Sunset Beach Bar Trouble
For many years the Sunset Beach Bar at the beginning of the airport runway has been St. Maarten's most famous bar. Recently sold to a foreign investor for - so the rumor goes - 2 million Dollars - the bar is not a happy place anymore.

Today's newspaper printed a long letter to the editor by a frustrated former patron, who listed several serious insensitivities by the new owner: dancing children have been kicked out of the bar, guests have been cursed at by the owner, staff is frustrated and unfriendly because of surveillance cameras watching their every move. Another problem seems to be a discount card for locals, who only pay a buck per drink, while non-priviledged guests have to put up with prices about 30% higher than last season. I was puzzled today to find out that the local scene is really upset about the situation and wishes the good old times back.

Let's see how bad it is: I will go there Thursday (seeing Steve and Jane for their body painting extravaganza) and report honestly here.

- posted by Jan @ 6:15 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Small News is Good News
Reading the island's newspaper, The Daily Herald, can be frustrating, because there is sometimes bad news to report and we residents have to face it, if we like it or not. But occasionally, news borders on the trivial in the most charming way:

Today one of the headlines dealt with a sick sea turtle which got airlifted to the larger French island of Guadeloupe to receive proper treatment.

As much as I sympathize with the health problems of amphibious life, it occurred to me that I must live in a pretty calm and pleasant corner of the world, if illness of a single turtle justifies a lengthily article (with photo of the suffering animal on a stretcher).

Runner up in "small news" is the recent article of an increase of the donkey population on the neighboring island of Saba, because a freighter delivered one (1) female with her foal. Both animals were shown in photos and their names supplied (which I don't recall...). The proud ship was listed as well and the captain quoted.

- posted by Jan @ 1:48 AM 1 comments links to this post   

 
New French Restaurant
Maho Village has a new French Restaurant, called 'Le Moulin fou'. Located behind Cherie's Cafe, the restaurant has outdoor seating, but guests have to put up with the loud and cheesy entertainment offered to the less discriminating crowd at Cherrie's. Inside, the ambiance is wonderful, service excellent and the food superior.

I believe that Le Moulin fou might compete with Temptations and Citrus, but prices are about 25% lower. Michelle and I had a really great dinner and we will be back!

- posted by Jan @ 10:18 AM 1 comments links to this post   

 
Body Painting
Steve and Jane are regulars on the island, spending every winter here and the summers on the French Riviera. Steve entertains as a DJ and Jane is popular as a body painting artist.

On Thursday evenings, go to Sunset Beach Bar to receive Jane's art for free. For visitors on a budget: topless ladies drink free at Sunset Beach Bar, and with a little bit of Jane's paint, they still qualify.

After 10 pm the couple moves on to Indianas. On Fridays, get you body paint treat at Golden Eyes, a nightclub in Simpson Bay.

- posted by Jan @ 8:10 AM 1 comments links to this post   

 
Jimbo's Cafe
The ultra-popular Tex-Mex restaurant in Simpson Bay offers now breakfast. Jimbo created a breakfast menu with a Mexican twist and offers a welcome alternative to the standard fare offered by the competition in the neighborhood.

And if its not the great food which draws you in, than come for the wonderful ambiance to start your day.

- posted by Jan @ 1:20 PM 1 comments links to this post   

 
Dolphin Casino
The Dolphin Casino reopened at its new location in Simpson Bay inside the Sunset Theaters building.

The casino had experienced some legal difficulties due to a dispute with it's former landlord, the Caravanserein Resort. The move off the resort and into this highly visible location is good news for both casino and movie house. The Sunset Theater faces stiff competition from the new Megaplex just a few hundred yards down the road and was worried about survival. By using the ground floor for the casino, the building should now create enough income to support both business.

- posted by Jan @ 1:45 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Weather Today
Finally! The infamous Christmas winds have blown themselves out and the weather returned to normal. Temperatures are back in the low eighties, the sun is shining and the beach beckons. For us living here, the last weeks with temperatures in the mid-seventies felt like a severe onslaught of winter. I even had to dig a sweater out of the closet for one evening last week.



- posted by Jan @ 11:02 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Airport in Anguilla Reopened
St. Maarten's neighbor Anguilla opened the airport again after extending the runway to accommodate larger planes. Passengers with destination Anguilla don't have to change planes in St. Maarten anymore, but can fly into the British island directly from San Juan (Puerto Rico) with American Eagle.

While Princess Juliana Airport in St. Maarten is loosing a bit of traffic (and money), everybody agrees that in the long run the region will win. The islands of Anguilla, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Barths are too close together to be seen as totally separate markets. Amongst the tourism officials there is now a consensus in marketing the region and pointing to the special features of each island, without talking down the others.
- posted by Jan @ 10:43 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
New Vacation Ownership Resort in Philipsburg
For decades, the Great Bay Hotel has been the leading resort in Philipsburg. Consistent with he rebirth of Philipsburg as the prime destination city on St. Maarten, the Great Bay has been completely rebuild, with apartment units added.

The resort is scheduled to be re-opened within the next few months and will be now part of the Royal Islander Club resorts on the island.

Presently, the Royal Islander Club consists of 'La Plage' and 'La Terrasse' at Maho Village. Managed for years by Austrian Walter Kieser, the Royal Islander Club has recently been voted No. 1 timeshare on St. Maarten.

For everybody interested in having a look at the Royal Islander Club, contact me at info@freestmaarten.com

- posted by Jan @ 11:35 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
New DigiPost Edition
Finally: the first boxes with the 3rd Edition of the St. Maarten DigiPost CD-ROM have arrived. We are now busy fulfilling all the CD requests from the www.freestmaarten.com site. At the same time, we have to deliver to over 80 stores around the island. We might mail the CDs out for free, but here on the island we are selling them for $6.90 retail. As the publisher, I feel it is important to maintain retail sales, because it guarantees that we follow the standards of regular journalism and don't weaken the quality of our publication by turning it into a free advertising media.

The new CD has more content and is introducing The Cruise Club, a unique way to afford private luxury yacht charter. Who hasn't dreamed to cruise Caribbean waters on a private yacht, while a friendly crew is attending to all wishes?

Please go to www.freestmaarten.com to order your own free CD.

- posted by Jan @ 11:40 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Philipsburg Cruise Ships
I cancelled my planned business lunch in Philipsburg, even though I really enjoy the completely revitalized capital of Dutch St. Maarten. My reason to avoid town today is good news to most of the island's business people: today, 9 cruise ships visited with a total of 27,000 passengers roaming the streets. I realized, there would be no more room for me.

But I'm not complaining: tourism and cruise ship visits are St. Maarten's business and we, who live here, don't feel inconvenienced when it is getting a little hectic. Sometimes while driving behind a bus or taxi, crawling along to allow its passengers to enjoy the scenery, I have to remind myself that the happiness of visitors comes first and has priority over my schedule.

- posted by Jan @ 2:20 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
New Shopping Attraction
Finally: St. Maarten has its own Outlet Mall. True to the island's lifestyle, it is an upscale version of the concept...

The Italian Fashion District opened about two weeks ago at Maho Village, occupying at least 50,000 square feet (my guess). This super store only carries the most noble Italian fashion labels, such as Armani, but the prices are dramatically discounted.

The Italian Fashion District is open until 11 PM and so are most of the other 40 shops at Maho Village, turning the area in one of the island's prime shopping destinations.

- posted by Jan @ 10:10 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Restaurant Upgrade
Indian food is an integral part of Caribbean cuisine. Lal's Indian Cuisine has been for many years the favorite of locals. The unique restaurant and bar is located right across the airport.

Recently, some big changes occurred: the run-down convenience store next to Lal's has been torn down and a brand new French restaurant has been constructed on the pier.

Lal's build a large deck to accommodate more tables in a service friendly environment. We had dinner today, met many old friend and loved the food as always. The new setup is a huge improvement, the prices are great as always. Our dinner for two was less than $20 including drinks!

- posted by Jan @ 11:19 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Wireless Internet Access
Hot spots for wireless Internet access are covering now many areas on the island. I noticed that the network at the Atrium Resort and adjacent Indiana Restaurant is open and unsecured; everyone can log on and go online. Indiana charges $5 for a day of Internet access, but I wonder how they plan to control it.

There are also hot spots at the Simpson Bay Yacht Club and in the Maho Village area, but I don't know yet what is required to sign on.


- posted by Jan @ 1:28 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
"Fly Zone" at Loterie Farm
We didn't pay BJ much mind when he explained his plan to turn Loterie Farm into one of the Caribbean's leading attractions. This idea of a tree-top path sounded too excentric, even for him. But now BJ pulled it off: The "Fly Zone" opened last week to the public and the response is phenomenal!

Let him explain in his own words what the Fly Zone is about: "The Fly Zone will suspend you high above our private forest reserve where you'll soar between majestic 200 year old mango and mahogany trees. The exhilarating traverse course and variety of zip-lines is guaranteed to leave you in a state of euphoria!"

A team of French technicians installed the rather sophisticated equipment during the months of October and November. A government official flew in from Paris to evaluate the health of the trees and to certify this first and only tree-top excursion on St. Martin.

The Fly Zone is not for the timid and unfit. If you bring more than 220 pounds to the scale, you need to diet before you are allowed to participate. A certain fitness level is required to enjoy this 90 minute trail through Loterie Farms tree tops. A team of instructors is teaching the basics of handling the harness and clips and guides through the first half hour. Safety is guaranteed if the instructions are being followed. For kids too small to enjoy the main trail, there is a separate "Little Tarzan" trail.

So, dear island visitor: Don't forget to stop at Loterie Farm to have a look at this newest thrill. Even if you are not comfortable to participate, its worth checking this unusual concept out. The hiking trails up the mountain are beautifully maintained as always and Julie still cooks up a storm at the Hidden Forest Cafe - offering a new menu for this winter season.

You find Loterie Farm on the road to Pic Paradis. For reservations call 0590.87.86.16

- posted by Jan @ 7:41 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Flue
People drop like flies. Everybody is getting the flue around me. I had just recovered around New Year from a miserable few days, Michelle had it around the same time but felt fully recovered by the beginning of this year. Now she got fever again and has to stay in bed.

It happens every year: The winter season gets into high gear and visitors from the North are importing an amazing virus cocktail. If we are immune against one, there will be another variety which will make it through the defense system.

So many people living on the island are down and can't show up for work that I would like to ask our visitors to have some patience right now. Service in restaurants and shops might be a little slow due to the fact that almost everyone is dramatically understaffed right now.

- posted by Jan @ 1:05 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Island Real Estate
This afternoon I drove around the Dutch side of St. Maarten with my good friend Doug Hoekstra, looking at some neighborhoods through real estate investor's eyes. Doug owns a charming 2 bedroom apartment on the French side near Orient Beach. He bought the condo a few years ago when 90 US Dollar Cents bought 1 Euro. Today, we have to spend $1.30 to buy one Euro. That's why Dough decided to sell his place. With a 20% appreciation and the dramatically different exchange rate, he will make a handsome profit and is looking to reinvest his funds into property on the Dutch side (where prices are quoted in US currency).

I noticed a while ago that Dutch St. Maarten has an incredible selection of well prices luxury property, but there is very little available in the price segment below $250,000. The French side though has condos from $40,000 upwards, but the brokers don't show much interest in these low priced units and rarely offer them. Because there is no multiple listing system on the island, a potential buyer has to go from realtor to realtor to get a market overview. Some brokers will flat out deny that there is anything on the market for under half a million, while others might have a neat little bargain somewhere.

I showed Dough some neighborhoods which haven't seen a lot of investment in the past years and most properties didn't appear to be well maintained. But we found out that deals are not readily available anymore: where there was zero action for many years, suddenly the local market seems to explode and houses, townhouses, condos are sold as soon as they are on the market.

Several large new developments are being build and selling well. This creates an amazing market momentum and seems to pull along existing real estate. After a few hours Doug and I pretty much agreed that it is high time to buy something or being left out of the boom happening at this time

We also identified some extremely hot opportunities, which I don't want to share in detail here.

- posted by Jan @ 11:29 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Caribbean XMas Winds
The Christmas Winds are here! I'm not too happy about it, because temperatures are now in the 70s - and this is much too fresh for someone who is living in the tropics for 20 years. Unfortunately, with the Christmas winds comes somewhat unstable weather and we have to deal right now with a few showers daily. The sun always comes back after 5 minutes though. On Orient Beach, the wind is blowing pretty hard, so the beaches on the West side of the island are now first choice. From Mullet Bay, Cupecoy to Baie Rouge you will find protection from wind and surf.
- posted by Jan @ 4:14 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
New Number Plates
The Dutch side is getting new license plates for 2005 - but they haven't been delivered yet. Before you can smile about Caribbean scheduling, let me explain that it is a US manufacturer who can't deliver on time due to bad weather - at least this is the reason we got.

The number plates will show a photo of Mullet Bay and also name the www.st-maarten.com website. I was surprised to find out that the local government took a photo from my DigiPost CD publication to use for the plates. Not that I mind, but nobody had told me... Its kind of cool though that DigiPost is now handling the st-maarten.com site AND provides the beach picture.

- posted by Jan @ 1:49 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Traffic in Simpson Bay
During the summer months traffic in Simpson Bay got so bad that I was wondering how we will survive the active winter season. My fears proved to be right when traffic basically collapsed during most of the day. It was almost impossible to get from the airport area to anywhere in Simpson Bay or 'over the hill' to Philipsburg.

But a minor miracle happened: While the island was even busier with the first Charter Yacht Show, spanning all marinas in the Simpson Bay Lagoon region, major construction was performed on the road and finished within a few days. These few days where of course even more disastrous than usual, but... the changes do work: there is now a filter lane for cars making a left turn at the Tropicana Casino, and this detail seems to take care of most or the problem.

Also, the Maho Village area has been beautified and a round-about has been installed at the intersection between Maho Village and Caravanserei/Bliss/Sunset Beach Bar.
- posted by Jan @ 8:36 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
The Island's Smallest Shop
Check out the island's smallest souvenir shop - just opened by Michelle at the famous Turtle Pier Restaurant! She got her hands on some pretty unique museum pieces and also offers some great last minute souvenirs. Remember: Turtle Pier is the ideal place to have a last drink before your flight leaves; the charming waterfront restaurant is within easy walking distance of the airport.

The new shop at Turtle Pier is also the 'official' Free St. Maarten Welcome Center. In the future, you can collect documents, vouchers and general advise right there.
- posted by Jan @ 6:28 PM 0 comments links to this post