Wednesday, May 3

Boy - have we ever settled in here at BSV. So much so that the idea of leaving to go anywhere is somewhat repugnant to me and a few nights I cooked in by choice rather than having to leave even just to go out for dinner.

We had our am coffee on the porch. John spent most of his day watching airplanes while I enjoyed mine mostly with my kindle in hand but at least we wandered over to the pool for a couple of hours.

We picked up some salads at the Maho Market salad bar and lunched on our porch as well and we had sundowners out there this afternoon, too. Are you getting the picture here?!

So before we came down I had mentioned to DH there were a few restaurants I wanted to get to - one in GC that we didn't get to; Paradise View that we almost made it to but traffic wore us down and we went to FBBC instead; and lastly, Marks Place, which we hadn't been to for a couple of years but always enjoyed and which we had discovered many years ago shortly after they opened in their original Cul De Sac spot. How did we ever stumble into that one?!

Tonight we decided it's now or never for this trip so off to Marks we headed about 7:15 ish. No traffic to speak of though once we got there the parking lot was full. Our worse fear was that the place would be mobbed but once we actually got inside there were only about 6-7 other tables occupied and while a few people came and went, it never did get busy while we were there which seems to be the story of most places we've been to this trip.

We ordered apps to share and John had the rib-eye platter while I had the mussels with fries. OMGoodness - were they ever good, steamed in a cream and white wine and garlic based sauce which was out of this world - almost like a mussel chowder. The only problem was the portion was huge and I couldn't figure out how to get the left-overs as take-out, and truth be known, we have virtually no time left to enjoy them if I could have. Our server was lovely and I'm glad we fulfilled at least one of our plans for this trip since there were so many we slacked off on. Marks does not include the gratuity so after adding a generous tip, the check still only came to $75.00.

So! About half way through dinner we look up to the main road to see all kinds of flashing lights and sirens and we start hearing music. And it gets louder! And louder! And pretty soon, the first of what was to be five flat beds slowly crept into view playing island music like you couldn't imagine. This was definitely not the quiet little repast we had envisioned but it was fun, nonetheless. We had completely forgotten tonight was the last night of Carnival and the night they burn King Momo. The music on wheels was apparently the forerunner to the activity soon to happen. It was all pretty cool and a fun part of what the Carnival season is all about. They be jumpin and jammin all over the streets but thankfully, they were headed to Carnival Village and we were eventually going in the opposite direction but it was fun to see as much as we did.

Home by 9:30 and another day done.

Ah, my friend, you have truly figured out what Beachside Villas is all about! Glad you had another lovely day, capped with a surprise ending! Enjoy the last few precious hours!

Sounds like another good day. Nothing wrong with just hanging around, we would do that many times when staying at Horny Toad. The mussels at Mark's are very good and a lot of them!

The mussels were delicious as was the broth (stew?) they were cooked in. I'm glad we got to dinner there even though it wasn't the quite the setting we might have most enjoyed. But that was okay as we knew it isn't a "quiet and intimate" little dining spot and more like one of the island's more well known places to go for good and reasonably priced local food. And it was all of that and then some! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Mark's Place has become our default dining spot. Since we stay at Belair it is the most convenient restaurant. We have always had very good food and great service there.
I am very willing to trade the lack of "ambiance" for the huge portions and attractive prices.

It's not particularly convenient for us since we're well over on the 'other' side of the hill but it's still a place we try to get to every few trips or so. The only thing it lacks, IMHO, is the ambiance factor but the trade-off last night was a great one, for sure.

*************

Edited to add:

And here's a bit of an aside - a few trips back but still during another carnival season, we spent an evening at Chesterfields having dinner with friends. When it was time to return to the Towers we said our goodnights and went our separate ways. We were surprised at the amount of traffic given the time and location but then it dawned on us - it was probably the last night of Carnival and they were to burn King Momo the last night, which explained everything.

In the confusion of the moment we lefted when we should have righted - directly into an incredible sea of stopped traffic. And then we saw it way up ahead - King Momo had been set afire. We couldn't believe the size of this burning effigy but we just tossed it up as a really big fire in celebration of a really big island moment.

And then it dawned on us, the last Carnival night and the burning would actually be the next night and what we were witnessing in real time was the dump burning, but this time from an up close and personal vantage point. OMG!!

King Momo is a big island deal - but not that big....... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

And here he is! King Momo

See! I said he be hot, hot, hot and you can't get much hotter than that. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for another great report Pat!! We too love to just relax at BSV but often it doesn't happen. Hoping our next trip won't be as busy!! I never even got to open my Kindle until we got over to Anguilla! Enjoy your day!!

Their mussels are great. Especially if you have them substitute the fries for pasta. WOW.

Pat, it sounds so peaceful!!!

We have been spending more and more time at BSV during our trips. The reason we often leave is for calmer waters, since we love being in and out of the water all day.(Note I didn't say swimming. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />)
I also enjoy people watching and talking to the people we meet.

After the busyness and length of your trip, it is definitely a perfect place to relax and kickback!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

I lied to you, it is a little cooler this week at home, but still nice... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Terry,

There have been a few little wrinkles along the way (none of them SXM related, I might add....) but this has truly been a wonderful vacation and I can only say that all you, Laurel, Carol and others have told us about BSV is true and then some. It really is a wonderful place to unwind. My biggest fear is how will I ever get to sleep at home without the sounds of the waves.

Thanks to all of you who shared information, thoughts and opinions with regard to this (for us) extended visit. I took it all into consideration as we planned this trip and appreciated your expertise.

And for the record, my DH who is always the best of the best, has been even more wonderful with regard to the extended trip, particularly since generally speaking, he views anything more than ten days to be too long. We've already signed up for two weeks in November and he's leaning towards an okay on the three weeks next Spring, God willing. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

And Terry, I hope your next trip is all you want and deserve it to be with no abbreviations for ANY REASON at all.

We had ever intention of going to Mark's in the Fall but never made it. Hopefully we will get there this Fall. The one and only time we ate there was back in 2002.