It's Thursday, I think.......

Yesterday was a lovely day to be on St. Maarten.

Sunshine with strong breezes - a great combination but a day to remind oneself to keep applying the sunscreen.

We started with breakfast in the room and eventually headed to the lobby to meet our friends and hit the beach and the beach of the day was my favorite of 40 plus years - Mullet, of course.

Beach conditions weren't absolutely perfect but they were close and much more than just doable and totally pleasant for us. Chairs and umbrellas all squared away, we settled in for a wonderful day.

There was a small and easily walkable slant down to the water but no sand cliffs and once in the water, perhaps 10 - 15 feet out, there was a small drop down in the sand but it was easily doable, even for short-legged people with achey knees and the like. The water was delightful with slow rollers but no huge crashing waves - the kind of day where you could bob in the water for hours if so inclined. To me, that aspect in itself was near perfect.

Around noon, John's inner tradesman's alarm went off so we headed up and claimed a table at Rosie's stand. Four cold drinks and four plates of ribs and fries later - it just couldn't get any better. So lunch done and another dip in the water and we settled back under our umbrellas and watched the antics of the day. Boat excursions came and went all day - we dubbed them the 'noodle crews' with no disrespect intended - we saw Mirabella, Heineken, Golden Eagle and a few private boats along with my personal favorite, the Random Wind with the mate doing her usual trapeze stunts and the guests trying to emulate her prowess. A few came close but no major successes in that department.

Around three-ish we headed back to our rooms to nap and get ready for the evening plan. Dinner at Mario's Bistro at Cupecoy.

Reservations are almost mandatory if you want to be assured of a table even at this slower time so anyone planning on going there 'in season' I strongly recommend you make them.

We started with their carmelized onion soup and it hasn't changed one iota from what I remember, and it's still almost a meal in itself and very filling. As our soup is being enjoyed the place is really filling up. Out come our entrees, one seared tuna plate to accommodate one of our friends with gluten free diet requirements, two shrimp and scallop plates with a lobster risotto and of course, my rack of lamb with baby roasted potatoes and brocolli and dressed with a whole roasted garlic and a fig 'something' whose name I've forgotten. So it's no secret, I'm not a major gourmand and I'm often just as happy with Rosie's ribs as I am a great epicurean delight, but our dinners were ALL out of this world. You could literally cut the lamb with the side of your fork, and I know this because I did. It was deliciously flavored with garlic and herbs I wouldn't attempt to guess at and name. Yummy, all of it.

And now the down side - sad but true, there is one.

I'm sure the rents are astronomical at Porto Cepecoy and to help with this, they have tabled every nook and corner (10 to 12 tables, I'm guessing,) and the bar has become a focal point, too. When the place fills up, and it does quickly, the acoustics are horrendous. This is not the dinner spot for a romantic intimate evening as the old one was, and if you want to actually talk to your companions while dining, you almost need to shout to be heard by them. As we were leaving, our waiter - a very pleasant young man - thanked us for coming and apologized for the acoustics. That's sad.

I think our dinners averaged $140.00 per couple and included mixed drinks, apps and entrees but no desserts. And they are still not accepting credit cards. All things in consideration, I'm doubtful we'll return, but who's to say what might happen down the road. The food was absolutely delicious and perhaps we might get lucky and hit a low reservation night.

We wandered around the courtyard enjoying the solo entertainer and his music along with the Christmas decorations - a little tacky but still adding to the over-all enjoyment of the evening and the place.

Home and to lalaland with another terrific SXM day under our belts.