Notified by United that our flight for 1/18 was cancelled, so down one vacay day. Could reschedule for next day, but had to upgrade to Economy Plus seats as that was all that was available! Great beginning to our trip, Lol.

1/18/22
Drove the 1.5 hours to Newark, NJ. We live outside of Philly, but always take the United direct flight from Newark. It always works out much better than Philly. Stayed at the Doubletree By Hilton, and the price included parking for ten days.

1/19/2
Took shuttle to airport, arrived with plenty of time to spare. We already checked in on line and uploaded all our docs, so check in was quick.. Before boarding we enjoyed a $94 breakfast at an airport restaurant. Yes, we saw the prices on the menu, but were starving and so we paid the "New York" prices...wow. Crazy. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, OJ and coffee. Flight was smooth, fast and uneventful. Arrived on time, picked up by Sax Car Rental, did the paperwork, and were off to Orient. We rented an Airbnb this time, as it was only a quick, ten day trip, to celebrate by retirement in December. I'm getting a lot of mileage out of this retirement thing! We always have stayed on the French side (except twice) in all our thirty-plus years of traveling to SXM. We stopped at Yellow Sub first for lunch. Larry had a burger, I had a goat cheese salad, couple of Heinekens and we were ready to go! $39. Our rental was lovely for the most part. A couple of things. Parking was next to impossible; there were only two visitor spots and they were usually taken. So you had to park wherever you could, usually on a steep hill. The kitchen was located outside on the balcony, next to a mosquito/no seeums condo! I never experienced so many damn mosquitos on the island. Lathered up in Mosquito Milk and they still attacked while cooking. Larry stood behind me waving the portable bug zapper that came with the room

1/20/22
Breakfast at Good Morning. French toast, continental breakfast, OJ and the best coffee this side of Dunkin Donuts. Also lovely conversation with Roman, the owner. Delicious food. $26. Off to see Jeff at DK Gems. I needed a repair to a ring, but while waiting what's a girl to do ? Yet another retirement gift, a pretty gold bracelet. Felt bad then, so I let Larry buy himself a new watch. Stopped for groceries at the Super U before heading back to room. I love browsing in the market. Always find interesting things. We picked up a rotisserie chicken, among other items, for dinner that night.

1/21/22
Beach Day. Club O. Our favorite. Still miss staying at the old Club O, such fond memories. We met friends on the beach, David and Tammy, and spent a nice time relaxing ad snoozing. Dinner was at Al Dente. Excellent meal. Lasagna, Bolognese pizza, salad, cocktails and gelato. $74. Leftovers too! Yay.

1/22/22
Into Marigot for a Secret Spot tee shirt for Larry, who has quite the collection. Had breakfast at LeCroissant Royale. We've been coming here for breakfast for over thirty years. Even though it's new owners, still delish. Crepes, french toast, bacon, coffee, OJ for $38. Back to DK to pick up my ring. Stopped in the Longchamp store also - just too look - Ha Ha. Who am I kidding. Yes, another "retirement" gift. That's it, I swear. I have the best hubby. Dinner was in unit, leftovers.

1/23/22
Breakfast at Good Morning. Afternoon spent at the pool. That evening we met SXM friends, Elaine and Bill, at Cafe Rembrandt on the Dutch side, in Madame Estate. We enjoyed some great, really professional, acoustical music and some Dutch snacks. Six drinks, snacks etc., $36. Nice evening with Elaine and Bil

1/24/22
Breakfast with our mosquito friends on the balcony. I had to make extra. Today the road from Orient to Grand Case was blocked due to the land-owner protests. We were turned around at El Rancho del Sol. I am in total agreement with peaceful protests and have read the issues with the land, but when it takes its toll on residents and visitors alike it serves no purpose. So we headed to the beach instead, even though it wasn't a great beach day. Lunch at Orange Fever. Great pepperoni pizza. Hey, I'm a Philly girl and we know our pizza, well this pizza was perfect, thin crust etc. Some chicken wings too and a couple of cocktails. $36. Dinner in room.

1/25/22
Road remains closed. So, we took the around the island tour for something to do. Through French Quarter, etc. Stopped at the ATM in Hope Estate (no fee ATM) and headed back around, through Sandy Ground, no issues. Stayed at pool for the remainder of afternoon. We met friends David and Tammy at L'Atelier in Orient Village. This was to be a "splurge" meal and it certainly was. We stated with two smokey old fashioneds made tableside. We shared a green salad with burrata cheese, crispy proscuitto and it was just delicious. One of the best salads I've had. Larry had duck breast and I had a skirt steak with shallot sauce. Our companions had Iberian pork, and a bone marrow bruschetta. We shared caramel ice cream for dessert which contained lots of delicious components. $180 (might have to return the bracelet) Ha Ha

1/26/22
The perfect beach day dawned. Lunch at Perch. Shrimp special, cheeseburger, four drinks $45. Dinner was take out from On Dirait Le Sud which is located near Good Morning. We've always wanted to stop there. It's a lovely place, full of good things. We bought lasagna, wine, roasted peppers and a cute little gift for my neighbor who feeds our cats. $59.

1/27/22
Road still blocked. Took the long way to Bellevue Pharmacy for our Covid tests. Organized, fast, negative. Got our forms and headed back, and luckily, ,the road is now open. We stopped at One Love Shop in Hope Estate and bought a couple of shirts. Spent the rest of the day at the beach as this was our last day. Dinner was at L'Petite Bistro. First time there, and sadly, was not impressed. We wanted beef bourguignon but they were out. I ordered a steak instead which turned out to be quite mediocre. Larry ordered beef stew (grandmom style) which he said was just ok. It was served with a dinosaur bone on top, which contained lots of marrow, which is not very appetizing to either of us. We took the bone "to go" and gave it to the resident dog at our rental. He was happy. Dessert was creme brulee for me which was watery and tasteless. Was disappointed overall with this restaurant. We had planned on LaVilla in Grand Case, but the road situation was "iffy" and we didn't want to get stuck. $108 for the meal.

1/28/22
Time to say Au Revoir. Breakfast at Good Morning, where we met Chloe and Thierry from Club F and had a nice visit with them. Packed up the car, headed to Sax, dropped off at airport with plenty of time to spare. Last trip we left on a Sunday and the airport was total chaos. Leaving on a Friday was much better. Quick check in, fast lines, security etc. Had sandwiches for lunch, plane was on time, and we landed in Newark just ahead of a major snowstorm. Another wonderful tip in the books. Till next time...