St. Maarten and St. Martin Weekly News RSS NEWS FEEDMost recent St. Maarten & St. Martin RSS News Feed posted June 8, 2007.
38 articles for you this week -- among our top features:
======Internet Scam Warning======== (Below)
--- Reopening Your Chance to Win a Week at Club Orient Naturist Resort
--- Questions and Answers About Current / Future Airfares to St. Maarten
--- Update on Crime in St. Maarten
--- Bad News: Will This Butler Shortage Never End?
--- Beach of the Week
--- Bar / Restaurant of the Week
--- SkyMed Emergency Medical Evacuation: Important No Matter Where You're Going
-----plus many more articles of interest
This is Jeff Berger's / JMB Communications' free weekly "Everything St. Maarten / St. Martin" newsletter, published every Monday (Tuesdays during some holiday weeks). You're receiving this because you subscribed.
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Contacting us...
Members of JMB Website Supporters who wish to contact us should write to the addresses listed on the members-only "secret" website,
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/secret
NONmembers who wish to contact us should write to jmbweb@jmbcommunications.com with the subject "Free Newsletter Recipient," but due to the huge volume of mail received, individual responses are not likely. We suggest instead that nonmembers use the public Message Board on our website,
www.everythingstmaarten.com
The Message Board is located at
http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=624449
*****
Timeshare Rental of the Week:
11/25/07 - 12/2/07 (Week 47) Flamingo Beach Resort. Studio, sleeps 4 with king bed and queen hide-a-bed, full kitchen, 1 bathroom. Balcony with Ocean view. Flamingo Beach is a Gold Crown Resort located on a beautiful beach with pool, snack bar and wonderful activity program. Restaurants and casino within walking distance. Close to airport on Dutch side.
Rent $700.00. Renter pays $50.00 St. Maarten timeshare tax. Contact Dave by e-mail at
djuntti@yahoo.com or by phone at 906-296-1198.
Timeshare Sale of the Week:
March 4, to March 11, 2007 (Week 9 Sunday to Sunday). Pelican Resort Bougainvillea Building. Unit B 570 Top floor. Large deluxe one bedroom unit sleeps 4; fully equipped kitchen with large covered patio. Unit has dining area with A/C and TV. Unit B570 has a large private bedroom with a king size bed and a pull out dbl. sofa bed in the living room. Enjoy panoramic ocean views and gorgeous sunsets overlooking the Olympic size swimming pool. Short walk to onsite deli, grocery store, restaurants and casino. Asking $9000. Please e-mail. merlino@fas.harvard.edu or call 781-337-6340.
Every week JMB randomly picks timeshare condominiums for rent and for sale from the huge selection at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/condorentals.shtml
and features them here. If you want to rent out or sell a timeshare unit you own in SXM, you can do so for free if you're a member of JMB Website Supporters. Ads can be highlighted or include a photo for a nominal additional fee. Members can now also offer non-St. Maarten units for rent/sale for a one-time charge per ad of $20.
To learn more about the many St. Maarten / St. Martin vacation-related benefits of JMB Website Supporters membership, visit
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/paypal.html
, where you can also join on-line. Your membership subscription helps keep these weekly newsletters coming.
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This Week's Stories --- See "Section" List Below for Details:
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Stories are numbered; scroll through the list below to find items of interest.
To search previous issues, visit our Archives at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/cgi-bin/mojo.cgi?f=archive&l=testlist
The search window is at the bottom of that page. Note: our Archive pages load slowly because the archives contain millions of words from many prior issues.
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Lead Story (below)
Update on Crime in St. Maarten
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Feature Story (below)
Internet Scam Warning
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Section I: Getting There: Airlines, Airports, Cruises, & Weather
1. Questions and Answers About Current / Future Airfares to St. Maarten
2. Reconfirm Your Flight Reservations
3. AA Honchos Looking Like Something Other Than Geniuses
4. SXM To Ready Port For Megaships Carrying 5400+ Passengers
5. Hurricane Season Begins
Section II: Accommodations
6. Sea Palace Added To Timeshare Listings On Our Condorentals / Sales Page
7. Big Sign At Pelican Adds Insult To Injury to C, D Building Owners
8. Associate Memberships Coming: Will Allow Associates to Place Limited Ads
9. Resort Maps Wanted
10. Own a Piece of Club Orient
11. Caravanserai Update
12. Sun Resorts, Mullet Bay Beach Resort Owner, Is Sold: Marina Development Likely
Section III: Island
13. Turtle Pier Back on 'Recommended' List
14. Jeff's Column: A Memorial Day Video
15. Where To Find Back Issues of This Newsletter
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16. Notice to Members: Subscription Renewal Invoices Emailed for April, May, June, July
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17. More Bad News: Will This Butler Shortage Never End?
18. "Thanks Two Million" Prize Rundown #18: Day Sail for Two To St. Barts Aboard Swaliga
19. "Thanks Two Million" Prize Rundown #19: Dinner for Two at Le Moulin Fou, Maho
20. Reopening Your Chance to Win a Week at Club Orient Naturist Resort
21. Beach of the Week: Baie Rouge
22. Site Feature of the Week: PC Screensavers
23. Bar/Restaurant of the Week: Le Sucriere
24. Save the Mangroves
25. "Sponsors" Sought For "Everything St. Maarten" Website
26. Why You Should Look At "SXM Private Eye"
Section IV: Important Background Information for Travelers
26a. Low-Priced Timeshare Condos For Rent or Sale By Owners
27. "Everything St Maarten / St. Martin" Website Info Guide
28. Useful St. Maarten / St. Martin Websites (Updated 2007)
29. SkyMed Emergency Medical Evacuation: Important No Matter Where You're Going
30. How To Be Sure You Receive Each Issue Of This Newsletter
31. Free SXM Souvenirs When You Join, Renew, or Reinstate JMB Website Supporters
32. Spend Less On Airfare to St. Maarten & Get Many Other Travel Benefits: Join JMB Website Supporters
33. For Much More About JMB Communications…
34. Contact Us
35. About Our "Still" Rapidly Growing & Changing St. Maarten / St. Martin Website
*****
All JMB Newsletters Now Read "From JMB"
*****
This newsletter, our timeshare newsletter, and mail from JMB Website Supporters to members (including "Low Airfare Bulletins") now read "From JMB" in the subject area so you won't misinterpret them as spam. Thanks to our members for suggesting this.
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Lead Story: Update on Crime in St. Maarten
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It hasn't been a good week for law-abiding tourists on St. Maarten.
The good news is that there have been no "major" crimes like sexual assaults or murders (there rarely are, fortunately) but the bad news is that the frequency of "lesser" crimes seems to be increasing, based on anecdotal evidence. And those crimes are only "lesser" if you aren't the victim.
Criminals seem to be getting more brazen, as well, sometimes doing their thing in broad daylight as we told you last week. The story last week regarded Maryann B from Virginia, whose bag was looted in plain sight of others before noon on Mullet Bay beach.
Press reports in the last week cited a holdup of golfers on the Mullet Bay golf course, a late evening holdup in front of a hotel in downtown Philipsburg, and a late-evening holdup on Cannegieter Street in Philipsburg, parallel to the pondfill.
Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that crime increases to a high point each fall, when the fewest tourists are around; this year, the apparent increase seems early.
Tragically, not all crimes in St. Maarten are minor. More than a year ago, two gay men were savagely attacked by homophobes near Sunset Beach Bar after hugging inside Bamboo Bernie's; one was lucky to survive.
And just about one year ago, Angelique Chauvire, who had worked at the Sexy Fruits store on Orient Beach and was well known to island visitors, was murdered in the hills near Dawn Beach. Flipper Dolphin, the pseudonym of the person who does
www.sxmprivateeye.com
ran a follow-up on Angelique's murder investigation at
http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/10346
No one has been apprehended. See more about Flipper's work in Story #26, below in our "Island" section.
As is the case at home, keep your wits about you when you are in "paradise." Stay out of dark areas or unfamiliar places. Don't leave valuables in your car or car trunk, only in locked room safes. Crime is not rampant in SXM like it is in Trinidad, Jamaica, or the D. R. (where you check into resorts and stay there for your entire trip). But it is paradise and NOT utopia: crime exists in SXM just as it does in your town. Be cautious and watchful as you would at home and you should be fine.
See also "About Your Safety in St. Maarten,"
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/safety.shtml
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Feature Story: Internet Scam Warning
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When you are selling or renting out your own timeshare on the Internet, NEVER accept any sale, rental, or exchange offer from anyone who sends you a cashier's check or money order or any other negotiable instrument for an amount in excess of what you're charging, then demands you pay them the difference in a hurry. There are Internet scam artists who make a living by presenting stolen or counterfeit checks and getting real cash refunds from you for their "overpayments." Don't be a victim. The FBI is investigating these incidents.
N. B.: Never assume that "collected cash" in your bank account means a check is actually good; sometimes it takes two weeks for banks to realize checks are bogus, and by then it's too late to help you if you've refunded any "difference."
Again: NEVER accept any payment in excess of your price from anyone, for any reason, and never, ever refund any "overpayment." If you know anyone else who ever advertises any vacation property anywhere for rent or sale, send this entire newsletter to them and point out this article. It could well save them thousands of dollars.
Section I: Getting There: Airlines, Airports, Cruises, & Weather
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1. Questions and Answers About Current / Future Airfares to St. Maarten
We routinely receive many emails about airfares to SXM. Here are a few recent questions that we thought would interest many members:
Q. We've been following Spirit Airlines the last few weeks and notice there have been no sales to St. Maarten when they post other sales. What gives?
A. Airlines post sales when they need to sell seats. We've kept meticulous records the last few years and there's a definite pattern to when they do this, though variations occur. Spirit has only been serving SXM for five or six weeks so they have no "pattern," but they have little capacity (flying three times a week on A319 aircraft). They will likely grow their frequency to daily late this year. More sales are likely then, particularly if they add more flights on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Members needn't dote on watching them since we do, and we always try to report all relevant sales as quickly as we can.
Q. How do round-trip air prices look for next winter?
A. We expected little airfare action in May because of spiking jet fuel prices. As members know, prices for travel now through next April came in way under what we expected, and we notified members several times in May about $300-range round trips from the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. June may be slower; usually it is the second slowest month of the year for travel to SXM and many folks are preoccupied with other things in June. Nonetheless, we are watching fares from wholesalers, consolidators, charter operators, and the airlines themselves around the clock and will holler at once whenever we uncover significant changes. See the Current Airfare Sales Grid through the link at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/secret/sales.html
Your JMB Website Supporters username and password are required; if you don't recall either or both, see
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Supporters/index.shtml
Fares for next winter have "dipped" to lower-than-usual numbers several times in the last few months, surprisingly. When you get an Airfare Bulletin, jump quickly if it shows fares you want; they are available but they sell quickly.
Q. If I can get some of these fares directly from the airline, why should I pay you?
A. We are on the phone and on the net searching for breaking fare news 24/7/365. Minor changes are virtually always posted immediately on our "secret site" Current Airfare Sales page, but major changes (reflecting hundreds of dollars off "traditional" fares) get noted both online and via an immediate Low Airfare Bulletin to all members.
Contrary to what you might think, airlines almost never ballyhoo the vast majority of their significant fare reductions; it's peculiar but true. And air travel websites won't tell you when fares to foreign countries (SXM) decline; only we do that. Yes you can get some of these fares from the airlines, but the trick is knowing precisely when they're available. Airlines communicate a tiny percentage of fare reductions. We communicate as many as we can get our hands on, and that is hundreds of them. You can't save on airfares unless you know when they've dropped, and that's where we come in. Unless you want to spend your life searching, the chances are small that you'll find these fares. It's why close to 4800 people have joined us since JMB Website Supporters began in 2002.
Q. I haven't seen many low fares from the west coast lately. Why?
A. We have many members in Southern California and the Pacific Northwest looking for low fares. During the last six to eight months, we've seen fewer low fares from that area than in the past. It hasn't gone on long enough to be a "trend" but it is annoying to us as well as to you, since we can't create fares --- only report them. We are actively searching for fares from throughout the US, Canada, and Western Europe and we have every reason to believe sale pricing will return to the West Coast and Pacific Northwest, particularly as competition heats up.
Q. What's up with Jet Blue?
A. Good question. We heard from three sources nearly a year ago that they were coming to SXM in "Winter 2007" but it never happened. In summer 2006, they pushed out / slowed some expansion plans and we suspect that's what they did with SXM. We still expect them to add routes to SXM, starting with JFK. It would not surprise us to see them also fly to SXM seasonally from BOS and CLT, but who knows? We've heard nothing for a year. The head of another big airline in SXM told us last winter, "They'd be fools not to come in here," and we totally agree.
Q. I've read all the complaints about US Airways. They are convenient for me. Should I really stop flying them?
A. If you like an airline and have confidence in them, stay where you are. US Airways (and American, and Delta) all have problems to overcome and they will. US Airways is keenly aware of its deteriorating service and its disappearing passenger base and it intends to solve its problems. American's pilots and other employees are livid over that airline's big payments to management, so they (despite much higher customer satisfaction than US Airways) are no more stable than US Airways. Delta has just limped out of bankruptcy and hasn't clearly shown what it wants to be when it grows up. Other airlines may simply be different, not "better" in terms of stability. On the other hand, we haven't flown US Airways in years; we fly mostly AA and Jet Blue.
See also story #4, and story #3 about AA.
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2. Reconfirm Your Flight Reservations
US Airways, Continental, United Air Lines, American, and Delta all have made schedule changes in the last several weeks that have affected thousands of reservations.
If you have confirmed seats on future flights to SXM on any of these airlines, call your airline now to reconfirm and call again a couple of weeks before you're scheduled to fly. The airlines might have some schedule surprises for you and they (for whatever reason) don't seem highly motivated to call to tell you. Please call them.
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3. AA Honchos Looking Like Something Other Than Geniuses
We're keeping an eye on news from pilots and other employees at American, who are not at all happy about big bonuses that airline is offering senior execs while giving pilots and others "bupkis." The pilots and employees agreed to hundreds of millions of dollars in wage and benefit concessions to avoid bankruptcy, and now this happens. Despite their unhappiness, they are performing professionally. Hopefully the airline will take care of them but if it doesn't, they certainly have the capacity to take care of business themselves.
We'll keep watching this.
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4. SXM To Ready Port For Megaships Carrying 4500+ Passengers
The Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facility at Point Blanche is apparently going to get a multi-million-dollar upgrade to help it keep pace with the next class of superships which, we think, Royal Caribbean should rename from "Genesis" to "Humongoid Gargantua."
The current largest ship in the world, RC's Liberty of the Seas, was slated to visit SXM last Tuesday, but it is a rowboat compared to Genesis ships. Liberty, according to press reports, has a gross tonnage of 160,000 and can accommodate 3,630 cruise passengers and
a crew of 1,360.
Big deal. Cruise Critic notes, "Royal Caribbean has announced it will build cruising's biggest ship ever with the development of a 220,000-ton, 5,400-passenger ship. To be developed under the project name Genesis, the first ship is planned for delivery in fall of 2009."
With major port changes, SXM will be ready to accommodate the Humongoid Gargantua class of ships in 2009.
For much more, see
http://www.worldcruise-network.com/projects/genesis/
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5. Hurricane Season Begins
It started last Friday and on Thursday, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center issued a "Special Weather Statement" about a system near the Yucatan that it felt had some potential for development. That storm turned into T. S. Barry, the remnants of which were soaking New England this morning.
Anytime you want an update of St. Maarten weather forecasts or the latest Atlantic / Caribbean satellite images and weather radar loops, just click the "Weather" link in the navigation bar on our masthead at
www.everythingstmaarten.com
Section II: Accommodations
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6. Sea Palace Added To Timeshare Listings On Our Condorentals / Sales Page
If you either have a timeshare condo you want to rent out or sell, or want to buy or rent one, the place to do it is
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/condorentals.shtml
JMB Website Supporters members can advertise up to 10 weeks a year (max 10 in any 12 month period) for rent/sale. A directory at the top of the page shows prospects where each resort is, alphabetically by resort name. We just added Sea Palace, a very quiet timeshare downtown on Great Bay Beach. Owners there rarely sell or rent out weeks and seem to be highly satisfied.
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7. Big Sign At Pelican Adds Insult To Injury to C, D Building Owners
As if erecting a humongous monolith (the "Marina Residences") in front of the verandas of C and D building timeshare owners weren't bad enough, we hear now that Pelican Resort Club / Royal Resorts has plastered a three-story by 10-foot wide billboard on the side of the Marina building exhorting, "Want this View?"
The billboard then shows a picture of the Simpson Bay view that was available to all C & D building owners until Pelican/Royal decided to obliterate it by piling about 9 or 10 stories of "Marina Residences" there. Perhaps the sign should read, "For only $85,000, we'll give you back the view you thought you bought from us before."
And will they refund the original cost paid by timeshare owners of the C & D buildings? Sure, when the island has its first blizzard.
All of which forever redefines "bad taste," doesn't it?
We thank "D" timeshare owner Henry Donald for sending this photo. Please see our (free) St. Maarten Timeshare Owners email Forum (newsletter) for much more on all St. Maarten / St. Martin timeshares. See the photo at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/zombie/marinaresidences0507.jpg
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8. Associate Memberships Coming: Will Allow Associates to Place Limited Ads
As a separate part of an upcoming expansion of JMB Website Supporters membership benefits, we will also be introducing Associate Memberships. The primary benefit of these one-year memberships (besides the fact that they help underwrite the cost of producing these newsletters) is that Associate Members will be able to place a maximum of two ads per year on
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/condorentals.shtml
for SXM timeshares. Highlighting won't be available and neither will ads for non-SXM properties or non-timeshares in SXM. Associate members will not have access to the "secret site" or any other JMB Website Supporters Benefit. They will, however, be entitled to upgrade their membership to a full JMB Website Supporters membership at the current price minus what they already paid, if the upgrade occurs within 13 months of the date their membership started.
We'll post details on Associate Memberships soon. Pricing has not been determined.
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9. Resort Maps Wanted
We want to publish maps of all the island's principal timeshare resorts / hotels. If you have a copy of a resort map, please scan it (as a jpg or gif) and email it to Susan at susan@jmbcommunications.com with the subject "Map". If the map has no copyright we will publish it, otherwise please let us know the resort GM and phone number so we can obtain permission. If you're associated with a resort, please send a facility map with permission so we can publish it on
www.everythingstmaarten.com
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10. Own a Piece of Club Orient
Our friend Rachel Olson from Club Orient, the best naturist resort in the Caribbean, writes:
"Own a piece of Paradise. Club Orient Resort has ownership opportunities available starting as low as E125,000 (Euro). Please email sales@cluborient.com for more information, and tell them you read about it here."
One of the Grand Prizes in "Thanks Two Million" is a week for two at Club Orient. See
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/nine.html
for more about the "Club O" prize and see
www.cluborient.com
for more on the resort. Please also see story #20, below.
Jeff Berger and Tracy and Mike Horgan will be delivering a presentation about Club Orient and SXM to the Eastern Gathering of the Naturist Society in Lenox, Massachusetts, the third week of June. For information, see
www.naturistsociety.com
and look under "Events."
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11. Caravanserai Update
Although construction of the new units at Caravanserai Resort, Dutch Side, was approved months ago, we've seen nothing further about it. Some minimal site preparation was underway late last winter, but we've seen no news about when this long-delayed project will actually be done. Neither is there info about when the long-dormant Casino on the property (formerly Dolphin, which moved to Simpson Bay) will reopen.
As soon as we hear more we'll pass it along.
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12. Sun Resorts, Mullet Bay Beach Resort Owner, Is Sold: Marina Development Likely
The good news: Orient Express' new development at the Northern end of Simpson Bay Lagoon may well become the best looking resort on the island. It includes a yacht club.
The bad news: The more yachts and megayachts that are stuffed into Simpson Bay Lagoon, the more demand there is for the Dutch Side drawbridge to open, snarling traffic.
Now, Sun Resorts, owner of Simpson Bay Yacht Club and the remains of the old Mullet Bay Beach Resort, has been sold and you'll be surprised to know that the buyer is an experienced developer of marinas.
The buyer is Island Global Yachting (IGY), a huge company that manages slips worldwide. See Island Global Yachting on the web at
http://www.igymarinas.com/news-events/latest-news/
)
Their news release:
"Island Global Yachting (IGY), one of the world's premier owners, developers and managers of luxury marinas and yachting lifestyle destinations, announced that it has closed on its acquisition of Sun Resorts International (SRI) and its subsidiary Sun Resorts Management (SRM). SRI and SRM own and manage many of the top marinas in North America.
" 'We are pleased to bring the marinas of Sun Resorts International into the global collection of IGY,' said Andrew L. Farkas, CEO of Island Global Yachting. 'The strategic positioning of these properties in the Caribbean definitely complements our existing assets and affords us even greater opportunities to serve our yachting clientele. With this addition, boaters can travel throughout the region from St. Lucia, through the Dutch Antilles, into the British Virgin Islands, and on to St. Thomas and always have the premier experience of an IGY marina."
"IGY developments are not only enhancing and revitalizing their local areas, but the network of properties is setting new standards for service and quality at marinas across the globe. IGY's signature marina, Yacht Haven Grande, has just opened in St. Thomas, USVI and can accommodate yachts ranging in size from 60 to 500 feet. Its facilities are considered by the industry to be the most technologically advanced and are complemented by its upland development of world-class shopping, restaurants, entertainment and recreational amenities, as well as residential units. Since its opening, the marina has attracted some of the world's most spectacular private yachts.
"Charles Garner, president of IGY, said, 'Bringing the Sun Resorts' team and its portfolio of properties into the IGY family not only gives us the leading position throughout the Caribbean, but also adds dynamic leadership across the company. With now over 5,000 slips, existing or in development, and another 36,000 being planned, we are one of the largest managers and developers of berths in the world.'
"Through its acquisition of SRM, IGY has now assumed management of an additional 11 marinas -- seven in Texas and four in the Caribbean. The Caribbean facilities are: American Yacht Harbor, St. Thomas, USVI; Simpson Bay Yacht Club, St. Maarten, NA; Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor, Virgin Gorda, BVI; and Village Cay Marina, Tortola, BVI. As a part of the transaction, IGY acquired American Yacht Harbor in St. Thomas outright and all of SRI's interest in the three other Caribbean facilities. The Sun Resorts acquisition adds 442 more berths to IGY's Caribbean offerings alone."
IGY's plans for SXM are not known, but will likely involve further marina development either at Simpson Bay Yacht Club or Mullet Bay Beach Resort, or both. We'll keep you posted.
Section III: Island
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13. Turtle Pier Back on 'Recommended' List
Simpson Bay landmark Turtle Pier Restaurant, under a new management team for almost two years, ran into some administrative problems when it was converting from old to new management styles. The dining room staff was replaced and while changes were being made, service suffered.
The good news is that, according to members who have been to Turtle since February, things are now back to normal -- good service and delicious food.
That's welcome news since TP, still owned by Al and Rose Wathey, is a kick. Great full American breakfasts, lots of choices for lunch, and fine seafood and steaks for dinner and of course, their legendary lobsters from their own lobster pond in Simpson Bay Lagoon. (Don't forget their coconut shrimp.) We'll be expanding our coverage of them on everythingstmaarten.com soon... do check them out. They are next to Avis on Airport Road, Dutch Side.
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14. Jeff's Column: A Memorial Day Video
Dennis Randall, our Chief Website designer (see
www.websitesthatwork.info)
is a Viet Nam vet for whom Memorial Day has special meaning. See his provocative observations about Memorial Day at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UniOGHp1mK8
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15. Where To Find Back Issues of This Newsletter
You'll find at least two years of back issues in our searchable archives, on the web at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi?f=archive;l=testlist
. The search window is at the bottom of that page.
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16. Notice to Members: Subscription Renewal Invoices Emailed for April, May, June, July
Last week we emailed subscription renewal invoices to all members whose membership subscriptions expire in April, May, June, or July. (Non-renewed April memberships are about to be cancelled.)
Unfortunately the subject of the email did not include the word "Invoice" as it should have. If your membership started in any of those months and you did not notice the invoice, you can renew online for as little as $13/year (using our lowest-cost multi-year renewal option) at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/secret/renewals.html
Three-year, $45 renewals are also available (as "Scott's Special Renewal"); opt for them and you get our unique oversized fluorescent green flexible luggage tag, which helps you quickly spot your luggage on crowded airport carousels. They are the best-selling premium we've ever offered.
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17. More Bad News: Will This Butler Shortage Never End?
So you buy a gorgeous 18 bedroom cottage in the lowlands or wherever, hire maids, a chauffeur (you wouldn't be caught dead driving on "these" roads yourself, would you?), a CIA-trained chef, and then what: you have to wait in line for a qualified butler? Gawd, it never ends!
The Butler shortage really exists and it is putting some people besides themselves, whatever that means. The dreadful news is here:
http://www.sunjournal.com/story/214197-3/Business/Billionaires_lining_up_for_butlers/
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18. "Thanks Two Million" Prize Rundown #18: Day Sail for Two To St. Barts Aboard Swaliga
"Soualiga" literally means land of salt, the name given to St. Maarten by Carib Indians a long, long time ago. Salt was harvested from "the salt pond" (next to the pond fill, Dutch Side, Philipsburg) for many years. In fact, the incredibly haunting Global Warming video documentary at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-mFHRJ_o7E
, which we've mentioned before, includes photos of the Salt Pond in its productive heyday, along with much more of great interest. The current Kangaroo Court restaurant next to the historic courthouse downtown used to be a salt warehouse and you can still see some salt coming from the walls.
"Swaliga II," phonetically spelled, is the name of a red-hulled catamaran that does lots of trips to neighboring islands. If (or perhaps when) you win the First Grand Prize in "Thanks Two Million," our celebration of reaching two million site visits this year, you get a day sail for two on Swaliga II to St. Barts, a memorable sail to a beautiful island. Learn more about Swaliga at
http://www.swaliga2.com/
We've been on Swaliga several times and it's always a great trip.
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19. "Thanks Two Million" Prize Rundown #19: Dinner for Two at Le Moulin Fou, Maho
"Moulin Fou" means "crazy windmill," an odd name for a truly fine restaurant. Service is outstanding and the food is highly creative. It's located between Cheri's and Trattoria Pizza Pasta in Maho Plaza.
See a complete list of all prizes for "Thanks Two Million" at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/nine.html
There are a lot of them…
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20. Reopening Your Chance to Win a Week at Club Orient Naturist Resort
Our "Thanks Two Million" First Grand Prize winner gets to select four weeks of St. Maarten vacations from 10 different resorts or villas, one of which is Club Orient naturist resort on Orient Beach. But if that person doesn't pick Club Orient (who doesn't want an all-over tan?), you might just win it.
We're giving readers another chance to enter our Club Orient vacation giveaway. Just send a picture postcard to "Club Orient Yes," care of JMB Communications, P. O. Box 1812, Plymouth, MA 02362-1812. On it, tell us what you'd like to see on everythingstmaarten.com that isn't already there, and what your favorite page of the site is. Mail it to us by 6/30/07. Whoever wins Club Orient also wins a Tiko-Tiko day cruise (clothing optional). For more visit
www.cluborient.com
and
http://www.tikotikocruises.com/
By the way, if the First Grand Prize winner does pick Club Orient, not a problem: six other vacations will be up for grabs and Club Orient entries will be eligible to win one of those.
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21. Beach of the Week: Baie Rouge
Baie Rouge is one of the most scenic beaches on the island. Located in the southern end of Sandy Ground, it offers waves, food, sun, some breezes, and good people watching. It's topless and, at the southern end, bottomless as well, if you're sufficiently far south.
We'll feature another beach next week. We previously featured Happy Bay, Orient Beach, Friar's Beach, Embouchure / Le Galion / Coconut Grove beach, Guana Bay, and Cupecoy.
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22. Site Feature of the Week: PC Screensavers
Our St. Maarten screensavers can be downloaded at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/shop/download.shtml
They fill your PC screen with beautiful St. Maarten images whenever your PC is idle. They were created a few years ago and were designed for 640 by 480 screens and most screens are bigger now. We will be doing new screensavers before long and these will go away, but for now they're still available. You can download free versions (with nag screens); once you register them, for a few bucks, the nag screens go away. You'll like them, we're sure….
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23. Bar/Restaurant of the Week: Le Sucriere
It's almost impossible to run out of St. Maarten restaurants since the island has about 400 of them. In the past six months, we've featured:
a) La Gondola Restaurant in Cupecoy,
http://www.lagondola-sxm.com
;
b) Daniel's By The Sea,
http://www.dawnbeachsxm.com
, the evening rendition of Mr. Busby's Beach Bar;
c) Kissing Fish Bar at Summit Resort Hotel, Cupecoy, Dutch Side;
d) the Cliffhanger Bar on Cupecoy near Cupecoy Beach Club;
e) Sputters Miniature Golf, Simpson Bay
f) Baywatch on Orient Beach, near Pedro's just north of Club Orient;
g) L'Alabama in Grand Case,
http://www.lalabama.com
;
h) Ric's Place,
www.ricsplace-sxm.com
i) La California Restaurant, Grand Case
j) La Rosa Restaurant, Maho Plaza
k) Turtle Pier Restaurant
l) Mario's Bistro, Sandy Ground
m) The Perch, Club Orient, Orient Beach
n) Trattoria Pizza Pasta
o) Spiga (www.spiga-sxm.com)
p) Taloula Mango's (www.taloulamangos.com)
q) Valentino's in Simpson Bay
r) Daniel's By The Sea (reprise)
s) Jimbo's Mesquite Grill, Simpson Bay
t) Papagayo Restaurant, Club Orient
u) Sunset Café
v) Le Montmartre (www.lemontmartre.com)
w) Peg Leg Pub (www.peglegpub.com)
x) Bajatzu, Maho Plaza
y) Where's Ivan?
z) Pineapple Pete's
This week it's Le Sucriere, a marvelous little pastry shop in Simpson Bay near Fedex. Drive in, come inside, and feast your eyes on their myriad of luscious selections. There's a deck over the lagoon, too. Delicious fresh baguettes made on the premises. Give it a shot.
We'll have another for you next week.
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24. Save the Mangroves
Last week we told you about the endangered mangroves near Mullet Bay; help preserve them for future generations of locals and tourists. See
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/889868669
, a petition from folks on the island who want to preserve the Mullet Bay mangroves from being destroyed like others were at Dawn Beach. We strongly urge you to check it out.
************
For The Best Prices On Individual and Group Tours to St. Maarten & St. Martin, Visit Our Sponsor:
Sandy Molloy at SXM Travel Specialists ---
http://www.stmartin-stmaartentravelspecialists.com
704-567-6661
************
"Villas in Paradise" is your one-stop source for great St. Maarten Villa Accommodations.
See many choices at
www.villasinparadise.com
or call Marilyn Pulito directly at 508-533-1388. "Villas in Paradise" is Our Sponsor.
************
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25. "Sponsors" Sought For "Everything St. Maarten" Website
We're seeking St. Maarten Newsletter & Website sponsors. For $200/year, we'll publish a text ad every week in Weekly News and publish a (jpg) ad for Sponsors on a new Sponsors page on our popular everythingstmaarten.com website, and on another appropriate page on our site. All ads will include a link back to the Sponsor's website.
We're doing this in part to help keep St. Maarten & St. Martin Weekly News free and in part to keep renewal fees paid by JMB Website Supporters (now as little as $13/year) from rising.
If you own a business that caters to SXM travelers --- either in St. Maarten / St. Martin, in the States, in Canada, or anywhere --- please email Susan at JMB Communications (nospamsusan@jmbcommunications.com), deleting "nospam" before you mail, with the subject "Sponsorship" and we'll take it from there.
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26. Why You Should Look At "SXM Private Eye"
In story #18 this week, where we talked about the "salt island" definition of "Soualiga," we referred you to a haunting global warming video by Flipper Dolphin. The video depicts the disastrous effects that global warming will have on all low-lying land, and SXM is no exception.
Flipper is St. Maarten's gadfly, an accomplished, anonymous investigative reporter who looks behind the news to see what's really happening on the island and why. Some of our stories originate with information from Flipper. His current page one story (among others) on Angelique Chauvire's murder is what led us to writer about crime this week.
Please see and bookmark
www.sxmprivateeye.com
Always worth your time.
Section IV: Important Background Information for Travelers
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26a. Low-Priced Timeshare Condos For Rent or Sale By Owners
You can get great rates for timeshare condo accommodations by renting directly from the owners. To see our complete listings of timeshare units for sale or rent in St. Maarten / St. Maarten and elsewhere, visit
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/condorentals.shtml
Ads are updated weekly and are posted by category and chronologically.
Members of JMB Website Supporters can post free timeshare rental / sale ads; see the directions in the members' "welcome letter" on the secret site,
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/secret
Many members use this page to rent out or sell multiple weeks every year and tell us it works like clockwork every year. We have already posted many 2008 ads.
We've also just upped the limit, so full JMB Website Supporters members can now post as many as 10 ads for SXM timeshare rentals/sales in any 12-month period. (That revision should be reflected in our Welcome Letter some time this week.)
Please heed the warnings at the top of the condorentals page... they are for your protection.
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27. "Everything St Maarten / St. Martin" Website Info Guide
JMB Website Supporters members have access to timeshare weeks and hotel stays at top resorts for $449 per room, per week (not per person). See the secret site for details.
Hotel / Villa Reservations (for everyone): Book online on both sides of the island at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/index.shtml
Also see
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/condorentals.shtml
and
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/places.shtml
(which will shortly be updated to include Villa Bleu,
http://www.villableudemer.com/
, the breathtaking new villa on Guana Bay). One top choice for a luxurious but reasonably priced condo on the beach:
http://www.vacationsinparadise.info
Global Discount Hotel / Car / Air reservations -- We use the same computer systems as Travelocity and Expedia. See
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/index.shtml
for reservations anywhere worldwide.
Car Rentals: Tropical-Tropicana Car Rental's site,
www.tropical-tropicana.com
, includes online reservations. Great service, competitive rates; many Jeep-type vehicles (Suzuki ragtops), 8-passenger vans, plus Nissan Platina, Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Yaris cars, and car seats for younger kids. See the fleet at
www.tropical-tropicana.com
Dozens of new cars added Fall, 2006. JMB Website Supporters members are entitled to a $15 discount off standard non-discounted weekly rental rates; see the secret members site for details and for the code word you'll need to get this discount,
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/secret
If you do not recall your password, click the special link atop all pages at
www.everythingstmaarten.com
to recover it.
On-Island Activities: We hook you up with St. Martin Activities, an island-based company, to bring you discounts on a wide range of island activities, from excursions to neighboring islands to kayaking to scuba, snorkeling, motorcycle rentals, boat rentals, sunset cruises, Pub Crawls, and much more. You can research and select activities before you go, make a small deposit, and get a reservation by email, eliminating the need to waste time with some activities person on the island --- but even better, the prices are less than you'll pay in SXM. To get there just click this link:
http://jmb.caribbean-activities.com/
Don't forget the "jmb" - - otherwise you're not on our site.
Low Airfares: To save hundreds of dollars on airfares and get much more of value concerning SXM, join JMB Website Supporters. We send members Low Airfare Bulletins plus give them over two dozen sources of low airfares - - including contact information for airfare wholesalers. See
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/paypal.shtml
to learn more.
Restaurants: Detailed descriptions of many restaurants are at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Here/sxmdine.shtml
The page includes many SXM restaurant websites. Frequently updated.
Emergency Medical Evacuation Insurance: In case of critical illness or injury while traveling 100+ air miles from home, emergency medical evacuation can cost you upwards of $30,000. "SkyMed" takes you home from the US, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, or the Caribbean. See
www.skymed.com/jmbsxm
Cost: Just $9/day per person, minimum five days - - and much less for annual and family plans. Members get a $72 annual plan discount…20% off. We never travel without this life-saving protection. More on SkyMed is below.
Bookmark our SXM site and visit us often. Our URL:
www.everythingstmaarten.com
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28. Useful St. Maarten / St. Martin Websites (Updated 2007)
Le Montmartre, Cupecoy
www.lemontmartre.com
Villa Bleu, Guana Bay
www.villableudemer.com
La Gondola Ristorante, Cupecoy
www.lagondola-sxm.com
Mr. Busby's Beach Bar / Daniel's By The Sea /
Penthouse Paradise Beach Vacation Condo
www.dawnbeachsxm.com
Vacations in Paradise beach villa SXM
www.vacationsinparadise.info
Turtle Tours-SXM (boat tours) & Liberty Inn, Simpson Bay
www.turtletours-sxm.com
Beach Weddings & Vow Renewals
www.stmaarten-beachweddings.com
Spiga Restaurant SXM
www.spiga-sxm.com
Peg Leg Pub & Steakhouse SXM
www.peglegpub.com
Taloula Mango's Caribbean Café SXM
www.taloulamangos.com
Ric's Place Restaurant SXM
www.ricsplace-sxm.com
Tropical Car Rental SXM
www.tropical-tropicana.com
The Royal Turtle Inn SXM
www.theroyalturtle.com
Blooming Baskets by Lisa (handbags) SXM
www.bloomingbasketsbylisa.com
Sputters Miniature Golf (Ric Hetzel)
http://www.sputtersminiaturegolf.com/
We do websites for businesses. If your business website isn't working - - or if you're looking to build your first one - - Massachusetts-based JMB can help, and we're reasonable. See
http://www.websitesthatwork.info
for more. Or, email us at jmbweb@jmbcommunications.com or call 508-830-3456 (Massachusetts) to learn more. See also our home site,
http://www.jmbcommunications.com
A few more JMB-created Website examples:
JMB Communications
www.jmbcommunications.com
Websites That Work (our own site)
www.websitesthatwork.info
Federal Hill House
www.federalhillhouse.org
Steadfast Fence
www.steadfastfence.com
Commodore Coatings
www.commodorecoatings.com
Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant (RI)
www.ranzan.net
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29. SkyMed Emergency Medical Evacuation: Important No Matter Where You're Going
You never know when or where you could become critically ill or injured... that is why we recommend SkyMed, which "takes you home" to your choice of hospital by emergency medevac jet if you become critically ill or injured more than 100 miles from home anywhere in the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean. We buy their inexpensive annual plan so we're never without protection. Other "competitor" plans bring you to the nearest qualified facility which could be thousands of miles from where you live.
If you are a JMB Website Supporters member, you receive a significant discount from SkyMed International on their membership emergency medical evacuation protection. What's it cost? Annual SkyMed memberships give you one full year of protection at a cost that is very close to what you'd pay for a week or two. Look:
NON-members pay the annual fee of $360 for family memberships, $180 for individual memberships, and an additional one-time $60 application fee.
But JMB Website Supporters members pay an annual fee of just $288 for a family SkyMed membership (a $72 savings), or just $144 for an individual membership ($36 off). New members also pay an additional one-time $60 application fee. (We always get the annual family membership.)
Bottom line: one year of family protection for $288, a $72 savings for members only. That protects you against a bill of $30,000 payable in advance should you need emergency medical evacuation while on your next SXM vacation. We've used their annual plan for years. Sign up today at the SkyMed signup center on the home page of the secret site. To get there, click the link at the top of any page at
www.everythingstmaarten.com
Again, the $72 discount is for JMB Website Supporters members only (the discount is huge).
What about upgrades?
If you already bought a SkyMed plan covering just a week or two, call SkyMed today at 1-800-475-9633 to learn about upgrading to an annual family membership for just a few dollars more. Tell them you read about it in Jeff Berger's newsletter.
Nonmembers, see the top of the
www.everythingstmaarten.com
home page for more info on joining JMB Website Supporters. Former members can reinstate through the link under the hit counter near the top of that page, too. Get SkyMed at
www.skymed.com/jmbsxm
About The SkyMed Bonus:
Anyone who buys the Annual Plan from SkyMed through us from today through May 31, 2007, gets a special bonus from Everything St. Maarten: one of our big oversized fluorescent green translucent luggage tags (super handy no matter where you travel), our SXM Euro Oval sticker, our St. Maarten / St. Martin Beach Pass (to impress jealous neighbors at home), and a new tropical tie-dyed soft-sided St. Maarten / St. Martin eyeglass case with carrying strap, perfect for the beach this summer. (You will also find these in our online store by clicking the "Shop" link atop any page on everythingstmaarten.com .)
The Annual Plan will cover your summer vacations and your vacations next winter throughout the mammoth SkyMed coverage area we described above. It's a great deal for long-lasting peace-of-mind.
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30. How To Be Sure You Receive Each Issue Of This Newsletter
To avoid difficulty receiving our newsletters, whitelist "jeff1620@jmbcommunications.com" by placing that address in your Outlook, Outlook Express, or other PC address book. If your mail program allows you to otherwise "white-list" addresses to ensure that mail gets through, please do that as well. Also check your spam folder, since a few overzealous spam prevention programs may put our newsletters there.
You can always see recent issues in our archives. Just go to the Archive Index at
http://jmbcommunications.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi?flavor=archive;list=testlist
. The archives are searchable; the search window is near the bottom of that page. We periodically delete our oldest issues, but the archives usually display issues for at least two years.
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31. Free SXM Souvenirs When You Join, Renew, or Reinstate JMB Website Supporters
We're now giving away a colorful St. Maarten keychain, a "SXM" Sint Maarten Euro-Oval sticker, a St. Maarten Beach Sticker, plus an all-new, "St. Maarten" imprinted lightweight drawstring beach bag (or "anything" bag), a free oversized fluorescent green SXM luggage tag, and a custom-created tropical-look tie-dyed eyeglass case when you join JMB Website Supporters for five years.
One year of membership is $29 (plus a small one-time enrollment fee), but you get five years of membership for just $69 plus the enrollment fee PLUS you get all the goodies in the paragraph above. It's a great new signup deal. Limited time only. Sign up today at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/paypal.shtml
[The one-time only enrollment fee is just $20.]
----
Former members… we will give you exactly the same package if you reinstate your former membership for five years at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/support/expired.shtml
-----
Current members… you can get free luggage tags as a renewal bonus with our seven-year renewals; see the offer at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/secret/renewals.html
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32. Spend Less On Airfare to St. Maarten & Get Many Other Travel Benefits: Join JMB Website Supporters
We work virtually around the clock seven days a week (24/7/365) to find the lowest available fares from about 100 cities all over the U.S. ., plus Canada and Europe to SXM and send you "Low Airfare Bulletins" telling you about them. Could you find these fares yourself? Conceivably --- if you have hours to spend every day and know everywhere to look. We do that for you, and JMB Website Supporters membership offers lots of other benefits as well.
Learn more at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/paypal.shtml
When you join online, you have access to everything in about 48 to 72 hours (weekdays). If you're in a hurry, you can join by phone or fax and get set up within roughly 24 hours on weekdays.
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33. For Much More About JMB Communications…
If you own a business or are responsible for sales or marketing, think about us. JMB Communications provides public relations, marketing communications, and website creation services to businesses of all sizes worldwide. Please visit our website at
www.jmbcommunications.com
or our new website development site,
www.websitesthatwork.info
We would love to help your business. Phone JMB Communications today at (508) 830-3456 for questions about any of our capabilities.
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34. Contact Us
JMB Website Supporters members wishing to contact us should visit the secret site,
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/secret
, for JMB Website Supporters contact emails. You can not reach us at any addresses other than those shown on the secret site. If you have misplaced your password, you can get a new one at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Supporters/index.shtml
assuming your membership is in good standing. (A link to this is at the top of every page on everythingstmaarten.com.)
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35. About Our "Still" Rapidly Growing & Changing St. Maarten / St. Martin Website
Ever since our SXM website started as just another short writing sample on our fledgling JMB Communications website in 1995, we have recommended only places with which we're thoroughly familiar and which we genuinely enjoy. If our recommendations enable you to have a better vacation, please help us and yourself by joining JMB Website Supporters. You can save hundreds of dollars on airfares and enjoy more than a dozen and a half other members-only benefits. Our URL:
http://www.everythingstmaarten.com
Learn more at
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/Go/paypal.shtml
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*About Email Address Changes / Unsubscribes
To change your email address, first use the Unsubscribe link in this email to delete your old email address, then go to
http://www.everythingstmaarten.com
to subscribe to our free newsletter with your new email address. Don't hit "reply" for address changes or unsubscribes - - nothing will happen.
**when you select our lowest-cost multiyear renewal option
***All new memberships require a one-time-only additional $20 enrollment fee.
LEGAL:
Entire contents copyright, (c), JMB Communications, 2007. World rights reserved. "Everything St. Maarten" and "Everything St. Martin" are service marks of JMB Communications. Feel free to distribute this newsletter to others in its entirety only, including this copyright notice. Excerpting is forbidden by copyright law. Join our free St. Maarten mailing list at
http://www.everythingstmaarten.com
. You cannot join by emailing us. See email headers for subscribe / unsubscribe / address change links. To see the JMB Communications privacy policy, visit
http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxm/pages/JMB/privacy.shtml
"JMB Communications" is a trademark of JMB Communications, P. O. Box 1812, Plymouth, Massachusetts 02362-1812 USA.
JMB Website Supporters members with membership-related questions may call our Membership Services Department during regular business hours (10 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET weekdays) at 978-453-4760. No free newsletter subscribe/unsubscribe requests are ever handled by phone. You must use the links provided in this email to subscribe or unsubscribe.
6/4/2007 Transmitted 6/4 11:55 a.m. 8.5
Welcome to
Jeff Berger's
