we returned home today to a heat wave with temperatures of 100+, but after a wonderful week in sxm it feels wrong to complain. our friends, one who had been to sxm once before and a first time for the other, asked us to join them on their trip to sxm and after very little convincing we decided to book.

flight: continental nonstop. we typically fly with jetblue, but this time continental was the better deal. we decided jetblue works better for us, with the later outgoing and incoming flight times and hope to avoid continental in the future. waking up at 4am to drop off the dog and make the flight to sxm was not much fun. the actual flight was fine, slept for most of it. our friends flew jetblue.

car: we are happy customers of kenny’s car rental, but unfortunately lesley bruce was booked for the time we needed to reserve. however, he assisted us with renting a car from his friend of travel rent a car. upon arrival lesley and his friend were at the airport to greet us. paperwork was done efficiently as always and within minutes we were off to enjoy vacation.

accommodations: esmeralda resort at orient. we occupied two units in the same villa and the other two units were unoccupied. it was nice having the privacy and the pool to ourselves. the guys played tennis most mornings and during the week it seemed to be the only time the courts were in use. i would’ve loved to have played, but our friend’s girlfriend doesn’t play, so i volunteered myself to be ball girl.

food and drink:

breakfast- we aren’t big breakfast eaters, so we found the complimentary continental breakfast at the resort to be sufficient. plus, we had nice chats with jenny (employee at the restaurant). one morning, my boyfriend and i headed up to paradise view for something new; we both ordered salty crepes and enjoyed the change in our morning routine.

lunch-
• lee’s- our usual stop either from or to juliana airport. we can enjoy our fish while keeping an eye on the car/ luggage. the grilled snapper is my usual choice.
• treetop lounge at loterie farm- our friends loved this place. tapas is such a fun, casual way to spend time with friends. the jalapeno goat cheese mousse is still my favorite and the lentil balls is not far behind.
• mark’s place- here we met our broker and we all had way too much food, but it was good. we introduced our friends to ting and they liked it as much as we do.
• palm beach- while I love the atmosphere of this place, the meal didn’t meet our expectations. not sure if it was an off day in the kitchen. i’d give it another try.
• some homemade lunches (baguette and comte sandwiches) served poolside

dinner-
• mario’s bistro- first dinner with our friends and a good way to begin vacation. complimentary port and champagne to end the night was a nice touch.
• karakter- friday night tapas and live jazz. this was a first for all of us and we thoroughly enjoyed it. parking was not an issue as i anticipated it’d be.
• le pressoir- another great meal. we had the pleasure of going to the kitchen and meeting the chef. my entrée in particular was very memorable, although the type of fish i can’t seem to remember, but it was described as more delicate than dover sole and was absolutely delicious.
after dinner, we went next door to le shore for port and cheese platter. our friends appreciated the ambience.
• antoine’s by the sea- another first based on the high remarks given by pat. we’re happy we went and will definitely return. grand marnier soufflé is one of my favorites and i was happy when the waiter listed it among the specials of the evening.
• celine pubcrawl bites along the way- skipjacks (mahi mahi kebab and springroll), uncle harry’s (steak kebab, baked potato, and salad), 3 palms (crepe)… enjoyed all, particulary uncle harry’s.
• braai at the home of luci frye- this was without a doubt the highlight of our trip. luci extended a most thoughtful and generous invitation to us for a bbq at her home. we spent a funfilled evening with luci and her family and friends. the food was incredible and i’m salivating just thinking about her potatoes, which her daughter rightfully claims is the best potatoes she’s ever had… i can now say the same.

enterntainment-
• “taste of st.maarten”- booths were still setting up when we arrived, but we hung around for a little while and listened to the music. i sampled a chicken skewer from kiwi café and plan to stop by for lunch one of these days, perhaps next trip (among other things, including lal’s).
• hollywood casino- a few hours of blackjack and we left almost $30 richer. i know, measly winnings by some people’s standards, but we believe that any winnings is a good thing.
• celine pubcrawl- we had reservations for four, but last minute our friends had to cancel (not feeling well enough to participate) and i contacted neil via cell shortly before heading to skipjack’s. neil was very understanding and did not charge us for the cancellation that we would’ve gladly paid. see above for the food details during the sail; drinks were at all stops, including open bar aboard the boat. kudos to neil and his crew for being wonderful hosts. i adore neil’s puppy, merlot, and have attached one of the few photos that i took this trip.


• world cup- some of the places we watched the games were at dinghy dock (most enthusiastic crowd), kakao (largest viewing on projection screen), and palm beach (flat screen on the beach with a beautiful breeze… handsdown our top choice). looking forward to the finals!

randoms- went to the buccaneer beach bar for the fireball on friday night and bumped into bill and elaine; it was good chatting with them. today at juliana airport as we were sitting at the gate two familiar faces walk by and i recognized them from their ttol avatar- marc and annie- so i introduced myself to them. after all, i had to thank them for the tip on cito's. it was nice meeting you both.

another fun filled trip to the island and looking forward to next time, possibly september or october. our friends left a day before us and said they could use one more week… we feel the same.