First trip report - I hope the format is readable. If I try to clean it up, I will never post !

Background: My first visit to St.Maarten was in June, 1971. Mullet Bay Resort had recently opened and we fell in love with the island and the resort immediately. We became owners at Mullet Bay in 1974 and have returned yearly except for 2020 and 2021. In 1990 we purchased timeshare at Royal Islander. Losing everything at Mullet Bay after Luis was heartbreaking.

Travelers this trip: myself, daughter, son-in-law, son, daughter-in-law, and four grandchildren age 12, 10 1/2, 10, and 7.

Air : United nonstop out of Newark. Return nonstop to Newark. Both flights were on time, no empty seats either way.

Car Rental: Leisure - excellent service, no issues with the car. Seemed more expensive that previous years.

Accommodations : Royal Islander - wouldn't change a thing.

Activities: Beach, pool, hot tub, swings, dinner, sleep. Repeat daily.

Beach: One day at Mullet Bay which we all enjoyed - very calm water, easy in and out, chairs were close but comfortable. So many memories .......All other days were spent at Royal Islander. Several days the ocean was too rough for me, other family members thought it was great.

Weather: Unfortunately Hurricane Nicole affected our first couple of days - more showers and clouds than we have ever experienced. There were two nights of torrential rain during dinner. Luckily we were at Pineapple Pete and Skip Jacks so it didn't affect our dinner. Kids thought it was fun!

Restaurants: Tortuga, Pineapple Pete, Izi, Skip Jacks, Sale e Pepe , Spaghetti House, Hideaway, Le Moulin Fu. Greenhouse, Isola. All for dinner. Since we were a big group we only went to restaurants where we could get reservations and be seated together. Excellent service, delicious food, No complaints. Adult's favorite was Sale e Pepe . Children's favorite was a tie between Le Moulin Fu and Isola. We hadn't been to Izi before and will definitely return. Skip Jacks was lower on our list this time than in previous visits.

Tomorrow will only be one week since our return home and we are already looking forward to our next trip to St. Maarten.

One last note: it was fun to meet Pat and her husband at Zee Best. She encouraged me to write a trip report.