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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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Roatan is a island off the Caribbean coast of Honduras sporting a wall along it's southern border, and what a wall!. It's covered with lush growth - hard and soft corals, sponges, gorgonians, etc. - and corrugated with cuts, caverns, and overhangs. Animal life isn't lacking, either. While not in overwhelming numbers, smaller reef fish are abundant and the larger beasts can be found. My daughter, Lynn, and I spotted a couple of southern sting rays, a couple of spotted eagle rays, a very large green turtle, and numerous large groupers and snappers. I noted two "firsts" for me - a harlequin pipefish and a lined seahorse. CoCo View provided rooms, meals, and one of the best-organized, smooth-running dive operations I've ever experienced. Lynn and I shared a large room and modern bath with a double and a twin bed. Electricity is too expensive on the island for air-conditioning, but three ceiling fans, a nice breeze through large screens facing the water, and a location not just on the shore, but over the water, made the week's stay comfortable. Coming and going to the cabin over a walkway, we amused ourselves by watching Killer, the small barracuda resident outside our door, perpetually stalking his dinner. Meals were served in a central, screened-in building, equipped with bar, pools table, ping-pong table, and library. All meals were served cafeteria style, but dessert and coffee following the evening meal were brought to the tables. Breakfast always included juices; fresh fruit; dry cereal and milk; sausage or bacon; and pancakes, waffles, or eggs made to order. Lunch included sandwiches and salad and a hot dish or two. Dinner brought a variety of meats and casseroles served during the week; two were available at every meal. CoCo View is located at the juncture of two walls - Newman's to the west and CoCo View to the east - separated by a narrow channel into a small bay. Another resort, Fantasy Island, is located on the west side of the channel and CoCo View on the east side. In the middle, sitting on the 65 foot-deep bottom, a small coastal steamer and wrecked DC-3 provide "landmarks" for crossing the channel on scuba, something done regularly as I'll explain. Unless you've dove with CoCo View before, the first order of business for divers in a three-part orientation. The first part consists of an explanation of diving procedures at CoCo View and a map orientation of "The Front Yard" - the channel, the ends of the two walls, and the system of markers, chains, and cables that are used to guide divers from the walls to the beach in front of CoCo View (instead of Fantasy Island!). The second part gets one through check-in at the dive shop, basically exchanging your C-card for weights and laying claim to storage space for one's dive gear. The last part consists of doing it - demonstrating basic skills (mask clearing, neutral buoyancy, and sharing air) and taking a shore dive with one of the divemasters through all of The Front Yard, along both walls for short distances and back home. Once through the orientation, you can dive off the boats. Depending upon the number of divers, one, two, or three boats leave at 9:00 or 9:30 AM and 2:00 or 2:30 PM. Both trips are essentially the same: a 10 or 15 minute run to a mooring on the top of the wall, about a one-hour dive along the wall, a 15 or 20 minute sit on the boat, then a "drop-off" dive on the way back. A divemaster was always in the water on the first dive to seek and point out interesting critters to anyone interested is following him. Rules are few and very reasonable: everyone goes the same way along the wall, no gloves, no touching the reef life, no diving below 130 feet, no decompression diving. Solo/buddy, depth, and pace were entirely at one's discretion. My daughter and I typically went out at 60 to 80 feet for 20 or 25 minutes, back to the mooring at 30 to 50 feet, then spent the last 10 or 15 minutes browsing on top of the reef close to the boat at 15 or 20 feet for the remainder of the 60 minutes. We were usually the last back on the boat, but no one complained. The "drop-off" dive was exactly that. After the short sit during which one switched BC and regulator to a full tank, the boat would leave the mooring and drop divers off along one wall or the other fairly close to The Front Yard. Depth and duration of this dive was entirely at the diver's discretion. One might expect seeing one or both of the same two sections of the walls would be boring, but not so! The richness of the structure and the life on these walls made every dive seem like a new one. In any case, one swam home, finding the beach easily by using the guides in The Front Yard. Lynn and I normally skipped the afternoon drop-off dive because our computers indicated we were accumulating enough nitrogen on three dives to last until after breakfast the next morning. The facilities are open and staffed for shore diving from 5:00 AM until 11:00 PM for those wishing to take advantage of it; many did. Getting There: Lynn and I went with a small group of virtual friends from Idaho we had met on-line. Air fare from Washington totaled about $700 each; CoCo View cost $775 each. Drinks (including canned colas) and a modest tip are extra. Roatan is reachable non-stop from Miami, New Orleans, and Houston on TACA. Our flight from Houston was canceled, but we made it to Roatan a few hours late after a mini-tour of Latin American airports. Lynn's checked baggage didn't make it until the next day, but now she knows why her dumb old Dad packs light and goes carry-on all the way.
The island came through Bertha with virtually no adverse affects. It was interesting and a little exciting to prepare for the storm but also quite a relief to have it be so mild. Electricity was out in various parts of the island for most of the day the storm hit but was restored almost everywhere by about 8 P.M. A curfew was imposed until 6A.M. the day after the storm and we heard of no incidents of looting or anything close to it. The island is very green (of course, with all the rain). The rain forest seems to be getting back some of the growth it lost after Hugo. The new King's Alley project in Christiansted is moving along with uncharacteristic speed. The artists renditions of the final project present a very beautiful result. It will be interesting to see it when it is finished. The restaurants which have always been good are still good, particularly Commanche, Tutu Bene, Cheeseburgers in Paradise and, of course, No Bones. It was sad to see Oskars closed. The building is not being used for anything now. The strangest experience we had was when we took friends to Point Udall and were greeted by a full fledged military installation at the furthest eastern end of the island. We were allowed to walk to the viewing area but only in the company of a soldier. They wouldn't tell us why they were there but it looks as though they will be there for a while. The hover craft is running regularly to St. Thomas and twice a week to Puerto Rico. No chances were taken with the sea planes in this storm, they were all flown to Bonaire for the day. They are now making about four trips to St. Thomas every day so business must be improving. The Cane Bay Beach Club has made some pretty good improvements, including and expanded menu, and is a nice place from which to watch the divers and snorkelers on the beach. In all it was a good trip even with Bertha's visit.
We stayed at the Carambola, and from what we saw and heard from others, it was definitely the best. Beach was nice, surf a bit choppier than the west coast, but worth it, service and food was excellent. We rented a car (a definite must) from Judi of Croix, as recommended. Dennis was very helpful in getting us oriented to the island, what to do and what not to do. His cars are economy, no frills, but the AC was much needed. There were a great deal of 4X4's out there, but they weren't necessary and probably more expensive. You can hardly go wrong with the food; everything is good. We ate at the more popular spots: Tutu Bene's, Duggan's, Indie's, Waves at Cane Bay, Cheeseburgers in Paradise, Club Commanche, Tivoli's, and a few others. All excellent! I get to add one more though: Turtle's Deli in Frederiksted for a quick lunch. Excellent sandwiches! We took Sweeney's Safari Tour. He is truly an excellent host and guide! I would recommend taking his tour early in your stay as you will see the highlights of the island and will probably not need to go back to them afterwards. He really did a fine job presenting the island's history and culture to us! As far as crime, we didn't witness any. There are area's you should not visit after dark, which are easy to spot. Just use common sense. We were pleasantly surprised when we approached a rather shady area at night on our way back to our car near the water in Christiansted when we were greeted by a pleasant "Welcome to St. Croix!" from a native! Diving was excellent! We managed 7 dives from Davis Bay (Carambola Beach) and Cane Bay. Cane Bay's Dive Shop is definitely the cheapest we found and the food there was great. We really didn't want to go anywhere else. We heard that the reef spanning from Cane to Davis Bay offers one of the best shore dive spots in the Caribbean. I'm inclined to agree. Being at the end of the off season, the air was rather warm and humid, but the breezes made it very bearable. I found myself being lost in the tranquillity and often forgetting what day it was!
My wife and I just completed a six day vacation to St. John USVI. We
arrived the day after Hurricane Bertha passed over the Virgin
Islands. All six nights were spent at the wonderful Raintree Inn in
Cruz Bay and we snorkeled every day.
Day 1 - 07/09/96 The vacation began with a large level of
uncertainty. Hurricane Bertha had left St. John with limited or no
telephone service and the news reports that we heard were very
incomplete. We were able to get through to the Gallows Point Resort
but the lady there did not know the level of damage that St. John had
encountered. Delta Airlines was flying in so we decided to go and
take our chances.
We live pretty far from the Austin Airport so we had to get up at
3:00AM to make our 6:00AM flight. We called Delta one more time and
it was a go. When we checked in for our Atlanta to St. Thomas flight
the agent said that the St. Thomas Airport had no power but they
could fly in during the day. Our flight was a little late taking off
from Atlanta and had to swing away from Bertha in route but we were
only about 25 minutes late landing on St. Thomas around 2:40PM.
We made a decision to only take carry-ons and that turned out to be a
wise choice because they had to manually hand out luggage at the St.
Thomas Airport. After jumping on the first cab we were off to Red
Hook. We made the 4:00PM ferry with time to spare but most of the
flight missed it because of the slow luggage handling and had to take
the 5:00PM ferry. At the time we did not know that St. Thomas had a
6:00PM curfew and the 6:00PM ferry was the last one of the day.
(Normally they run until midnight)
Crossing over the island we saw a lot of hurricane damage. Some of
the local passengers explained that 90% of it was either original
Hurricane Marilyn damage or damage that Marilyn weakened and Bertha
finished off. There were some small planes overturned and a few boats
grounded. Much of the damage occurred to structures that had never
fixed Marilyn roof damage and had blue tarps covering the roof.
The water was still rough on the 20 minute ferry ride but it was fun
anyway. We walked the block to the Raintree Inn and they were
surprised to see us. Our room was huge! It had two double beds on the
first floor and a loft with two single beds. The bathroom was
partially outside but was still private. It had two ceiling fans,
A/C, a kitchen, and a porch in the back with a much needed clothes
line for wet towels and bathing suits. The efficiency that we had
rents for $75 a night and they also have regular hotel type rooms
with private baths for $50 a night. The best news was that telephone
and power had been restored that afternoon to Cruz Bay.
The Raintree is a non-smoking Inn but they have a table set up on
their deck for smokers that turned out to be the gathering place. In
fact we met a family that had been there before during Bertha's
visit. They sat on the deck for the first half of the storm and the
eye. The eye lasted over an hour. When the direction of the wind and
rain changed they had to move indoors even though the Hurricane
windows were closed and it was hot in the rooms. The Raintree Inn
suffered no hurricane damage but their sister Inn, the Cruz Inn, lost
part of it's roof.
There were not a great number of restaurants open on St. John the
first night and most had a limited menu. In fact the Fish Trap right
next door did so much business for lunch that they ran out of food
and were closed Tuesday night. Another couple recommended the Crash
Landing so we headed up the hill. The where only serving their lunch
menu but it was good. Janet had the baby backed ribs and I had a mahi
mahi sandwich and a "Surfer on Acid" to drink. There were several
people there that had obviously gone through Bertha and there were
having a few to wind down. That was much deserved if I must say.
Day 2 It was beach time! We taxied to Trunk Bay and snorkeled for
couple of hours. There was only one other couple there and no power
but the snack bar and store were open. I saw my first octopus there.
It was small but fun to watch. After looking at the map we decided
the walk to Cinnamon Bay. That was a very bad choice because it was
straight up and down. If you take any of my advice take this one. Use
a taxi to beach hop. They are all regulated and most fares are
between $2.50 and $4.00 a person and go up to a maximum of $12.50 a
person for Leinster Bay, Salt Pond Bay, and the town of Coral Bay. In
fact we found one driver that ran a shuttle from Cruz Bay to Cinnamon
Bay for $3.00 a person.
Cinnamon Bay is the most developed and has a restaurant, campground
and cabins and beach stuff that you can rent. The water is rougher
here because it is more exposed to the wind but strong swimmers can
swim to the leeward side of Cinnamon Cay (island) and there is good
calm snorkeling there. The restaurant and head-quarters had power but
the cabins did not on Wednesday even though they allowed people to
stay there.
Power was slowly restored throughout the island. I think that by
Sunday everywhere on St. John had power. As of Sunday, July 14th,
Maho Bay was still not allowing new resort visitors. It suffered some
damage and was one of the last places to get power although they had
a generator.
We ate at the Lime Inn Wednesday night and had their all you can eat
"peel your own" steamed shrimp for $17.95. They season it with 21
Herb's and spices and we ate 3 plates each. I was a little dehydrated
after a day in the sun so I ordered the iced tea. They bring it in a
liter crafe and it is flavored with spearmint. We, I should say I,
finished that liter and drank half of a second.
Day 3 We kept hearing about another tropical wave moving in so we
decided to rent a car on Thursday instead of Friday. We drove to the
other side of St. John and visited Leinster, and Francis Bays and the
Sugar Cane ruins at Annaberg. Next we drove to the east end and
snorkeled at Round Bay. Vies' Snack shop was closed due to the power
outage so we did not eat there. The lady there was cleaning up and
invited us back on a future trip. (I assume it was Vie)
Next we drove to Salt Pond Bay and snorkeled there. We saw squid
there and ate our sandwiches. When I drove into Don Carlos parking
lot for a beer we noticed that the rental car had a flat and the only
gas station still did not have power and could not fix it. I put the
spare on and we drove all of the way back to Cruz Bay to have the
flat fixed and then back to Maho Bay to swim.
That night we decided to eat at our breakfast place, Joes Dinner.
This is a good inexpensive snack bar right under Cafe Roma. They have
good breakfasts and hamburger, fried chicken, egg rolls, and much
more for lunch and dinner. He has a jerk type sauce that is to "kill
for". I tried, with no luck, to buy some of it.
Day 4 We found our favorite snorkeling spot, Hawksnest Bay. It is the
closest National Park bay to Cruz Bay and seems to be the most
protected. The reefs there start only a few feet from the shore. We
saw a lobster in one of the reefs! There are some covered tables and
rest rooms at Hawksnest but no showers or stores like Trunk and
Cinnamon Bays.
We then taxied to Cinnamon Bay and snorkeled some more and ate lunch.
That day they were filming a commercial there which made for
interesting people watching.
Cafe Roma fed us that night. It seems to be the only air-conditioned
restaurant in Cruz Bay and the pasta is great. The servings were so
large we both took some back to our room.
One of the bars had a live Reggae band that night so we went - turns
out many of the band members were cabbies. They were good and had us
all "Jamin-Mon!"
Day 5 We took a ferry ride over to Tortola in the British Virgin
Islands. The ride was beautiful between St. John and Tortola passing
next to several smaller islands and cays. The ferry landed at the
west end and we took a taxi into Road Town. I finished a roll of film
on the ferry and changed rolls in the cab. After the cab drove off I
reached into my bag to get my camera and it wasn't there. I had left
it on the seat of the taxi. The driver said that he would drive back
by in an hour or so but I decided to wait by the main road while my
wife and a friend shopped. After about ten minutes, a taxi came by
that was the same color as the one that we rode on, so I flagged it
down. It was not the same one but the driver said that there was only
one other van that color that handled the West End and he would check
with the driver if he saw him.
After another 10 or 15 minutes that second driver drove up with my
camera. He said "This is the safest place it the world that you could
do that Mon, the British Virgin Islands" I was so in shocked that I
didn't tip him. Janet ran over and give him one. What a relief!
After shopping we took a third cab to Cane Garden Bay to swim and
snorkel. The snorkeling wasn't that good there but had great
swimming.
That night we ate Joe's BBQ(not same as Joe's Diner) and conch
fritters from the stand across from Freds("Cap's"). Again, we had
left overs.
Day 6 We had such a good experience on Tortola we planned to take the
Virgin Gorda ferry on our last full day but it rained almost all day.
We opt'ed to go back to Hawksnest Bay instead. The water was a bit
churned up but enjoyable.
That night we ate at the Fish Trap. It was good. In fact we never had
a bad meal on this trip and we spent less on food than we thought,
thus allowing the BVI trip. The last day we took the 6:00AM ferry to
Red Hook and made our 8:35 flight with an one and a half hour to
spare.
This short report is intended for anyone traveling to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. We spent 3 weeks in June 96 on the island finding fascinating nature, beautiful beaches but also with a few disturbing occasions dealing with the local people. These experiences were partly annoying, mainly because of very poor and unfriendly service in most restaurants and shops and unmotivated people. On the other hand we heard of people being held up or attacked on remote roads or in certain areas of the island. A man we met and stayed in the same place with for a few days was confronted by three youths armed with a cutlass (the long knife used in the Caribbean). He was thankfully not harmed as a lighthouse employee just came per chance that way and frightened them away. After reporting to the police at least one was arrested the next day, having been recognized by the employee. Once while driving along the coast in a rented jeep a man tried to stop us on the road, jumping out in front of the car. Of course we cannot tell if there was any harm meant since we didn't stop to ask but were later told that it was just as well we reacted that way. It pays to talk to one of the European or American people who have lived there for a while to find out what to avoid. Apart from this warning that also fits to other Caribbean islands, we can very much recommend doing St. Lucia on your own and avoiding prebooking any "all-included" resorts. You should consider getting in to contact with many St. Lucian based Europeans and Americans working for hospitals and small businesses and with St. Lucians who have a sense of culture and hospitality. We traveled just before the rainy season begun and had great weather most of the time, cloudy skies now and than being very welcome to recover from the heat. We would like to recommend three places we stayed at and can assure to be 100 percent safe, interesting, personal and priceworthy. Villa Caribbean Dream. Located in Vieux-Fort where all international flights come, near Hewanorra airport. The villa is in Moule a Chique, a five minute drive from the airport and an ideal place to go to, especially after a long flight. Stay there for a couple of days or as we did for over a week and return there for a few days before you fly off again. It is an ideal spot to start all tours to the rainforests, to relax on a nearby beautiful sandy beach and even to surf. There is a place called "The Reef" (Email to windsurf@candw.1c for details) offering professional equipment for rent, lessons and nice food. Villa Caribbean Dream is run by Alphonse and Brigitte Maronie (a German women who has being living there for 18 years). They have four double rooms sharing two bathrooms all integrated in a big villa on the mountainside overlooking Vieux-Fort and the bay. The room (for two) costs US$55 including a huge breakfast of freshly baked bread, bananas, avocados, melon, eggs, cheese, coffee, mangos and whatever else is in season or you prefer. You will have full use of the house including kitchen, laundry, books, music with the possibility of renting the jeep for tours. It is very personal so expect to meet many people who pop in for a visit. Their phone and fax number is for St. Lucia 758-454-6846. They will pick you up at the airport whenever you arrive. The second place we liked very much was Ballam Bouche Estate - a historical site on the coast where the ruins of a 18th century sugar factory blend in with traditional West Indian bungalows, the estate house, splendid topical gardens and tranquil walkway, bridges and flowerbeds. Breakfast, lunch and dinners are offered on previous reservation but you might also want to cook in one of the kitchens in the bungalows. They are really too pretty to be put into words. The estate house includes double rooms that cost US$50 to US$55, the bungalows cost US$100 to US$120 and 4 can easily find ample room. Call Uta Lawaetz, PO Box 489 Castries, St. Lucia at 758-459-3244 or fax to 758-459-3342 for a nice brochure of the estate. If you want to go north to see Pigeon Point, Castries and the northern part of the island you may want a place that is safe, cozy and not too expensive. A few minutes north of Castries in Rodney Bay where people meet out at the Lime or many of the other bars and restaurants, we stayed at a guesthouse called Villa La Rodney. The owner Harald Geiss has been on the island for years and offers 6 doublerooms for US$60 including breakfast for two. Even though Villa La Rodney is located just around the corner from this lively neighborhood, you will have peace and enjoy the Harald's taste of furniture and decoration. It is definitely a good spot to visit a beautiful beach at the Rex St. Lucian (One of the more expensive places on the island) just across the road or for taking the public bus to Pigeon Point for a days swim. It is also an excellent place to eat out, which can be more than difficult in the south. Harald's phone number is 758-452-8898 or fax 758-452-0919. It is located at Rodney Bay Marina PO Box 1538 St. Lucia. Make sure you call in advance since quality for this price is scarce up north where most tourists go. All three places, as you may have noticed are owned by people who have lived for a long time in St. Lucia and will be able to give a much quicker introduction to local ways and places than you will normally be able to get. They are emotionally attached to the islands culture and will show you into what is behind the walls that the tourist industry has set up to lure big spenders into the country. This has enriched our time in St. Lucia and we hope that sharing this will give other visitors similar experiences.
The island of St. Lucia is deep in the Caribbean, just a few miles north of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Being only 14 degrees north of the equator, it has a tropical climate with lush rain forests surrounding coconut and banana plantations. Considered one of the larger Windward Islands, St. Lucia is 27 miles long and 14 miles wide with mountains plunging to deep valleys, a slumbering volcano, and lovely dark sand beaches. It is best known for having twin volcanic peaks, called the Pitons, which dramatically rise 2400' and 2600' out of blue tropical waters edged with colorful coral reefs. St. Lucia gained independence from Britain in 1979, however the town and regional names reflect its earlier French ownership. While the official language is English, the natives also speak French patois. Most of the population of 80,000 live in Castries, with the rest scattered in small villages throughout the island, linked by either boats or a few narrow roads which twist and turn through the rugged terrain. St. Lucia has two airports - Hewanorra (UVF), a large jet port in the southern tip of the island at Vieux Fort and Vigie (SLU), a small commuter airport at Castries in the northwest. Tourism is somewhat new to the island and has not yet overwhelmed the island motto: "what the Caribbean used to be". Most of the hotels and tourist developments are in the more "modern" north side, whereas only a few such as the former Club Med, Anse Chastanet, and the new Jalousie resort are in the more "old Caribbean" southern section. No matter where visitors stay, day trips can be easily arranged to visit tropical rain forests, nature reserves, mineral baths, the volcano, plantations, and to enjoy many other activities such as sailing and scuba diving. The truly adventurous can even climb the Pitons (not for the out of shape!). While shopping is somewhat limited, St. Lucia specializes in producing sporty Windjammer clothing, unique batik resort wear at Caribelle, and hand-printed fabric products at Bagshaws. Caribelle and Bagshaws are both well worth a visit if for only the picturesque views overlooking Castries and the deep blue sea! We chose to stay at Anse Chastanet Resort because of its remoteness, scenic location near the landmark Pitons, and highly rated scuba diving and snorkeling near the best reefs on the island. This resort, first established in 1968, was sold to the present owner in 1974 who has used his architectural expertise to continuously renovate, enhance, and expand the resort to its present size of 48 rooms. In my estimation, Anse Chastanet has the prime location on the island for fabulous views of the Pitons, ocean, and surrounding area. Overlooking a black sand beach between two ridges, most of the rooms are scattered up a steep hillside. Those wanting to be near the shore at sea level can stay in the deluxe beachside units, with the tennis court nearby. A wide assortment of rooms and rates are available in standard, superior, deluxe, and premium size, but all offer lovely views, privacy, and charming decor. The resort has the reception area, bar, and main restaurant mid-way up the hillside, a convenient location for those staying in the lower beach units or the upper hillside rooms. This four level, open-air architectural wonder perches on a cliff above the beach and has outstanding views overlooking the ocean AND Petit Piton. One hundred winding steps lead down to a large beach filled with tall coconut trees, thatched palm shelters, and a beach bar & restaurant which is open for lunch and afternoon snacks. At the end of the beach near the snorkeling area and boat dock is Scuba St. Lucia, a 5 star PADI facility managed by Michael and Karen Allard, transplanted Californians, with an excellent staff of Canadian, German, and St. Lucian divemasters. Visiting divers can leave their gear in a large locker room located next to the office and dive shop. Three big rinse tanks flank the shop with a shower nearby. Two huge blackboards list the diving activities for the day and following day - divers simply make their choices and sign up. One-tank boat dives are offered at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., with shore dives at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Night dives on the offshore reef are usually twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. A two tank wreck dive is often available on Wednesdays which features a lunch stop at a sea side restaurant. While generally only half of the Anse Chastanet visitors are scuba divers, quite a few of the other half take a resort course (an introduction to diving which can have a novice in shallow water within a few hours.) The staff asks that those planning to take the 5 day open water PADI certification or advanced levels should book in advance of arrival so it can be easily scheduled. Newly arrived certified divers must start with a shore "check out" dive - on the outstanding Anse Chastanet reef - even experienced divers will not be bored! Two flat top boats, each with twin outboard engines, have tank racks in the middle with ample seating on each side. Entry can be made by a giant stride off the stern or a back roll off the high sides. Exits are made via two ladders mounted on each side. Most of the time, only 7 or 8 of us would be diving and had lots of room on the boat. The routine would be to show up 15 minutes before the scheduled dive, don your wetsuit and weight belt, grab your gear, stroll onto the boat, and by the time you had your B.C. and regulator set up, the boat would already be at the reef. Shore dives amounted to taking a few steps to the water, putting on fins, and swimming 100' to the reef under the snorkeling area. While there is usually not much of a current on the boat dives, each is treated as a drift dive. Most of the dive sites are around the base of the two Pitons, only a few minutes away from the resort. These famous twin peaks are a highpoint for many cruise ships and visiting tourists - not only will divers see them on land in great detail, they will be exploring their steep slopes plunging down into the depths - quite a unique experience! Some dive sites have gently sloping reefs or plateaus filled with large boulders. Depending on the number of divers, each dive has one or two divemasters who plan the maximum depth and time, and ask that everyone more or less stay together. Single divers are buddied up with each other or a divemaster. Morning dives are usually at 70' for 35 minutes, whereas afternoon dives are around 50' for 45 minutes. On the 70' dives I noticed that energetic, eager divers would drift to 80' and the more conservative stayed around 60', but this seemed to work fine for all. Photographers always brought up the rear, staying within visual distance of the divemaster. Visibility ranged from 50' to 80' and water temperature was 81 to 84 degrees F. For protection of the reefs, no one was allowed to wear gloves. As mentioned, most dives had some current, mostly negligible, however one very exciting dive moved us along at 3 knots for 30 minutes. Another dive slowly drifted us north for 15 minutes, then the current reversed and we drifted back near our starting point. Each dive offered something exceptionally different. Divers and snorkelers are treated to brilliant coral, sponges, and marine life. We saw gigantic barrel sponges, purple and yellow sponge, finger coral, flower coral, black coral, and huge brain coral up to 10' in diameter. Fish were in abundance including trumpetfish, yellowtails, squirrelfish, gorgeous spotted drums, parrotfish, butterfly fish, large puffers, and flashy damselfish with bright metallic blue spots. Snake eels were everywhere, as were moray eels, sea urchins, and featherduster worms. One afternoon, the clouds darkened the skies enough to bring forth the starfish, crabs, and lobster. A giant foot long sea slug showed up another day. Almost every dive brought massive clouds of small fish which surrounded us and often followed us along the way. Since diving is a relatively new sport in St. Lucia, we saw very little damage to reefs and very friendly fish. One popular dive is Superman's Flight which was featured in the movie Superman IV. Another favorite is Pinnacles which has four seamounts rising from the deep to within a few feet of the surface. Piton Wall at the base of Petit Piton plunges dramatically into the depths. Six great dive sites are located alongside and around the two Pitons and are within a 5 to 15 minute boat ride from the resort. Turtle Reef and Fairyland are located offshore the resort, and Trou Au Diable and Pinnacles are just around the corner. Most of the visiting divers at Anse Chastanet were fairly experienced, many with rescue or divemaster ratings. Newly certified would ride to the reefs with us, but dive with an instructor as a separate group. Everyone was expected to set up and break down their own equipment. The Divemasters were well organized, giving us a full briefing of the dive and what we might see. We dove mostly with St. Lucian divemasters, the kind of people with great personalities and sense of humors that you'd want to bring home and dive with every weekend - Cosmos had an ability to ferret out many sea creatures we might have missed; Ponti sported a flashy German neon lights dive suit and could always catch fish, snake eels, and other critters to show us "up close". Keith, a 7th grade math and science teacher, not only escorted us around the reefs, but gave us a quick history lesson of the island and its people. As you can tell, we loved diving at Scuba St. Lucia. When we weren't under the water, we hung out at the bars, sat on our porch and enjoyed the fabulous views, loafed around the beach, and ate. Most of the wide array of fruit and vegetables served were fresh and locally grown, including the coffee. Breakfast was at the mid-level main restaurant and offered fresh fruit, muffins, freshly baked bread, eggs snatched from the hen only hours before, sausage, bacon, pancakes, French toast, and omelets any way you wanted them. Lunch was served at the beach restaurant and had a three page menu of sandwiches, creole/St. Lucian food, soups, and burgers. Dinner was usually at the main restaurant and offered four course choices of appetizer, soup, entree, and dessert whereupon you needed the hike back up the hill to work off all those calories. Twice a week, a beach buffet is held which offers a bounty full of food. Vegetarians could go wild loading up on the 15 different salads and veggies offered. A fish selection was always available with a choice of meat - chicken, beef, or lamb. Bananas fixed every which way imaginable were always on the menu. We had live entertainment each night, my favorite being the 6 man steel band... like a Caribbean orchestra! I had expected such a remote resort to be on the "rustic" side. Not so. We stayed in one of the new premium rooms which had about 1000 square feet of space. The bedroom held a king bed with a ceiling fan which was flanked by a sitting area opening out to a huge balcony. Doors and windows had wooden louvers with no screen - as in open air... and we had no bugs! Hanging wicker shades with yellow light bulbs ringed the room and balcony. The room included a small refrigerator, coffee and tea set up, blow dryer (220) and converter for electric shavers. Our bathroom had a long double sink and a 12' deep shower with a louvered wall overlooking the Pitons AND a mirror which also caught a view of the Pitons. The designer didn't miss any chance to capture the elegant vistas! The only drawback to this wonderful nest in the sky was the long walk from the beach to GET there. We are on the long side of 40 and certainly not in perfect physical shape. The first day, we took a lot of "rest stops" along the way. The second day our legs whined and moaned, and we had an excuse to stop at the mid-level bar to "refresh" ourselves. On the third day, we didn't have to stop, and by the last day we actually hauled our 60 pounds of scuba gear back up the mountain (forgoing the delivery service available to those not as crazy as we are). Want to get in great shape? Scuba dive and climb the mount twice a day for a week! The longer the walk up the hill means the better the view. We thought it was worth it, but as mentioned, the beach units were quite lovely and only a few steps away from the water. Those who do not scuba dive have many day trip selections easily arranged by Anse Chastanet. Many land and sea tours are available plus excursions to the Grenadines and Martinique. One couple had as much fun day tripping the whole week away as we did scuba diving. We found all age groups visiting the resort from honeymooners to retirees. A few families had children along. The visitors were an interesting mix of Americans, Canadians, British, and Germans - all very compatible from all walks of life. One couple, he a Polish American and she an American, had arranged for their two families to merge on the resort en masse coming from all over the U.S., Poland, and Europe ... all 40 of them! Getting there: pretend you are on a jungle safari, which is half the fun of "getting there". The St. Lucian roads are about one and a half cars wide and full of hairpin turns. Add numerous potholes and in some cases, no road at all because last nights rain washed it out. On the positive side, this makes for a slow trip which gives you plenty of time to see all the sites, the mountains, the valleys, the delightful villages - don't forget, this is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. What I am leading up to is, do yourself a favor and don't rent a car - arrange for a driver or catch a cab which will probably be cheaper in the long run, and you can leave the driving to them; after all, they know all the crooks and crannies, not to mention every pothole. Better yet, take a boat when possible. As an example, it takes over two hours to drive from Anse Chastanet to Castries, but only 30 minutes on the boat. The dive boat makes an 8:30 a.m. run to Castries to take day trippers/shoppers and pick up divers and then returns the divers to Castries at 3:30 p.m. and retrieves day trippers (except on Sundays and Mondays). So, that's your best way to Castries, Vigie commuter airport, and numerous day trips around the north side of the island. The big airport at Ft. Vieux is only an hour drive from Anse Chastanet, a very scenic trip. Please note that the main interior road between the jet port and Castries is a fairly good one, but the road from the jet port to Anse Chastanet via Soufriere and up the west coast is the rough one. The next little problem is that American Airlines schedule to St. Lucia is not so good at this time. The one jet a day arrives at the Hewanorra airport at 2:00 p.m. and leaves at 3:00, which makes one- day connections to and from the mid-west and west almost impossible. The small American Eagle arrives at the Vigie airport in Castries at 11 p.m. and leaves at 7 a.m., meaning two hour night taxi rides. One solution is to fly into Castries late, spend the night there and take the morning or afternoon scuba boat to the resort ... or when leaving, ride the scuba boat to Castries, spend the night and catch the early morning flight out. Castries is well worth at least one nights visit and has many hotels and resorts from which to choose. East coast vacationers shouldn't have a problem catching the jet, and we should all hope that American Airlines eventually notices that they need to create a better schedule! (There is hope, the British Virgins were almost impossible to reach a few years ago and now has many flights each day). CLIMATE: Dry season is the first of December to end of April with cool tropical breezes. Wet season (meaning short tropical showers unless a hurricane blows through) is May to November and it can be hot and humid at times. We found that Anse Chastanet in the southern part seemed to be slightly cooler than Castries in the north. Scuba divers probably won't notice the summer heat since much of their time will be spent under water (plan a lot of afternoon dives!). Water temperature runs from high 70s in the winter to mid 80s in the summer. WHAT TO TAKE: Not much... dress at this resort (and most others) is very casual. You can easily manage with a couple of swimsuits, a few shorts and T-shirts, and a couple of long pants or dresses. PRICES: Food in and around the island is good and economically priced. Locally made resort wear is also reasonable. Most everyone takes credit cards. Taxis in Castries are generally $25 an hour or $12 for a round trip to somewhere in town (negotiate before you get in the car and don't pay until after you are picked back up). A one way trip from Castries to the jet port on the other side of the island is around $50. Daily rates for two people for 1996/97 are listed below and subject to change. EP (European Plan) does not include meals; MAP (Modified American Plan) includes breakfast and dinner. DAILY RATES June 1 - Oct 31 Nov 1 - Dec 19 Dec 20 - Apr 15/1997 FOR TWO EP MAP EP MAP MAP Standard $156 $256 $190 $290 $395 Superior $200 $300 $240 $340 $460 Deluxe $260 $360 $296 $396 $530 Premium $350 $450 $390 $490 $630 All daily rates are subject to a 10% service charge and 8% government tax. ANSE CHASTANET has several 7 Night specials such as Escape Packages which include airport transfers, sightseeing tours of the Volcano, Springs, and Baths, guided tour of a plantation, use of the sunfish sailboats, windsurfers, tennis court, snorkeling equipment, and a resort Scuba Diving Course. A Scuba Diving Package includes airport transfers, six days of diving (two dives a day) with tanks and weights provided, and use of the sailboats, windsurfers, and tennis courts. Honeymooners and Wedding Anniversary special weekly packages are also available. For more information or reservations, contact: Ralph Locke Islands, Inc. P.O.Box 492479, Los Angles, CA 90049-8477 Telephone: (800) 223-1108 or (310) 440-4225 FAX: (310) 440-4220 In the U.K.: 0-800-894057 Olson Travel and Nautical Charters 401 Highway 181, Portland, TX 78374 Telephone: (800) 525-8090 or (512) 643-4555 FAX: (512) 643-6975
We returned after a 11 day stay. I'll begin with the end...Hurricane Bertha. It would have been a non-event except that the mere thought of such a storm brings chills to the locals and sets them back to last Sept. Our resort, Royal Palm, lost power and water for almost 20 hours. It was not very comfortable but we were prepared. There was no problem in Maho. Both the hotel and Royal Islander had all services operating during the storm. The curfew extended throughout the day and was observed to some extent. The streets were sandy and covered with leaves and branches but otherwise passable. A few boats were washed up along the airport road and one poor sailboat was caught under the drawbridge. The stores were open for the most part in our neighborhood. The casino in Maho lost some its new facade as poor Mr. Spadaro looked on in dismay. The beach in front of Royal Islander was completely gone leaving bare rocks up to the airport wall. Just a few hours before the storm we were languishing on a beautiful large beach right there!! When all things are considered, the storm was more of an emotional problem than a physical one. Sure, there was clean-up and other details to deal with but, as we look back, it was a shame that the locals had to be confronted with the enemy so soon after the "big" one last Sept. Restaurants...Mario's remains #1. We had 2 exceptional dinners there, one on the first night of our trip and one 8 days later. The fish preparations were the best of any we tried; this was confirmed by friends who joined us on the second trip there. The prices were very fair, the food was of top quality, and the setting made the evenings most enjoyable We also enjoyed Saratoga as much as ever. Again, we took our friends and introduced them to another top quality restaurant. We tried a few new places. One to suggest, as others here have already done, is Bar De La Mer on the harbor in Marigot. It is a lively outdoor (or inside if you must) cafe, very European in atmosphere. We had grilled shrimp and grilled lobster, both house specialties. The tab was about 75.00 w/tip and a few drinks. If you love to watch people and mingle, this is a fun place. Another must...the best crab cakes outside of St. Michael's Maryland were at Don Carlos. Shennie, the owner, was so happy to see us return (we were there in Dec.) that she made us a super take-out for hurricane dinner a few days after we had dinner there. She is a lovely lady who happens to run an excellent restaurant. We also enjoyed our usual Veal Regine at La Rosa. Knowing we will always get a quality meal there brings us back time and again. Turtle Pier was a good respite. We needed a great 'burger to break up the fancy stuff. It will be a repeat, maybe for their lobster, which looked delicious. We had some other decent meals; I've highlighted the winners. Other than Mario's, we really didn't need advance reservations. I made them anyway, just in case. Some owners we spoke to hope that they can hang in until the "busy" season. Business is real slow....... This is about shopping... As usual I traded in a tennis bracelet at Touch of Gold. Heeru was not on the island while we were there but she left strict instructions for her husband, Deepak, to take good care of us. He did and I came home with what SHOULD be my final tennis bracelet. I also traded another diamond bracelet for a slightly larger, more interestingly designed one in 2-tone gold. "M" got a beautiful watch there also. I also bought designer sun-glasses at Little Europe at a good discount. I checked a couple of stores for the glasses but didn't see them anywhere else. Sun glasses are a big seller and rip-offs abound. I had done some looking here in K. of P. so I already knew how expensive the good ones are. Do be careful if you are in the market for this item. Lots of copies out there! I was aware that most merchants are in their "slow" season and, as a result, they are saving the good stuff for the season which starts in Nov. We were told this at Touch of Gold and will probably see lots of new pieces when we return in Dec. To my extreme disappointment, GUCCI has closed both stores on the island and invite their customers to visit their stores in Antigua, Aruba, etc. This leaves Fendi and MCM. The Desmo store in Marigot was low on stock but still has quality products. Their new merchandise will be in soon. I don't buy perfume or cosmetics on the island so I can't quote prices. I think that if the new tax happens on the Dutch Side, many shoppers will run to Marigot for these items. Generally speaking, business was very slow in Marigot and P'burg. Fewer ships and less affluent tourists? We saw so little traffic on Front St. We actually walked in the street instead of on the sidewalk. Hopefully, this will improve. I'd hate to see any more shops close. The island still has some of the best buys anywhere.
Edie and I are back from trip #9 to our favorite place. This trip was like no other one in many ways such as the bad weather and the hurricane and yet the old and new friends we met on the island, the friendly locals and being in a place like no other made us sad to leave as usual. Here is a sampling of 22 days in paradise: General The first thing you will notice getting off the airplane is GREEN! In five years of visiting the island, I've never seen it as green as it is now. The rain from Hurricane Bertha and the subsequent tropical depression have made the island come alive. That's the good news. You will also notice a distinct nervousness about any approaching tropical storm or hurricane. Hurricane Luis left more than physical damage to the brave people of St. Martin that will linger for years to come. There is also an undercurrent of nervousness about the coming high season. Many folks and businesses are just hanging on but desperately need a "normal" fall and winter tourist season to survive. Rebuilding continues all over the island and fortunately Bertha was a minor "bump" along the way. Hotel Mount Vernon is nearing being ready to reopen, Club Orient seems to be making good progress and still anticipates reopening in November. Caravanserai has submitted reconstruction plans for 100 rooms and Mullet Beach has begun cleaning up and reportedly will soon submit plans for rebuilding. The food center near Philipsburg is also well under way rebuilding. No word on Dawn Beach, LaBelle Creole, and Port de Plaisance, sorry to say. Big News - There are many new worthy items some big, some small that I submit for your reading enjoyment. The big (current) controversy is the 6% consumption tax anticipated going in effect on 1/1/97. The owner of Maho and Great Bay threatened to close his 2 Hotels because of it and apparently got some sort of tax holiday rather than eliminating several thousand jobs on the island. Speed 2 (the sequel to Speed) is being filmed on location in SXM between now and Dec. 1st near the Market place in Marigot harbor. 32 houses complete with palm trees are being built and many of the footage I'm told will be boat scenes. Stay tuned...In a totally unrelated story, two people were injured in a car collision in Philipsburg. Seems as though one of the vehicle's head lights did not work (for several months) and the driver was driving backwards using his tail lights for lighting his way. And people say the locals drive like crazy people! By the way, the same issue of The Chronicle also reported the story of the English woman who divorced her husband of 12 years after discovering he wasn't a man! God, I miss reading that paper when I'm not down on the island. All the major stories we miss up here in the states. Hurricane Bertha - Edie and I went down to SXM really not expecting to take a direct hit from a hurricane. That does not mean we weren't prepared, however. We've always agreed on two simple rules should a hurricane come along: 1. Weather it in a proven safe structure 2. Be prepared! Since we were staying at Jeff's Condo which took no damage from hurricane Luis, we felt the first rule was satisfied. We had brought 2 flashlights (and extra batteries), our walkman (and extra batteries) and had our cellular phone also with us. Prior to the storm hitting, Warren had boarded up all the windows and had also filled our kerosene light. Knowing they would turn off the water and electricity, we filled up a number of containers of water for later. Don't forget to fill the bathtub also! We also found that 101.1 on the FM dial seem to be the best station to listen to for frequent weather updates. Having made all preparations that we could thing of we prepared to "hunker down" and await Bertha. I will now switch to my diary notes to give you a sense of what it was like: 7/7 2 PM - The radio just announced electricity and water will be cut when the winds get strong. Edie is on the balcony sunning herself, determined not to lose any sun time. I've been plotting Bertha's course on my hurricane plotting chart (was taken from the Chronicle). Warren is outside still thinking it will miss us. I show him the plot and convince him otherwise. He starts to put patio furniture in the pool. Windows boarded up. 4 PM - Teri and Lee fly back from Saba and we talk them into staying with us instead of going to L'Hoste. L'Hoste does take some roof damage, so this probably was a good idea. Anyway now I have an audience for my dumb hurricane jokes <g>. 5 PM - Nasty storm with high winds and rain hits. Just a preview of what is to come. 7 PM - Quick meal at Cheri's. Everything else is closed down. We get a few last groceries just in case. 9 PM - Bertha has been just upgraded to a category 1 hurricane as it approaches. Is God trying to tell me something here, hmmmmmm... x11 PM - 90% strike possibility for SXM. Winds getting really strong and howling. 1 AM - Winds constantly howling and the walls are shaking. Expecting a direct hit around 6 AM. 2 AM - Bertha's winds are recorded at over 80 MPH now. The house is vibrating constantly. The winds are unbelievable and its really raining hard. 5 AM - Darn! I fell asleep for 3 hours. Old habits from my army days still in effect. Bertha is 25 miles east of here and it appears the storm has my name on it <g>. Sustained winds of 85 MPH with gusts of 95 MPH. The eye is expected to go overhead in an hour. 6 AM - Will someone flag down the freight train outside! Our ears are popping from the air pressure differential. 7 AM - Hey, who stopped the train? The eye is overhead. Seems so quiet after the last few hours. The radio asked for anyone with a working phone to call in and report damages. A guy calls in and asks for them to play "Marcarena" for his party, instead. Ya gotta love these people! The DJ plays "Marcarena" dedicating it to our lovely Bertha visitor. 8 AM - Oh, OH...Bertha Part Deux is now upon us and she's having a bad hair day <g>. The winds are even stronger than before. Despite having plywood over the locked sliding glass doors and being 60 feet above the water on a cliff, water begins to come in around the sliding glass doors. We begin moving furniture to higher ground and mopping. Idly wonder if Jeff would give us a partial refund if we drown <g>. 11:30 - We learn to flush toilets, Caribbean style. Water in bowl not the tank. Winds still very strong. Lee risks life and limb and dismembership to get additional flushing water from the pool. Flushed with victory (sorry I couldn't resist that!) he solves the water problem. What a guy. I enjoyed watching him from the balcony. My mama didn't raise no fools <g>. 4 PM The winds have calmed down quite a bit. Warren always the Antiguan gentleman, cooks sausage with French rolls and asks us to join him. Not wishing to offend him (yeah right like I often turn down free food!) we enjoy a great meal. 7 PM - Cellular phone system is working again. We call the kids. 10 PM - Teri and Lee have left to go back to L'Hoste. Water and electricity restored. Yeah! Well that was about it. The island took minimal damage. 2 dozen yachts beached around Simpson. One sunk in Marigot harbor. A few trees down along with electricity and telephone lines. I must say that I was impressed that SXM was pretty much all cleaned up in just a few days. I saw Kontiki (on Orient Beach) go from heavily damaged to fixed and serving customers in 3 days. A few sad notes: A man working for the electrical company in SXM was accidentally electrocuted. A French woman was swept overboard and lost because their yacht didn't get into Simpson bay on time. Also a schooner with 4 adults and 3 children in transit from Dominica to SXM was lost when they apparently sailed into the path of the hurricane and never knew it was coming. Hard to believe. The weather remained cloudy and windy for a couple of more days and then a tropical depression went through and it rained and was cloudy for 4 days after that. Bastille day was completely washed out. I have never seen such a long stretch of consistently bad weather on SXM. The dark cloud following me around seemed to find its way to SXM <g>. Restaurants - Edie and I seemed to favor the frugal (i.e. cheap) approach to eating out this trip. We tried a number of new (for us) restaurants and visited quite a few of our old favorites. here is a record of our gastronomical journey into the wonderful world of excessive calories: Cheri's - Discovered they have great chicken salads for those few meals when I tried to be good. AS always, a great place to people watch. I saw a Japanese man wearing the same outlandish outfit as mine. Although neither one of us spoke the other's language, we embraced as though we were old friends, We are all brothers united by a common bond: bad taste in clothes. Paanggrahann - We had a fruit plate (good) and a meat lasagna (excellent) for dinner for $26 in this 1905 guesthouse on Front Street in Philipsburg. The view of the ocean, overlooking the pretty gardens, along with the old fashioned, quaint atmosphere of the guesthouse plus outstanding service made us add this restaurant to our "favorites" list. Tutta Pasta - We went to Tutta Pasta to celebrate Warren's (the owner) birthday. I have read some less than great reviews lately but our experience again was good Italian pasta dishes at reasonable prices in a very relaxing, cordial atmosphere. Felix Restaurant - Probably one of the better American type breakfasts on the island. Edie enjoyed it but as for me, "give me croissants or give me death"! Le Croissanterie - Don't get me started. Pure and simple, I had the best chocolate croissant of my life here on this trip. We both also had a Quiche Lorraine here for lunch one day which was also very good. Edie got me all excited on the car drive when she said "I feel like a quiche" into my bad ear. Turned the car around and was heading back to the condo at breakneck speed when she corrected me. Darn! Yvettes - Still the best authentic ST. Martin cuisine on the island. Chicken, ribs, chops combo, snapper, johhny cakes and peas and rice for $25. You can't beat the prices. She had to rebuild her house/restaurant after Luis and am sorry to say, the pretty murals covering the wall are now gone. Laguna - Hard to believe this was our first time at this restaurant. We met Jeff and Sue Kozek for chicken parmisan and lasagna for $50. Great food and outstanding service.Paradise Cafe - Met Hettie and Michael here and we had 2 salads and French onion soup. The food was fine but despite the place being dead, the service was also. Always nice to meet the folks we correspond with though. Had a nice visit with Jeff and Sue but unfortunately never got to play Sue in tennis. Boathouse - Edie and I shared French onion soup, chicken Caesar salad and chicken terrace for $35. I always find the Boathouse to be a "safe" choice. Very good food and reasonably priced. Love to watch the storms come over the mountains into Simpson Bay. Seems to happen everytime we go there. Ren and Stimpy's - Love this place! Slow service yes, but well worth the wait. The snapper was excellent once I had Aidee (owner) remove the head which was staring at me. She introduced me to Mango Coladas a few trip ago and she has not lost the touch! She gave us and Lee and Teri both 1996 SXM calendars and asked us to tell our friends to please visit the friendly island. We ran into Frank and Nina eating here which is a very good testimonial in itself. Chesterfield's - Another first time restaurant located in Bobby's Marina. Same owners as the Boathouse and very equivalent. Chicken Teriyaki, chicken with pepper sauce and a bottle of w +++++++++++ good for $40. We dined with a fellow teacher of Edie's and her husband. Earlier in the year, we had planned to share this evening with another co-teacher and her husband also but she died of cancer, 2 weeks before the trip. The last thing she asked Edie was to have a drink in her memory. We sadly paid our last respects to her. Definitely put our recent house fire into perspective. Cloud Room - Dinner here consisted of goulash and wierner schneitzer for $45. Good food and talk about a room with a view. Make sure Peter is cooking. Kontiki - Edie and I split a fruit plate for $14. Super meal! No way, one person could finish it. Tropicana - Another first time for us. Located in the Marigot Marina, they offer a 3 course fixed price meal for $25. I had red snapper in the cream sauce and Edie went with the snapper/salmon combination. Both were very good. We dined with Tim and Norrie and I attempted to drink Tim under the table with Diet Cokes. The contest degraded into the inevitable trips to the rest rooms, however. Le Bar de la Mer - Another new place facing the market area in Marigot. We had a very forgettable 8 oz cheeseburger and snapper filet and the worse service of the trip. Rocket & Roll Cafe - A relatively new place in Grand Case that has that Hard Rock Cafe atmosphere. We met Tim and Norrie here and sat in the back seat of a purple Cadillac convertible (in the front of the place!) sipping our drinks. Definitely a good place to bring teens. I noticed many families here. Surf Club South - If you miss American food, culture and music, this is the place for you. Currently only open on the weekends for low season. The onion rings were particularly good, I thought. Le St. Germain - Edie and I had good crepes and the best French toast I've ever had here AND (drum roll....) its right next to the Croissanterie so I just had to stop afterwards for one croissant. Oops, honey the nice French man thought I meant 4 croissants. Oh well, we're eat them eventually (as if), Selective hearing was rampant on this trip, it seems. Konga Cafe - A very pleasant find. Located in the Cul De Sac area near the former "Mark's Place", we just had to try this restaurant after a number of folks mentioned it on the beach. It literally has 6 tables in a person's living room and porch. It also has great food at great prices! We had a New York Strip steak, fried bananas (God they were good!), veggie pie and a Hawaiian sandwich for $20. The food was so good and the prices were so low, I was embarrassed. For those of you who know how cheap I am, that is no mean trick. Highway Grocery - I would be remiss if I didn't put in a plug for this small grocery next to Lynettes near the airport. This place sells the best Johnny Cakes (baked not deep fried) on the island. Plain or cheese filled. Baked daily by Claire, one of the sweetest, friendliest locals on the island. Tell her what you want and when and she'll have them ready for you hot out of the oven. She'll throw in her life story for no extra charge and perhaps even throw in a complimentary warm baked loaf of bread while she tells you about St. Martin and its people. If SXM is more than just a place where you vacation, stop in and say "Hi" to Claire. It is time well spent. Music - For those of you interested in what's popular on the music scene in SXM, here goes: Local music seemed to favor a little soca song entitled "Put your bom bom in, put your bom bom out". Fairly typical jump-up music you could get pregnant just listening to. On a more global scale, Celine Dion's "The French Album" seems extremely popular especially on the French side. Since Celine looks like Edie (well maybe Celine is not as cute!) and I love her voice, I bought this CD. Great music that you do not need to be fluent in French to appreciate. Funny Money - Please be aware that counterfeit American currency is still a problem in SXM. One night at the casino, I didn't pay attention to change I was getting back and as a result, I now am the proud owner of a $10 bill with George Washington's picture on it! Since I took the casinos to the tune of $1300 (using my patented match play coupon routine), I can't complain. Tennis - I didn't play as much tennis on this trip as I had hoped but did have fun playing with Lee and Teri. I would like to say publicly that from my position on the court it sure looked like Lee hit Teri "accidentally" with his racquet. I also had a number of very close sets with Kevin Decie and lost my first set ever on SXM. I should mention that Kevin was twenty-something and 5 inches taller. Actually, I was lucky to win many of them thinking back. Ahhh to be young again. Thanks for the memories SXM is more than just a place where I vacation but rather evokes a very strong emotional response within me. After the vacation is over, the memories keep me going until the next trip. To all the old friends we met there on this trip, I'd like to say a heartfelt "Thanks" for sharing your vacation and making it special for Edie and I. For all the new friends we made this trip (5 new names and addresses exchanged!) I'd say "How the heck can I afford the extra Christmas cards" <g>! Seriously though, friends make these trips so very special. So what did I take away from this trip? Well, first of all, about 9 pounds that will take me 6 weeks of dieting and exercising to get rid of! The one memory that I will share with you is the night I fell asleep on the balcony at Jeff's condo in one of his padded lounge chairs, lulled asleep by the cool tropical winds and the waves slapping at the cliff below. Slept like a baby all night and woke the next morning as the sun rose over the mountains looking down at Simpson Bay. A pelican flew 20 feet overhead as if to greet me to just another day in paradise. That's the way I'd like to start every new day. In the words of Jimmy Buffet "I am umbilically connected to the temperate zone".
Janet and I returned last night after visiting paradise for a week. Unlike our prior 12 or 13 trips, this one was less than perfect. The trip started with a 3 hour wait in Miami as the pilot determined whether the reports from the previous flight regarding engine irregularities were indeed worth some concern. Eventually, we got off and finally arrived in SXM late the afternoon. Things went well for the first few days of our visit. We enjoyed LaRosa, Poisson D'Or, Mini Club, and Cheries for dinners. We also enjoyed Zee Best croissants and Touch of Gold, Act III, Atta Me, Histoire Hommes, etc. My banker and his girlfriend arrived on Monday of this week to join us. He is also buying at least one of the villas being built at the Orient Beach area. The real fun (vbg) began Tuesday night when Janet and I traveled to Le Santal separately from our friends. We arrived in different cars at the same time, and left both cars running. Apparently, while the Santal valet was moving our friends' car, an unknown fellow decided to take ours. That's right, our car was stolen from the valet area in front of the most expensive restaurant on the island. It was not recovered before we left. As a stupid cheapstake, I did not buy the insurance from the rental agency and spent a lot of time over the next three days screwing around with the problem. I will buy insurance everytime I rent outside the US again. The savings aren't worth the hassle. The evening wound up fun, though, when my buddy proposed to his girlfriend over wine and lobster soup. He'd bought the diamond on the sly from Heeru at Touch of Gold. We looked over the villa's, plans for future development and enjoyed shopping for the remainder of the trip between trips to the police station, and the rental agency. Somewhere out there is a Toyota Corolla with a slight ding over the front right fender which once had a license plate number of 3459. To top off the trip, our flight home also ran 3 hours late,and we arrived one bag short. It held several of Janet's brand new Versace and Moshimo (sp?) outfits and a dozen fall shirts that had yet to be worn by me. We still are waiting on that missing bag. A few things did go very well during our trip. The lobster buffet at the Mini Club was a great surprise, the marriage proposal was a neat addition, and the villa appears to be going well. We think they will be completed within six weeks. We didn't lose any love for our island. We simply made a few stupid decisions, and suffered poor service from American Airlines.
We're back; it was great. Thought I'd get down a few important things before I forgot. The Pelican is a nicely appointed place with many pools and lit tennis courts; unfortunately it is run down. Many appliances were broken and management, while friendly did nothing to help. There were also many in house arguments between management and staff that were embarrassing at the least and hard to ignore. The major problem was the sudden and frequent lack of running water. The Pelican is a good location. I only hope the owners will read this and pursue the issue. A good rental car can be delivered to your resort for $30/day or $125/wk. The best beach in terms of a variety of things to do and see was Orient. Grand Case is best viewed from one of the restaurants; I saw only locals in the water. Maho on the Dutch side was the most interesting. You could watch waves, people or the planes fly right over your head. Also in the Maho Reef area is good hassle free shopping and dining (Cheri's is a must for dancing and light meals or drinks). There are lots of shops with different and interesting articles and really pleasant low key sales help. Philipsburg is like a giant flea market. You can't walk two feet without being accosted by someone hawking time share presentations or other discounts. Parking is difficult; it's crowded. I don't even want to imagine what it is like when a cruise ship comes in. In the stores with bargains, people push and crowd. The best stores can't beat NY prices, but there is no tax. Really very pleasant shopping on the side streets of Marigot and the Marigot flea market. There were great bargains on French clothing, and even the American shops like Tommy Hilfiger had discounts that were impressive. It is such a pretty site, and it was easy to park. Restaurants abound, but always call ahead because some of the restaurants, especially in the Mullet Bay area, no longer exist. The bouillabaisse at The Fishpot in Grand Case was a generous and delicious, if expensive. The nighttime roads from Grand Case to Simpson Bay are hilly, curvy and unlit. We found several good restaurants on the Dutch side: Lynett's where on Tues. and Fri. you can see King Beau, Turtle Pier for Caribbean food, and WONDERFUL Le Perroquet on Airport Road facing Simpson Lagoon. The French chef explained his special orders and brought samples to our table. He assured us he could prepare anything we desired even if it were not on the menu as long as we had the time. We had complimentary champagne when we told him it was our anniversary. We had Greek salad, alligator in white sauce, stuffed veal in wine sauce (hubby had the snapper), white wine with dinner and very good coffee afterwards. The portions were too large to have room for dessert. The waiter, a friendly young man from St. Lucia, was attentive but didn't hover. The check was $95 with the service charge. We left an additional tip because it was all so good, the ambiance was wonderful. Afterwards right down the road there was great dancing, fun and reasonable drinks at the NEWS. They stay open forever. The music is continuous and varied. I learned to dance Le Zook from an energetic, slightly tipsy man who kept forgetting he had to speak slooowly in French. It was "Le bombe." Finally, watersports are everywhere. The catamaran trip from the Pelican to Anguilla was pleasant. The snorkeling at Sandy Reef was great. In fact snorkeling is good in many places, just ask. Best of all, it is a VERY friendly island. Everyone has a smile for you. We'll be back. PS. Be sure to listen to Dick Miller's show. Everyone does.
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