TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Random notes on a visit #2

Yup...I know...I only said one thread but it's been so long since I posted in it I thought a picture specific thread would work...few today..few tomorrow....totally random

For you SBR (Simpson Bay Resort ) people out there the remains of the D and C buildings and Tennis court #2 next to D

Where Toppers-By-The -Sea used to be and a pic of Royal Palm from the street...pouring cement on the top floors last week

Roxy Beach one week apart...workers cranking here but still a bit away from completion. Large palms on a flatbed ready for planting...and Captain's Rib Shack next door...quite a few tables outside

Workers also cranking at Alegria with a lot of construction going on

Thanks for posting pictures.

Are these "lolos" operating legally? What do you anticipate happening to them once Roxxy Beach is up and running?

There are maybe 10 of them used mostly by locals (more like small bars) but I think they were intended for the ship people...can't say that's happening

Le Sucriere temptations...view down the corridor of the upper B building SBR and the pirate ship right next to the airport

Captain D's was being booted out before Irma hit. That all changed after Irma and more opened up.

Did you think prices overall were higher than in past visits? I missed last year but it seems (and according to a friend who is there now) that prices on the island have increased substantially the past few years.

Correct and most are probably "squatters".

This is great!! Great information! Please keep the pictures coming, makes me feel like we are there, when it’s sooo cold here! Thanks again!

Thanks so much for posting the pictures!!!

Thanks boucharda, my wife won’t let me get off the photo from Le Sucriere. LOL. Also the view from 574 is as good as the one from 572. Have a great time. The hall photo is a great view.

J.D. We have been on the island every January-February 4-6 weeks. We were on the island January 2018 and we are here now. My wife and I keep receipts from year to year and yes prices are up substantially. A bucket of beer at one of our favorite beach bars near the backside of the airport was 6 beers $15 and this year $17.50. Their burger and fries were $12 for years and now $16. Purchased a box of cereal in Maho that was always $4.29 and now it is $5.25. So yes prices are up and most 15-20%. So after 10+ years we still enjoy SXM-however, we will cook more meals in the condo and drive to Cost U Less & Super U to stock up for the next 4 weeks.

Thank you. As a visitor of going on 28 years (24 years of staying over) we go back to the days of $1 or less beer and $5 or less burgers. Back then a lot of the burgers were grilled over real wood charcoal (not gas) and were CAB (certified angus beef) and not a generic frozen patty. Even in the last 10 years or so it seems many prices have possibly tripled.

There really are fresh, handmade burger patties around if you look closely.

Re: B572...right next door...same view and this year, with the D building removed, you can see right into the lagoon on the right. Still sad to see those buildings gone...looking the opposite direction (back corridor) from the pic I posted you can see most of the lagoon and ships all the way to the Cole Bay bridge

Re: prices...we went shopping at the Market Garden, Carrefour, Super U and Cost-U-Less and didn't really notice any increase and definitely not any "substantial" increase. I rate my Islands by the cost of a case of beer (Carib) and it is steady at around $18-20 which is the same as previous years...(vs. $50 in Aruba and close to $60 in Grand Cayman). I don't make it a habit to keep track of the prices of everything I buy over the years but 1) it's an Island and everything is expected to cost more 2) competition is not as great now with some establishments gone or being repaired so that could raise prices a bit....Corona at BBB is still two for three bucks 1230p-7p...Carib is a twofer at $4 which is weird...restaurant prices did seem a bit elevated

oops..forgot...they are completing a decent size gas station/mini mart at the Cole Bay end of the causeway right at the roundabout

Where?
Thanks.

The Palms, Mary's Boon. I'll have to think, but there are a couple others. My fave is Boon.

Having just returned from 3 weeks, my opinion is that prices were higher as we expected but not significantly higher.

Prices are higher than before Irma. But I still get sticker shock when I go back to the states!