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Day 2 Town and Jax ruralcarrier 4 hours ago Even after a very long day and not much sleep, I am still an early riser, so I got to see the 3 ships come in. There is a turtle nest in the alley beside the Horny Toad. It is somewhat cordoned off. It would be interesting to see the eggs hatch. Someone was cleaning and raking the beach at the end of the alley. This is often a spot for families to have a beach party. It turns out they were preparing for what appeared to be an excursion from one of the ships. Several umbrellas were set up, small tables with wine classes, and a lot of food. They all had matching towels, which is what you would see from a ship. Two large catamarans also came in. They would usually go to Mullet Bay, but with the wind, I assume it was too rough there

We made a trip to town to see long time friends at Caribbean Gems, Diamonds and Designs, and Sage jewelers. We had some repairs to be made and some items cleaned. 3 large ships were in port, including The Icon of the Seas, and it was not at all busy. We did not have our usual pastries, so we opted for breakfast/lunch at French Touch. JP who used to have Antoines in town, has French Touch. Except for getting onions in her omlette when she asked for none, food and service were good, with a 15% service charge added to the very reasonable prices. It is located on Olde St.

Back to The Horny Toad for some relaxation and beach time before going to Jax for dinner. I stopped in Roma to say hello to Marco. We have known him since when he worked for Davide at LaGondola, 20+ years. I had a wine, and then we met friends for dinner at Jax.

Most had filets or surf and turf, while I had the beef short rib. Some had desserts, and since we were celebrating our 37th anniversary, they presented us with a dessert to share. Excellent food and service and prices comparable to a good steakhouse in the US. No service charge added.

A brief stop at the casino and then back for the night. The Maho area was not at all busy; Jax was getting busy, as was the casino. I don't gamble, but I know a couple of the others were doing well but am not sure how it ended.

Traffic coming back from town in the early afternoon was heavy and slow, but going to Jax and back last night was a breeze.

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Discount cards candj 14 hours ago Is the Magic of the Caribbean discount Card still active and has anyone used it recently? I bought it last year and it seemed that less restaurants honored it.

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Federal Lawsuit to Block Caneel Bay Redevelopment Plan DanS 15 hours ago A story from the St. Thomas Source:

https://stthomassource.com/content/...-to-block-caneel-bay-redevelopment-plan/

Quote

The Ecological Collective of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Washington, D.C., seeking to block a Trump administration redevelopment plan for the former Caneel Bay Resort on St. John, according to a press release issued by the Ecological Collective.

The lawsuit challenges a National Park Service proposal that would lease the entire 150-acre property to a private developer, potentially restricting public access to beaches and parkland and allowing commercial development near historic sites, the press release stated.

Dan

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Decade Absence BoatDrinks33 Yesterday at 11:54 PM My wife and I are finally talking about another visit to the island after over ten years of absence. Starting in 2001 we made our first visit and up until around 2015 we hardly missed a year traveling with our children and also trips with just the two of us. We felt comfortable and connected to the island, people and culture but now feels like we are starting over and have to get reacquainted. the French side was our usual go to, staying at Esmeralda, Alamanda Grand Blu,and a few private rentals on Orient Bay. Just looking for any advice on anything to expect that has changed and recommendations for places to stay, car rentals, any other suggestions to help plan a revisit. Thank You.

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Vesna Taverna ruralcarrier Yesterday at 08:07 PM It has been discussed previously about the sale, new ownership, new ownerhsip not working out, and someone named Sally(?) trying to take over. Based on what I have seen in passing by a few times, it appears they are either totally closed, going through a major renovation, or gone kaput. The sign above the door is still there, but there is construction fencing around the front and a cloth barrier on the fence. I enjoyed a couple of meals there but was not close totheowner or place, if anyone else had better knowledge, please provide an update. Thanks.

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Isola sold SXMScubaman Yesterday at 04:07 PM JAX group is taking over the Isola location. Very excited about this as it gives more options so close to my home resort Flamingo. Used to be a great place to go until Marco left to open ROMA in Maho. Isola went downhill after that and now it looks promising with JAX taking over the location.

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Day One/Arrival Day ruralcarrier 10/26/2026 11:58 PM It started with a 2:00am wake-up so I could spend a little time with the pups. 6:00am flight on Delta from DAY to ATL. Arrived 20+ minutes early, only to find the plane train was not working at the time. We walked and then hopped on the train at gate C to go to gate E. Left ATL a little late on a 757 and arrived at SXM about 10 minutes early. When the flight attendants announce to put your seats in the upright position and remove headsets, WHY can't adults follow instructions?

We were in Delta Comfort, and due to turbulence, they discontinued beverage service about 1 hour into the flight. Glad I ordered two! We were in row 16 and were off the plane before first class. It was hot. We had a jetway at A4. We breezed through immigration. The scanners worked, and it was less than 5 minutes. About a 15-minute wait for checked bags and then another 10 minutes for the rental car from Hardy's. Overall, a decent experience.

We decided to stop at a Carrefour across the causeway for some necessities. About 15 minutes, and I was done while my wife stayed with the car. On to The Horny Toad to check in and unpack. We took about an hour break and headed to Royal Palm to meet some friends. We had an early dinner/happy hour at Lee's with Val. They were not busy. No service charge and good food, lots of it and good service. I gave Val Hello's from Scubaman and WhaleTail. A BIG smile as always!

Not sure if there was an accident or what, but it took almost 20 minutes from Horny Toad to Royal Palm.

Traffic was better coming back, and it is HOT.

Looking forward to the party David/Colour1 has organized at Catch 21 on Wednesday.

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Last Pool Evening Before Heading Home CaribLee 10/26/2026 09:32 PM It's been another fun ride.

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L'Astrolabe, Orient calle313 10/26/2026 07:27 PM Hi!
We have heard a lot of praise for L'Astrolabe in Orient, and was wondering what you guys think? On Trip Advisor, most visitors are very pleased and find the lobster/surf and turf night (fridays and mondays) menu worth the price. I did notice that the prices seems to have been coming up . . . reviews from February and April this year says that they paid 44 EUR for the set menu. On the newly updated menu its 78 EUR for the three course set menu. So, is it worth it? Is the food and atmosphere good?

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Safest island in Caribbean SXMScubaman 10/26/2026 03:48 PM It's not St Maarten.
LINK

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