The "SXM: The Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Decided to take a trip to Philipsburg which is the capital of the Dutch side of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  There were supposed to be two cruise ships in port today which means that most of the stores in downtown Philipsburg, which is located close to the cruise terminal, would be open to shoppers.  Parked in our usual spot at Bobby's Marina and found our way to Front Street, a narrow one lane street which runs from one end of the town to the other.  Our first stop was at the Guavaberry Rum Store with other stops at the Shipwreck Shop and the Tommy Bahama store.  

Entrance to the Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House.

We crossed the street and passed one of our favorite lunch stops, the Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House.  We entered the front door to see if they were serving lunch today and if we would need a reservation.  The Pasanggrahan is a charming West Indian-style guest house that at one time was the summer home of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina.  The old town charm is evident as soon as you walk up the steps onto the front porch.  But, as soon as we entered the lobby, that at one time had beautiful peacock bamboo chairs and vintage spool tables, we saw that Hurricane Irma had taken its toll at this oldest hotel on the island.  Photos of royalty that hung in the main lobby were destroyed due to the storm.  

Entering the lobby where the paintings on the walls
were destroyed by last year's Hurricane Irma.

Obvious renovations were still being done and when we visited the main desk the clerk told us that the entire three-story hotel rooms that face Great Bay were destroyed and haven't been repaired yet.   The part of the hotel that was added in 2013 seemed to be intact, but seeing the older part of the place was heartbreaking.  And, the beautiful and inviting lunchtime restaurant was in terrible shape.  It's been over a year since Irma visited Sint Maarten, and it's hard to believe repairs haven't been started to one of Sint Maarten's most famous buildings.  

The restaurant area has been closed for over a year.

After visiting a few other shops and having lunch at another restaurant along Philipsburg's famous Boardwalk, Carol and I headed back to the car via the Boardwalk and were amazed at the damage that had been done on the boardwalk side to this gem of a hotel in downtown Philipsburg.  We were told by the clerk at the Pasanggrahan that renovations were scheduled to begin in the near future, but when is the near future?  Here's hoping the beautiful and historical Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House will once again be a big draw in Philipsburg and not be demolished as so many other historical structures.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This view was heartbreaking.  The Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House is in shambles!