Left ORD on time, 3 P.M. Saturday. Got to SJU on time and we were out the door and on our way to the hotel in less than 30 minutes. We even had 2 checked bags. They unload fast!! Took a taxi (gov. controlled fares) to the Radisson. Cost = $19 + a $3 tip. Our room was on the concierge floor so it came with evening Happy Hour & Continental Breakfast. We missed the Happy Hour. It had been several hours since our last meal so we voted for dinner in the Ambassador Grille. My cheeseburger was great & my wife had a huge club sandwich. Very satisfying and reasonable. 2 free drinks came with the room so those got polished off too. Dinner tab including drinks & tip was around 30 dollars.

I did not do breakfast on Saturday, but Cindy did. The Continental breakfast was just that. Great presentation but still just juice, pastries, and cereal. I did not attend as I was repacking and cleaning up for the day. Back to the airport by taxi. Same fare as before. We got to the SJU airport approx. 2 ½ hours before the flight. Fastest check in with AA we have ever experienced. Took all of 10 minutes. Went to the gate after a smoke outside and across the street. Departure time came and we had a gate change and a 20 minute delay. The delay came and went and we got……you guessed it, another gate change. Finally our 9:50 flight on AA left at 10:30. We arrived in SXM shortly after 11 a.m. Luggage too!! Pilot had the throttle pretty fast for an ATR. Lesley from Kenny’s was waiting with a Corolla and our phone from Sharon. They help make the beginning of a trip special. Off we went to Ocean Club. Check in was painless. Unit 19D close to the office and bar as well as overlooking the pool. Lunch at Sugar Cane Café (Atlantis) was outstanding. I had an impossibly large Buffalo Chicken wrap and Cindy had a soft-shelled crab sandwich. Different, but large and quite satisfying. I took her back to the condo for pool time while I went in search of room supplies.

On previous trips we had not liked the sparse selection available at either Maho Food Express or the Gourmet Marche so I was off to the Cole Bay Grand Marche for supplies. First time there. Dissapointing experience as well. I should have taken the extra time to go to the real one near Phillipsburg or the new Fresh Market. As it was Easter Sunday, we were told stores would be open until 3 p.m. or so. Not true. At 2 p.m. I was informed by a security person that I was the last one in the store and they wanted me to check out now. I did even though I had only been there 15 minutes or so and was not thru with my task. Back to OC. Got everything put away & went to Maho Food Express to finish shopping. Finally back to the condo at about 4 p.m. and had a drink on the patio…..make that a couple & went to the bar for the 5 – 6:30 p.m. Happy Hour. We met up with Bill & Elaine who were running the place while Ken & Jayne were off island. Nice time.

Sopranos for dinner. Excellent!!! Great meal and reasonably priced at $68 for the two of us including a couple of drinks & tip. I had the mixed grill with a salad & she had meat tortellini with a cream sauce. Gambled a bit at Casino Royale. Ended a couple of bucks up. Cheap entertainment. Back to the condo to finish the evening & try to get on the internet with the code I got at the OC bar from Elaine. Not sure why it won’t work but will have to wait until Tuesday as they will not be open on Easter Monday.

Just hung around the pool on Monday. Cindy did her usual a.m. walk on the beach. Off to Bella Napoli @ Atlantis for dinner. I wanted to try their wood oven pizza. Pretty OK. Strange service. We asked for tap water with our dinner and were planning to do a couple of after drinks. The waiter brought a $6 bottle of water and told us no tap water was allowed to be served with dinners. Pretty funny as the table next to us had tap water. This’ll move them to the bottom of our list as we had poor service there the last time and the food is just bit more than mediocre. Tonite was not an improvement. An hour or so of feeding the slots & a few hands of blackjack finished off the evening.

Tuesday was several hours on Cupecoy Beach by the resort & more around the pool. Lunch at Bonita’s for smoked pork & turkey sandwiches. We will definitely go again. Good service and food. $6.95 special for a sandwich, fries, & a Presidente. Happy hour at the OC and then off to dinner at Peg Leg’s. A bit of blackjack to no success. Still fairly cheap for an hour or so of adult fun.

Wednesday was a looooong day. Off early to Chesterfield’s for breakfast and to meet friends who were docking that day on a cruise. Their ship, Oasis of the Seas, is currently the world’s largest. They had not had a down day so far on the cruise so suggested we just hang at the OC pool, get a late lunch at Sunset Bar & Grill, watch some planes, and then back to the ship for their early departure at 4:30 p.m. Had the best service in 10 or more trips to SBAG over the years. Old owner, new owner, didn’t seem to make a difference. Maybe they’re reading their reviews. Good surprise!! Ribs at OC for dinner. What a great nite!! Good food, new friends. Elaine, Bill, Emma?, and a wonderful couple from So. Carolina put on quite a ribfest. The place was packed!!