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Looks healthy, as well.

Hi Kevin, Anita and I are on the November 3rd flight IAD-SXM. So far, so good on that one. However, I am nervous that it will get re-routed, as you would think January 5th Saturday would be popular. At least it was when they took our money for a Non-Stop. Guess it is a crap shoot

Hi Andy, Living good! Delicious!

It's looking delicious. It is a combination of rice noodles. Shrimp thai is a non-veg. dish.

We stayed in Villa Bikini this past June for two weeks. Lovely villa! Well equipped, great location, comfortable. There was considerable road noise, though, and the driveway up is VERY steep (get a 4WD or risk blowing a tire like we did)! Our only issue was with the rental agency we used, so use caution there.

Verify your flight frequently. United cancelled our direct IAD-SXM in June without notifying us. I only caught it after seeing so many changes for others here.

Looking at UA's current IAD-SXM schedule, they're only operating non-stop on Saturdays. Service begins on November 3, continues weekly through December 15, skips 3 weeks over the holidays, resumes on January 12, and ends at the end of March.

I have a feeling that the airlines are not fully to blame here. SXM is still severely limited in the number of flights it can handle in any given period. They have said that by March or April enough repairs will be completed to allow the re-opening of at least part of the terminal, but who knows if that will actually happen. Right now, if more than two large jets come in anywhere near each other time wise, it's a big, uncomfortable mess. Phil

We already have reservations for afternoon tea at Harrod's on the 24th.

Dennis . . . it may be a forgone conclusion, but be sure to go to Harrod’s — a fantasy holiday experience, for sure! Fortnam & Mason also is a great spot . . . various holiday fun events are offered, such as caroling, & their restaurants are elegant, memorable experiences (afternoon “tea,” for example). Finally, I think that one of the very best, top London stops is the tour offered at Kensington Palace (where the young Royals live). There’s a “tour lite” package & another that provides access to much more of the Palace. The latter is well worth the extra cost & time. One more . . . I would say that if you like contemporary art, cross the Thames & visit the “Tate Modern.” It’s in an old industrial power plant facility & very striking.

Tingling works, Dennis.

We are on United IAD to SXM on a Saturday in December. So far it’s still on, but seeing this isn’t a good sign

Thanks, Dennis. We're excited. Dare I say tingling?

Dad . . . if you!re not wedded to UA, you might check AA. I believe, for example, it has a non-stop out of PHL to SXM around 9 AM . . . could it work for you as a connection?

Dennis and Pirate, sounds like some sort of "common interest" motivation development may be the ticket here. Rather than a purely ROI motivation of an otherwise disinterested party.

When I ran my 965 seat restaurant, we built a small 4 plex on the property, nothing fancy.....2 janitors,1i dishwasher and the chef lived on property. Small amount out of their check every month. South Seas on Captiva does the same....

1080 NM @ 280 knots = approximately 4 hours (average flight time). However this is depending on the winds aloft and varies every day. It is usually a little faster to fly from MIA to SBH due to the tailwinds.

We operate several Pilatus PC12's. Not all of them are equipped with a lavatory, however the ones operated on the longer flights are (including the latest addition to the fleet).

We LOVE the Hideaway. I certainly hope Hafida comes back. She is adorable and we always go there the first night and a number of subsequent evenings. It is definitely not the same as when Andy is there, but Hafida's good will remains!

This might not be exactly the same problem but its solution might be similar: a friend of mine who is a builder in Los Cabos, Mexico, took the initiative, due to the rising crime problem there, to have housing built for a large contingent of law enforcement officers, and the crime situation has measurably improved. The solution was not with the government; it was with the business owners who paid for the housing themselves. I had also read an article about it in a newspaper on line. I realize SBH is not Cabo, does not have the same amount of land or large business owners, but maybe there could be a public/private cooperative effort? Just an idea.

Cass . . . your supposition would fit in many circumstances, but doesn’t really match conditions on the island. I’ve done income / expense analyses of building “multifamily” housing (single family housing is more expensive) on the island & haven’t found land at a price that “pencils out,” considering acquisition / construction / development costs, to a minimally economic use of funds. A workable model, I believe, will require “community development” support . . . i.e., in some significant part, financial assistance in the form of subsidies &/or other incentives. Such assistance might come from employers . . . but more likely will require government action. Right now, I don’t see that happening very soon.

You can fly round trip in a much larger jet from the Baltimore area to SXM for $28,000 to 39,000 round trip.

great times, will be missed was never the same after Andy left, he was the heart and soul of the place

Clt = Charlottes Web

I would not mind seeing a community of 'garden apartments' for staff and worker housing.

I have memories from very happy times spent at The Hideaway.

Reminds me of a prior thread "Fadeaway"

We have stayed in lots of villa's as have many of the Forum.

there are frankly a couple of areas of the island that seem not very well suited to high-end tourism and where one would suppose property values less than astronomical. one would think that an enterprising somebody might well develop worker-level multi-family housing in those areas.