First of all, if anyone is still following my posts, I congratulate you for your perseverance since you must be bored to tears by now. We haven’t done anything exciting or done any near island excursions, nor have we hob-nobbed with any of the stars who sometimes frequent this island. Our trip this year has been all about kicking back and relaxing and just letting the vacation happen without plans or agendas. And so far it’s worked for us. But remember, we’ve been coming to SXM for over 45 years and we’ve seen it all and done most of it, and chances are pretty good if we haven’t experienced something specific to SXM by now it’s because we’ve chosen not to for whatever the reason.

Wednesday 4/24

So yesterday, we breakfasted in on pastries and toast, and decided this would be a Friars Bay Beach day. Good call. We got a rather late start - I really do seem to need a personal tour director to get me moving this week and of course, we found ourselves in the heaviest traffic we’ve seen this entire trip from about Sandy Ground to the traffic circle heading outside Marigot going towards LaSavane. The big debate was which entrance to Friars Beach should we take but in the end it was a non-issue since we missed the first left hand turn-off that takes you past Gutside Restaurant and ended up taking that nasty rutted potholed goat path that brings you right into the Friars Bay Beach Cafe parking area. In honesty, the road is horrendous but if you creep you’ll be fine.

The beach had a bit of an incline but it wasn’t too bad and there was a slight step down about ten feet into the water. And yes, those sharp rocks abound but they seem far more bothersome to old folks like me than they did to the young kids playing in the water. But I was wise this year and brought water shoes for just this specific beach. And while I’m thinking of kids playing in the water, does anybody out there know what makes the game Marco Polo so appealing to them?

We had an incredible lunch - John enjoyed a lobster salad plate which consisted of greens and garnishes with huge chunks of Caribbean lobster and several dressings for it; and I had - what else - their beef carpaccio plate. It was incredible - more beef than I’ve eaten in ages and garnished with scallions, capers, diced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese served with yummy frites and a small side salad. And after all that, these little piggies even had dessert - John had their floating island dessert and I had a Nutella crepe. As one who doesn’t think of herself in any way, shape or form as a foodie, this place could easily turn me into one. I think with drinks, of which there were a few, lunch was not inexpensive but OMG! It was so very worth it. And since the chances are looking less and less that we’ll make it to Anse Marcel as our days rapidly dwindle, this was a great alternative. But who knows, we may get there yet.

But while I’m thinking about Friars Bay Beach Cafe, they do have respectable bathrooms (definitely NOT in the same class as Anse Marcel, but clean and working.......) and they are charging now for chairs and umbrellas. With lunch they were $10.00 for two chairs, an umbrella and a small drink table. Without lunch? No clue!

Dinner time found us meeting island friends for a dinner at La Rosa, Too. It was a lovely evening, so much so we were able to dine al fresco and weren’t bothered one iota by flying pesky bugs. There was a gentle breeze blowing - just enough to keep us all comfy. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves so I thank you, Jeannie Gunthanen and Sharon Harris, for the very pleasant evening. I know we ate something and I know it was very good but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was. So much for my newly acquired foodie status......

Thursday 4/24

Today was a home day - breakfast here and most of the day at the pool. DH did the cabana boy thing once more so we lunched on the pool deck again.

And here was my big thrill of the day - I’ve wanted to try this place our last three or four trips and never quite got there - now don’t laugh - dinner at The Spaghetti House SXM in Jordan Village, and oh my goodness, it was delicious! Basic, but definitely very good. DH had a linguine w/steamed clams and I had a pasta with a carbonara sauce w/bacon and fresh mushrooms. The wine choices were red or white and dinner was served with garlic bread, and all for the princely sum of roughly $40.00 plus gratuity. It’s one of the very few island meals we’ve ever had for less than fifty dollars, and it was delicious.

And now to lalaland.