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SXM Day 10 – October 13, 2020

The back patio decking seemed quite wet this morning, so it must’ve rained overnight. This was confirmed as we drove to Orient. The lakes in Beacon Hill were back, bigger than ever this trip (after almost drying up completely)! We waited for several vehicles to pass before sailing the Honda City through. The mountains are still vey green, but the mosquitoes are brutal (at least at our house).

On our way to Orient we drove through Marigot, stopping for gas at the Cadisco station located between Cul de Sac and Orient. It was our first fill up in ten days and cost $36.00. Not bad as we’ve been driving all around the island most days.

We arrived at the beach at 9:30, just as the gate at Club Orient was opening. Marc set up camp and I took a walk down to Esmeralda’s Coco Beach before turning back. The beach itself is wide and flat on the northern end and there were about a dozen people on chairs and in the water. Colin set up eight chairs on the Pedro side of the beach, but disappeared before we could go over and say Hello. Marc set up our chairs before the staff set up the Club O chairs and was later asked to move our chairs over. Marc obliged. In the distance, the clouds were black. The worst of the rain stayed out to sea, but it rained for about half an hour or so. Most people left the beach, but we huddled under the umbrella. We packed up around 12:30. All in all, I think there were 10 of us on the Club O beach, half of us in our own chairs. It was a great morning despite the small rain showers.

Lunch was at Orange Fever on Orient Beach. We chose to sit inside as it still looked like the rain could continue. The restaurant was busy. We ordered each a glass of Rose and Marc ordered Pepperoni Pizza (his third of the trip) and I ordered the Pineapple and Grilled Shrimp salad. Both lunches were delicious, especially the beautifully prepared salad. Lunch was capped off with mint rum shots. So good! Service was attentive and excellent.

Driving back home we noticed that there are more and more white butterflies flying about. Hopefully that’s a sign that hurricane season is almost over. We took a short drive over to Le Galion beach, where a family of four was enjoying the calm waters of the bay. We stay just for a few minutes and then took the scenic drive home via Oyster Pond. It was a beautiful drive home, just for the views alone.

It’s Tuesday, 5:30 Happy Hour time with the gang at The Palms! Bill and Elaine, Gail and Guy, Greg and Jo, Will and Travis and their adorable dog Chewy all joined the party. Another fun evening, but bittersweet, as this is our last Happy Hour of this trip. We weren’t too hungry for dinner and settled on Dinghy Dock for dinner.

I LOVED the Oyster Pond location, but I’m not enamored with the Simpson Bay restaurant, where we have been to several times in the past. The waitress wore a mask, but all of the male bartenders did not. The bar was packed, but a few seats were open. The bar was too crowded for us, so we chose to sit at a picnic table on the bay, with a cockroach roaming around our feet (not their fault – I get it, but yuck!). I ordered a glass of Rose and the waitress said I had to buy the whole bottle. Marc ordered a Bud Lite, but they had just sold the last bottle moments ago. I settled on a glass of chardonnay (it was just OK) and Marc ordered Tito’s on the rocks. My mediocre glass of small wine cost more than his generous pour of vodka. Friends of ours highly recommend the nachos, so that’s what I ordered. The chili part of the dish was good, but the nachos were not my cup of tea, as they were too thick. I ended up not eating most of the $16 Nachos. Marc ordered the chili and fries, which were both good. We wouldn’t rush back – too many other good restaurants to choose from.

Home sweet home by 9:00 PM.

It’s our last full day of vacation tomorrow. Can’t wait to see what the day holds in store!

Thanks for the continuing report. I shall be very sad when you go home and there are no more daily reports!

I guess some things never change, as the Beacon Hill lake is still in effect. What is the situation with Beacon Hill security, as I believe that Lesley said there is a gate now and a security guard?

I have heard some 'not very flattering' things about the owner of Dinghy Dock in the past, and have never been there, so I think I will continue my streak. Odd, that with so few people on island, that it was crowded..

Add me to the list that won't go to Dinghy Dock. Tried it twice and was very unimpressed both with food, beverage and the rude attitde of servers. I thought Masks were mandatory for food/bar servers. Total disregard for customer safety.

Thanks for the updates and reports. Very much appreciated.

Thanks for this & all of your updates - we're enjoying them. Pizza at Orange Fever is always a favorite lunch.

We must be lucky as we’ve always had a great meal at DD Simpson Bay location. Good food and price.

Only dish we didn’t care for over many visits is the time we got the side of Mac & cheese because they used a heavy hand with the blue cheese. It was overpowering otherwise great ribs, fish & chips, wings and fish. I even like the side salad.

Thanks for taking us alone on your ride

Have really enjoyed your daily updates, thanks for taking us all along with y'all on this trip.

We love Orange Fever and so glad they are back to serving food, their pizza has always been a favorite of ours.

As for DD we have always enjoyed the food and atmosphere, in fact after having the nachos we compare all nachos to DD because we really like those, but to each their own. Enjoy what is left of your trip.

There is a Beacon Hill security gate at the beginning of the neighborhood, with another speed bump for good measure. The security guard shack is located on one of the Beacon Hill Lakes. From what I hear, they can't stop anyone from entering the neighborhood. There's also a security gate and guard directly in front of Bobby Baron's villa also.

As for Dinghy Dock, they do offer Baseball and Football games on TV. Maybe that's the draw.

On another note, a group of13 young people were having dinner at The Palms. That was nice to see!