When we made our first visit to SXM in Nov. 1996, who knew that return trips would become an obsession… now, with our most recent trip April 28-May 6, we have 11 visits to this island under our belts! So let this be a warning to all you first-time visitors…you could become hooked like us!<br><br>GETTING THERE<br>We planned our vacation only about five weeks in advance, but yet were still able to book frequent-flyer seats on American for the dates and times of our choosing. Airline bookings are down, of course, and by choosing to leave on a Monday and return on a Tuesday, we missed the busy weekend travel. <br><br>Heading down, both our flights, from Chicago to Miami and Miami to SXM, were half empty. It sure was nice to spread out. We returned home with a connection in San Juan and the flight from there back to Chicago was completely full. We felt very cramped after the luxury of having had the three seats across to ourselves.<br><br>ACCOMODATIONS<br>We stayed all eight nights at L’Hoste. On several of our previous trips, we had stayed at St. Tropez and enjoyed it, but with the new construction in the area, St. Tropez no longer offers an ocean view...the view is very important to me. L’Hoste was a good choice; it was very, very nice (however, I’ll note that the growth of the foliage in recent months did limit the ocean view to a slight degree). I would stay there again in a minute, even though our top-floor room was a little pricey compared to some of the other places we've stayed on this island. But we got two nights free as part of a low-season promotion that put our 8-night stay well within our budget.<br><br>GETTING AROUND<br>We are among the legions of loyalists to Unity for our rental car. They always give us great customer service, reasonable-enough costs and where else does your car rental agent greets you with a hug?<br><br>We had reserved our usual vehicle, a Suzuki Grand Vitara with A/C and automatic. However, all of Unity’s Vitaras (as well as RAV-4s) were previously rented when we arrived. Unity gave us the option of a complimentary upgrade to the next level of car, or to come back in a couple of days to swap for the Vitara. We decided to go with the upgrade and got a Hyundai Sonata with only a handful of miles on it. This turned out to be a great car and John hated to surrender it at the end of the trip. It made me a little nervous to have such a car in such pristine condition, but we added no scratches or dings. And even if we had, the guys at Unity are very realistic and realize that sooner or later, every car on this island will acquire some "character marks”.<br><br>Traffic all over the island overall seemed a little lighter this year, except for the first few days during Carnival. It certainly did look like the poor economy in the U.S. is taking its toll in the form of fewer visitors to SXM.<br><br>THE ISLAND<br>The extent of sand erosion on Orient Beach near Papagayos and Kontiki surprised me, even though I had read plenty of reports about it. Still, I was not prepared for how bad it would be, and understand it has continued to get worse in the two months since we were there. An island resident we talked to indicated that the erosion is from the string of hurricane-free seasons; a big storm is actually needed to bring sand into the beach.<br><br>My early-morning walks along Orient showed that everything you hear about people saving chairs is true (or at least was during that time in late April/early May). It really ticked me off that a lot of people thought using a couple of throw-away grocery bags was enough to do the trick. If you’re going to try to reserve your chairs, at least do it with something that has some personal value to you!<br><br>On the other hand, the island itself looked great. Couldn't believe how much vegetation had grown just since April of last year. The area around L'Hoste was like a jungle and everywhere was green and floribundant!<br><br>I may be one of the few people who actually really likes the Village d'Orient. But then, I'm always one to prefer an urban-type atmosphere to a quiet one, even on a beach. I think the village is well done and colorful. Sure, it's not like the old days, but what is, anywhere?<br><br>CARNIVAL<br>We went to the Grand Parade during Carnival. Quite a sight to see and it took all afternoon but was worthwhile. So many feathers on the costumes, I think all the birds on SXM must be naked now! And I think my ears are still ringing from the music blaring from speakers hauled on flatbed trucks. <br><br>Of course, like everything else in SXM, the parade happens on island time. The information I had showed it starting at 10 a.m. Without knowing the exact route, we knew it would take some time to snake through the streets before getting to Front Street. So, figuring it would hit the area about lunchtime, we staked out a spot at Pagano’s Bistro for front-row, second floor seats and ordered some lunch. Soon, 1:00 came and no parade…then 2:00 and still no parade. Finally, just before 3 p.m., we could hear the thumping samba beat approaching. Fortunately, the wonderful folks at Pagano’s had no problems with us taking the seats for so long…and we had no problems keeping the tab open with plenty of cold Caribs and Heinekens. <br><br>DINING<br>Perhaps two months before we went on this trip, we had seen SXM featured in “A Cook’s Tour”, a TV Food Network show hosted by Tony Bourdain. One of the featured spots was the Freedom Fighters Ital Shack, a Rastafarian place Tony visited on the show, along with our friend Bulldog from Laser 101. We didn't have the ganja leaf tea like they did in the program, but we did have the most fabulous homemade all-vegan meal. This place would definitely not be for everyone but we had a great time and spent about 2 hours talking with Ras Bushman, his wife and the cast of characters that stops by. I'd say this experience was one of the highlights of our entire trip. If you’re adventurous and open-minded, I highly recommend a stop here for an inexpensive and healthful lunch.<br><br>Other memorable meals included Poulet d'Orleans (also featured in Tony’s show), O'Plongeoir in Marigot and La Playa right there behind L'Hoste. And of course we had our departure-day cheeseburger at Sunset Beach Bar!<br><br>We planned to have dinner our last night at Uncle Harry’s, but as we approached it, we noticed it was totally dark. Hmm, we thought, perhaps they’re just closed on Mondays. We then decided to go to Turtle Pier instead. They were dark as well. That’s when we noticed that EVERY business in that stretch of Airport Road was dark…every car rental agency, every restaurant and everything in between. We came to learn the next morning that the electric cable supplying the area had snapped at the bridge. Oh well, something to look forward to for next time!<br><br>Next time…always seems so far away. At least now summer is in full swing…if I close my eyes and use my imagination, I can pretend Chicago is SXM.<br><br>Nah, come to think of it, it’s just not the same!<br>