Flight From Philadelphia on American Airlines to SJU, connecting on LIAT to SXM, was a non-event. Arrived at 3:10 PM and was met by Marius of St. Louis car rental. Unfortunately, there were four of us, four suitcases, and four carry-ons to fit in a small "WHITE" Corolla. We managed to get everything and everybody into the car for our short trip to the Ocean Club. It was fairly comical and we all had a good laugh. We had booked ahead for a Jeep Wrangler and Marius didn't disappoint us. He had for us a fairly new 2001 "GREEN" Jeep, with very low milage. Driving around in it was a hoot! This was our third time to SXM (the first being a one day stop during a cruise) and our friend's first, and we still needed to learn a little more about the island and how to get around. (This board has been very helpful)<br><br> We did some quick unpacking and a trip for some much needed groceries. Drove around the island briefly before we finally had dinner at Rancho Argentinian Steak House. Meal and service was not as good as on our previous visit. <br> <br> Ran into Phillipsburg for our shopping thing on Sunday. After we left P'burg, we drove to the little shops on the hill that overlooks Orient Bay. Since it was Sunday, the shop that sells rum and other liquors was closed. Decided to walk the beach along Orient and ended up at Papagayo's for some Caribs. Dinner was at the Boathouse and was excellent. The Lobster Bisque was the best I have ever had and complimented the beer batter shrimp dinner. After dinner, we stopped at Maho and the SSBB to watch the beautiful sunset. <br><br> Monday, we spent most of our time at the Ocean Club and the pool. Took a walk down to Cupecoy Beach, but didn't spend any time there as the beach is still not completely back yet. We did make it back to Orient Beach in the afternoon for a little while. Tracy got a "temporary tattoo" while there at Bikini Beach, but it faded away before the end of the week. Dinner was at Banana's and I told Bob the owner, that Ray Mann mentioned the place on TTOL. We were not disappointed. The food was great and we enjoyed the unique lay-back way of ordering our meal at the counter, then having it served to us.<br><br> Tuesday was our snorkeling trip to Prickly Pear aboard the Blackbeard. The trip was fantastic and the crew aboard the Blackbeard couldn't have been better. Ian the Captain, Jimmy the First Mate, David the Second Mate, and Amy the Hostess and Mate were just wonderful. Ian's 12-year-old son, Jake, was aboard and helped out whenever he could. The snorkeling was better than at Shoal Bay, and the lunch was delicious. Since this trip took almost a full day, and we got caught up in the drawbridge traffic, our tired bodies just crashed for the rest of the evening. <br><br> Wednesday, Tracy & I went to Pinel Island for some more snorkeling and beach time. Our friends wanted to do the Phillipsburg thing again, so we were dropped off for the water taxi to Pinel, and spent the day there, while they did more shopping. Went to Turtle Pier for their Lobster Night Special. The meal was OK and the service was good, but we were not as impressed as we were last year. We did get our free bottle of wine with dinner from the coupon I got from their website. Went to the Atlantis Casino for fun and broke even after being up about $50.00 on the slots.<br><br> Thursday we spent more time exploring the island. Went to Fort Louis and took in the views. Afterward, we walked along the market and marina in Marigot. Drove to Paradise Peak and took the hike to the summit. The hike wore us out, but the views were worth it. Then we drove to Friars Beach and had lunch. Dinner was at the La Rosa in the Maho Shopping Plaza. The food and service was excellent.<br><br> Friday morning, Tracy & I went to Cupecoy again and spent some time on the beach. It was pretty quiet, and only a few people were down at the end where they rent umbrellas and beach chairs. Later, we took the boat ride on the Seaworld Explorer semi-sub out of Grand Case. It was interesting, but the highlight of the day was a late lunch at the Talk of the Town lolo. The grilled lobster was fantastic. Took a quick trip to Boo Boo Jams down at Orient, but it was late and they were just closing up. We spent Friday night watching the Air France 747 come in to land, then came back to watch it depart. Spent the rest of the evening packing for the trip home [Linked Image]. <br><br> It seemed that we did very little but eat during our stay. We didn't spend near as much time on the beach as we would have liked to, but couldn't fit it in since we did more sightseeing this year. The weather was perfect throughout the entire week. It showered one morning for about 10-15 minutes but cleared up right away. A few rain showers during the night, but not enough to dampen our vacation.<br><br> The litter "problem" did seem to be much better this year, and while we were there, we heard of no "crime stories". Not sure why there isn't more traffic accidents on the island because they all drive pretty crazy; however, by the time we were ready to leave, we had learned to drive like everyone else. (Better not try that here at home [Linked Image].)<br><br> Some of the things we didn't get to do were the Butterfly Farm, P'burg Zoo, horseback riding, snorkeling at Dawn Beach, more time on Orient, and a trip to Saba and/or St. Bart's. Guess we'll have to come back for the other experiences. There are also many fine eateries we need to try out [Linked Image]!<br><br> Tracy & I are already trying to figure out how we might squeeze one more visit to the island this year. We'd like to spend just a few days experiencing the "sand gravity" that everyone has been talking about and stay at the Club O. We'll keep you posted. Sorry for the long report.<br><br>Dave & Tracy<br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 4/13/01 04:25 PM.</EM></FONT></P>