TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin "Fun in the Sun" Nov./Dec. 2015 Part 2

"Fun in the Sun" 2015 Part 2

Day 10

It was a bit hazy in the morning, but the haze burnt off and the sun shone brightly for the rest of the day.

Just as we started to cook breakfast, we had another power failure which lasted about an hour so we changed plans and had yogurt and fruit and coffee which had been made previously. We sat on the balcony and waited for the power to come back on and decided to spend the day at Karakter.

Well that didn't happen as we had an unexpected call from home concerning a medical problem with our daughter. We of course were very upset about this, and ended up spending the day with phone calls and e-mail messages.We contemplated returning home, but they assured us there was really nothing we could do. She is home from hospital now and will continue to rest and try to recover. We didn't leave the condo the entire day and had three square meals at Islandgem Cafe!

In the evening we sat on the balcony and enjoyed the sunset with a glass of wine. It is times like this that you realize the importance distance plays in separating you from the ones you love!


Day 11

After a good night sleep and checking in with our daughter at home, we felt like it was time for breakfast. Toast, fruit and yogurt filled our tummies and after 2 cups of coffee, we were ready to make plans for the day.

It is St. Maarten/St. Martin Day today so most businesses are closed for the day and several activities had been planed for the island to celebrate this occasion. We wanted to avoid the traffic around the island, so decided to stay relatively close to home.

We set off to try Karakter since we missed going there yesterday, but the parking lot was full and there were cars scattered everywhere along the road. We decided that this was a bad idea . Our next choice was Dreams in Nettle Bay and it was by far the best choice. There were lots of parking spots and no problem finding chairs!

Bruno greeted us and we reserved a dining table for lunch, before taking up our positions on the beach. The beach was wide with lots of sand, very calm waters and no wind, so conditions were great! We relaxed on the beach with delicious rum punch and gin and tonic.

When it was time for lunch, we went in to the restaurant and were seated at a water side table. There were several specials on the menu today, but we had decided on our selections from the main menu. We shared deep fried fish rolls as an appetizer and I had the Bo Bun Nem salad and David chose the half roast chicken dinner. We ordered a bottle of pinot grigio to accompany the meal. Everything was excellent and the service was perfect. The restaurant was totally full and there was lots of staff and the meals were delivered quickly. We had no room for dessert. Next time, I will omit the appetizer and leave room for the yummy no name dessert!

We lingered at our table and finished our wine and then returned to the beach until 5:00 P.M. We stopped for some pastries on the way home and and also stopped to take some pictures of the lovely sunset.

We had some drinks and snacks later in the evening and retired around midnight. It was a perfect day to celebrate our mini anniversary.....48 years since David and I first met. We have celebrated this Nov.11 date every year!








Day 12

The sky was crystal clear this morning with abundant sunshine and it SHOUTED BEACH DAY! After a quick breakfast, we got things ready and started out to spend another day on Orient Beach at Club O. We stopped at Cafe Atlantico to get some freshly made sandwiches to take along for lunch. We travelled via the lowlands and Marigot this morning to check on the travel time versus using the causeway bridge. We found it took longer this way about 45 minutes versus 30 via the causeway. Just an interesting bit of info for those travelling from Simpson Bay to Orient. The route via Philipsburg is about 45 minutes too, now since there is more traffic . Years ago we could make this commute in 20 minutes. I guess this is progress in reverse!

We arrived about 9:30 P.M. and found parking by Pedros. A short walk to the Perch and we set up beside Maureen and Larry. We spent a lovely day together. At lunch time , we enjoyed our sandwhiches with some chips and beer while taking in the wonderful ocean view! Paradise! No seaweed at all on the beach and gentle waves with only a slight breeze today. There was a drop off to get into the water which presented a challenge at times getting out. The beach was packed with room for only two rows of chairs.

We stayed on the beach until 4:00 P.M. and after packing the car with our beach gear, I entered the constuction zone and took a few more pictures. The buildings are coming along and are being worked on now in the inside.Things are shaping up nicely and the opening is scheduled for December. We will have to wait and see if this really happens.

On the way home, we stopped at Market Garden for a few items and we were soon back to the condo.

After taking showers and some cocktails, we decided to cook in tonight. We had ham and carbonara with fresh bread and some nice after dinner drinks. We relaxed for a while and then went out for the evening. On the way home we stopped at Dunes Casino to make our deposit to the economy. Dunes has a new look inside with separate sections divided and seems more comfortable than some of the other casinos. We have found it not to be smokey there either. David ended up making a contribution to the economy and I made a withdrawal for the same amount so we walked away with nothing out of pocket and two hours of entertainment.

Another nice day comes to a close.



Day 13

Well this is Friday the thirteenth so we must not step on cracks today! It dawned a beautiful day so after breakfast, we set off for the beach.We decided to make our third attempt going to Karakter and it was definitely the charm!
We found parking today and settled into the new comfortable padded chairs and big new umbrellas. They have built a nice deck in the dining area where there was only sand previously, and this is a very nice addition to the property. The sea was calm and it felt like heaven!

Under the new owners, we experienced good beach service and all the staff was very attentive. The Sky Blue was the drink of the day and very tasty indeed! We reserved a table for 1:30 P.M. and had a delicious lunch. The menu is similar to the original menu with lots of our favorites still available. I had the Ocean Character with a side order of fries and mayo and David had the American Character served with steak fries. We had Amstel Bright to wash it all down. Great food and service and no complaints at all!

We returned to our chairs and relaxed on the beach until almost 5:00 P.M. We enjoyed watching some practice flights for the airshow to be held here on Sunday.

We had a refreshing dip in the pool upon our arrival home and enjoyed some cocktails on the balcony before a late dinner.





Day14

Another beautiful day in paradise! We decided to spend most of it at our condo and enjoy the facilities here. We had a full cooked breakfast and later, turkey sandwiches for lunch, and spent a lazy afternoon by the pool.

We had a few errands to run so we got ready and went out around 4:00 P.M. It was soon time for Happy Hour and we stopped at Buccaneer for some drinks and a wonderful sunset. We spent some time talking to Joanne who had just arrived on the island today. So nice seeing her after 3 years. We moved on to the Greenhouse for Happy Hour there and had some delicious appetizers for dinner. After a large platter of nachos and chicken wings and 4 BBC's we were stuffed!

Tonight was music night at Buccaneer, so we walked back there to enjoy the music supplied tonight by Franco. Nice to see his return to the island and the St. Maarten music scene! We met Bill and Elaine there and spent an enjoyable evening with them.

We later went to Dunes Casino for a few hours of entertainment and were snug in our beds by 1:30 A.M. with our winnings tucked under the pillow!

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Day 15

Today is Sunday and we have been here two weeks already. Time flies past quickly when you are having fun!

We decided not to have a full breakfast today since we wanted to go out for lunch We enjoyed a few cups of coffee and spent the morning relaxing and doing some reading and computer updates.

Around 1:00 P.M. we went down to Pineapple Pete's for lunch. Pierre, the owner was there so we talked to him for a while and then ordered lunch. We both started with the Canadian specialty, Bloody Caesars, which were terrific. For the main course, I had the chicken spinach grattine and David had a lemon chicken dish. Both were served with brown rice and salad and were very filling. We wandered back to the condo to get ready for a sunset cruise with Neil on the Celine Too.

About 30 people gathered for the cruise and the crew did a great job serving punch and delicious appetizers to keep everyone happy. it was nice to see a lot of island friends and meet some new ones. The Celine Too arrived back at the dock by 7:00 P.M. and we decided to return home and popped a pizza in the oven for dinner. It was just perfect after our big meal earlier in the day.

The day ended with some tropical drinks and sweet dreams!
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Day 16

The day began with some light showers so this was "a wait and see" kind of day. We relaxed with a few cups of coffee in the condo and decided to have brunch instead of lunch today. David performed his magic and we enjoyed eggs, sausages, toast and juice which really hit the spot.
The sun came out as usual and we decided to go out for an island drive, stopping along the way to pick up more breakfast items. Breakfast is the meal we usually enjoy eating "at home" as we don't have to think about dressing to go out and can just take our time doing nothing.

We enjoyed drinks on the balcony and viewed another lovely sunset, before dressing for dinner.

Dinner tonight was at Miller's Oven, the lovely home of our good friends, Bill and Elaine. We enjoyed a delicious pork roast, cooked to perfection, and accompanied by mashed potatoes and vegetables. Several glasses of red wine and good conversation made for a wonderful evening. Always a good time with special friends!

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Day17

We awakened again to beautiful sunshine and enjoyed coffee overlooking the pool. Breakfast was toast, yogurt and fruit and of course more coffee.

We decided that this was the perfect day to enjoy Anse Marcel Beach so we got ready and headed out. We crossed the causeway and went through Marigot and soon had arrived at our destination. It is so nice now to be able to drive right down to the restaurant and beach and not have to walk the paths in the heat! Lots of parking right at the door.
The beach boy set us up with chairs and umbrellas and quickly delivered our drinks. We settled in and I continued reading my book, Beach Bum Billionaire, set in St. Martin. Quite enjoyable!

We had reserved a table for lunch so at 1:30 P.M., we were taken to our table and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. I chose the salad nicoise and David had the goat cheese rolls with salad. We both had pinot grigio to drink. The food and drinks were good, the service was good and the view was awesome! They charge $20 for the chairs and umbrella and it is added to your bill which you pay at the end of the day. It is also written on your bill "NO TIPS INCLUDED" and we all know about that little trick! We did leave an extra tip as we enjoyed the service, but we still don't like when they do this on the French side. The € was equivalent to $1.15 there today which was the highest we have seen so far.

We looked for the One Love shirt shop, but didn't find it on the way through Cul de Sac today, so we will look again another time. We did drive down the road to Mount Vernon thinking it might be there, but didn't see it at all. However that road to Mount Vernon has to be the absolute worst road on the island!! It was a few years since we stayed in that area and the ruts in the road all the way are deep and dangerous. Staying there would not be too inviting given the condition of that road that you would have to travel on each day.

We arrived home and decided to stay in tonight and have some chicken wings for a snack and some rhum raisin ETNA ice-cream. Delicious and just enough food after a big lunch at the beach.

Since we were home tonight, it seemed like a good time to do some laundry and just chill with some drinks before bedtime. All in all a most enjoyable day!

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By the looks of it, looks like you had an awesome time.

The food pics just made me hungry though...

Another beautiful report, Elizabeth. I've been wondering when you would make it to Anse Marcel! Thanks so much for spending some of your vacation doing this for all of us!

I thought of you yesterday when we were there. It was so peaceful and so much space on the beach.

Your sunsets are lovely.

Thank you for taking the time to write and share.

Love your reports Elizabeth. Makes me feel like I'm still there.

Thanks for another great installment and pictures.

Hopefully the medical issue is resolved.

Yes, that Service Charge Not Included puts a damper on things. I left a few extra bucks and the woman didn't seem real happy about it. The food and service was good though.

Thanks for another great report and beautiful pictures. Time flies - tomorrow our 2 weeks will be half over already. We'll be making the 5 minute move from Club F to Club O. If we "bump into" each other somewhere, we'll be sure to say hi. If not, we'll continue to enjoy your posts.

Great report! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Umbrella.gif" alt="" />

Elizabeth:

I look forward to your reports and pictures. Everyone is beautiful. Hope all is well back at home. I know the feeling. We are so close with our children and grandchildren. They are the most important part of our life. Continue to enjoy your trip and some day we will come in November instead of February. Every best wish for continued enjoyment.

As always, delightful! TY! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Okay, you are having way too much fun. Save some of it for us please!

Enjoying your vacation. Thanks for posting.

I love reading your reports. Thanks for taking time out of your vacation to post them. I hope the balance of your trip is wonderful.

Guess that I missed the 1st report but enjoyed this one-thanks for posting.

Thanks so much for the report and the wonderful pictures! I hope your daughter's medical situation is resolved and she is OK. Sometimes we take some things for granted, that we shouldn't.

Thanks especially for the pictures of the salad at Dreams--my favorite salad in the world--and for the picture of 'home'--Beachside Villas!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

I had that salad and those egg rolls at Dreams and concur they were marvelous. Best lunch on the island, EVER. We had a waterside table, service was fantastic and sitting down with Bruno after a few years absence was great. He's so charming.

Elizabeth, the chicken was on the top of the list after seeing it roasting at Macaron in Orient but I had to get the Vietnamese salad.

I have had the chicken on other visits and David had it this time, but I didn't post the picture as I thought I might be over the limit for pictures. Everything at Dreams is very good!