Getting There:

We live 30 miles outside of Philly, but prefer flying out of Newark as we can get a direct United flight. We left Friday and stayed at the airport Hilton, which included the 14 days of parking. Our flight the next day was uneventful, no problems with our Covid tests, etc. We left 30 minutes late, however, arrived on time in SXM.

Accommodations:

Our first week was spent at Club Fantastico, with Chloe, Thierry, and a full house for our first few days. Of course, we enjoyed our stay, had wonderful breakfasts and plenty of “adult beverages.” Always a good time at Club F.

The second week we stayed in Dutch Cul de Sac at Paul & Carol’s place. First time for us, as it had been recommended. Can’t say enough good things about staying here. Of course, it was a bit of a hike to Orient Beach most days, but we dealt with it ! Paul and Carol are a lovely couple and could not do enough for us. They have three rooms available. Our room was spotless, comfortable, with a large, walk-in shower, and just steps from the pool and outdoor lounge area. Upstairs from our unit was a great room with large screen TV, stereo, comfortable seating, and large kitchen with everything we needed to cook in on three nights. I enjoy cooking on vacay! We were kept company all week with Paul and Carol’s three lovable dogs and a friendly cat.

Beaches:

Well it’s always Club O beach for us, however, one day we did go to Cupecoy. We hadn’t been there in years, however, we did not enjoy it as much as in the past. For one thing, we a lot OLDER, and the rocks, steps, etc., did us in ! Ha Ha. Plus, the water is iffy. If you don’t find the right spot, it’s hard to enter the water. We did rents chairs and had ribs for lunch. The ribs were, in my opinion, not very good. I know lots enjoy Dany’s ribs, but this whole day was just a bust.

Orient, for the most part, was sargassum-free. Cedric had the seaweed cleaned each day.

Shopping:

I am retiring at the end of this year, and felt that it called for something special from DK Gems! Lol.
We went to see Jeff. I had lost a couple of small diamonds from my wedding band and had intended to just replace those. However, Jeff, in his infinite wisdom, came up with a beautiful redesign/update of my ring. We added white diamonds and we added blue diamonds and the result was spectacular. Larry, since he celebrated his birthday on July 20th, treated himself to a bracelet. We were both very pleased with our purchases. Additional shopping was the Marigot Market. Larry likes to always choose a T-shirt from Secret Spot. We stopped in at Juggie’s Place and purchased some Magic Spice and had a Mango Colada with Juggie. Next stop was Rima and purchased some trinkets for my neighbor who was caring for our cats, and also Ma Dou Rum and Vanilla.

Restaurants;

Of course you never have enough time to visit all the restaurants you have on your list ! However, we did not, by any means, go hungry!

The Perch: Several lunches at the Perch. They still do a good job. Shrimp Caeser Salad, Burgers, Ribs and Happy Hour.

Bo Pizza: In Orient Village, makes a good pizza. We had pepperoni.

La Trattoria: In Orient Village. First time visit ; not very impressed. We shared an arugula salad with prosciutto. Osso Buco and Chicken Parm. The Osso Buco was a bit fatty and the chicken parm was good, but nothing special. We shared the chocolate lava cake (since it was Larry’s birthday). It came with the best vanilla ice cream I’ve ever had.

Rancho del Sol: Shared veggie eggrolls. Had hangar steak and pasta Bolognese. Both were very good. A little chocolate mousse ended the meal, along with some banana vanilla rum shots. Always a good meal here.

Le Telegraph: Lunch here. I had an absolutely delicious bowl of cream of cauliflower/leek soup. It was out of this world, honestly, I could have just had a big bowl of that soup. Larry had French Onion which he enjoyed. We also each had a very good burger to go along with the soup. Two frozen drinks – very good.

Good Morning: Orient Village. Delicious fresh sandwiches for the beach one day. Always good.

Le Piment: A favorite. You always can count on a good meal here. Started with drinks; including a fresh strawberry mojito that went down very easily. Larry loves their duck breast. I had steak. Both came with those wonderful cheesy potatoes and veggies. I had the crème brulee for dessert, Larry had coconut ice cream and lemon sorbet.

Mark’s Place: Had lunch here on moving day to the Dutch side. Drinks, mushroom chicken, chicken sandwich.

Reveil Matin: Had a bountiful breakfast here. Wow is all I can say. Fresh squeezed OJ, delicious coffee, eggs benedict and sausages wrapped in crepes and a pile of fresh fruit! A bit pricey for breakfast, but, it filled us up for the whole day ! Highly recommend.

The Palms: We’ve never been to the Palms on any visit, but it won’t be the last time. We were lucky enough to make plans with Elaine and Bill who joined us for dinner and made it more special. The cocktails were out of this world! For dinner I had the ribs, and Larry had the filet. Both excellent meals.

Le Croissant Royale: Stopped for breakfast. Omelet, bacon, crepe, fresh OJ. Always a favorite, from the La Croissanterie days.

Wai Plage: Checked out the beach bar and it is really a beautiful space. Very lovely. We went on a Thursday night (only night open for dinner) and they also had live music. Larry had lobster and I had steak. Both were very good; missed Christelle as she was in France.

Emilio’s: Since we were just down the road from Emilio’s while staying at Paul & Carol’s, we decided to go there. First, it’s a lovely space. The building, the stonework etc. We had delicious, creative cocktails. For starters, we had Creole Shrimp and mini crab cakes. The shrimp was really outstanding, Larry mopped up every bit of the sauce with his bread! My crab cakes were very tasty too, with a bit of a spicy topping. Larry had the duck, and I had shrimp risotto. Dessert was ice cream (a very decadent chocolate). While loving this meal, and the setting, we did not find it extraordinary – just our opinion.

This & That:


Weather was pretty good for the most part, however, every day started cloudy/overcast, but did clear by afternoon. Some days were high in humidity (we usually come in Nov/Dec). Traffic was, well SXM traffic, with all the scooter riders still sharpening their weaving in and out of traffic skills.

We had out Covid testing done at Bellevue Pharmacy in Marigot. Cost was $47 US. We spent about 90 minutes there, although we had an appointment ! However, everyone did a surprisingly great job considering all the chaos and questions.

Flight home was uneventful. Landed in Newark, and drove home (about two hours) arriving at 1 a.m. Another SXM trip in the books. Until next time…..

..."there's this one particular harbor"....

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"But then I think about the good times, down in the Caribbean sunshine..." (J.B.)

Thanks for the report.

What about the restaurant that was the Yellow Submarine. What's the name, and Is it basically the same restaurant?

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Paragraphs Are A Reader's Best Friend.

It's still the Yellow Sub, and in the same location. We always enjoyed it there, but in 2 short weeks it's hard to get to all the places we'd like to.
BTW - Paul & Carol's Place was new to us. It's a 3 unit "boutique" and naturist friendly, budget friendly guesthouse in Dutch Cul de Sac (near Emilio's), and P & C are the perfect hosts. We'll return.
BTW2 - Thanks for the pics.

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"But then I think about the good times, down in the Caribbean sunshine..." (J.B.)

Hi we are pat and maureen we have been traveling to sxm yearly for 20 yrs we have only been back once since Irma and not since covid. We stayed right above yellow submarine before covid it was great we are headed back in Nov and may go to st barts first we were hoping to get some info about testing and inter Island travel this is our first time back on orientbeachonline in yrs