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Sunday -day 3 fabila 1 hour ago Another beautiful day in SXM. We spent the morning relaxing on the beach, and whenever we got too warm, we cooled off with a swim.

Around noon, we went to Ma Ti Restaurant & Beach Bar in Nettle Bay. Several former La Playa staff members have opened this new spot in the Le Flamboyant complex on the lagoon, in the space that previously held another outdoor restaurant. The venue is spacious, with plenty of tables, overlooking the lagoon, and cabana-style seating. The lagoon view with beach area and many palm trees added to a nice tropical setting. They are open Tuesday through Sunday. Serving lunch and dinner.

For lunch, I had the tuna tartare, a generous portion of diced tuna and avocado. David ordered the bacon cheeseburger served on a seeded brioche bun. Both meals came with very good fries, and David’s burger included a smoky house mayo based sauce on the side that was excellent for dipping. They offer complimentary infused Rhum shots at the end of your meal. I don’t know what flavor it was, but it was very smooth. Too often I find the infused Rhum shots offered at some bars and restaurants are a bit harsh. This was not. Dollars to euros if you’re paying cash.

We spent the remainder of daylight hours back on our beach until David walked over to D’s Beach Bar to watch part of the soccer match. We enjoy stopping there often because it’s so convenient from Beachside, and the observation deck is a great place to watch the planes land. The food, drinks, and prices are all good with a great view of the ocean.

We sat in the bar area at one of the high-top tables at Roma/Chow. While happy hour was still available, we decided to order mostly from the regular menu instead. Aside from the fried chicken spring rolls, which are offered on the happy hour menu, the cocktails, sushi, and other appetizer we ordered all came from the regular menu.

The beef negamaki consisted of small chunks of beef on 3 skewers marinated in a teriyaki sauce with some extra sauce on the side. Although very tasty it was a little chewy and considering the price $17 for 3 small skewers I don’t think that I would order it again.

We then ordered two specialty sushi rolls: a Latin roll with shrimp tempura and avocado, topped with plantain and chipotle sauce, and a Crunchy Samurai fried roll with teriyaki salmon and avocado, topped with cream cheese, crab mix, and eel sauce. Both were very enjoyable, both came with eel sauce, and each roll had a good amount of slices to share. We finished another enjoyable dinner. No service charge added.

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What a night.. Manpot Yesterday at 07:51 PM ...for those of us lucky enough to get an invite to "The Sugar Mill" for Dennis, the owner's, 80th birthday bash. Amazing finger foods, tiny cups of lobster bisque, sausage rolls, caviar and cream cheese on breadfruit, bacon wrapped baby dogs..all washed down with some very fine bubbles ( or your drink of choice).The theme was "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party" and the hat collection was amazing..everyone got into the spirit of it. The lovely Jalena sang as the party started by the pool and then moved down to the "Tramonti" beach bar for a rocking dance party with the "Evolution Band"...everyone danced including all the staff. I have been to many great parties over the years but this took the..birthday..cake.A huge thanks to Dennis, Mary, Rupert and Andrea and their amazing staff for a night I'll long remember..now waiting for Dennis'90th when he promised to wear the really ugly shirt I bought him!!!

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Dawn Beach - New for us 0810 Yesterday at 03:19 PM We are headed to a beach house on Dawn Beach next Sunday, which is totally new for us. We have mostly stayed on the Port Cupecoy/ Simpson Bay Area. I know there is a market named Veranda, that should be convenient. Any thoughts on restaurants or anything else you seem worthy would be excellent. Thanks

Mark & Linda
Ohio

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AA Schedule Changes ruralcarrier Yesterday at 01:08 PM I check frequently for price and/or schedule changes for our fall trip on AA. The fare has dropped two times, so I was able to get credit for that.

Upon checking this morning, I noticed the little icon indicating a "Tight Connection." I checked the original confirmation email, and the connection time in CLT on the return changed from 2 hours to 1 h 15 min, which could be rather tight to clear customs and immigration. There was also an equipment change from an A-319 to the larger 737-MAX 8.

Sadly, none of this has been communicated to me in any fashion. No text and no email. Not that anything can be changed, but upon trying to call AA early this morning, there was a 2+ hour wait for an agent or call back and the same for a chat online.

If you are booked on AA in the next few months, check for changes, as they have instituted some.

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Saturday - day 2 fabila Yesterday at 12:54 PM Today is a new day. There’s plenty of sand in front of the villa, the sea is warm, there’s a nice breeze. Great day to float in ocean or ride a wave on a boogie board.

Took a beach break and went over to D’s Bar & Grill for lunch before making a stop at their observation deck to watch the planes arrive.

AHI TUNA TARTARE
Asian Marinated Ahi Tuna, Asian Slaw, Wasabi Dusted Wontons, Bang Bang Sauce

JERK CHICKEN SANDWICH
Grilled Jerk Chicken Breast, Mango Chutney

Tonight we had an absolutely outstanding dinner at Big Cee’s, and all I can say is…why did we wait so long to check them out?

The setting overlooking the marina was absolutely beautiful, and to our surprise, there was even a cool breeze. Who would’ve thought we’d be enjoying such a refreshing evening in July?

I ordered the surf and turf with my choice of three different steaks and selected the ribeye with a half grilled lobster. There was an option for the lobster to be grilled steamed boiled or Thermidor. The Thermidor was a $2 up charge. The ribeye was enormous, cooked as requested , and seasoned so well that every bite was bursting with flavor. The lobster was delicious. The portion was so generous that I ended up sharing my steak with David! The rice and peas were so good that David kept scooping them onto his plate—and he’s definitely not a rice-and-peas kind of guy! He’s usually a mashed potato guy…as you can tell from his own plate! It was hands down some of the best I’ve had in a very long time. The crispy tostones were the perfect compliment .

David ordered the Grouper topped with lobster sauce, and really enjoyed it. His side choice was mashed potatoes and vegetables.

We were told they’ll be closing in a week or two for major renovations and are planning to reopen around the end of October. We can’t wait to come back, see the fresh new look, and enjoy another outstanding meal.

A 15% service charge is added to your bill.

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Back on the island fabila Yesterday at 01:20 AM Well…our trip got off to a bit of a rocky start! 😅

We arrived yesterday morning after a very early flight out of JFK, landing at 9:38 a.m. We were excited to enjoy a full day on the beach, but after waiting at baggage claim for over 30 minutes, we found out that 42 of us didn’t have our luggage. JetBlue couldn’t really give us any answers, but thankfully our bags made it on a later flight.

Rather than waiting for them to deliver our luggage, we headed back to the airport to pick it up ourselves. By the time we got our bags and returned to the villa, it was after 3:00 p.m., so our “full beach day” didn’t exactly go as planned.

Of course, it could have been much worse. The luggage showed up, and that’s what really matters. It was just a little disappointing after getting up at 1:30 a.m. and leaving the house at 2:30, all in hopes of squeezing in an extra day in paradise.

We had an early lunch, a fish fingers and bloody Mary’s at the yacht club before returning to the airport

We shook it off, enjoyed an early dinner at D’s Beach Bar & Grill, took in the beautiful breeze, and called it an early night. Sometimes that’s just how travel goes!

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Lost in Translation! shieneehead 07/18/2026 01:05 AM

This was a triple take.

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Ivan Chinnery passing Aries4 07/17/2026 07:45 PM I just saw on Facebook that Ivan Chinnery of Ivan's Stress Free Bar passed today. If so, Jost will never be the same. Such great memories and such a great man. Enjoy your memories and life and trips to the BVI as it's changing fast.

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travel logistics from St Th to Tortola Sarah S 07/17/2026 02:05 AM More advice needed. Our flight arrives at 2 PM to St Thomas. Do you recommend getting a water taxi that afternoon to Tortola to stay one night before Sailing trip leaves the next day? Or should we get hotel one night in St Thomas (assume Red Hook) and take ferry / or water Taxi over early AM? I would prefer to just get there but concerned with the way flights are delayed lately. Either way it will be an economy hotel either in the marina or close to the ferry. The boat does not offer sleep aboard the night before.

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First time chartered Catamaran advice requested Sarah S 07/17/2026 01:57 AM Sailing the BVI on a chartered catamaran for 7 nights over the Holidays. I could use some advice. We cant wait to explore the islands but we also love lounging on a beautiful beach. I want to make sure we are not bouncing around island to island not getting a chance to slow down. We are sharing our wish list with the Charter and of course can be flexible but wanted some perspective. We leave on the 27th and want to do the Soggy Dollar NYE party (yes we know its crazy) but our adult children insist. Another must is Anegada. My understanding is that it has the beautiful (less crowded) beaches I crave and allows us to experience some sailing to get there. Is it worth staying for 2 nights and is it feasible if we still want to get to Soggy Dollar for NYE which I understand takes some additional time to arrive and leave with the crowds? Would we be negating the purpose of a sailing charter by staying too long in one place and not getting the full experience. I have no doubt we will be happy on any decision we make ,... but would love some advice from those that have experience

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