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Trip Journal- winding down fabila 1 hour ago We managed to enjoy much of the day outdoors, though it was interrupted by several heavy bursts of rain throughout the afternoon and evening. We’ve definitely experienced more rain on this trip than in previous visits, and for April, it felt unusually frequent.

With our trip winding down, we have just one more day before departing on Sunday.

After spending a few hours onsite, we stopped by Maho Pharmacy, then I picked up a large coffee and a pain au chocolat at The Deli. The total came to $8.50—$3 for the croissant and about $5 for the coffee, which felt a bit steep. Both were decent, but nothing particularly memorable.

We returned to relax by the pool for a while, took a short break, and then headed to the Driftwood Boat Bar for a cocktail, where we split an order of chicken satay. [Not the best photo of the chicken satay because I took a video and then I had to do a screenshot from the video]From there, we made our way to D’s Beach Bar before getting ready for dinner. Two more heavy downpours passed through before we left, but fortunately, our timing worked out. We headed down Airport Road toward Welfare Road after 7:00 p.m., avoiding any traffic.

The four of us had dinner at The Greenhouse, where I was especially happy to see a basket of Johnny cakes placed on the table. I love their Johnny cakes, and in recent years they haven’t always been available when the kitchen is busy, so it was a nice surprise. I had hoped for prime rib but realized it wasn’t one of the special nights (typically Monday and Thursday). I remembered being able to order it on other nights in the past, just not at the special price, but that no longer seems to be the case—the manager confirmed it’s only available on those designated evenings now.

David ordered the barbecue rib combo, which included a half rack of ribs, a smoked chicken breast, with two sides. I chose the stuffed grouper with a generous amount of creamy garlic sauce also served with two sides. It was a generous portion—more than I could finish. I enjoyed the sweet caramelized plantains, and the tossed salad was fine.

We also shared the bang bang shrimp as an appetizer. One of our friends ordered the full rack of barbecue ribs with fries, and the other had the coconut chicken.

All in all, it was another great evening spent with friends.

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Trip Journal - day? fabila Yesterday at 12:07 PM The day started off with lots of sun and a steady breeze which continued throughout the day.

Mike and I have a standing lunch date whenever we’re in Sint Maarten, and this time we chose Mario’s Bistrot at The Cliff in Cupecoy. The setting is really lovely—open-air, stylish, and upscale without feeling stuffy.

Mike ordered the Cubano burger, slices of flavored pork with bacon, melted cheese on a sesame roll with fries. I chose the bento box (which changes regularly). Mine was $32 and included shrimp tempura, a crabcake, shrimp ceviche, tuna tartare, duck nachos, and two fried tempura sushi rolls.

Everything was fresh and flavorful, and I was extremely satisfied with both the variety and portion size. As always, great food made even better by great company.

On the way back, we stopped at the Sweet Shop behind Sunset Beach Bar. For a fairly sized shop, they have a smaller selection then I’d expect for a storefront size—cookies, a few pastries and croissants, macarons, and ice cream—it’s was not an extensive bakery case.

I picked up a chocolate almond croissant ($7.50) and a chocolate chip cookie ($3.50). For comparison, the croissant is about $3.50 at Zee Best, so this felt pricey. I didn’t realize until I got back to our unit that the cookie was very hard—otherwise I would have said something at the time. I put it in the fridge and may try to revive it with a quick microwave later. Treated myself to a pair of costume jewelry earrings at Beach shop next to sweet shop.

Overall, a really enjoyable lunch and setting, I’d skip the Sweet Shop next time.

There’s usually a point late in our vacation when we say we’ve “hit the wall.” That was tonight—we were just tired, a little too full, and had a bit too much sun, so we decided to stay in.

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Hot Spot or Reliable Wifi Portal SharonB777 04/16/2026 02:12 PM Hey there taking a vacation on late April May there on the island and two of us have to do a little work remotely. What is the most secure way ... rental of a hot spot/equipment?

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Sunny skies return - trip journal fabila 04/16/2026 10:39 AM What a turnaround in the weather today!

We started the morning with breakfast at the SMYC—Bloody Marys and eggs Benedict for me, and French toast for the guys. Always a great way to ease into the day.

The sunshine was intense but perfect for beach and pool time. We spent most of the day soaking it up, alternating between the ocean and the pool. By mid-afternoon, we were ready for a break from the heat and headed over to check out the new observation deck at Driftwood. It’s a great spot for plane watching—we saw several smaller aircraft come in, but the highlight was definitely watching an Air France departure right over the beach. Incredible view, and I managed to get some great video. We were told the owner is planning to add bathrooms, which will be a welcome addition, though no timeline yet.

Dinner was at La Perle Bleu, and it did not disappoint. We initially parked on the lower street, only to realize there’s more convenient parking up the hill right near the entrance—worth noting if you’d rather skip the stairs or elevator.

We chose to sit on their outdoor patio deck, where the seating was very comfortable. The interior is beautifully decorated with lots of blue tones, while the outdoor space leans more neutral but is still nicely done. Service was warm and attentive throughout the evening.

We were served a complimentary amuse-bouche to start—a tasty creamy pumpkin soup with bread, which set the tone nicely. The chicken nem appetizer came with a salad and a bold dipping sauce. It was different than most I’ve had and this version wasn’t my favorite.(Also worth noting: there’s a Haitian menu available in addition to the French fusion menu.)

For mains, two in our group had the GRILLED RIBEYE 350GR WITH BÉARNAISE SAUCE with fries and a nice mix of vegetables—broccoli, carrots, green beans, and cauliflower. The Steak is “market price” and tonight it was $45. Both enjoyed their steaks.

David ordered the lamb shank, which was very tender and served with the same vegetables plus mashed potatoes—he really enjoyed it.

I went with the Thai-style beef teriyaki, served in a bowl with vegetables and jasmine rice on the side. The portion was generous, and the sauce had a strong flavor that I liked.

Overall, we really enjoyed the food, service, and atmosphere. A service charge was included on the bill, but we did leave an additional tip.

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Kalos Restaurant last night AUCspouse 04/16/2026 10:27 AM We had an excellent meal at Kalos Restaurant last night. My wife and I ordered about 6 appetizers to share instead of any main dishes.
All the food was prepared with attention to flavor and presentation, although one or two of the dishes were examples of a chef's unnecessary creativity. (I'm thinking of the spanakopita salad -- basically a deconstructed spanakopita consisting of raw spinach salad topped with flaky thin pastry squares, with a light dressing and feta cheese. Tasty, but not as tasty as traditional spanakopita.)

When all was said and done, we both agreed that it was an excellent meal. The roasted red pepper dish was particularly tasty. The pita bread was fresh (and that is surprisingly rare at restaurants). We also had a shrimp appetizer, a raw snapper appetizer, and Greek roasted potatoes. Service was attentive and fast (although there was one error -- removing one diner's plates while the other diner was still eating, which isn't right).

We had a nice table looking over the beach. Summary: one of the best restaurant meals we've had in months.

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New Blind Creek Beach Lot Review TJTrippe 04/15/2026 07:36 PM Beautiful Wednesday at 79 degrees, nice breeze out of the south and the lot was at most a 33% filled at 1130am.

I think they put a dent in peoples habits as a nice day like today should draw more.

It is paved and smooth and you can tell it’s a beach park now, before it was more easy to drive by unnoticed. I see zero increased parking capacity, maybe negative.

And they put the potties right on A1A when you drive in so have to walk at least 150 feet or more to tinkle and brink your flip flops for hot blacktop.

You can see the potty doors from A1A, so not much hope of walking au naturelle someday to the potties.

The lot is smooth but it has lost some jungle naturist charm.

Will report again on a weekend if we go.

THEY PAVED PARADISE AND PUT UP A PARKING LOT.

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Police controls set up at Festival Village SXMScubaman 04/15/2026 05:24 PM Good for them.
LINK

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Grand Case/ Phillipsburg TOWZERONE 04/15/2026 05:24 PM any recommendations for a place with good reasonably priced food with stellar views in both of these locations?
Thanks

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Orient - Beach Bars paul2pam 04/15/2026 04:12 PM Starting at the Perch, what are the names of the beach bars heading up the beach and ending at Coco.

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SWA Scott80 04/15/2026 02:18 PM Has anyone flown or does anyone have any news on the new Southwest Airlines route? We are arriving from Houston on May 27th.

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