TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Dec 1 - Another day of not much of anything.....

And that's okay since it was well enjoyed, regardless.

We hit the rack Monday night with big plans for yesterday. We were either going to the beach, or, based on the weather forecast, we weren't, and the deciding factor was to be the skies we awoke to.

OMGoodness - we awoke to raindrops splashing on our balcony and dark and heavy skies, particularly the rain-laden clouds hanging over the hillsides of the French side that we can view from our balcony. We know the sun rose - it always does in one fashion or the other - but there was virtually no true sunrise in the sense of that which I love. It was the kind of morning that, if at home supposed to be getting up to go to work, you'd just want to roll over, pull the covers over your head and go right back to sleep!

After all these years I know not to get too excited over the island weather forecast but for once they were right on target this morning and from this point on and for the rest of the day they were calling for rain and potentially heavy showers through last night with an 80% probability. Okay, so I bought into it. First mistake of the day.....I shouldn't have looked at it in the first place.

We changed our plans on the beach day and did some errands instead, ultimately returning to our apartment but all the time, with our eyes on the skies. Hmmmm, the rain has ended and those dark and heavy clouds were disappearing but by now it's almost noon and we really didn't feel like heading off to either Anse Marcel or Simpson Bay Beach, so once again, lunch in and another day at the pool. It turned out, when all was said and done, to be a gorgeous day and we all wished we'd ignored the weather forecast and followed our original plans but tomorrow (today?) is another day and we will get to the beach. The people we've spoken to have all told us the waves are really crashing at Mullet and from our vantage point high up at the Towers, it looks as though they're right.

We managed to miss the owners cocktail party - I don't know how it happened but it did....and we headed out to Simpson Bay - could be Cole Bay? - for a delicious dinner at Luna Rosa. OMG....the food here is so good! Thank you again, Sharon Harris, for introducing us to it.

I had a chicken and mushroom dish with a white sauce and some of the incredible homemade pasta - if I could have licked the plate and gotten away with it I might have considered it. This little place is so under acknowledged and I can only imagine in a different location there'd be lines waiting at the door to get in. It's relatively small and done with a red and white decor but nothing too fancy, though very comfortable. I'm not a big fan of Italian foods slathered in red sauces so my dinner suited me to a tee.

We were determined to enjoy and finish our mains so we passed on the apps, though they sounded good, but decided to leave room for desserts instead. Once again, by the time we were done with our entrees we were too full to consider the tiramisu or her freshly made apple tart but there's always another night, right. With a glass or two of vino, our dinner checks came to under $75.00 a couple and worth that much again. It wasn't high end dining, if you get my drift, but it sure was good eating!

The daybreak and the sunrise this morning have been spectacular so far so I can only imagine what the day holds in store for us, but for now, it's time to make the coffee since my DH is alive and looking for it. Wishing you all a day as good as I'm sure mine will be........ <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the update. Always good to try and enjoy new places.

where is Luna Rosa?

If you know where Toppers is in Simpson or Cole Bay - and I'm never sure where one stops and the other begins - it's almost directly across the street. If you pass over the bridge and pass the Royal Palm it will be coming up on the left. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Luna Rosa is across from Toppers on Airport Road.

Enjoyed reading about your first December day. We haven't seen you yet and we are leaving tomorrow.

So sorry to hear about the waves at Mullet---I guess you didn't bring your surf board. Pat, we could not believe how many days of complete calm we experienced while there. It seemed like it lasted for a while after we left too.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/drown.gif" alt="" /> Hope it returns for April.

We did notice the Italian restaurant you went to, but never tried it. I think it has been there for a couple of years or trips. Our list is growing.

Enjoy your beach day!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Enjoyed reading about your Monday. We will add Luna Rosa to our list of new restaurants to try. It sounds like it is within walking distance from SImpson Bay Resort which is great because we are not renting a car for the first of our 4 weeks. First time vacationing for 4 weeks, celebrating my retirement. The countdown is on for February. Enjoy your beach day today.

TY!! But I think it was my mostly Tuesday.....today is Wednesday, right? Or not - I'm easy to get along with, usually, so it can be any day we want it to be...........

Serious congrats on your retirement. Wish I could convince DH to stay that long but seventeen days is about his max so far. Someday, maybe.

And yes, I'd think it's walkable though if you do apps to dessert w/vino, not so sure about the walk back home!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

And VOILA!! Pat's sunrise...

Enjoying hearing about your days. It seems like every year we seem to do less, and just enjoy the beach and hanging out! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

It took us about the first twenty-five years of annual visits to finally figure that out but now we're cool with chillin' and just letting it all happen as it will. And in honesty, we'd been visiting annually for a minimum of thirty plus years before we ever got around to doing Saba, but so very glad we finally did. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Pat , as you know, we've been going to SXM as long as you have, and every visit we say this time we're going to Pinel. We STILL haven't gotten there! But we did get to Saba & St Barths.