I am writing this new thread report from Sint Maarten after my flight back to Santo Domingo was cancelled yesterday.
I was returning from my monthly visit to Nevis arriving in SXM at 8.30am expecting to meet my connection on Insel Air leaving 12.15pm and back home early afternoon.
To cut the story short, it didn't happen and during the course of the afternoon we were given $10 food vouchers and then at about 5pm the announcement came that the flight was cancelled and told our return flight is Tuesday. Rather efficiently we were processed and given vouchers for taxis and hotel for two nights with evening meal lunch and breakfast.
I guess there were about 30 of us who needed hotel accommodation, which turned out to be surprisingly good quite close to the airport in Mullet Bay for those that know the island. As it turns out they are time share apartments which don't have direct beach access....perhaps a quarter of a mile away and a bit more........but are nice tidy with lovely pool. Seems to be a good business model which made me think of a recent NC thread....lol.
Today after enjoying the pool, I was at the bar and started chatting to another gringo who had also been a passenger on the cancelled flight. He is a north European and he mentioned DR1 and volunteered his screen name.
This is the first time I have met face to face another member. salsafan and me are now known to each other.
He is apparently on his way to Sosua for a few days to start his DR trip off. He says he always likes to finish the trip off in the best place in DR...... Las Terrenas and is also a fan of La Bodega there.
He reminisces that Sosua is not the same place it was 6 years ago, but is returning just to check it out again. We discussed the current thread on closures etc. in relation to a successful behind doors mongering model that is to be found in Dutch Sint Maarten as against the in your face current scenario in DR.
I am sure we will be having a few more drinks together later with an increasingly lively bunch of island Dominicans who are sharing their Black Label at the pool bar. We have a mix from Anguilla, Tortolla, Virgin Gorda and St Kitts & Nevis.
Oh we also have a potential newbie from the same country as salsafan. She also was travelling to Santo Domingo too for an extended holiday on the cancelled flight and will be travelling around starting in Zona Colonial where she has initially booked her hotel. My suggestion was to then move to Las Terrenas and onwards. (And a rather lovely Belgian Balinese lass also got caught up in this Insel mess and has to wait to Wednesday to get to Guadalupe.)
We have told her if she joins DR1 she needs thick skin for the initial posts. Mods keep an eye out for new posters and keep the wolves at bay.
I was returning from my monthly visit to Nevis arriving in SXM at 8.30am expecting to meet my connection on Insel Air leaving 12.15pm and back home early afternoon.
To cut the story short, it didn't happen and during the course of the afternoon we were given $10 food vouchers and then at about 5pm the announcement came that the flight was cancelled and told our return flight is Tuesday. Rather efficiently we were processed and given vouchers for taxis and hotel for two nights with evening meal lunch and breakfast.
I guess there were about 30 of us who needed hotel accommodation, which turned out to be surprisingly good quite close to the airport in Mullet Bay for those that know the island. As it turns out they are time share apartments which don't have direct beach access....perhaps a quarter of a mile away and a bit more........but are nice tidy with lovely pool. Seems to be a good business model which made me think of a recent NC thread....lol.
Today after enjoying the pool, I was at the bar and started chatting to another gringo who had also been a passenger on the cancelled flight. He is a north European and he mentioned DR1 and volunteered his screen name.
This is the first time I have met face to face another member. salsafan and me are now known to each other.
He is apparently on his way to Sosua for a few days to start his DR trip off. He says he always likes to finish the trip off in the best place in DR...... Las Terrenas and is also a fan of La Bodega there.
He reminisces that Sosua is not the same place it was 6 years ago, but is returning just to check it out again. We discussed the current thread on closures etc. in relation to a successful behind doors mongering model that is to be found in Dutch Sint Maarten as against the in your face current scenario in DR.
I am sure we will be having a few more drinks together later with an increasingly lively bunch of island Dominicans who are sharing their Black Label at the pool bar. We have a mix from Anguilla, Tortolla, Virgin Gorda and St Kitts & Nevis.
Oh we also have a potential newbie from the same country as salsafan. She also was travelling to Santo Domingo too for an extended holiday on the cancelled flight and will be travelling around starting in Zona Colonial where she has initially booked her hotel. My suggestion was to then move to Las Terrenas and onwards. (And a rather lovely Belgian Balinese lass also got caught up in this Insel mess and has to wait to Wednesday to get to Guadalupe.)
We have told her if she joins DR1 she needs thick skin for the initial posts. Mods keep an eye out for new posters and keep the wolves at bay.