etx
SBH Insider
Hello to all! I have been looking forward to being able to contribute something to this board for a long time, and now I (hopefully) will get the chance to do so.
My bride and I were married on June 15th and were flown to Dallas that evening by my uncle and cousin. It was a small plane and at first my wife balked at the idea, but the flight went smoothly and at the very least it prepared her for the Winair hop. We were supposed to leave the following morning, but after a passport fiasco our trip was delayed a day (don't ask, we don't talk about it). We arrived in St. Maarten the evening of the 17th and stayed at the Sonesta Maho. We flew out the next morning to finally arrive where we were supposed to be. The flight was a lot of fun, we both really enjoyed the nose-dive before planing out.
Moe Moulinier from Wimco (splendid guy) met us at the airport, helped us with our car rental, then led us up to Villa SAS. It was just as I had been picturing it in my mind for the previous 6+ months of anticipation.
Anxious to get to the beach, we unpacked and changed into swim suits to head down to St. Jean beach. It was a beautiful day. We had lunch at the Sand Bar. I had the fish sandwich while Jenn had the prosciutto pizza. Both were great. We really enjoyed the people watching and plane watching at St. Jean that day. The water felt perfect and it was so nice to just be there.
That night we ate at Le Select as we were trying to find a place to watch the US men's national team World Cup qualifier. All you ladies out there, stop making that face at me, she insisted! She knows how much I love soccer and the team and wanted to be supportive. Anyway, we couldn't find anywhere showing it as there was a basketball game that night, so we settled in at Le Select. Later on that week I felt like we wasted a dinner opportunity, but we were both tired and just happy to be there, so the "cheeseburger in paradise" hit the spot.
The next day we decided to try Gouverneur, but it started raining shortly after we got out there. Thankfully it turned out to be our only day of rain for the week. We went back to the villa and then into Gustavia for some window shopping and the like.
For dinner that night we went to Wall House - excellent. I had the mahi and Jenn the salmon. I probably should have ordered a steak or the duck here, but the fish was wonderful. It was so strange, and this is something we encountered the whole week, but for a good hour we were the only people there. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It's a wonder more restaurants don't close in the low season.
Thursday we went to Saline and it was just beautiful. The surf was really powerful and I enjoyed being in the ocean. My poor wife was walking back to the beach from the water and got blindsided by a gigantic wave. She was pretty careful in the waves after that. We drove up to Grain de Sel only to find it closed, so we drove around and went to Le Piment. It was perfect for lunch, then we tried Gouverneur again and it was very nice.
Dinner that night at La Table de Jules was awesome. Tuna tartare was to die for, the tenderloin was indeed tender and apple crisp for me and chocolate mousse for her. As you can see, the mousse was not in the least bit cared for. Wear bug spray! I was eaten alive. We had an after-dinner drink that night at the Sand Bar. The ambiance down there was really nice. So peaceful and relaxing. We were so impressed with Eden Rock the whole week.
Friday we booked massages at Guanahani and spent the day there. As we were walking down to the beach after the massages, Jenn's leg brushed up against the tail of an iguana and it nearly scared her to death. We were walking down the stone steps off to the side of the drive and I guess the fella had just crossed. She let out a scream that sent shivers down my spine. He was HUGE. She wasn't too keen on much adventuring after that, but I did get her out to do a bit of hiking around the point around Guanahani.
Aside from that incident, we had a great day. Lunch there was great: smoked salmon sandwich and painkillers, my favorite island drink. They put us right up next to the water. It was very peaceful. We hiked around the point for a bit and really enjoyed that, it was very windy and the views were great.
We went to Eden Rock for dinner that night. This was our favorite place of the trip. I really like how the restaurant is tiered, and the views, of course, are spectacular. The food was excellent, my best meal. I had a pineapple julep that was delicious and Jenn a Bellini. We started with the lobster tacos, then I had the snapper and Jenn the shrimp. My snapper was heavenly: succulent, melt-in-your-mouth fish seasoned to perfection in a buttery but in no way heavy "sweet and sour" sauce that is nothing like Asian food. Simply fantastic. Jennifer had the molten chocolate cake for dessert while I got the caramel ice cream sundae. I made the better decision, though she swears that isn't the case.
For our final beach day we went to Flamands, and again, it was like we were the only people on the island. It was very windy and we had to turn our faces at times to avoid getting peppered with sand (an issue all week, that normally the case?), but we had a great day. We ate at IdF and split the mixed grill of fish which was the perfect size for lunch. The staff was so friendly, but they were everywhere we went all week. I thoroughly appreciate kindness because it seems often it is neglected on a day-to-day basis at times in the States.
For our last dinner we made a reservation (though I have no idea why, there were 2 other couples that night) at Le Gaiac. We decided to get a nice bottle of wine and had a 2004 Chateau d'Armhailac, a Bordeaux that I will highly recommend for cab lovers. On Amy and Phil's recommendation we had the parmesan and truffle spaghetti - rich and excellent. Jenn had the mahi ravioli which she has raved about for days. I was disappointed with my filet mignon - it was very tough and chewy, though the flavor was good. We were simply too stuffed for dessert that evening. The staff there, of course, was wonderful.
We ferried over to St. Maarten the next morning and met up with my family (minus 1 brother) and some family friends to hop on a cat for another week of Caribbean bliss. We rented through the Moorings, a 4600. We went St. Maarten --> Anguilla --> St. Martin --> Colombier --> Gustavia --> Ile Fourche --> St. Maarten.
A few quick notes about the boat trip:
-The diving at Ile Fourche was absolutely excellent. I think that was my favorite night on the boat, as we moored, explored the island, dived (dove?), and cooked right there on the boat.
-We ate at Barrel Stay in Anguilla and it might have been my favorite meal of the 2 weeks. Great British chef with a lot of personality, right on the beach. Food was top-notch.
-For our last night in the harbor of Gustavia we stumbled upon Bagatelle. Looking for pizza originally, we settled on this spot only to find after we had sat down and ordered drinks that there would be no pizza that night, as "the guy that does it didn't show up." My dad was not happy (we were trying to eat a little cheaper also after a dinner at Eden Rock the night before), but the meal turned out to be absolutely fantastic. I had the duck and it was cooked perfectly. Everyone had a great meal. The tuna tartare was heavenly as a starter. Great little place.
-My dad's favorite places on the island are Maya's and Pipiri Palace, so we were sad to find that they were both closed.
-One day we sent the women to the beach and my dad, brother and I rented mopeds. ****THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST-DO.**** We had a great time, one of the highlights of the trip.
Final thoughts for first-timers:
-Even after scouring this forum for months leading up to the trip, we still felt overwhelmed at all the options for food and things to do on the island. So do more research! We were scared we would miss out on something. For the most part I thought we did pretty well.
-Eden Rock, Wall House, Table de Jules (formerly Massai) are great spots. Eden Rock was our favorite (I think I've mentioned this before) and a must-do.
-If you do a spa day at Guanahani the beach chairs are free (at least I certainly hope they are, we weren't asked to pay for them). On that note, beach chairs and the service that comes with them are nice, but they are expensive. We had beach chairs at our villa that we could take to the beach and these served us just fine.
Overall, we had an excellent time. I know that the next time we make it back we'll better know what to do and where to go.
(more pictures to come)
My bride and I were married on June 15th and were flown to Dallas that evening by my uncle and cousin. It was a small plane and at first my wife balked at the idea, but the flight went smoothly and at the very least it prepared her for the Winair hop. We were supposed to leave the following morning, but after a passport fiasco our trip was delayed a day (don't ask, we don't talk about it). We arrived in St. Maarten the evening of the 17th and stayed at the Sonesta Maho. We flew out the next morning to finally arrive where we were supposed to be. The flight was a lot of fun, we both really enjoyed the nose-dive before planing out.
Moe Moulinier from Wimco (splendid guy) met us at the airport, helped us with our car rental, then led us up to Villa SAS. It was just as I had been picturing it in my mind for the previous 6+ months of anticipation.
Anxious to get to the beach, we unpacked and changed into swim suits to head down to St. Jean beach. It was a beautiful day. We had lunch at the Sand Bar. I had the fish sandwich while Jenn had the prosciutto pizza. Both were great. We really enjoyed the people watching and plane watching at St. Jean that day. The water felt perfect and it was so nice to just be there.
That night we ate at Le Select as we were trying to find a place to watch the US men's national team World Cup qualifier. All you ladies out there, stop making that face at me, she insisted! She knows how much I love soccer and the team and wanted to be supportive. Anyway, we couldn't find anywhere showing it as there was a basketball game that night, so we settled in at Le Select. Later on that week I felt like we wasted a dinner opportunity, but we were both tired and just happy to be there, so the "cheeseburger in paradise" hit the spot.
The next day we decided to try Gouverneur, but it started raining shortly after we got out there. Thankfully it turned out to be our only day of rain for the week. We went back to the villa and then into Gustavia for some window shopping and the like.
For dinner that night we went to Wall House - excellent. I had the mahi and Jenn the salmon. I probably should have ordered a steak or the duck here, but the fish was wonderful. It was so strange, and this is something we encountered the whole week, but for a good hour we were the only people there. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. It's a wonder more restaurants don't close in the low season.
Thursday we went to Saline and it was just beautiful. The surf was really powerful and I enjoyed being in the ocean. My poor wife was walking back to the beach from the water and got blindsided by a gigantic wave. She was pretty careful in the waves after that. We drove up to Grain de Sel only to find it closed, so we drove around and went to Le Piment. It was perfect for lunch, then we tried Gouverneur again and it was very nice.
Dinner that night at La Table de Jules was awesome. Tuna tartare was to die for, the tenderloin was indeed tender and apple crisp for me and chocolate mousse for her. As you can see, the mousse was not in the least bit cared for. Wear bug spray! I was eaten alive. We had an after-dinner drink that night at the Sand Bar. The ambiance down there was really nice. So peaceful and relaxing. We were so impressed with Eden Rock the whole week.
Friday we booked massages at Guanahani and spent the day there. As we were walking down to the beach after the massages, Jenn's leg brushed up against the tail of an iguana and it nearly scared her to death. We were walking down the stone steps off to the side of the drive and I guess the fella had just crossed. She let out a scream that sent shivers down my spine. He was HUGE. She wasn't too keen on much adventuring after that, but I did get her out to do a bit of hiking around the point around Guanahani.
Aside from that incident, we had a great day. Lunch there was great: smoked salmon sandwich and painkillers, my favorite island drink. They put us right up next to the water. It was very peaceful. We hiked around the point for a bit and really enjoyed that, it was very windy and the views were great.
We went to Eden Rock for dinner that night. This was our favorite place of the trip. I really like how the restaurant is tiered, and the views, of course, are spectacular. The food was excellent, my best meal. I had a pineapple julep that was delicious and Jenn a Bellini. We started with the lobster tacos, then I had the snapper and Jenn the shrimp. My snapper was heavenly: succulent, melt-in-your-mouth fish seasoned to perfection in a buttery but in no way heavy "sweet and sour" sauce that is nothing like Asian food. Simply fantastic. Jennifer had the molten chocolate cake for dessert while I got the caramel ice cream sundae. I made the better decision, though she swears that isn't the case.
For our final beach day we went to Flamands, and again, it was like we were the only people on the island. It was very windy and we had to turn our faces at times to avoid getting peppered with sand (an issue all week, that normally the case?), but we had a great day. We ate at IdF and split the mixed grill of fish which was the perfect size for lunch. The staff was so friendly, but they were everywhere we went all week. I thoroughly appreciate kindness because it seems often it is neglected on a day-to-day basis at times in the States.
For our last dinner we made a reservation (though I have no idea why, there were 2 other couples that night) at Le Gaiac. We decided to get a nice bottle of wine and had a 2004 Chateau d'Armhailac, a Bordeaux that I will highly recommend for cab lovers. On Amy and Phil's recommendation we had the parmesan and truffle spaghetti - rich and excellent. Jenn had the mahi ravioli which she has raved about for days. I was disappointed with my filet mignon - it was very tough and chewy, though the flavor was good. We were simply too stuffed for dessert that evening. The staff there, of course, was wonderful.
We ferried over to St. Maarten the next morning and met up with my family (minus 1 brother) and some family friends to hop on a cat for another week of Caribbean bliss. We rented through the Moorings, a 4600. We went St. Maarten --> Anguilla --> St. Martin --> Colombier --> Gustavia --> Ile Fourche --> St. Maarten.
A few quick notes about the boat trip:
-The diving at Ile Fourche was absolutely excellent. I think that was my favorite night on the boat, as we moored, explored the island, dived (dove?), and cooked right there on the boat.
-We ate at Barrel Stay in Anguilla and it might have been my favorite meal of the 2 weeks. Great British chef with a lot of personality, right on the beach. Food was top-notch.
-For our last night in the harbor of Gustavia we stumbled upon Bagatelle. Looking for pizza originally, we settled on this spot only to find after we had sat down and ordered drinks that there would be no pizza that night, as "the guy that does it didn't show up." My dad was not happy (we were trying to eat a little cheaper also after a dinner at Eden Rock the night before), but the meal turned out to be absolutely fantastic. I had the duck and it was cooked perfectly. Everyone had a great meal. The tuna tartare was heavenly as a starter. Great little place.
-My dad's favorite places on the island are Maya's and Pipiri Palace, so we were sad to find that they were both closed.
-One day we sent the women to the beach and my dad, brother and I rented mopeds. ****THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST-DO.**** We had a great time, one of the highlights of the trip.
Final thoughts for first-timers:
-Even after scouring this forum for months leading up to the trip, we still felt overwhelmed at all the options for food and things to do on the island. So do more research! We were scared we would miss out on something. For the most part I thought we did pretty well.
-Eden Rock, Wall House, Table de Jules (formerly Massai) are great spots. Eden Rock was our favorite (I think I've mentioned this before) and a must-do.
-If you do a spa day at Guanahani the beach chairs are free (at least I certainly hope they are, we weren't asked to pay for them). On that note, beach chairs and the service that comes with them are nice, but they are expensive. We had beach chairs at our villa that we could take to the beach and these served us just fine.
Overall, we had an excellent time. I know that the next time we make it back we'll better know what to do and where to go.
(more pictures to come)
