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FUN IN THE SUN NOV/DEC 2018


This was my first trip back to St. Maarten since Hurricane Irma and also since the death of my husband so it was a very different trip for me. I knew it was something I really had to do and with the support of all my island friends, I booked my trip and began this unknown journey. Just preparing for the trip was not easy and I was very apprehensive of what this trip would actually be like.

My flight on Nov.15 was with WestJet from Ottawa to Toronto and onwards to St. Maarten. Vikki and Neil Whitley were on the same flight so it was nice to see them at the Toronto airport. Familiar faces are important when travelling alone. The flight was good and the arrival at the airport tents worked out fine. There was not a long wait for luggage and Jimmy from Leisure Car Rentals was there promptly to meet me. This was my first-time using Leisure and I am pleased to say the price and service was excellent!

I had chosen Beachside Villas for my 3-week accommodation because I wanted to be right on the water and always felt secure when staying there in the past. I knew this choice may also be difficult since it was a favorite place for my husband and I to stay together. Settling in at first was a little sad to be sure, but after a few days surrounded by friends who were also staying in the villas there, everything seemed more normal. The staff and the new manager there were all so friendly and really care for their guests. The beach was wide and beautiful and the new plane viewing deck was great. The rooms have all been nicely renovated since the hurricane and the A/C now in the main living area was a big asset! The gardens have returned to their beauty and as always everything is neat and tidy throughout the resort. Jeannie had stocked all the groceries which I had ordered from Shop N Drop and it was nice not to have to think about grocery shopping at least for a few days. I also enjoyed viewing amazing sunrises from the villa balcony each morning. This was very surprising since I am not usually an early riser!

I am thankful to my many friends who graciously invited me to several activities during my stay and offered rides on many occasions. It was so nice to not have to go out alone in the evenings. The list is too long to mention but be assured your kindness was very much appreciated.

I enjoyed some wonderful meals at several restaurants and all were good to excellent. Upon my arrival, Bill and Elaine picked me up for a lovely welcome dinner at Bar Code. The drinks and fish and chips were delicious. So great to see you both again! The next night I went to Le Cottage in Grand Case with Linda (jazzgal). We had a wonderful evening there and Cindy and Jeannie joined us. Le Cottage has always been one of my favorite island restaurants and they proved this to be true once again! I chose the meal called “lobster menu” and it was fabulous. The caramel soufflé was a perfect end to the meal!

The toy party at Snoopy’s was the following day, organized by Everything SXM and it was very successful. This was for all the children who had lost everything in the hurricane and all the donated toys helped to brighten their Christmas. I shopped for my toys at a great toy store called Intertoys in Cole Bay and it was a very pleasant experience. The price and selection were good and the staff very helpful. Each person attending brought a bag of toys and enjoyed the evening. Drinks were at a reduced price for a part of the evening and appetizers were supplied by the restaurant. A big thank you to Vikki Whitley and all her helpers for distributing the toys to the children on both sides of the island.

I enjoyed a lovely day on the Enigma C3 with Captain Neil at the helm. This was organized by Karen at Simply SXM and 22 members enjoyed the trip to Anguilla. Neil cooked a fabulous lunch and drinks flowed freely throughout the day. We arrived back at 5:00 PM feeling refreshed after a very nice day on the water. This trip, like all others enjoyed on Neil’s previous 2 boats, was certainly a day to remember!

Many lunches and dinners were enjoyed throughout the trip at the following restaurants, some more than once:

Bar Code, Le Cottage, Snoopy’s, Mark’s Place, The Palms, El Zafiro, Bikini Beach, The Greenhouse, Gutside, Sol e Luna, Abu Ghazi, Yellow Beach, Yvette's, Pineapple Pete’s, Buccaneer, Jules and Sale e Pepe. A lot of delicious meals with great friends and no complaints at all. Breakfast was mostly enjoyed on the balcony of the villa each day. I tried to keep the croissants at bay and cooked nutritious breakfasts several days. I did enjoy breakfast one morning at Jules Bakery, a nice new little find in Jordan Village. The pastries and sandwiches there were very good!

Since I was right on Simpson Bay Beach, some days it was difficult to leave to go to other beaches. I did spend some time at the beach at Mary’s Boon, Kim Sha Beach, Pinel, and of course one of my favorites, Orient Beach. My husband and I spent most of our vacation days on Orient Beach in the past, so it was fitting that I return some of his ashes to this peaceful and beautiful spot. On Sunday Nov.26 a group of our closest friends gathered with me for a celebration of David’s life on Orient and amid rose petals he was returned to the ocean he so loved. He also grew up on the ocean in Canada so this made it even more fitting. Following our little ceremony, we all enjoyed lunch together at Bikini Beach and spent the remainder of the day enjoying the sunshine and sharing many fond memories.

The pool at BSV is very nice and it was fun to spend some time there with other friends who were also staying there. We even managed to have a wine and cheese party one day when Jeannie showed up with delicious bread and cheese and Pat and John supplied the wine. Good fun with good friends!

I attended a lovely roof top terrace party at Brad and Lora’s apartment which was a great evening with several in attendance. They host this party every year wherever they are staying and it is always a special night. Fabulous Feasts did the catering and everything was delicious!

One day I had the privilege of visiting the gallery of the famous island artist, Ruby Bute in Friar’s Bay. I purchased some interesting items for Christmas gifts for family and of course some for myself. Ruby has always been one of my favorite island artists and it was so nice spending time with her at her home. Afterwards we enjoyed a lovely lunch at Gutside owned by Ruby’s cousin, Richard, and right in the area. Another morning was spent visiting Parotte Ville Bird Sanctuary in Belvedere. This is a very interesting spot with over 170 different birds that you can enjoy for as long as you want. The cost is only $10 and that includes birdseed to feed the birds. I miss the butterfly farm which has not returned after the hurricane so this is a nice little replacement.

Two new bars for me this trip was The Hole in the Wall in Maho and Rembrandt Café in Madame Estate. Good music in both and the times I was there the music was supplied by Bobby Baron and Ronnie Santana. Tanja was celebrating her birthday there and it was nice to be invited to join in the celebrations. She and Michael had also just got engaged so that made the Rambrandt Cafe a double celebration! Congratulations to Tanja and Michael! I did not eat at either place, but both do have a food menu.

Most here who have read my trip reports in the past, will remember than we always enjoyed the night life on the Dutch side after the evening activities and dinner. This time, being alone, I was very reluctant to stay out as late as usual. I was a bit apprehensive of driving home alone late at night, so for a few nights I just came back to the villa and spent the rest of the evening there. Then I had a brilliant idea! Since the Dunes Casino was just down the road from the villa, I decided to stop in there on my way home most evenings and that worked out fine since it was less than a 5-minute drive from door to door. I won enough money to purchase a new unlocked phone to use on the island and contribute in other ways to the island economy with the rest. Unfortunately, none of my friends are night hawks like me so this was my only solution. I always tried to be home by midnight instead of my usual 2:00 AM!

Toward the end of my trip there was a TTOL party at Bar Code hosted by Jazzgal. It was very well attended and I met a few new members which was nice. It is a lovely spot for a social of this nature. There is lots of parking and no loud music either so it is easy to have a nice conversation with others. Afterwards, many stayed to enjoy dinner there and to continue socializing. Thanks, Linda, for a very enjoyable evening!

In conclusion, I just want to share a few observations:

The island rebuilding is a work in progress and things are going well on the Dutch side, but the French side is still struggling to make a comeback. It seems the French government and insurance problems are contributing to this. The traffic during the late afternoon and early evening is bad along Airport Road most days. Nobody really knows the reason for this, but it continues and is very frustrating if you are trying to make appointments during that time. Many residents still are living in inadequate conditions with tarps still on their roofs and living without the essentials of life. Hopefully this will not be the case on my next visit. Many new businesses have sprung up since the hurricane and other old favorites have not returned. I really missed DREAMS this time! The roads are full of potholes and you really have to be careful when driving everywhere on the island. I always thought the roads on the French side were better than the Dutch side but that is not the case anymore. The beaches are still beautiful, the people friendly and resilient and the weather is beautiful!

I left the island on a WestJet flight again back to Canada just in time to get ready for Christmas with the family. The check- in went smoothly in the tents even though there were several other flights leaving that day. Just a few days after I left, the airport was opened on a restricted basis, and the tents are no longer required. It was definitely a different vacation for me but with the support and kindness of good friends there, it proved to be a very good trip. I am so glad I made the effort to return to my island paradise and I am already planning a return visit in November 2019!


PS I will try to share some pictures later but since this report was rather late, I wanted to get it posted first.

Thanks for posting this detailed and informative report. I'm glad that you chose to return to SXM, despite your loss (belated condolences). If a similar situation were to arise, I hope that my wife would do the same.

My condolences for the loss of your husband, but what a fantastic thing to do by going back to St. Maarten. So glad you had a memorable experience and enjoyed good times with old friends. I'm sure that's exactly what your husband would have wanted you to do. St. Maarten is the one (and only) Caribbean island that truly becomes a part of you, and I believe there are many people who don't grasp this feeling until they have visited here. Thank you for your nice trip report and many more visits in the future to SXM!

Thank you, Elizabeth, for this very interesting report. It was Cleta's and my pleasure to meet you at the Bar Code meet-and greet. Hopefully our paths will cross again.

Thanks for the report Elizabeth and very glad you were able to make another trip.

Truly enjoyed our time together once again. So glad you made the trip. xxx

Good trip. Glad you got back.

We popped into the “Hole in the Wall” twice after dinner for relatively cheap beer and good Music. The bartender is great.

And Yvettes was quite an experience.

Thoroughly enjoyed your report. So glad you came back & enjoyed yourself. Loved hearing about the casino trips because I always would comment to my husband about you & your husbands late nights when we are tucked in by 11.

Great report Elizabeth! I shed a few tears reading it. Happy to see you have many island (and travel) friends to share the island with. Hopefully for many years to come.

Thanks for the report, Elizabeth! If I were in a similar situation, I would probably also choose Beachside to stay, but it would be bittersweet, for sure. Sounds like a really nice trip overall and glad you had several friends to share the trip with.

We enjoyed our moments with you and I truly enjoyed reading all your adventures in your return report. You made us seem like slugs by comparison, but reading it almost made me feel like we were there with you all over again. Here’s to many more memories down the road.

It was so nice to read this report a couple of months after the fact as it brought back some of the nice memories made. I'm glad to hear you are planning another November report and hope we can do some things together this fall.

Thanks for a real nice report. So glad that you were able to met up with your island friends. Friends can be a God send in difficult times. Glad you are going back in the fall. Really looking forward to your photos, I enjoyed them in all your past reports. You do a great job! Thanks again.

Nice report. Sounds like you had a great trip thanks to great friends!

Thanks for the great report, Elizabeth! It was great to see you again, although bittersweet without David there too. We're happy to hear you'll be back again next year!

Elizabeth, enjoyed your report and seeing you again, on the Celine.
You visited and ate at so many interesting places new to me !
I hope to get back in the Spring.
Take care.

Don--I know that you are one of the few here who can really understand Elizabeth's situation. Best wishes to you and to everyone who loved Roslyn.

Bless you Elizabeth for having the courage to make this journey. As your report clearly relays, it was the right thing to do. Here's a salute to many more Sint Maarten memories in years to come!

Great report, Elizabeth. Nice to hear of your return where you have such great memories and many friends. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much for the trip report and so sorry for your loss....nice to see the island is coming back we leave Sunday

Thank you all for your kind comments. I know everyone looks forward to the trip reports especially when waiting for the time for our next trip to arrive. It keeps us connected to the island we all love so much.

I LOVE that you spread some of his ashes there❤️. I can’t imagine how emotional the trip must have been. Sending you love!

I really enjoyed your report.
It always seems like you are sitting here talking to us, when you write.

Happy you had such a nice visit ...enjoyed seeing the pictures.

Sorry we left right before you arrived.
Maybe next time......

Sorry, pictures?

Facebook

Facebook link?

Thank you so much Carol for the remembrance. I am getting along OK.
I remember Elizabeth's husband very well. He made a lasting impression on me, a good one !

Don

Don and Elizabeth--It's so hard to lose someone you love. Best wishes.

Carol, I said in the report that pictures would follow. Please be patient as I have over 300 pictures and am putting together a slidesshow. 😊

Elizabeth--sorry, the Lurker said that she enjoyed seeing the pictures and I was trying to figure out what I missed. Looking forward to seeing the slideshow.

Sorry, there were a few pictures that were posted on Facebook--not sure who posted them.

Probably from Jazzgal's Meet and Greet.

When she was on island, Elizabeth posted beautiful daily sunrise pictures taken from her balcony at Beachside Villas. Those were on Facebook, in at least the Simply SXM forum. If you are a FB member, go there and put her name in the Simply search box. Her posts will come up, along with the pictures she posted. Or, wait for her slide show.

Since most of my pictures were taken with my phone this trip, I posted mainly sunrise and sunset pictures each day on Facebook since it was so easy to do that and family could see them daily. The slideshow I am putting together will be much more extensive. Even placing pictures within the trip report allows only a certain number of pictures. That is OK if you are doing a daily report from the island but not great for a synopsis.