Sure, it's way too expensive. But the other restaurants were not much cheaper, but much worse. But the "price problem" runs through the whole vacation, it was just all very very expensive. Truffles are particularly expensive in the USA and the Caribbean. For what black truffle costs there, I get at home Alba truffle.

FWIW, it might just be me who grew up in a mushroom foraging region, the truffle addition is not worth more than +5, maybeeee 10 extra over the "normal" price and well that dish is not worth that much.

But.... yes. Carribean is never going to be cheap is it. Except Cuba. The US did Cuba dirty with the "state sponsor of terorrism" ......... Maybe (actually quite possibly) they know more than me, but I don't feel like the stamp is appropriate.
I am getting off-topic and political, blimey.

I like to eat truffles from time to time, but I am not willing to pay a lot of money for them (similar to caviar). Especially the black truffle often disappoints, even if it comes from Italy or France. I'm not talking about the Chinese scrap.

The next morning we went to Grand Case. The place is especially known for its gourmet mile, but we did not visit it. We were there during the day and it is a relatively unspectacular place. Also, you can still see a lot of damage from the last hurricane.



The beach is at least interestingly built. Certainly not a bad stand, but I wouldn't call it a Caribbean dream either.​​​​​​​



Mary Star of the Sea Church is undergoing renovations. The cemetery has some very special momuments. I would classify it more as a dump.








​​​​​​​

I wanted to go to Pic Paradis. The path is quite narrow and I did not get all the way to the summit, because I did not want to drive a road that looked quite miserable. I then turned elsewhere and ended up in a dead end. The views were so la la.










What made the trip worthwhile, however, was the encounter with a gang of monkeys. I did not even know that they live on the island. Pleasant surprise.

At La Samanna you don't stay alone, you share the facility with the actual residents.

In the evening we went back to L'Oursin. At the beginning there was an interesting cocktail for GF and bread.



Tomato Gazpacho - Tomators, red pepper, corn, basil, olive oil (18 $)

Green Papaya Tagliatelle - Crispy tofu, green papaya, tomatoes, broccoli, smoked black tea, coconut milk (28 $)

Grilles Local Catch for Two (Red Snapper) - Rice, sauteed vegetables, sauce vierge with olives, capers and cilantro


Chocolate from my childhood in Martinique - Guanaja & Jivara Valrhona chocolate, 4 spices, lime



The food was again very good, at 224.94 $ cheaper this time.

Finally some food porn again, at the beginning of your trip the food was more like PG at best.

Yes, it was getting better. At the end you will even see some starred stuff.

Moment. Rainforest Adventures? Besides monkeys, there's a rainforest on Saint Marteen? Well, not quite. There is an attraction called Rainforest Adventures, but that doesn't mean there has to be a rainforest. However, it is advertised on the homepage with the slogan "Real Nature, Real Fun". In fact, it is a site with mountain in the Dutch part of the islands with the attractions Emilio Wilson Museum, Top Of Sentry Hill, Soualiga Sky Explorer chairlift up to Sentry Hill, Flying Dutchman ( one of the world's steepest ziplines) and Schooner Ride.
The queue at the ticket office was limited, we opted for the cheapest ticket, which includes only the cable car, the observation deck and the museum. I mean it was a good $40 per person.
First we went to the museum. The area used to be a plantation, there is some info about that. Also you can find something about the island's history.
Quite entertaining.​​​​​​​

Of course we also went up the mountain. You drive in 2 steps. Personally, I'm not a fan of the open-topped chairlifts.









At the top you have a good view. I was a little disappointed that no airplane landed at SXM during our stay.












And then it went down again.



I didn't really expect iguanas in trees.

Since the French restaurant was closed, we went back to La Spiaggia. The view was right as always.


Menu

Panzerotti - Porcini mushroom, pesto and Grana Padano (34 $)

Good dish, but $34? I did not want to buy the plate with it, I have nicer at home.....
Insalata di Gamberetti - Shrimp, arugula, shaved smoked Scamorza cheese and balsamic glaze (26 $)

Taste OK, price almost reasonable.
The high end IGP balsamico

Tonno Rosso Scottato in Crosta di Sesamo - Seared red tuna in sesame crust served with tomato salad and avocado (36 $)

Branzino alla Griglia - Grilled Seabass with grilled vegetables, potatoes, olives and capers (35 $)

We dispensed with dessert. I had already tried the ice cream and I was not surprised when the waiter answered a couple at the next table to the question whether they also had gelato, gelato would be the Italian term for any kind of ice cream. Then you know where you have landed.

We spent our last day on the island more at the pool. But then we drove to Marigot, first to the historic cemetery. This in turn was a mix of very well-kept graves, empty tombs and totally run-down corners.

On the last evening we wanted to go to L'Oursin again, but it was fully booked. Well. We then had La Cigale in Sandy Ground recommended to us. Sandy Ground does not have the best reputation in the evening (rather the opposite). The reception reserved a table for us.
When we arrived, no one knew anything about our reservation, which began so medium. When GF sat down on her chair it seemed a bit strange, a closer look showed this picture.

They said the chair should have been replaced, but they must have forgotten. Luck had.

This friendly guy livened up the mood a bit.

The restaurant is located on the water, where we sat in the back. It started with a good Amuse Bouche.

Lobster Ravioli

Lobster Bisque


Catch of the day

Saint Jacques

Profiteroles

The bill

Cheap it was certainly not, but of good quality. Also, we could finally pay "lossless" in euros.

Now it was time to say goodbye to St. Martin and the Caribbean. After returning the rental car, we were taken back to the airport with it.
The airport is currently under reconstruction and it looks like a construction site. At the American Airlines counter there was a business area and everything went relatively quickly. Then we went through a somewhat improvised security check and passport control.
The terminal itself was partly partitioned off with wooden panels, there is currently no lounge because of the renovation work. In one part there are a few catering outlets and a kind of duty free store with quite overpriced stuff. In the other part there is a kind of bar and seating, all quite simple and not very cozy.


Well before time, our flight was called and we were able to board a bus. As a business passenger, you get on the bus first, and at the plane you are of course the last in line. But no matter.
Our 757 had the classic Domestic First seats, I find them very comfortable for a 3 hour flight. As I have said so many times before, I would be happy if there was something like that in Europe.



A few more views of the surroundings and from the start. I had hoped so much to see a few monkeys hanging on the fence of Maho Beach, but we took off from the other end of the runway.





After an uneventful start, enjoy the view and look forward to the upcoming luxury meal.


Nothing could be said against the nuts.

In advance we could choose online between 2 or 3 dishes, for us only the vegetable lasagna came into question.

Yes, it tasted as delicious as it looks. The dessert was also of a special kind and goodness. With catering like this, you should introduce windows to open. But the hunger drives in, a pleasure is still not.
Then rather look out of the window.





The flight was otherwise uneventful and we arrived on time. The flight has cost us one-way for 2 people 1241.50 �, a bargain is not. One more look back.


Immigration was a little less crowded than when we arrived a good 2 weeks earlier, but still full. Our TSA agent probably wanted to win the award for the most unfriendly officer of the day, so he went all out for that. But in the end we still had to wait for our luggage (which should not mean praise for the baggage handling), so everything within reason.