St Maarten/St Martin 12 June 2011 Newsletter Other newsletters Contests | Restaurants | Bargains and Happenings ISLAND NEWS

Weather: The last week of April featured five days of thunderstorms. Again, not all areas get rain all day long, some areas see no rain, although when there are two days with a 90% chance of storms, you will probably get wet. Temperatures ranged from the mid-70s at night to mid-80s in the afternoon, essentially summer conditions. The week ending 15 May was quite rainy and overcast. NOAA's Hurricane predictions: Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA is predicting the following ranges this year: * 12 to 18 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which: * 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including: * 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher) Each of these ranges has a 70 percent likelihood, and indicate that activity will exceed the seasonal average of 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

On Wednesday this week, Donna Pavianni from Piazza Pascal said "It's been raining for the last two days. Everything is very green. Up to then very humid with sprinkles often. Very strange June."

The box shows the current local conditions and here's the detailed forecast from Weather Underground and here's one from the Weather Channel. Sunset today is at 7:49 and the moon is approaching full. We are almost at the solstice. On 21 June sunrise will be at 5:37AM and sunset will be at 6:51PM, not quite 13½ hours of sunlight.

By comparison, New York City has 15 hours and 9 minutes of sunlight. We are 166 miles north of NYC, about 2.7°, and get about 16 minutes more sunlight on that day. I use Earth Tools to get all these bits of trivia. It's a handy program and free. In 2011 the full moons will be 15 Jun, 15 Jul, 13 Aug, 12 Sep, 12 Oct, 11 Nov, and 10 Dec.

SXM-Beaches: The photo on the right is a shot taken from ZEN Café Concept looking north across Orange Fever to the hills behind the old Mont Vernon Hotel. There was a thread on TTOL asking which of the Five Stars on Orient was the best. This produced immense confusion, with some people saying there were no five star restaurants (whatever that is) on Orient. The first five major restaurants to open on Orient were on land owned by Plantation Hotel. At one point they had a website calling themselves the Five Stars on Orient (Kontiki, Coco, Bikini Beach, Waikiki, and Kakao Beach). Nobody awarded them five stars, they merely took the name and made a website. La Playa and Palm Beach Restaurant certainly have the chops to raise the total to seven stars. For those who knew the five stars, Kakao, Bikini, and Coco got the most good mentions (in that order). Though not one of the five stars, Palm Beach was suggested frequently also. The panoramic photo below was taken from the entrance road to Palm Beach Restaurant on Orient Beach. The central feature is the is the large rock-strewn hill behind Coco Beach at Esmeralda Hotel. Palm Beach is to the left (or north) of the hill. The island in the middle of Orient Bay is Green Cay.

Beach reading: Before the Frost by Henning Mankell - about $9 - We've been listening to this in the car during a trip to MA and now at home as we cook. It's a bit dark (like Sweden in winter) and convoluted, but interesting. From Publishers Weekly: "In Mankell's stellar 10th Wallander mystery, the generational torch passes from father Kurt to his equally stubborn daughter, Linda, who recently finished her police training and is anxiously awaiting her first day on the job. But a seemingly random series of events jump-starts her career and enmeshes her and her father, along with Stefan Lindman, the detective featured in The Return of the Dancing Master (2004), in a case with global ramifications. The book begins on a bizarrely disquieting note: someone is setting animals--wild swans, a farmer's calf--on fire. Then Linda begins investigating, unofficially, the disappearance of her friend Anna Westin. And the stakes for everyone are raised when Linda finds the ritualistically mutilated corpse of Birgitta Medberg, a local cultural historian. A complex (but wholly credible) narrative connects these events with a terrorist plot led by a survivor of the 1978 mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. As always with Mankell, the mystery is connected to larger issues--the decline of Swedish civility, of course, but also the danger of religious fundamentalism (the events are set in the weeks before 9/11)--but polemics never trumps suspense in this extraordinarily compelling drama."

Sapphire Beach Club: We are back in NY at this time, so our condo is available. The rates range from $700 to $1000 per week until 15 Dec, when high season kicks in again. You'll get a 10% discount from Unity Car Rental, one of the longest running and most trusted on the island, and many more coupons as well, including the use of our 2011 SXM Privilege Card that gets you discounts on many restaurants. Check the calendar on our website for available dates. A recent visitor said, "Erich, We had a wonderful time at your condo for the third year in a row. We appreciated the coupons. Hope to be able to do it again next year." The shot on the right is the telephoto view of Gallis Bay on the far side of Marigot from our lagoon-side balcony.

For those of you who wish to sell or rent their week or unit, we have opened up the Sapphire Beach Club website for that purpose. We charge $25 per year. If you wish to rent or sell your unit, send us some text (and $25 to esk@sxm-info.com via Paypal). If you wish to rent or buy a unit without high middleman fees, check out the website. At present, there are 20 sales and/or rentals available directly from owners. Given a 25 to 35% standard rental commission, there should be some bargains in eliminating the middleman and dealing direct.

SXM-Hotels: Mike and Fawnette at Azure Beach Studios have just put a 50% off notice on their lovely rooms on Simpson Bay. On the left is a nighttime shot of the beach and the studios. Zuzu said she would take do 10% off on all her rental villas and condos. That includes Acropole Villa and Coconut Cottage in Orient and California Apartments and Pavillon Beach in Grand Case. She'll also take 10% off on catamaran charters (see below). These reductions are valid May to October. And while she was being so expansive, she mentioned a free mimosa cocktail with the brunch at Paradise View (right).

Activities: News from Diane of Random Wind: My 4 year old daughter fell into the lagoon and I jumped in and grabbed her. After the drama and the heart pounding stopped I realized I had my Blackberry on my hip. Lost a lot - I do back up but not often enough! So I am scrambling through emails and deposits to put the missing pieces into the schedule. The Port Authority of SXM has taken on the task of bringing all of their commercial vessels up to an internationally recognized safety standard. We had our inspection and did quite well. We do have to have some more safety equipment but not a lot in addition to what we already had. While I think some of things they are recommending, especially to some of my colleagues, are a bit over the top - I am happy to comply and am glad that there is a safety code being adhered to. This will serve to bring the water activities on SXM up a notch and is a good thing. Captain Trevor and I have perfected our tandem back flip off the Tarzan Swing (photo left). We are having lots of fun out there. We meet at 9AM now - to accommodate more people and we no longer serve breakfast in lieu of a price increase.

Malcolm Maidwell, guru of sports and health and founder of Tri Sport, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family at his home on Saturday, 7 May. He will be missed because of his incredibly positive personality and peaceful presence. His motivation touched so many people throughout his lifetime, resulting in an outpouring of love and condolences from all corners of the world. The sporting community celebrated his extraordinary life on Saturday, May 14th. Cyclists met at the security guard entrance to the Falaise des Oiseaux at 3pm, where they were led to Malcolm's home. His wife of 48 years, Liz, gave them his ashes, which they carried via bike to runners who were waiting at the entrance to Port de Plaisance at 4pm. The runners continued with the ashes to Kim Sha Beach, where the paddlers took Malcolm to his final resting place, his beloved Caribbean Sea. They all drank a toast to his great spirit and then watched the sun set. We were already back in the US, but took the time to join them in a toast at 5PM.

Pineapple Pete Here's what's happening this summer at Pineapple Pete's nightclub, The Alley Nightclub & Lounge. TUESDAY NIGHTS: 2-4-TUESDAY The Biggest Party under One Roof! The Alley's 2-4-1 Tuesdays. 2-4-1 on Most Drinks until 2am. $1 Coranitas. Doors open at 1Opm. FREE ENTRANCE before 11pm. $5 before MIDNIGHT, $1O after MIDNIGHT   WEDNESDAY NIGHTS: CUBAN CIGAR LOUNGE Come to The Alley Ultra Lounge and enjoy authentic Cuban music and cigars. Doors open at 9pm. We offer a wide variety of Cuban Cigars as well as an extensive selection of Cognac, Armagnac and Ports. We have a full cocktail selection available and great drink specials including $5 Cuban Mojitos, $3 Dewers, $3 Cuba Libre and $2 Presidente/Pres. light all night long. THURSDAY NIGHTS: OPEN MIC NIGHT Calling all talent! You could be the next YOUTUBE sensation! Great prizes every week for best performance. Doors open at 9pm. Sing, dance, tell jokes, recite poetry – you have a full 5 minutes to shine! Performances to be taped and put on YOUTUBE {with consent from performer} DRINK SPECIALS: $2 Presidente/Pres. Light, $3 Café Patron Shots, $4 Vodka Redbull mix. Each performer gets a free drink from the special drinks! FRIDAY NIGHTS: TIME TRAVEL Music from the 7Os and 8Os. "When Music Was Music". This night is in THE LOUNGE. Doors open at 9pm. DRESS TO IMPRESS: Come dressed in 7Os & 8Os and get a free drink! DRINK SPECIALS: $2 Presidente/Presidente Light, $5 ALL MARTINIS, $5 Mojitos. SATURDAY NIGHTS: LATIN NIGHT The hottest Latin music on the island played all night long! Doors open at 1Opm. FREE ENTRANCE. Drink specials. $1 Presidente/Pres Light BEFORE MIDNIGHT, $2 Presidente/Light after midnight. $3 Dewers all night long.

California Restaurant is still offering 1 to 1. La Villa, also in Grand Case, is offering 1 to 1 for cash. Almost all other restaurants on the French side that we have visited have offered us a better rate that we would get from our credit card or a bank. There is no doubt that they want your business.

Charging your credit card in dollars used to save the 3% currency transaction charge that most cards are now charging for foreign currency transactions. About a year ago my Citibank card said they would charge me 3% just for doing business overseas - even if it was in dollars! I now use a Capital One card and get an excellent exchange rate. The frequent flier benefits can be used on any airline and there are no blackouts. Note that you won't get frequent flier tickets quite as fast. It may be best to use the Cap 1 card out of the country and take the rewards in merchandise. We picked up an 18 bottle wine refrigerator with half of our points from the previous year, but we couldn't even fly one of us to SXM.