Greetings from Sunny Minnesota.
I will try to keep this entertaining and hit the highlights.
Flights:
MSP - CLT (Friday night) NWA no problems.
CLT - SXM (Via MIA) No problems. We beat the ice storm in Charlotte by a couple hours. Miami Airport is really undesirable. I think I would rather connect in San Juan. ( I never thought I would say that)
Anyway arrived to SXM 30 minutes EARLY. We got our bags, rental car, groceries, checked in and on the beach by 4:15. Perfect. First Carib down the hatch by 4:17.
The weather seemed just a tad cooler that usual, (still a lot better than Minnesota) but very nice. The most unusual thing about this trip was that the winds and weather were coming out of the West. All of the jets were taking off over Maho beach. The swells at Maho were large and Dawn Beach was "baby" water.
Took day trips to St. Barth's (Shell beach, Le Select, and Shopping) and St. Kitt's (Island tour and Turtle Beach). Flew to both destinations. No problems and enjoyed both trips very much.
We stayed in our "Home" at Belair the first week and moved over to LaTerrasse for the second week. Both were fine, but very, very different.
Beaches:
Mullet, Orient, Pinel, Le Gallion (thanks and Ed and Sandra for the advice), Dawn, Maho, and Baie Rouge. Very nice. Found the prices at Pinel for food have gone up a considerable about (Cheeseburger and fries 12 Euro). Basically Cheeseburger, fries and a Carb - $20.00. (Ouch) I could get two Ms. B's Rib lunches for that!!! Oh well they have a captive audience at Pinel.
Restaurants:
Los Gouchos - Very nice great atmosphere.
Pizza Pasta - We had never tried this before and it is great
Le California - Very Nice, but very slow.....But it was o.k. because we didn't have and appointments
Hot Tomatoes - Very nice as usual
Uncle Harry's - Also first try here. I thought it was O.K., but not great.
Chesterfield's - AWESOME
Halsey's - Very Very good. Great atmosphere and service. The food was outstanding
The Wharf - This was a very nice place. It is along the lines of a Boathouse.
We also had lunch at The Pirate on Orient (next to Baywatch) Great Curry Chicken Wrap. Bikini Beach, Mullet Bay, Ms. B's (TWICE) The rips are simply the best. Sunset Cafe and Baywatch for Breakfast. We also tried the St. Maarten Yacht Club for breakfast and it was very good. This is a fun place to hang out and watch the big yachts go in and out.
Over all the island is BUSY. The improvements in Philipsburg are great. The boardwalk is beautiful and Front St. is great as well. Staying at Belair we used the "Over the Hill" Cake Hill road and found that to be very helpful.
The highlight of the trip was we chartered a day trip on a 42 foot catamarran. Wow what a treat. We sailed from marigot around St. Martin past Friars and Happy bay. We stopped to snorkel at Creole Rock, and then continued on past Anse Marcel and Pinel, finally stopping at Tintamarre. We got covered in Mud, swam in the beautiful water and went back to the boat for a wonderful meal. Our hosts were wonderful and we loved every second of our trip.
We tried to catch up with some TTOL folks for the Superbowl, but we got there too late and missed out. I hope it was fun. We were able to watch the big screen at SSBB from our balcony at LaTerrasse. Over all we had a wonderful vacation and can't wait to go back next year. We did invite some friends this year who had only been to SXM on a cruise. They had a blast. There is nothing better than sharing SXM with people. Being the host is great. Thanks again to all of the TTOLers who have posted during the year. It helps keep St. Maarten close and I enjoy hearing about what is happening on the island.....
Please feel free to send a P.M. with any questions or comments.
dandbmn................347 days and counting............ <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />
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