Saturday, October 23, Day 11
Hangover day. Can't figure out why. Must have been the ice cubes. Eventually, I got breakfast from Sunset Café. Took a slight nap after breakfast on the chairs outside the room. Saucisson, pate, baguette for lunch. Spent most of the day in the water.

Our Anniversary is the 24th. L'Estaminet is closed on Sunday. We made reservations for Saturday night. Travelers 5 & 6 asked if they could join us for dinner. Great time and informative as Carole explained the meal and ingredients for each serving. Mireille and I split a Mushroom Ravioli Puff Pastry appetizer. Super delicious! I'm surprised she gave me any. T-5 & 6 had Escargot. Mireille chose Beef Tenderloin as an entrée, I had Tilapia & Scallops with assorted vegetables, rice and roasted shallots. Anniversary travelers 5 & 6 had Scallop Burgers and Turbot. Home made ice cream for dessert. Sampled a few. One was a Caramel and another a unique Tomato-Basil flavored treat.

Back to GCBC and sit out in the moon light for a while. Green Bikini top still hanging around.

Sunday, October 24, Day 12
Had breakfast from Sunset Café. Met with Travelers 7 & 8 and went to the Catholic Church in Grand Case. Stopped at a new French bakery just behind Bistro Caraibes and after the now closed US Imports store. Almost as good as Sarafina's in Marigot. Got a great selection of goodies to eat in our room. They will make sandwiches to order. Will try them on our way home on Wednesday. Took a slight nap, then went into the water with the group. No sunset pictures as there were an abundance of clouds and periodic showers during the day. To cheer the day up, I made two pitchers of Pina Coladas for the Dirty Dozen in the water. Went over pretty good.

For dinner most (8) went to Piazza Pascal's. Dodged the rain, before and after dinner. Lots of fun and laughter. Sat out in Fort Apache. Had lots of MaDoudou, wine, beer, Grand Marnier, Baileys and Jack Daniels for me. Somewhere in the evening I decided the Green Bikini top had to be put to better use. So, in a weaker moment I put it on and sat in Fort Apache with the gang. Needless to say, it drew a lot of comments and attention from the gang and many passers by. Picture taking was necessary, lots of poses. Fun time.

Monday, October 25, Day 13
Up early and breakfast from Sunset Café. Had a cheese and wine tasting gathering at 11:30 am in Cole Bay area. The Select Wine Cellar provided the tasting experience which was informative and entertaining as the tasting continued. Traveling Anniversary tasters with us were #'s 1, 2, 5, & 6. Thanks # 5 for setting it up. We sampled 6 bottles of wine. From a light white pre-dinner wine to finishing with a heavy Bordeaux which happened to be my favorite, a Pauillac. Each wine growth and use described. About an hour and one half later, we staggered to the outdoor bistro, Le Champagne next door. A great lunch followed. Mireille and I had Poulet Frites, half a baked chicken with home made French Fries and mayonnaise on the side. We consumed the remaining contents of the wine tasting experience. A fun time was had by all. Lunch was excellent. Hope to find it again next year.

Back at GCBC we were back in the water, and yes, I wore the Green Bikini top most of the afternoon.

Dinner was at Brasserie Les Illes in Grand Case. I enjoyed another Picon Beer. Tried to get the "men" in the group to sample a new experience. No takers ! Thanks Remy for introducing me to Picon Beer. Chicken Cesar Salade for me, don't know what the others had. Nice time, nice food. Just remembered a pizza was present.

Tuesday, October 26th, Day 13
Brought breakfast back to our room from Sunset Café. Walked down to Grand Case and bought LOTO tickets and a few cook books that Mireille found. Ordered a sandwich for us to take on the plane back to reality. It was from the newly discovered bakery in Grand Case. Believe it's called Le' Cristol. It's located behind Bistro Caraibes, across from the Grand Case Gendarmerie. Packing for the trip home was the order of the day. Sad situation, hated to leave, hated to go home.

Water stuff for the rest of the day. Give away any leftover wine, beer, and stuff for those staying longer to enjoy. Lunch was at The Sky's the Limit. We shared an order of Rib Stew, with fries and potato salad. Rib Stew is usually gone by 1 pm.

Water time for the last time. I'm so wrinkled and tan. They won't know us back home. As much time as possible in the water.

Dinner for our last evening was at Spicy. Sophie and Oliver opened up Monday. Dinner for six, was us, T-1, 2, 5 & 6. I had the
Shrimp and Tenderloin bits served on a sword, hung from a support above the table. Of course, Mireille had to have Escargot as an appetizer and the Filet Mignon for entrée. Choices for other Anniversary Travelers were the Grouper, and a Seafood Pasta. Tiramisu (new and home made) dessert for Mireille and others. The men had Sophie's Irish Coffee. Sophie gave us her recipe
and demonstrated it for us with another round to enjoy.

Back at Fort Apache after dinner, we celebrated our anniversaries with a bottle of Champagne. Our vacation was coming to an end. So I put the Green Bikini top back on the sign in the picnic area and it was shortly disappeared.

Wednesday, October 27, Day 14
Up early, breakfast at Sunset Café was Eggs Benedict for me and a continental breakfast for Mireille. After breakfast, we distributed all remaining alcohol type items and any other items accumulated during our stay. We packed the remaining items and clothes and headed to PJIA. Cut thru the back way to the airport to avoid Cole Bay traffic. Dropped the phone off at Sharon's and on to ACE/Panoramic Car Rental. We were escorted to PJIA in a matter of a few minutes and enjoyed part of our sandwich. Flight was on time to Miami, smooth and easy. Miami airport customs is a ZOO. Been listening to TTOL reports on those who travel through Miami on the return trip. Holy Crap, what a mess. Nice place, but I wouldn't want to live there ! Walking, up escalators, walking, up escalators, walking, up escalators. Take the Sky Train, walking, down escalators, walking, down escalators, walking. It never ends. Will try to find a new way home next year. Then there's the customs routine. Go here, go there, go here, go there.

Plane left late, got in late to PHL. Limo there to whisk up home. Got home at 2:10 AM. Sleep time !

Trip Summary
After everything said, our two weeks in SXM was enjoyable. We are surrounded by friends we have made over the years and are truly blessed to know them. Each couple has touched our hearts in their own way and made our time on the island memorable. For their friendship and thoughts, we thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

As for restaurant reviews, I will list our favorite time and experience. Not to say that there were bad experiences, some were less than outstanding. In each dining experience, some in the party raved about the meal, some thought it was OK. Again, everybody is different and likes or dis-likes certain foods, flavors or types of cuisines.

As for our best occasion, it has to be our Anniversary dinner at L'Estaminet. Anniversary travelers 5 & 6 asked to join us that evening for Ina and Carole's dining experience. It was by far a pleasant and enjoyable dining treat. Welcomed by Carole, we sat at one of the street side tables. Carole is a great hostess, warm and pleasant and eager to make your time there pleasant. Ater explaining the nights special and conversing with Mireille in French, we ordered appetizers and some wine for dinner. When Carole served our appetizers she explained the ingredients and cooking process. Mireille chose the Mushroom Ravioli in Puff Pasty, which we split. It was fantastic. Anniversary travelers 5 & 6 split the Escargot selection. A plus for the appetizers. For main entrée, Mireille went with the Beef Tenderloin, I chose Tilapia and scallops combination . It was surrounded with four puréed vegetables that complimented the Tilapia and Scallops perfectly. By far, the best meal experienced by me this trip. Anniversary travelers 5 & 6 had Scallop Burgers and Turbot. Delicious also, cooked tender and juicy. For dessert we selected as suggested by Carole the home made ice cream. One was a Caramel, a favorite and one a unique Tomato-Basil flavored treat. We sampled a few other flavors which Carole suggested and were not dis-appointed by the unique twist on ice cream.

Restaurant List
Other restaurants visited, most visited twice by some, Spicy, in name only, not the food, opened up two days before we left, Bistro Caraibes, Le Ti Coin Creole, L'Auberge Gourmande, Sunset Cafe, L'Escapade, Piazza Pascal, Blue Martini, Le Cottage, Brasserie Des Illes, la Villa and outside Grand Case was Bacchus and Ti Bouchon in Cul De Sac. In Orient Bay area, Paradise View Creperie, Orange Fever, L'Escargot in P-Burg, Bistro De La Mer and Sarafina's in Marigot, and lastly, the LOLO's in Grand Case, The Sky's The Limit , Talk of the Town and Germains.

Phone Rental
Used Sharon for phone rental as was done last year. Pick up easy, phone loaded with 96 minutes, used them plus 32 more. Glad I had it. Return just as easy.

Car Rental
Every year we have rented from Mohamed at ACE/Panoramic. Haven't been disappointed or had a problem. Customer service has slipped in the last two years. Mohamed never returned my original communication last Summer. Cars in last few years are not in the best condition. No breakdowns, but A/C problems, some vibrations, occasional engine stall and this years car looked like an old mafia staff car. No offense to Italian readers intended. Parts held on with screws, many dents, un-usable locks, etc. Office personnel friendly, but cars presented were not up to standard. One renter had problem, called phone number given, quick response and problem solved. Maybe our expectations are too high. Try again next visit.

Grand Case Beach Club
Trip report could not complete without complimenting our place of stay. The Grand Case Beach Club fits our needs just fine. Clean, private, with security personnel, Steve Wright has continued to keep the facility up to top notch condition. The front desk personnel, starting with Roselyn, Maureen, old Christine (she's not old, but a new Christine is also there) Rosette, Niki, and
of course new Christine, who fits in just fine. They can't be more accommodating for any request asked. Lynn and her staff of housekeeping personnel are excellent and keep all rooms in spic and span condition. Maria and Malele are just like family. Our bed is the most comfortable I've ever slept on. Air conditioning just fine, flat panel TV now has as many channels we have in the US. Only problem, we didn't watch TV much. The grounds are always being swept. New key cards are a breeze to get in your room, laundry room and entrance gates. Sebastian and Monica, with Mickey at the Creole Rock Watersports couldn't be more accommodating with water sports gear. Chantal and Alexandre due a superb job at the Sunset Café. Laurent was very busy most of the time, but always had time to talk to us. Judith is or is about to have a baby. We missed her and Sandra this trip. We are booked for another stay next October and have also booked a Spring stay as well.

To all our Anniversary Travelers, Lisa, Steve, Carl, Shirley, Debby (AKA Jebby), Joel (AKA Doel), Janette, Don, Frabel and Ed, thank you all for a great fun time on the greatest island in the Caribbean ! It wouldn't be the same without you…...Merci

Update Report on Sophie at Spicy will be on separate post.