Saturday May 20-June 2

First time our trip is for a two week period.

USAir BDL thru CLT to SXM—pretty uneventful flight except for the hour delay leaving CLT because a man had a seizure after he boarded the plane. Arrived in SXM but had to circle due to heavy rainstorm. Leslie met us at the airport with our usual white Corolla. Off to Royal Palm to pick up the cell phone from Sharon. Check in at Pelican went smoothly. Back to the car and it won’t start—gave Leslie a call and he came quickly with another (newer) Corolla and we were on our way. Unpacked into C6A (this was a banked week)—nice room, beautiful view--more on the problems later. Starving so went to Marigot to LaBelle Epoque for pizza (waited an hour to get it—delicious tho) and salads.

Sunday—went to Maho beach to wait arrival of brother-in-law; watched planes come and go; SSBB for a couple of snacks and expensive beverages. Took the Sunset Cruise (best $10 you can spend)….Went to Los Gauchos that night for dinner—had a rib eye and hubby had filet—steaks were good, but we’ve had better. Had a coupon for a couple of free glasses of wine (received at orientation at Pelican). Lisa (?) is doing a nice job with the restaurant. Brother/sister-in-law ate at LeVeranda at Pelican—not great—fish and chips was apparently fish sticks. Hung out at Red Piano Bar for a couple of drinks—not bad, a little smokey—had a coupon there for a couple of free shots too (courtesy orientation).

Monday—went to LeGalion for the day—pretty much deserted; food stand was closed as was the watersports area. Just floated…….stopped at Rima’s (stop #1) on the way home to pick up a few gifts; got ribs at Lido’s (can’t beat the prices); went to the Manager’s Party at Pelican (free snacks/drinks for an hour); went to Marigot for some crepes (can’t remember the name of the place).

Tuesday—Zee Best for chocolate croissants—nice looking French guy working there; friends and in-laws went to Loterie Farm to do the zip line….they had a blast; we hung out by the pool and waited for them to call and met up at Baie Rouge—never been—my new favorite beach. Water is calm; very quiet. Rented chairs and umbrellas (6 chairs/3 umbrellas-$30). Stopped again at Lido’s for chicken and ate in. Tried to take a shower, but no hot water; just a dribble. Made do. Went to Maho and did a little shopping; stopped at one of the stores where we sampled just about every flavor of Ma DouDou. Bought some liquor (should have waited; cheaper in Pburg).

Wednesday—still no hot water; called Maintenance and was fixed in about an hour. Have water on the floor by the front door. No one seemed to care. Sister-in-law had a massage from Martina—since she’s a massage therapist, she was looking for someone to relax her for a change; said it was ok, but Martina was 6 months pregnant, and felt she really didn’t get a deep down massage. But said it was good anyway. Took the free bus trip into Pburg offered by Pelican; not enough time to shop; wouldn’t do that again. Ate dinner in (made chili). Headed to BBB for the TTOL meeting; met OBGirl and RichCT and a couple from Nebraska (sorry not good with names!)—also I think Patty FL (?) who was renting a villa on the cliff overlooking Baie Rouge. Nice time. No one makes a better BBC than BBB. Decided we were still a little hungry, so ordered a burger to split—it was good.

Thursday—No hot water again; called maintenance; fixed AGAIN in about an hour; water on the floor by the door. No one cares still. Made the mistake of going to LeGalion again; Ascension Day (?)—local holiday—place was wall to wall people. Friend did some windsurfing there. On the way home, took a ride looking for the Ma DouDou “factory.” Found it, but closes at 3:30. Rode thru Grand Case. Since it’s our 32nd anniversary, off to LaGondola for dinner. Coupons for free wine; excellent pasta dishes, excellent service, excellent dessert. We enjoyed Davide when he was in Sandy Ground and have been back every year. A little more pricey than when he was in Sandy Ground, but the restaurant is much nicer. I always enjoy it there. Free after dinner cocktail courtesy Davide.

Friday—toilets won’t flush this morning. Called maintenance; water still on floor; no one seems to care. Took the Lambada to Anguilla—never again—no where near as nice as the trip to Prickly Pear. Went to Pineapple Pete’s for dinner; huge burgers; hubby had a filet, and it was the best filet we had the whole trip….tender, juicy, cooked to perfection. Had a 10% off coupon (courtesy Pelican). Headed to BBB for our BBC. Love the bartender—can’t remember his name—walks with a limp; he’s our favorite bartender after Allan at Pelican.

Saturday—pack and move day. Toilets don’t flush. Water on the floor; no one cares. They let us move all our luggage, etc. into our unit B554. Off to Marigot for lunch at LaBelle Epoque—stop #2 at Rima’s; home for a swim and met Claudio and Billy who I understand are buying a timeshare. If anyone knows how to reach them, let me know; I wanted to get their email addy before I left, but forgot. Went to SSBB for a hamburger and expensive beer.

Sunday—Turtle Pier for lunch—excellent; chicken sandwich, turtle burger and tuna melts. And not expensive. Watched the fish hanging around the deck. SSBB for a last beer for the in-laws that are leaving.

Monday—Went to Baie Rouge for the day; ate dinner in. Went to the Manager’s Party (again)—went to see Allan (bartender from B pool) working at the Crow’s Nest—place is dead—what a horrible bar. He did tell us he should be back at the B Pool Bar come July 1st. Speaking of B pool—it’s green and filty and remained that way most of the week—was starting to look clean/clear by weeks end. Went to bed—woke up at 2 a.m. and guess what, no water—here we go again.

Tuesday—woke up and no water still. Called maintenance; fixed in about 30 minutes. Le Sucriece (?) bakery for chocolate croissants—wish I had found this earlier in the visit—the BEST chocolate croissants—and cheaper than Zee Best. Went to Pburg to shop; stop #3 at Rima’s. Finally found the MaDouDou shop open. Bought a few bottles and a bunch of shot glasses—what a neat place this is—someone on TTOL posted directions and they were excellent. Ate in.

Wednesday—Baie Rouge in the morning; not there more than 5 min. and it starts to pour. Only lasted a few minutes; settled down into our chairs/umbrella for the day. Picked up a LOT of sea glass there during the week. Marigot for dinner at LaBelle Epoque (hey, what can I say, I love their pizza!). St. Germaine’s for crepes (our favorite place for crepes!) Back to Pelican and purchased a necklace that I had my eye on all week at Splash.

Thursday—Pool day—lounged at C pool all day with the “regulars.” Thinking about packing up for tomorrow. Went to Mark’s Place for dinner. $27 for grouper dinner, ribs (best ribs I’ve ever had), 2 beers and a soda—I wish I had found this place earlier in the trip—it will be a must stop next time. Back to BBB for a BBC.

Friday—check out day—uneventful. Dropped luggage off at 1030. Returned the phone to Sharon; lunch at BBB one last time. Met Kenny at the airport. Flight left on time; back into Hartford at midnite—got luggage and car—home at 2 a.m.

Already planning the next trip. Can’t wait.