Visitor Reports: Allen
Morrow who on most of the prizes in the recent Grand Case contest was on the
island when he won. He writes: We really enjoyed Pineapple Pete's and Peg Leg Pub along with the
Sunterra Flamingo Resort. At Hot Tomatoes we
had good and unique pizza and Los Gauchos had
really attentive service. We ended up returning to Peg Leg Pub three times... good
food, reasonable prices, fun friendly service along with enjoyable
entertainment. What more could you ask for? Cell phone from East Caribbean
Cellular was a good deal and a real help with staying in touch with those left
back home. Rental car from Hertz was a good deal money wise but a poorly
maintained car. I will likely look elsewhere on a return trip. The Sunterra
Flamingo is showing it's age in some places but we were very satisfied with our
accommodations and overall experience there. It is my understanding that they
will begin renovating at least some of the facilities in August. Melissa and
Carlos at the Sunterra could not have been more helpful in making our stay
pleasant.
Overall both my wife and I had the same kind of
odd reaction to SXM. No one thing about the week was particularly outstanding
but we came home refreshed and feeling that we had a nice enjoyable low key
week just relaxing, shopping, eating and just beginning to explore the island.
We both would definitely like to go back and we have visited a number Caribbean
islands.
The visit to St. Maarten was the result of our
having purchased our week at the Sunterra Flamingo Beach via the auction
operated by the people at The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association in
Philipsburg (SMHTA). I purchased it in August of 2004 but for various
reasons we were unable to visit until this summer. With such a long delay,
people leave and others forget what all the details of an offer were. Chris
Williams at the SMHTA was a big help to me in answering questions and
seeing that our trip went smoothly. I have nothing but good things to say about
the SMHTA and how they represent their members. They are good ambassadors for
the island.
CONTEST
Several businesses in Marigot are sponsoring
the contest that runs from 25 August, until 30 September offering
prizes totaling $400. Just click their name to go to their website, find
the contest code(s) and the link to our new signup form, fill it out, click
send, and you are entered. Put all the contest codes for the contests you want
to enter on ONE entry. Do not send multiple entries.
Obviously everybody that is getting this
email is already signed up for the newsletter, but you are not automatically
signed up for the contest. You really do have to go to their website and click
the email link to show you visited their site. Just tell me you are already on
our mailing list, and I'll leave you signed up for the newsletter and just add
your name to the contest list. We have so many prizes that we will be doubling
and tripling up for several contests and producing feature photo spreads in
conjunction with the contests. Here is the list of future contests and feature
photo spreads:
Marigot Feature - 25 August to 30
September 2005:
L'Esperance Car
Rental - $100 off a one week car rental
La Vie en
Rose - $100 gift certificate for two
Thai Garden - $100 gift certificate for
two
Saint Germain - $50 gift certificate for
two
Le Marrakech - $50 gift certificate for
two
Orient Beach Feature - 1 October to 15
November 2005:
Chez
Pat - $100 toward a day on Galion Beach
Kakao Beach
Bar - $100 toward a day on Orient Beach
Sol e Luna
Apartments - $100 off on a one week
stay
Nono Car
Rental - $50 off on a one week rental
Philipsburg Feature - 16 November to 15
December:
Vacation Suites - a free low season
week!
Lucky/Hibiscus
Cars - $100 off a one week car rental
Antoine
Restaurant - $100 off a meal for two
DK
Gems - $100 gift certificate
Karen and Pascal's Restaurants - 16 December 2005 to 6 January
2006
Auberge
Gourmande - $100 off a meal for two
Montmartre Restaurant - $100 off a meal
for two
Sunset Café - $100 off a
meal for two
Panoramic Car
Rental - $100 off a week's car rental
RESTAURANTS
On17 July the euro was at 1.204 and
today it is at 1.231. That's
fairly steady and fairly good, about what the euro was when it all started about
five years ago.. French side restaurants with many costs in dollars and many
American (or Canadian) clients have been offering more favorable exchange rates.
Some restaurants offer a 1 to 1 exchange. Note that some only offer this rate
for cash. As always, know what the euro is worth, what the restaurateur is
offering for an exchange, and what the costs are on the menu. Finally, you are
here to have fun and fine food, not to do complex financial calculations, so
don't worry about it too much.
Gerald at
L'Escapade
Restaurant in Grand Case says that his new chef, Stephane
Amate, started on 1 August and he is very happy.The chef worked
at Bernard Loiseau, Willer at the Martinez in Cannes, and La Bastide de St
Tropez. We are preparing a new menu for end of October. Gerald further
notes that they will be open every night for all the low season
and he has a security guard only for his restaurant.
Paris Bistro
and The Wharf
Restaurant: New for the slow season: Buy
one main course at the regular price and get the second one of equal or lesser
value at 50% off. Go to the websites and print out the coupon.
Hot Tomatoes: We are waiting for more Hot Tomatoes comments. It's on the website and
before we return in December, somebody will win a pair of pizzas and a bottle of
red. Just send us some comments and we'll pick a winner.
AQUA: Carter at Turquoise Shell Inn has
been to AQUA (next to Lal's Indian restaurant) and
declares the sushi OUTSTANDING. It is right out over the water so nice
atmosphere. (ed note: Sushi seems to be the new "hot" food item. No irony
intended. Nearby Bamboo
Bernies and Hanabi Japanese
Restaurant have been serving it for quite some time, as has THAI
GARDEN in Sandy Ground, and Thierry at Hibiscus
Restaurant is also featuring it on
weekends.)
New chef-owner group forming: Christian from
Sol é Luna
Restaurant writes that all the chef-owners on the French
side met in mid-August around a very nice meal at "gite du coq
chantant". Thierry Delaunay from
Hibiscus
Restaurant has suggested that they create an association to
promote their work. Represented were Chanteclair, Pressoir,
Bistrot Nu,
Mario's
Bistro, Cafe Plantation, MaTi Beach,
Le Mambo Restaurant,
Astrolabe, Boucaniers,
Hibiscus
Restaurant, and
Sol é Luna
Restaurant. I applaud their efforts and have often extolled the
virtues of many of these restaurants.
Trip report: A recent visitor writes: We
just returned from a week at the Sunterra Flamingo Beach in early July. We had a
wonderful time. The visit to St Maarten was the result of our having purchased
our week at the Sunterra Flamingo Beach via the auction operated by the people
at The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association in Philipsburg
(SMHTA). I purchased it in August of 2004 but for various reasons
we were unable to visit until this summer. With such a long delay, people
leave and others forget what all the details of an offer were. Chris Williams at
the SMHTA was a big help to me in answering questions and seeing that our
trip went smoothly. I have nothing but good things to say about the SMHTA and
how they represent their members. They are good ambassadors for the
island.
We really enjoyed Pineapple Pete's and
Peg Leg
Pub along with the Sunterra. At Hot Tomatoes we had good and unique
pizza. We ended up returning to The Peg Leg three times... good food, reasonable
prices, fun friendly service along with enjoyable entertainment. What
more could you ask for? Cell phone from East Caribbean Cellular was a good deal
and a real help with staying in touch with those left back home. Rental car from
Hertz was a good deal money wise but a poorly maintained car. I will likely look
elsewhere on a return trip. The Sunterra is showing it's age in some places but
we were very satisfied with our accommodations and overall experience there. It
is my understanding that they will begin renovating at least some of the
facilities in August. Melissa and Carlos at the Sunterra could not have been
more helpful in making our stay pleasant.
Overall both my wife and I had the same kind of odd
reaction to SXM. No one thing about the week was particularly outstanding but we
came home refreshed and feeling that we had a nice enjoyable low key week
just relaxing, shopping, eating and just beginning to explore the island. We
both would definitely like to go back and we have visited a number Caribbean
islands.
Slow food: We are not on the
island, but continue to dine and drink as if we were and will offer tips to you
as to how you can also. The "slow food" movement has much going for it and much
of their thinking is currently practiced in French agriculture and is one of the
reasons that the food on our island is so good. Slow food does not refer to the
wait staff, but to the production of the food and its preparation. One does not
interbreed vegetables and animals to get the fastest growing variety. The
ability to withstand long shipping routes is nice, but if it is because the
tomatoes are bred for tough skins, square shapes, picked green, and gassed with
ethylene to ripen them, then I'll pass. Alice Waters at Chez Panisse
in California championed the use of local foods in season. That's easy to
do when you live next to California's Central Valley. Those of us above the
Mason-Dixon line would be consigned to eating potatoes and winter squash
for about nine months of the year. The island obviously produces little meat or
veg, but the quantity and quality of that which is airlifted in to Juliana is
just one of the reasons we eat so well on the island. Moreover, this is the time
when we can get local produce here in the northeast and we should revel in its
freshness.
A salade nicoise is a wonderful melange of
fresh veg and if you have fresh, lightly seared tuna, it's heaven. Even canned
tuna isn't too bad. One of our favorites on the island is at Kakao Beach. Now I would
be the first to admit that dining on the sand at Orient while looking out at
Green Cay, Pinel, and Tintamare may have some effect on my taste
sensations and adding a bottle of rose makes every afternoon seem better.
Nonetheless, this is a fine spot for this fine dish. Sylvain at Vinissimo recommends the salade nicoise at Saint Séverin
Restaurant in Bellevue (Marigot). He further suggests that with this salade, it is perfect to drink a cote de provence rosé or red
from "domaine de la courtade ALYCASTRE". Great minds think alike! We have
a photo of our homemade salade nicoise on this page. We used greens, beans, and
tomatoes from our garden, new potatoes from Sheldon farms about four miles away.
There is also a shot of a porker from Flying Pigs Farm. Jennifer Small
and Mike Yezzi raise heritage breed pigs on pasture, producing some fantastic
pork that can be ordered online.
From slow
to fast: Maria
Rodrigues of Front Line
Focus is looking for people who want to visit fast food establishments to
provide feedback on the experience. She's hiring individuals to fill
mystery shopper positions in St. Maarten/St. Martin. The hours are flexible –
Days/Evenings/Weekends - at your convenience. You get $10 per visit and
your meals are reimbursed. You'll have to have email so that you can send your
comments back and meet a deadline. If you are interested send her an email.
.
RESTAURANT CLOSINGS
BARGAINS
Look on the SXM-Restaurants website for a list
of all restaurants that have coupons for some freebie or discount.
There are several coupons there to make your vacation a bit
cheaper.
Caribbean View Condo:
It's that time of year. We have returned to the US. Our loss is your gain. Our 1
BR, 1 bath condo with a private foldout couch in the LR at Sapphire Beach Club
on Cupecoy will be available for $1000 per week. Coupons are included with each
week's rental that bring the cost down by about $200. The coupons include a $50
voucher on a dinner for two at
Hot Tomatoes and a $50 coupon to
Ama Bella Jewelers with
any reservation, and a special invitation to
Vinissimo where you will get at least 10% off and a few
samples. There's more: Pascal, owner of
Auberge Gourmande,
Sunset Cafe, and
Montmartre Restaurant, is offering a
welcome champagne cocktail and an afterdinner drink at one of his restaurants to
any of our renters. Finally,
Unity Car
Rental is offering 10% discount off already low website prices on any week's
rental. That's a net of about $800 for a sixth floor one bedroom unit offering
views of the Caribbean AND the lagoon with a jacuzzi on the balcony.We just put
a new teak dining table and four chairs for the balcony overlooking the
Caribbean.
Panoramic Car
Rental: PCR is running a special on the Hyundai Getz for only
$135.00 per week from now until 31 October 2005. I know some people complain
about the Getz, but I have had one for a month over each of the last two years
and found them to be just fine.
Unity Car
Rental: A recent visitor wrote that Michael at Unity Car Rental did
provide a great deal and wonderful service, even throwing in five extra overtime
hours on our weekly rental since we arrived in the morning and left in the late
afternoon. That he takes a reservation without a deposit made me a bit nervous,
but his staff was there to greet us at the airport and help with the
luggage.
GCL Car
Rental: Summer special: US $126 per week for a new
Getz. All weekly (or more) reservations during each month from now until
November will be entered in a contest for one week's rental refund. Rent a car
for a week from Don and you may return home to find the refund on your credit
card bill! The April winner was Mr.Charles Rappaport from Gilbert, AZ and the
May winner was Mr.Roger Horn from Crystal River, FL.
L'Esperance
Hotel in Philipsburg is bargain at $75 per night for a 1BR suite
with a kitchen. It's not on the water, but they have a pool.
The Banana
Cabana, a one bedroom studio on the
lagoon in Cupecoy, is only $695 for the week all taxes and service
included.
California has two apartments for rent that are right on the water in Grand
Case. The one bedroom, sleeps four, is $750 and the two bedroom, sleeps six,
maybe more, is $900 for the week. Zuzu said she would take
10% off September to November for the apartments at California. Zuzu and Alain
now have the Acropole Orient Villa for rent at very
attractive prices, especially for three couples.
The Turquoise Shell Inn is running a
summer promotion in conjunction with SHTA, four nights for the price of three or
seven nights for six and more. Their own deal may be better: the weekly special
July 15th thru Nov 15th is $625.00 including all taxes and service charges.
Summer in St Maarten is as good as the rest of the year, great prices, and no
crowds. Their weekly special thru July 15th remains at $700.00.
Sandy Molloy at Molloy
Travel says that she has negotiated a great
deal at Alamanda and has can't beat rates at Le Petit, L'Esplanade, Maho, and La
Plantation. If you like great food, Le Petit and L'Esplanade are the two
bookends on Grand Case's restaurant row. Maho is in the thick of the action in
Simpson Bay and if you're part of the birthday suit crowd, La Plantation is a
lovely place within walking distance of Orient beach. I can now say I have been
in Alamanda's lobby. It's quite nice and a very short stroll to Kakao on Orient Beach.