Participating Heineken Regatta yachts entering Simpson Bay, St.Maarten
We left our life on St.Maarten during the Great Recession in 2008/09 as the economy had decimated tourism and consequently our internet related marketing and promotion businesses. Han had been living there for almost 20 years after hurricane Hugo chased him out of St.Croix – USDVI in 1989. So it had been more than 10 years since we had last visited the island. Many of our friends had left the island as well, and just some of our local friends had stayed. Hurricane Irma had just a couple of years earlier (2017) devastated the area but we had heard that the Spirit of St.Maarten had stayed strong and reconstruction was going well.
In the years we lived and worked on the island, we were mostly involved in tourism marketing and promotion for both sides of the twin country island. In those days we published St.Maarten’s online search engine Zebrabot.com and produced a popular daily TV program “Whassup St.Martin.” In other words, we were quite well-known across the island. Our plan was to reconnect with as many old friends as we could in 4 weeks, which is why we initially decided to spend a week at a time in AirBnb’s around the island. It turned out different however.
Simpson Bay
Simpson Bay beach almost in our backyard.
Our first lodging was an Airbnb in Simpson Bay, the ‘boat people oriented’ entertainment “capital” of St.Maarten, definitely the most tourism oriented part of the island. The BNB was upstairs and consisted of two large rooms – a bedroom with bathroom and a living/dining room/kitchen. Surrounded by restaurants, grocery & convenience stores the first week stay was pleasant and comfortable with Simpson Bay Beach, a favorite of ours from the first days we met, right at our back door and a stone’s throw from the Simpson Bay bridge where the following week Heineken Regatta yachts would be entering.
St.Maarten, especially the Dutch side, is a high profile, constantly evolving West Indian island in the Caribbean, originally colonized by the Dutch in the 16th century as a provisioning point for their merchant ships. The island’s Arawak Indian name was Soualiga, which translates as Salt Island, a spice commodity needed to prevent food from spoiling during long trans-atlantic voyages. As one of the first islands in the West Indies that started promoting tourism in the 1950s, it rapidly developed as a trend setter for the region. Today its International Airport attracts daily flights from across the world and its huge cruise port drops an easy 20,000 visitors daily on its shores. Consequently all tourism sectors are more than adequately developed. Neighboring islands, such as St.Barths, Anguilla, Saba, Statia, St.Kitts and Nevis, have arguably also financially benefitted nicely from this West Indian development.
Getting Around
We rented a car for our first week to get groceries and see as much of the island as possible and meet up with old friends still living on the island – especially after hurricane Irma had destroyed most of it only 30 months earlier.
The twin nation island is a favorite of many tourists because of its accessibility, with 36 Beaches, and a population that consists of more than 110 nationalities from all over the world, a distinct European influence royally mixed with African/Caribbean flavors and modern day eccentricities and with some 400 restaurants spread over the French and Dutch sides, it is also the Gourmet Capital of the Caribbean. It is the place where TJ and I met more than 16 years prior to this trip..
A mini Indonesian rice table in St.Maarten
TJ eating her very favorite Shwarma in the world
Sandy Ground
The Sandy Ground AirBNB
The second AirBnB we had selected was located in Sandy Ground, near the French side bridge from Simpson Bay lagoon, at a walking distance to Marigot, the French Side’s capital. Arriving on the morning of that change over, we noticed that the location was a bit questionable, with what looked like some drug deals going on at the street corners, and locals gazing a bit strange in our direction. The actual Airbnb was nice enough as a building from the outside, but did not give us the privacy we were looking for. In addition our room was offered with a shared bathroom, which was not as originally quoted. But then came unexpected help to the rescue. Our local friend Lucia, an artist/painter, originally from Romania, who had lived on St.Maarten for several decades already, came the next day to check on us and immediately ordered us to come and stay with her in Pelican Key on the Dutch side. Her boy friend was a local developer who lived in a huge mansion in the hillside of Pelican Key, with pool and spacious guest quarters and for the next 2 weeks Lucia became our chauffeur, taking us all around our old stomping grounds.
During one of those trips around the island, It turned out that our third Airbnb choice near Orient Bay was a bust as well, so we cancelled that one and quickly found a beautiful replacement condo-apartment in Cupecoy Beach near the American Medical University of the West Indies.
Sunset from our balcony in Cupecoy
Her FB handle is Luxurious Marie and she’s a riot.
Pineapple Pete’s Pierre reminiscing of good old days
Here we entertained several of our old island
buddies and had a great time discovering this western part of the island that had been rapidly developing in the 10 years we had gone. Connis, Luxurious Marie, Dick, Lucia, Pineapple Pete (Pierre) and so many others reminded us that the island will always take a very special place in our lives.
Nettle Bay
View from AirBNB in Nettle Bay-St.Martin
Our fourth and last week was booked in a very nice apartment, that once was part of Nettle Bay Resort on the French side. With the covered outside kitchen and living area overlooking the pool and Simpson Bay Lagoon, we set out to get a nice suntan before returning stateside for our second year managing the Beaver Island Lodge in Lake Michigan. Covid 19 or as many called it the Coronavirus was overtaking the news waves and every country on earth was getting nervous, as there was no known cure yet and the death rates were climbing rapidly. It was a very scary time and we hear just in time that the last airplane leaving the island for the US was leaving April 6 – a day earlier than our plan, and after that the airport would be closed for any air travel until this pandemic would be under control.
After a short discussion of whether to take the risk and stay in St.Maarten or fly back and continue our job at the Lodge, we grabbed our luggage and filled the seats. We both remember the plane’s pilot saying over the intercom: “Welcome aboard the cleanest, most disinfected airplane you have ever been on. Please take your seats quickly so we can get you safely home in no time.”
On April 12, we flew from Charlevoix, Michigan to Beaver Island on Island Airways in 40 mile winds, sleet, rain and snow. We didn’t get off the island until a full year later as Covid 19 decimated the world population by several million people.
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