TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin A very short trip report

Because it was a very short trip.

We just got home from a week on the island, which we called our Economic Stimulus Package. Six of us went, David and myself, Todd and MJ, and Brad (Wofan) and Lora.
The reason for the trip was to see our island friends and inject as much into the economy as we could reasonable do in only one week. I think we did a pretty good job.

Lots has been said about the damage to the island, but until you experience it first hand, you just have no concept. Even photos don't really show what happened there. Most of our friends who were on the island during Irma told us they thought they were going to die. Even now, strong winds bring flashbacks of the terror of those two days. Both sides are rebuilding; the Dutch side is making quicker progress than the French, but there are restaurants open on both sides. Beaches with facilities are harder to come by.

We spent beach days at Cupecoy, Mary's Boon, Karakter, El Zafiro, and Baie Rouge. We tried to go to Kokomo, but it was way too windy to stay there.

Lunches were on the beach for the most part, although we did drive over to Oyster Pond to see Carole, formerly of L'Estaminet; she's working at BZH Creperie now, and we had a delightful lunch there.

Dinners were at The Palms (three times), Lal's (twice), and Emilio's once. We were treated to an amazing meal at the home of a friend who surprised us by being on the island when she wasn't supposed to be! I'll let her decide whether to reveal her identity...she is a member here.

Without exception (well, except for the rude person at Kokomo), the islanders were happy to see us, and thanked us often for visiting.

Glad to hear you had a lovely time.

Did you get to Hideaway for any meals? Yacht Club? Wow, lots of dinners out! lol

Sounds like a good time was had by all and nice you aided the island economy, and obviously enjoyed being able to do so!

Curious - if you can or are willing to say - was the ‘rude person’ at Kokomo staff or patron, resident or visitor?

A friend who lives on the island actually left before placing an order because she was also mistreated by a staff member shortly after they opened and she was inclined not to return. And subsequent to hearing her experience, another resident expressed a similar situation. Because we know both of these people well, and upon hearing both of their experiences, we’ve never been inclined to go there but we were hoping things had gotten better and were Thinking about giving it a try next trip. Or perhaps not? 😊😊

Thanks for the report. Where did you stay?

Leona, we ate all of our meals out; didn't get to the Hideaway, but did have our traditional last breakfast at the yacht club. It was just as good as it always is.

Pat, the person at Kokomo was a young lady behind the bar. When we arrived, I offered a friendly, "Good morning, how are you?" And was completely ignored. I stood there waiting, and she responded, "Bonjour". I responded in my lousy French, asking how she was. She did answer then, but offered no other welcome. To be honest, the beach wasn't that great (very rocky), and the chairs and umbrellas were really tired. I've heard the food is fabulous, but it was too early for lunch when we arrived, so we decided our money was best spent elsewhere. We were made to feel very welcome at Mary's Boon and had a lovely lunch there.

Carol, we stayed at Atrium. La Vista Beach is completely open and looks like nothing happened. La Vista is making great strides, but still have a long way to come on the older buildings. Todd and MJ stayed in a cottage there.

Thanks for the report. Glad you were able to make a trip.

OK, thanks for the info. We hope to stop by LaVista when we are there.

Thanks for the report Georgia. A week definitely passes quickly. Glad you enjoyed your visit and had no safety issues. I have had reports from friends about more crime incidents recently because of the loss of jobs and many homeless and desperate people. Such sadness on thus beautiful island!

Elizabeth, we didn't experience any safety issues, although we were a bit more vigilant this trip than usual. I had heard of incidents at the more isolated beaches, such as Happy Bay. We stayed in the more populated areas and didn't stay out late.

Thanks for your report and economy rebuilding support.

Thanks for your report and "economy rebuilding" efforts.

Georgia--have you heard of specific incidents at Happy Bay??

Carol, a friend heard from someone who visited recently, that a couple was robbed by three women. I didn't hear that directly from the people who were supposedly robbed.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Glad everything went well for you. There were incidents in Simpson Bay and a few other areas as well. Hope things change as these things are concerning as they involved vacationers.

It irks me when I hear that restaurants like Kokomo (and Rainbow in Grand Case) are treating some of their customers so rudely, especially when the island so desperately needs tourist spending. A pure lack of good business sense (and decency)..

Residents? Vacationers? Makes no difference in the end. Sadly, desperate times often afford desperate people to think they have an excuse to do really bad things. I hope the police are able to bring these incidences to a rapid and complete halt for everyone’s sake.

Edited to read: Sorry, GaKaye - I meant these comments as a generality and not directly intended for you or anyone else specifically.