I've only been back in the states one day and I already miss SXM! Time to start planning our next visit, but here's the third and final segment of my trip report from earlier this month ...
Day Six -- Lower Princess Quarter Area & Parrotville. Having been pet bird owners for over 16 years we had to see and support Parrotville. We arrived about 9:30 a.m. and they weren't quite open yet, but we were inside by 10 a.m. and met a very nice man named George who runs the place. Because we know so much about parrots, conures, etc. he took an immediate liking to us! His efforts to keep this place going strong are simply remarkable. Before the hurricane hit he evacuated all 175 birds from this wire mesh facility and took them into his private residence to safety! We had two birds at one time, and that was a challenge to keep clean! I just shook my head as he told me his story.
They game us each cups filled with bird seed so we knew we were in for an interesting morning. At one time I had five (5) sun conures on me ... three eating from the bowl and two others on my shoulders. If the ill-fated Butterfly Farm was one of the most quiet and serene places on the island to visit, then Parrotville is noisy with birds everywhere but just as charming (just watch when walking under some of the above rafters!). George asked me as many questions as I asked him, and later that morning invited us into his own little St. Maarten museum which is in a connecting building. This one room mini-museum was filled with pictures and artifacts of St. Maarten dating back over 100 years and it was interesting to hear him describe the items he has in his collection. Overall, the $10 you spend here for admission is a value and it leaves you with a good feeling because you are supporting a local business man. We finally left shortly before noon as a a bus of pre-school children arrived so that was probably a good move!
Later in the day we visited the Paradise Lookout (Hope Hill?) to see what had become of that. It was quite deserted, but the views from here are remarkable and you can see St. Barth's off in the distance. It's worth a stop and a great place to take some photos.
Day Seven -- Back to Orient Beach. A second day on Orient Beach was the plan, and I've always learned that finishing a St. Martin vacation with a visit to Orient on your last day sends you back to the states on a high note! Well, at least it does me. My wife wanted to visit Kontiki, and what a nice job they are doing here. The facilities are quite attractive and the layout is excellent. This is a great location to consider if you want to split time between the primary beach an the clothing optional beach. Drinks were a bit higher here than on Bikini, but not that much. Like Bikini Beach the staff here was quite impressive, helpful and very attentive. To us, the extra measures they are taking are far superior to what we experienced in the past on Orient Beach. They are consistently coming around to see if you need anything, and their efforts are much appreciated.
After a few hours on Kontiki, we went over to the clothing optional side to spend the middle portion of our day. My wife was equally sad seeing the damage to Club Orient and Papagayo. But, we then visited Perch Lite and what a great move this was! Kudos to Cedrick and his staff for running this place and having a place to grab a bite or a drink. If you don't want to order inside a lovely young waitress comes around to take your order, and we both got the Cheeseburger platter. I was expecting a typical burger, but when it came it was huge and we both cut ours in half. And, it had great taste. The only strange thing is that we could not find any salt for the french fries, but who needs additional salt anyway? It was so awesome to sit here and eat and watch the people enjoy themselves in various states of dress. I would say about half of us were nude, and the other half put their suits back on or were clothed. It was a nice 'clothing optional' mix! Everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves and this was very refreshing to see. I'm not saying don't eat at the other beach bars and restaurants (please do so), but if you get a chance come over and have a bite at Perch Lite to help support the efforts they are making to preserve this wonderful clothing optional area. Club Orient will only come back if people keep supporting places like Perch Lite and spending time on the nude beach.
Later we walked the beach and once again I was pleased to see the various groups of individuals who had gathered here. One group must have had at least 12 to 15 people standing around and chatting about old times, and that was great to see. We ran into a nice man from Toronto that I had met here earlier in the week, and another guy from Texas who was also great to chat with. I realize that it can be difficult for some folks to reach out and talk to others when you don't have any clothes on, but let me assure you that if you try this on this portion of Orient Beach you will encounter the nicest, friendliest people around who have nothing to hide just like you. I highly recommend giving this a shot.
We wrapped up or day back at Kontiki and the place was still going strong at 4:00. Not sure if it was my imagination but the people on Orient Beach (both above and below 'the rocks') all seemed like they were staying longer and stretching out their day to take full advantage of their visit. I will also say that the number of roaming beach vendors has increased a bit, but a polite 'no thank you' is all you need to provide if you are not interested in any of their products or services.
Overall, two full day visits to Orient Beach were just what we needed. We observed no incidents whatsoever with people snapping unwanted photos or gawkers bothering nude sunbathers. I still maintain that this is still overblown and not worth worrying about. The only sad part of the day is when you have to leave and go back to the hotel!
Back in Philipsburg that evening we had dinner and dessert at The Greenhouse and this time it was very, very good. Sometimes this place can be 'hit or miss', but this time we scored it A-plus and finished off our evening with one of heir awesome hot fudge sundaes! After all, I did walk the beach all day long!
The next day it was time for our return flights back to the states, and I must say that even though the airport is an adventure we had no issues to speak of. And, Atlanta's Hatfield-Jackson airport did a great job with customs & immigration, and re-checking our bags for our connecting flight. I do recommend using this airport for future SXM trips.
SUMMARY
What a tremendous vacation! How can anyone not have a fantastic time here? All I can say is that if you're 'on the fence' about coming later this spring or summer just stop and makes the plans today. 'Just Go.' And, if you want to wait for the fall season that's fine, too. SXM is back and as good as ever. The beaches are awesome, the dining remains top shelf, and the spirit of the people here is something to behold. During our seven day stay my wife and I met and chatted with countless local residents, but we also met and talked with people from all over the world. We met people from Ontario, Quebec, Texas, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, etc. and from countries such as the Netherlands (obviously), Belgium, England, Ireland, Russia, and so on. We've travelled extensively in the past, and if you are reading the posts on this forum for the first time let me assure you that there truly is no place quite like St. Maarten. Just Go!
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