Trip Report, April 2010, long, part two

As a reminder,
Daily Diary style
[color:"red"]Restaurants [/color] in [color:"red"]red[/color]
[color:"blue"]Beaches[/color] in [color:"blue"]blue[/color]
People in fantastic
Pics at http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p97/kubotaman/St%20Maarten%202010/

Day 5
Most of us have made timeshare mistakes, and our Mexican mistake was a doozy. We spent 26K for a timeshare in Puerto Vallarta that we haven’t been back to (it was kind of like New Coke; it seemed like a really good idea at the time.) That Mexican timeshare, however, is what began our trading process and is why we ultimately ended up trading to St. Martin and Oyster Bay Beach Resort-- so everything worked out OK.

So, you can understand why we are generally cautious about timeshare presentations. But, our friends from Connecticut, whom we met on the beach last year and who are arriving in three days, told us extensively about the gorgeous new building at OBBR. We were really curious to see it, and ultimately accepted a breakfast invitation for a timeshare presentation with Stephanie, a charming and gracious lady who works at the resort and turned out to be very helpful later on. The new building is just spectacular, but we could not make a decision because Cindy’s headache and nausea flared up again and she spent the rest of the day in bed. We thought it was just a quick little island bug. We were wrong because it wasn’t quick or little, but Stephanie helped immensely with some time-proven island herbal cures.

Cindy’s dinner was a cup of instant soup. Yummy! I ordered a pizza from [color:"red"]Daniels[/color] and we snuggled on the couch with a movie.

Day 6
Cindy is feeling a bit better so we’re off to [color:"blue"]Orient[/color]. We find this year that we’re spending more time on [color:"blue"]Orient[/color] than ever before as it is a beach with everything (except seclusion.) We love it because of the activities, facilities, aka bathrooms, shopping, food choices, great sand, and perhaps the best people-watching in the world.

For lunch, we decided to return to [color:"red"]Aloha[/color] and it was incredible.
Cindy had a chicken caesar salad and I had a wonderful sole fillet in tarragon sauce. Cindy wasn’t up to wine, but I had a nice chardonnay that was modestly priced and recommended by Natalie. She is a lovely young lady with lots of energy and a great understanding of the restaurant business.

[color:"blue"]Orient[/color] is a great place but it is the people you meet there that make it so special and that provide a lifetime of memories that can never be taken away. Today, we again visited with Bob and Nancy from Philadelphia, Joe and Karen from New York, and Rick and Sue from I can’t remember. Great people all the way around! We were also near two couples from Texas, and although we didn’t speak to them directly, we were able to enjoy their life stories because of their healthy speaking volume and minute detail of their conversations. I’m sure they would be very nice people, even in a library. (Now, you Texans, don’t get mad out there—we spent seven years and had two kids in your great state so I know what I’m talking about!)

I am writing this with a strong gin and tonic by my side. It is made with Fleischmann’s gin which may be the worst gin in the world, but I’m enjoying the hell out of it because it is only $4 per liter! Heck, in the states you can’t buy bottled water for that.

We had dinner at a great little place in Oyster Pond, [color:"red"]Le BZH Creperie[/color]. Seating is outdoors, very casual, and the food is delicious. We had galettes, one chicken and one beef, and were amazed with the generous portions and pleasant service. We didn’t have room for a dessert crepe but promised Pamela, our server, that we would return soon. Cash only, no credit cards accepted.

Day 7
This was a magical day at [color:"blue"]Baie Longue[/color]. We packed snacks and drinks since there are no services there, and found the beach virtually deserted. The beach is really long, obviously, and was empty except for a few people we could see in the distance down by La Samanna. Because most of this beach backs up to an area of well-fenced private estates instead of bushes, I can’t imagine there would be issues with any unwanted visitors that may intrude on your privacy.

Dinner was at [color:"red"]Big Fish[/color] and we found the menu to be creative. The entrees are interesting and well-prepared; we had a new server who was just learning but the overall experience was very nice.

After our meal, we walked across the street to [color:"red"]Beau Beau’s[/color] and laughed our butts off during karaoke. We ultimately retrieved them so we could make it back to our room with butts in tow.

Day 8
This is both check-out and check-in day as we move from room #1631 to room #2920. We had traded our Mexican timeshare for the first week, and for the next half-week we will stay in the studio adjacent to our friends’ one bedroom unit. We enjoyed the infinity pool until they arrived, and then drove into Phillipsburg for dinner at [color:"red"]Taloula Mango’s[/color] on the boardwalk.