Greetings again!
We spent a month from mid-August to mid-September in a very nice one bedroom waterfront condo at Point Blue on Pelican Key that we rented through VRBO.com. On clear days we woke to a nice view of Saba to the south and since the complex was mostly empty, we had the infinity pool and patio to ourselves most of the time.
The second two weeks of our trip were pretty much a continuation of the first two, all in all a great trip. The first 2 weeks of our trip report from 29 August can be found here:
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/s...e=9#Post1706523Two tropical waves moved past the island during the stay, both to the south. One of them made things a little interesting with 30 mph sustained winds, 58mph gusts and mandatory business shut downs on the Dutch side. There were only about 4 bad days total, not enough to dampen spirits. During the month, the pace on the island slowed more each week with businesses closing for holiday or renovation. Traffic was mostly non-existent making it a leisurely 25 minute trip from Simpson Bay to Orient Bay.
We did some repeat visits to favorite restaurants and added some to the hit list as well. Here’s a run-down. Obviously, tastes vary and any restaurant can have an off day. In the interest of full disclosure, we prefer good value low to mid-price range establishments.
The LoLo’s in Grande Case did not disappoint. Ribs, Chicken, rice, salad and mac and cheese were delicious and in huge portions.
We had excellent chicken parmigiana at Sale & Pepe’s.
Great tacos and burritos and happy hour drinks at Taco Macho in a festive parking lot venue.
Pan fried Wahoo with rice, salad and garlic bread at Lee’s is always a treat.
Thanks for the tip on Hotel Love, Taraavo! Hotel Love was wonderful for wine and pizza while watching the sunset and lights of Anguilla. You can't make this stuff up. They had a graffiti wall for decoration next to our table. An inscription on Kent Island MD was scrawled on the wall. We had just bought and moved into a new condo on Kent Island MD before we left for the trip. I guess that's a good sign.
Chicken kabobs were great while relaxing and having a cocktail at Layla’s beach bar in sandy ground. This is a beautiful setting.
Although neither one of us smoke, we did have to try the Hookah Bar Experience at Beirut restaurant in Simpson Bay. Had the Combination Kabobs (Steak, Chicken, Lamb) which was quite good. We tried the watermelon-mint in the hookah thing. For $20 you can use it pretty much as long as you like. No ill effects were experienced:)
Toppers in Simpson Bay has great beef brisket sandwiches and platters with mashed potatoes and whisky sautéed carrots. Toppers homemade rum cake is not to be missed. We made a special dessert stop a few nights later for more.
Caribbean lobster at Skipjack was tough and not too great. We shared a 2.75 lb one which was the smallest they would give us. They had 1.5 lb ones but they were reserved for the surf and turf special. For my taste, the smaller lobsters are more tender and flavorful.
Tried Connie’s in Simpson Bay Marina based on glowing Trip Advisor ratings. Connie is very nice but it must have been an off-night for service and food.
Had the beef brisket at Fat Tony’s which they say is slow cooked for 11 hours. It had little taste and was in very tough slices like overcooked roast beef. Hopefully some of their other offerings are better.
The only real nighttime entertainment that we took part in was at the Red Piano in the Pelican resort. The piano players that perform Tuesday through Sunday were very good and entertaining but the real find is on Monday when the band “Church” plays. (Thus Church on Monday) Ronnie Santana is the lead guitarist and these guys are great. The female singers are outstanding and really round out the group nicely.
Beaching included:
Baie Rouge at Gus’s – When the E/NE winds are blowing hard the beaches on the west side of the island like Baie Rouge are nice and calm. Gus is a great guy but the burgers were not up to par and the help were a bit surly. Still a nice day.
Karakters - Sunset drinks and Jazz on Friday nights is great. Tuna Tartar was excellent. Great beach when the wind cooperates. Cured me of my childhood dread of getting on the school bus:)
El Zafiro – on the west end of Simpson Bay beach is a similar experience to Karakters, very nice.
Dreams – Relaxed in a beautiful atmosphere in Sandy Ground. The rib eye burger was incredible.
Drove through Guana Bay for the first time and did not find a beach. Lots of big expensive houses and tall walls, must be where the jewelry store owners live.
Orient beach has narrowed to allow only one row of chairs. The Perch at Club Orient is a great place for happy hour (2pm to 3pm) and grilled chicken & burgers. The security guards are friendly and do a great job but on heavy cruise ship days, they seem to have a hard time keeping the smartphone photographers under control. Possibly security is using a skeleton crew since the resort is mostly closed till October 1. Marine is the charming bartender who is filling in for Willie until the resort reopens in October.
In closing, thanks to all of the TTOL folks who have shared their experiences in St. Maarten giving us the ideas that helped make our adventure great. Cheers!
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