Reflections

My daughter asked me-did you like this trip more than your trip in 1994?  Hard question to answer.  

Accommodations.  I think I enjoyed our stay at the Grand Case Beach Club better.  From what I can remember I believe our 2022 place was more spacious than where we stayed in 1994.  And it was oceanfront!  If we were to return to SXM we'd stay here again.

In 1994 we stayed on the Dutch side and had meals on the Dutch side.  This trip almost all our meals were on the French side and the food was better. 

Rental car experience.  This trip we had a car for the entire time we were here as opposed to the few days we had a car back in 1994.  I will say that driving was much less of a hassle/headache back in 1994.

In 1994 we booked a catamaran day trip to St. Bart's.  It was nice.  This trip we weren't able to book a catamaran trip to Anguilla as what we found on line was a trip that went once a week and was sold out until August.  So we had to do a DIY trip to Anguilla.  Due to covid there was the extra cost of getting a covid test for us both.  A bit more complicated to do this kind of day trip than it would have been back in 1994.  

In 1994 the weather was perfect the entire week.  This time we had some spots of light rain, overcast days so weather better in 1994.

Sightseeing.  We covered so much more back in 1994 but then we were 28 years younger!  So hard to compare.  I was disappointed we didn't get to revisit Ft. Amsterdam.  But all the people we ran into this trip were so friendly, so helpful.  I don't remember having that same feeling from 1994.

Of course it was also way easier to do a trip to anywhere in the Caribbean in 1994.  Covid happened and travel was not as easy as it once was.

A few things that I love to recall from 1994 trip.  We went out to dinner-Dutch side-to Lynette's.  King Beau Beau was performing and I bought his CD.  I still have that CD!  We also went to a dinner show at La Belle Vie on another night.  Believe that was part of the Sheraton at Port de Plaisance.  They  had a dance contest that night and I ended up winning-a nice bottle of wine!!

King Beau Beau at Lynette's

Me with the bottle of wine and some money I won

La Belle Vie where the dinner show took place

  

So to answer my daughter I really can't pick as the first trip was 28 years before the 2nd trip.  Wouldn't be a fair contest with that many years between trips to SXM.  This return trip was the first time we have revisited a place we've been to on vacation in over 40 years.

Ending my blog I again want to thank all the Trip Advisor folks that helped me with planning our trip.  ElectricalEngineer, Pirate, BiggDogg, PassingThruCustoms, jaidazzle, sxmlover, and many others.  I have used TA forums to help plan lots of our trips and do try to give back with trip reports, reviews of places we stay/restaurants/and so forth. 

Will we return for a 3rd trip to SXM?  Probably not.  Given our ages we have other places we want to visit.  So now we're looking to do some long trips which has been our norm.  Planning has started for a return to London, time in south eastern England, Paris, Venice, Florence, Amalfi, Rome.  We'd love to return to Bora Bora as that trip was pure bliss but that long flight is a bummer!  So many wonderful places in the world.  Places in the US we'd like to visit like Key West, Boston.  We have traveled in the US but many places in our own backyard still beckon.  

One of my favorite travel quotes.  "Life is short and the world is wide"-Unknown.