TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos Trip Report 12/21 to 1/4

Better late than never...so here are my observations/tales from our two weeks at Oyster Bay:<br><br>We flew from O'Hare to San Juan without incident. Our flight to SXM was slightly delayed because the flight attendant was not yet there. This happens almost every time we fly through San Juan....maybe they need to plan a little better? We did, however, arrive on the island about one hour later than we had planned...but Michael from Unity was waiting there to pick us up. A bonus using the same car rental company...you cruise through the paperwork and we were given an upgrade to a brand new Nissan Altima. (I wouldn't recommend this--it was a little nerve wracking knowing that the first dent would be mine .<br><br>We immediately noticed the island smelled clean and looked beautiful. Oyster Bay put us in a great room overlooking the ocean. There is an air-conditioning tax ($7.00 for a one-bedroom). We found that we didn't need to turn the ac on the entire time we were there! The rooms are looking good and we still LOVE our investment here. <br><br>Had the first, traditional meal and Mr. Busby's. The grilled red snapper was great and I had my first Carib! I was in heaven Our vacation was spent just hanging out on various beaches and grabbing a meal here and there. The following are the "highlights":<br><br>1.    Barefoot Terrace-outside the gate to Oyster Bay-has quick, good breakfasts at reasonable prices. A good value.<br>2.    Les Tartines D'Elodie Resto Bakery, a restaurant/bakery (down the hill from Capt. Olivers at the speed bumb on the right hand side) is a GREAT find. Fresh baguettes, sandwiches and dessert items.<br>3.    Ms. B;s has the all-time BEST ribs at a great price. Joan really takes the time to make sure your food is good and that you are happy. We also had Joan cook us a "special dinner" of lobsters--[color:red]wow</font color=red> they were great!<br><br>4.    Chez Agnes & Francois (across the street from the bakery-connected to the grocery store) is another FABULOUS find. Reasonably priced, great tasting french food in an atmosphere like someone's backyard. Both Agnes and Francois attend to every detail. <br>5.    The cruise ship folks really take over Orient Beach...not much fun.<br>5.    Dicky's TTOL party on the 30th was fantastic. There were prizes from local merchants and of course the ever-popular coconut drinks As many have already commented....a great time was had by all. I have some pictures and will try to post them later.<br>6.    Beaches: We went to Dawn, Orient, and Baie Rouge the most. Baie Rouge got very rough the second week because of the weather. Dawn and Orient were beautiful as always. People were seeing a pretty good population of fish snorkling off Dawn Beach.<br>7.    Heineken/BlueBeard trip to Prickly Pear....this is a GREAT trip with a really good crew. It is well worth the money and you will enjoy yourselves....we did.<br>8.    Food shopping: Did most of it at Match in Marigot and Le Bouty in Grand Case.<br><br>All-in-all a great, relaxing week. Met Jack (the new owner of Peg Leg) at the TTOL party---didn't make it to Peg Leg this trip but will the next (which we have already planned for 3/8-18[img]/images/icons2/thumbsup.gif[/img][img]/images/icons2/thumbsup.gif[/img]). Had a few beers at the Buchaneer--never got to meet Neil--next time. Didn't buy a single piece of jewelry--a first. Had a great time meeting all the TTOLers at the party.<br><br>Came home on the 4th of January--flight delayed (again) in San Juan) and it's a** freezing cold here in Chicago...Can't wait for the next trip in March. <br><br>Dorene and Susan