), plus we shared some of the island fish soup and a bottle of wine for $111 total. We had 2 birthdays in the group to be celebrated, so dessert came out with sparklers. Once again we got the complimentary after- dinner glasses of homemade punch. I’m starting to think there’s some kind of law requiring all restaurants in St. Martin to serve this! When we first drove into Grand Case that evening, we noticed what appeared to be a parade assembling. We asked a local gendarmes what time it was starting and he said 6:00. Well, it was already almost 8:00 at this point! Island time! While we were eating, the parade finally got underway and our waitress came to tell us so we could step outside for a look. We watched long enough to see a group of children dressed as angels and a couple of small floats go by, with one of the floats stopping periodically to pick up passengers! Wednesday we made “Marigot day” to visit the market, do some shopping, sit in sidewalk cafes, etc. Not much had changed in the town since our visit last May, but Le Bar de la Mer has added a cybercafe for those of you who can’t stay away from your e-mail! We were afraid things might close up in Marigot early because it was Christmas Eve, but this was not the case...every store and restaurant appeared to be keeping normal hours. Nevertheless, Christmas is definitely celebrated in the islands! Virtually every hotel and restaurant we went into had a 5- or 6-foot live (!) Christmas tree. Other decorations abounded, though not always in the same style we'd put up our decorations. It wasn't unusual to see a ball-style ornament that you'd expect to find on a tree just tacked up to any ol' spot on the wall, or a piece of garland dangling from where you wouldn't expect it. Potted plants frequently bore 2 or 3 ornaments, appearing to grow like fruit. That night, being Christmas Eve, we decided to have the special dinner we do once each vacation, choosing a nice restaurant recommended to us. We ended up at L'Hibiscus in Grand Case. The food certainly was good, but I think they had overbooked because we ended up at a table in the corner where there wasn't really room for a table, seated on folding chairs. I have to say this arrangement did detract from our enjoyment somewhat. The food at L'Hibiscus, however, was outstanding. When we were first seated, the waiter presented us with small bowls of complimentary gazpacho...not what I would expect in a French restaurant, but nicely spiced, refreshing and a good way to start the meal. Even though I don't generally eat liver, I ordered a salad that included foie gras, as well as grilled shrimp. I have to say the foie gras was not bad...and John raved about it! His appetizer was a bowl of lobster bisque. For his meal, John had sweetbreads, and since I don't usually eat even liver, you'd be right in guessing that I didn't try these, but John liked them. I had the filet mignon "with tiny capsicum pepper" which turned out to be a scotch bonnet pepper sauce (served on the side). I love hot, spicy food, but anyone who doesn't should be wary of this dish because it is HOT! As a side dish, it included an order of baked fennel that I really enjoyed. For dessert, John had sorbet and I ordered Hibiscus' signature dish, the sweet tomato. This must be ordered at the same time as your meal, because it takes them a while to prepare. It's a baked, candied tomato that has a flavor similar to figs. After dinner, once again, out came the complimentary glasses of homemade rum punch, along with a special Christmas treat of some unusual salted butter candies from France. All this, plus a couple of glasses of wine apiece for $113...only $2 more than what we had spent the night before at Soleil, but tops in quality and style. The next day was Christmas and we did basically nothing that day but sit by the pool with our friends, till about 4:00 when we took a walk up and down the length of the beach. We checked with Bikini Beach to make sure they would be open for dinner that night, and they were. This made for a truly lovely Christmas dinner...we had one of the tables closest to the surf, the breezes were mild and a duo played samba music while we dined. We sort of splurged again, with a salad that we shared (with foie gras again), a bowl of fish soup each, lamb chops for John, stuffed veal for me, a bottle of wine, a couple of soft drinks, a couple of espressos and, for dessert, a French holiday tradition, busch noel, a rolled cake decorated to look like a yule log. And, of course, there were complimentary glasses of rum punch! We spent about $100 again, but it was really a lot of food in a perfect setting. Friday, we packed our beach bag and just got in the car for some exploring. First we went to the Anse Marsel area. I'd hate to stay at L'Habitacion and have to drive that hill every day! After a quick stop afterwards at Surf Club South to say hello and to see if the Chicago Bulls t-shirt I'd given them last trip was still hanging (of course it was!), we decided to go into Phillipsburg. This turned out to be a big mistake, as there were 4 big ships in that day and everything just seemed too hot and crowded. I don't think we ever got out of the car. Instead, we headed to the Sunset Beach Bar at Maho, right at the foot of the runway, to have a light lunch off their grill and to watch the planes come in for a while. It's really exhilarating when the Air France 747 soars in just 50 feet over your head! Our next stop was Cupecoy Beach. This might sound stupid, but on our previous visits to SXM, we couldn't find it! This time, we parked near the Sapphire, and there was actually a woman waiting to serve as a guide. Her primary interest, of course, is to set you up with rented chairs and an umbrella when you get down to the beach, but we were grateful to have someone to show us the way, and would have rented the equipment anyway. Cupecoy is beautiful and much less populated than Orient, but the water here has a very strong undertow. I've also heard that, depending on the weather, much of the sand disappears at times, but the beach was quite deep this day. Along with the chair concession, they'll also sell you beers and soft drinks, plus I saw a Weber grill there, so they can probably make you a sandwich, too. Otherwise, Cupecoy does not offer the services you find at a busy beach like Orient, but its peace and quiet is to be treasured. That evening, we decided to go back to Surf Club South for a good American-style steak- and-potatoes dinner. The portions were huge...my strip steak was hanging off the plate...and a big pile of vegetables plus a big baked potato came along as side dishes. We also shared an appetizer of maple-glazed spare ribs and a dessert of bananas flambee. It all came to $70, including tip and a drink for each of us. Saturday: how do you spend your last full day in paradise? With a couple of hours on the beach down by Club O., then we once again attempted a trip into Phillipsburg. At least this time, we got out of the car, but really only stopped at the guavaberry tasting center and at an Asian grocery store called Sang's that has really cheap prices on the rum we wanted to take back home. Dinner was at the Wajang Doll, an Indonesian restaurant on Front St. that features a "rijstaffel" (pronounced rice-taffle). The style of cuisine bears some similarities to Thai food, but is along the order of Asian tapas. They bring you a big bowl of rice, plus about a dozen little dishes to eat along with your rice. We saved just enough room to share a candied persimmon for dessert. We shared a bottle of wine as well and once again spent $100. The bills at this restaurant do include gratuity. We packed up everything Saturday night, then I got up early Sunday morning for one last stroll on beach. Then, we sat by the pool with our friends for a couple of hours, showered, checked out and had a rather uneventful trip to the airport and home. On our Apple charter, we flew down to St. Kitt's to let off a new group of vacationers and pick up those who were enroute to home. Each leg of the flight ran about 45 minutes late, and while we sat in St. Kitt's they wouldn't let anyone off the plane. My one and only real complaint about the Apple flights: about 1/2 hour outside of Chicago, the toilets apparently stopped functioning. A flight attendant got on the speaker and blamed the passengers for flushing inappropriate objects. I thought this was tacky. Otherwise, this was a great trip...how could you go wrong when you go to St. Martin! Will we return for a fourth visit? Definitely...it's starting to feel like home!
Just got back from a terrific vacation in SXM, my 10th year there. Weather was great, mid 80s and sunny on most days. Island seems to be back in gear (except mullet bay) from Hurricane. There is a big new resort near Mary's Boon/Maho Reef at the base of the runway. They are advertising a casino, shops, etc. Called Millenium. I didn't go see it. Eating: Had 14 dinners and assorted other meals. My recos: Michel Royer- new restaurant on Orient Bae. expensive, French. Terrific. Great bread, different foods. Auberge Gourmand.- Grand Case.. Food was excellent. It was not busy at all but well worth the visit. Piccolo - Very good food. And the price!!!! Average of only $10/entree. Eating is outdoors on a porch and they had some unique combos. Sugar pie for dessert. Tutta Pasta - Excellent and cheap. Located in Simpson Bay. Great pastas (try the eggplant rolatini). It was very busy when we visited. Much moreso than last year. Chanteclair - Marigot. Very good as usual. Great dessert. L'Alabama - Decent. I wouldn't return. Food could not compare to the other meals we had in Grand Case. La Charolais- A change of pace. Nice steaks, great potatoes and big portions. New location on Simpson Bay. L'escapade - One of our best meals. Server was very friendly (and cute). An incredibly rich and delicious Caesar salad. Tropicana - Our last meal and one of the top 3 or 4. All was very good. The filet mignons (last item on menu) is like butter. Don Camillo - Our favorite Italian on the island. Terrific as usual. Veal w/ peppers, gnocchi. Make sure you ask for the anchovy spread w/ your bread. Bar De La Mer - excellent grilled shrimp and lobster. Also very good fried calamari. Went here for New Year's Eve. Brasserie de la Gare - Marigot. A fun night on the docks with an above average salad nicoise. Good pizza. Richard's Creperie - New on Simpson Bay across from Lightning. Good crepes. Lousy service. White bread. Chipped glasses. Ran out of napkins and used kleenex. No joke. They are really not ready yet. Zee Best - The original owner (father) was back from Canada. Still very good. Les Cocotiers - On water in Marigot. Nicely presented food and portions. Went for lunch. Great iced tea. Also - new sports book upstairs in Casino Royale. I had the Giants on a money line vs Vikings. Ouch. Hope this was helpful. Have fun and don't eat too little. -Dan
We just returned from 12 days in Paradise (Tobago) and had the MOST relaxing vacation imaginable. we stayed at the Blue Waters Inn, which is rustic but beautiful, staffed by caring, albeit slightly slow movers, set in the most magnificent Caribbean venue (actually the Atlantic!) We, who swore never to simply sit on a beach on a vacation, managed to do just that for most of our trip. Actually our daughters after 7 days of lumping did take the Scuba certification course offered at the BWI (Aquamarine Dive Shop), which they loved...hard to believe that 2 teenagers would volunteer to spend every last day of their vacation studying, taking tests and learning but they did and they truly enjoyed the experience. The instructor and the manager of the dive shop took great care of the girls, making sure that they did learn and stressing safety (which we wondered about, having heard mixed reviews of island courses). We arrived at Crown Point and had the BWI arrange a taxi to transport us since it was evening and we felt that the drive across an unknown island might not be the best idea. The roads on Tobago are some of the best we have seen in the Caribbean; although the last few miles along the snaking road have been known to upset some we basically found it safe, as long as you drove slowly. All roads were in excellent repair and you did need to remember to hug your side around the bends. Anyway, we arrived close to 9 PM and the kitchen staff was waiting for us so that we could order food. We ate sandwiches at the shipwreck bar which were wonderful and reasonable in price. The rooms were terrific, large and airy, with louvered shutters and glass doors...the only negative was that the ocean refused to turn itself down at night so the crashing waves and wind did sometimes awaken us! Imagine that as our worst complaint! We had the BWI stock the room with fruit juices, diet soda and coffee/milk which they did and so we did not have to run to the bar for drinks each time...gotta admit that we mostly used their facilities however since there was fun in drinking/dining with company. We skipped some meals at the BWI so that we could try Jemma's and Redman's in Speyside (which you could walk to, as long as you don't mind the up and down). Redman's is less expensive, more home-cooking than Jemma's so dinner for 4 at each was under $40 at Redman's and maybe $55 at Jemma's. Neither serves alcohol, although we did see some people bringing their own. Both are "treehouse restaurants". Rotis are sold everywhere for about $1.50 and are huge and delicious. Food at the BWI is more expensive. Dinner during the Xmas season is mostly buffet style and runs about $23 a person...but you could order at the bar where fried fish and chips with salad was about $7, or the vegetarian version of the dinner (everything served at the buffet except the main course) was $11. The girls liked the fried chicken dinners ($6) and the chicken salad sandwiches ($4). Buffet breakfasts were a bit much for us, since we don't eat blood sausages, saltfish or sardines at breakfast, but the fruits and breads were fine...just a tad too salty, as was much of the island cooking. We rented a car which was silly.. it sat in the lot most of the time. We would have been better served renting it by the day as we felt a need to travel, which is what most of the visitors did. We traveled through the rainforest, but did not stop on this trip at the hikes or the falls, since we were just too lazy! We did spend one day in Scarborough, had lunch at the Blue Crab which was terrific and shopped at the one or two tourist stores and the Cotton House where we bought great batiks. We took the glass bottom boat tour to Little Tobago with Frank's, and the tour guides were very knowledgeable about their island, the bird life and the marine life, so we had a chance to see much and snorkel over one of the island's famous dive sites. Snorkeling is great right from the beach at BWI so we did see terrific fishes and coral without having to dive. As you can tell, we enjoyed our vacation tremendously and plan on going back to do all the things we missed this time. It was hard leaving that bit of Paradise to come home to 25 degree cold!! I have mixed feelings posting this on the net since part of what we enjoyed was the lack of built-up attractions and the cleanliness that remains when the tourists are eco-types. But enjoy it we did.
We returned from Beaches Dec. 26. My wife, two boys 8 & 10 and I had a great time. Weather was great and the beach pristine. Reports from earlier this year had problems with construction. Glad to say most remodeling is complete. One construction wall remains on one far side of the resort but is out of the way and non-intrusive. The resulting resort is an oasis on an island that does not have much above the water line. Mostly rocks and scruff beyond the resort boundaries. The architecture, grounds and decor are beautiful Five restaurants now exist - buffet, Arizona Grill, Continental, Japanese Tepanyaki, and a Seafood restaurant. The Continental and Seafood are adults only. The food was very good to excellent and as good or better than any I have had at other all-inclusives. Chef Jose and crew do a great job. One area lacking was in fruits and vegetables. You can tell everything is imported - narrow selection and not as luscious/fresh as you would like. Service was good, consistent with other resorts. Not snappy but a lot of consistent hard work by the staff. The reservation restaurants had great staff and a few colorful characters to liven the scene. The pools, waterfalls, swim up bars were the best I have experienced. Clean, beautiful, and ample room/variety. Insane Wayne and the entertainment staff kept the tunes humming in the background and varied low key games and amusements were conducted periodically throughout the day. The toddlers seemed well attended and happy. The teens seemed to have enough freedom, due to the very safe environment, along with enough space to appear happy and not bored. One gap unfortunately feel in between for kids in our age bracket. There were no activities for them at dinner (and not much during the day either) aside from the toddler group. We tried to have two dinners on our own (out of 7) but it was a real stretch. One time our 8 yr old came from the Sega center feigning a hurt arm which was scary/embarrass. The kids did enjoy some of the daytime games that were labeled as teen activities. Participation ranged from about 6 to 13 and also some adults. The teens did get into the basketball tourney and also the volleyball. Overall I found the programmed activity about right - not overdone as at some places we have been. The waterfront was spectacular. Pure coarse white sand. No rocks, nothing in the water, nothing washed up on the beach. No waves whatsoever, no current, no drop-off. The beach did not get as much use - more of a quiet area. But if you are a beach lover THIS IS IT! Many chairs and umbrellas. Watersports were readily available and not overly demanded. Sunfish, sailboards, hobies, kayaks, pedal bikes and attentive staff to get you out and back. Scuba reports were positive. The snorkel boat was busy and they added extra trips to accommodate the demand. The boat trips were short. Once I knew the spots I swam to them. The best snorkeling was from shore at the Whitehouse, a 10 minute walk down the beach. My wife and I saw many wonderful things there in daily early morning "fishing" trips with the whole reef to ourselves. A drawback exists if you do not take your own gear. They will not let you check gear out - trips only. This is a definite negative I had not seen at other resorts. We had fin trouble with our kids and it limited some activity. Ended up taking one child without fins and escorting (a free ride!!) along the reef. A frustration for me is that the main reef and deepwater is about 1 mile out. I swam to it once but it is too far to access from shore. The snorkel boat does not go out there and they would not let me hitch on the scuba boat. This would not be a problem for most who can get a good view easily at the Whitehouse. I am an avid snorkeler and still wonder what big fish and other wonders I missed by not getting out there to the far side in the deep water. Comparisons with scuba folks said I did great but the outside of the reef is where the action is
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