TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin TRIP REPORT Christmas/New Years

TRIP REPORT 12/21/14 – 1/3/15 Christmas/New Years

Hi everyone. We just enjoyed another fabulous 2-week vacation in our favorite 2nd home. We have been going to St. Maarten since 1984, with our first stay at Mullet Bay. How the island has changed since then!! The weather was the best we have seen in MANY years, with only a few sprinkles one day. Below I will summarize our trip by categories.

FLIGHTS
American Airlines direct flight from JFK, New York. Smooth flight going down. Coming back on Saturday, there were numerous delays, supposedly caused by bad weather in the Northeast US, as well as the flight being overbooked. We actually volunteered to be bumped at $1,000 per ticket, but at the last minute, 2 passengers who had already checked their luggage didn’t show up at the gate. So the airline removed their bags from the plane and told us to board—SO CLOSE!!

ROYAL ISLANDER LA PLAGE / MAHO area
The resort was beautiful and well-maintained as always, During the first week, our beach was very wide like last year with about 3 rows of chairs and umbrellas (for the prior 10 years or so we’ve had almost no beach), We actually sat on the beach almost every day the first week, instead of by the pool. And the ocean was calm enough every day to swim or go on a raft. I was even able to snorkel a couple of days just off the rocks by the Sonesta Ocean Point Hotel. I was starting to think we’d never see those days again! The beginning of the second week the seas got rough and eliminated the beach. The waves actually came over the pink fence a couple of days. But by the end of the second week the beach was back, and all was normal.

Internet access was a bit better than last year. It worked pretty consistently in our room, and quite often by the pool and even on the beach. But I think that still depends on your location within the resort, as other friends were still having issues getting online. They are still charging $50 per week or $60 per month to use their wireless network.

I did not make it into the gym this year (I walked and worked out outdoors), but we still have access to the gym on the 3rd floor of the Sonesta Maho Hotel. However, in speaking to other guests who did use the gym, it sounded like it’s basically the same old tired equipment. I thought with the refurbishment of the Maho Hotel (Sonesta Ocean Point), they would have put some money into the gym. The tennis courts were also full of cracks and holes, etc. I don’t understand how they can market Ocean Point as such an upscale hotel with such dilapidated amenities

Many stores in the Maho area are out of business with just shutters down in place. For years, it seemed that the stores in front of La Terrasse couldn’t make it, but now it is happening up the main street too. It is very sad, as the Maho area used to be such a hopping and busy part of the island. Perhaps the rents are just too high?

Overall, we love our little home away from home, and wouldn’t dream of staying anywhere other than the Royal Islander La Plage. The landscaping is breathtaking, and there are always workers raking, cleaning, pruning, and generally maintaining the property. The location can’t be beat, with the Casino Royale across the street, and many GREAT restaurants, bars, and clubs within walking distance.


RESTAURANTS and BARS
We mostly have breakfast and lunch in our room, but look forward to our dinners out. Here is a recap of all of the restaurants and bars we visited:

St. Maarten Yacht Club -- had lunch here the first day after leaving the airport; had an excellent salad with delicious seasoned grilled chicken

La Belle Epoque (Marigot Marina Port La Royale)– my favorite escargot on the island, and great pizza; excellent food and service overall

Mark’s Place (Cul De Sac) – Great all you can eat ribs for about $20.00; friends say the mussels are the best they’ve ever had as well (I haven’t tried them yet)

Pizza Pasta (Maho) – Great pizza, pasta bolognese, and veal parm as always; very tiny restaurant, so need a reservation

Talk of the Town (Grand Case)--stopped here for good ribs on way home from Orient Beach

Bajatsu (Maho) – steak here is very good, but we also love the escargot, plantains, and sweet potato fries

Bamboo (Maho) – EXCELLENT food and ambience; Technically a “Japanese” Restaurant, but we don’t really eat Sushi and we love it here; the menu changed a bit since last year; We shared a lot of different appetizers/small plates, like coconut shrimp, dumplings, duck lettuce wraps, etc, and one was better than the next; appetizers come out fast, and then there is generally a long wait for the main course; therefore, if you eat all small plates/appetizers as we did, your entire dining experience will be much quicker

Le Croissanterie (Marigot) – went for breakfast three times; excellent crepes and the freshest croissants I’ve ever had; friendly efficient service; great location right on the Port La Royale Marina

Mario's (Sandy Ground)-- always consistently great food; allow time to eat here as it is a true dining experience (sit 10 minutes before they bring you a menu, etc.); best duck on the bone on the island in my opinion, and excellent escargot; pricey because not 1 $ to 1 Euro

Taloula Mango’s (Phillipsburg on the boardwalk) – lunch on the beach; had pizza, which was very good, but ribs here are great as well; if you sit on the beach chairs in front of the restaurant, your “beach boy” will bring you a menu and deliver your food; NOTE: this is also called The Blue Bitch Bar; there is good wireless internet service there if you sit in the restaurant or on their decks

Friar’s Beach Café (Friars Bay) –nice restaurant, with good food and a comfortable atmosphere right on the beach; if you eat there, the umbrellas and chairs are less expensive

Spiga (Grand Case) – delicious traditional Italian food (owner’s father used to own Da Livio in Phillipsburg); Food was great as always (loved the crab cakes), but pasta portions seemed much smaller this year; 1$ = 1 Euro here

Fig (Cupecoy) -- First time here, though I believe it opened last December-- a great new find for us; I am not a big fan of sauces or food that is too gourmet—I like plain grilled food. This restaurant was right up my alley. All food comes out grilled and seasoned – fish, steaks, chicken, etc., and they give you 5 or 6 different sauces on the side for dipping. I ordered the shrimp skewer, and it came with two skewers, rice, and a salad—a nice sized portion; will definitely go back; Malcolm, who used to work the front desk at the Royal Islander, is now a waiter there (very good service)

Cugini (Simpson Bay)– This restaurant opened less than 2 months ago in Simpson Bay. It was formerly located in Marigot on the Port La Royale Marina next to the store, Desmo, upstairs; We never went when it was in Marigot, but would definitely go back here; Great Italian food, with excellent fast service; We had a pizza as an appetizer, which is one of the best I’ve had on the island; Funky décor with all different styles of tables and chairs; there was a piano player/singer the night we were there (Friday), which was a nice added touch

Le Moulin Foo (Maho)-- one of the best meals of the trip; fantastic French food, attentive service, and a lovely atmosphere. I would recommend eating indoors, unless you go on a Tuesday when Cheres is closed. The restaurant overlooks Cheris, so even though their veranda looks lovely during the day, if you sit out there at night, you will be subject to listening to the tacky music at Cheri’s; wonderful experience here overall—we enjoyed the escargot and the onion soup

Carousel (Simpson Bay) –this is an actual carousel ride which was built over the water on Simpson Bay. In the front is another round building which sells many flavors of gelato—you can taste all you like; there is also a small store that sells carousel themed items; great gelato ice cream—try the homemade ice cream sandwiches

Red Piano (Simpson Bay) -- Went twice to see Ronny Santana’s band, Church on Monday—they play there every Monday night—good crowd both nights we were there; be aware that this bar, though hopping and fun, is very smoky, and the band is very loud

Buccaneer Beach Bar (Simpson Bay) – went twice for the best hamburger on the island in my opinion, Fast, friendly service; went on a Saturday night when Ronny Santana was playing guitar

La Bamba (Simpson Bay)– first time here, never even knew it was here, set back off main road on Kim Sha Beach; had been looking for live music and was recommended here on Traveltalk to go there on a Sunday night. Category 5 band was a fun classic rock dance band, but musically, not in Ronny Santana’s league, in our opinion. The bar was very crowded, with a lot of 20-somethings dancing to the classic rock music. Is that the normal clientele of this bar, or was that just from a party bus or similar that had dropped them off? Either way, a fun night of beer and music, and nice to discover a new bar with live music

Sunset Bar and Grill (Maho) –Good food, and a fun atmosphere watching the planes; go after 3:30 when the cruise ship crowd has departed



BEACHES
Orient Beach – Bikini Beach –was a windy day, but we still enjoyed; red seaweed was quite prevalent though—we were able to walk down the beach, but had to circumvent the seaweed

Great Bay Beach (Phillipsburg)-- Those who want to shop, shop, and the rest of us hang out on beach chairs in front of Taloula Mangos. We order lunch and beers from there and spend a very relaxing day on the beach. Beware of the dropoff when walking into the water here.

Friar’s Bay -- Beautiful cove w/ calm water; no problem parking; great lunch at the Friar’s Beach Café; snorkeled near rocks on right side of cove—water was cloudy with no fish this year (seas were rough past few days) –much better snorkeling here last year

Mullet Bay – Spent a great day here our first week – snorkeled near the rocks on the left (saw some large pretty fish); ate good ribs at Rosie’s Shack; water was calm and clear

Maho Beach – this is our home beach; widest beach we have had in front of our resort in a long time, but was gone the beginning of our second week; sea not as rough as it usually is here during both of our weeks; was able to swim or take out raft every day; the entire Maho Beach was very crowded, particularly down by Sunset Bar, due to cruise ship excursions



NEW YEARS EVE
Dinner at Pizza Pasta in Maho with group of 12; then watched fireworks from neighbors’ penthouse balcony at the Royal Islander (as we do every year)—nice display!


MISC. OBSERVATIONS
Mosquitos were not a factor at all—actually less around than usual, probably from extra spraying
Maho area is not as vibrant as in the past, with many empty stores
Simpson Bay was hopping every night – more restaurants every year
New bridge continues to be a blessing (about 10 mins from Maho to Marigot – used to take 30 mins)
Marigot Marina Port La Royale is depressing at night, with half empty restaurants; a security guard actually walked us to our car after dinner
Chris Rock was on island (friend saw him in Maho grocery store)—we saw him a few years ago as well in the airport
Ocean by Maho Beach was particularly salty this year-- actually stung our eyes -- anyone know why???


Overall, we had another fantastic trip. The beauty of a timeshare is that you are hanging with the same people that week year after year. It’s like a camp reunion every year. People at home say to us, “you like going to the same place every year?” We wouldn’t dream of spending Christmas and New Years anywhere else! So many wonderful friends that we look forward to seeing each year. That’s about all I can remember. Post any questions here, or feel free to e-mail me privately. Already counting down to next year!!!!