We are now back from three wonderful weeks on the island with the only souvenirs at this point being the last remaining particles of sand in the bottom of our luggage and the memories. Oh, those wonderful memories.
The laundry is done and we are back to reality which equates to orange juice for breakfast instead of mimosas; no Rosie's ribs for lunch at Mullet; and typically, dinner at home as opposed to any number of wonderful locations across the island.
The trip was a good one in virtually every way - good r/t flights and those MINT seats/ condos? on JB were awesome but probably not something I'd worry about doing again; we had very good experiences at each airport and in each direction; R24 was our trusty chariot for the duration of our trip and it served us well. Our apartment at the Towers was a choice unit and was well stocked upon our arrival and since we arrived in those heavy mid-April rains it was nice to have the option to stay in that first night instead of having to go out for dinner. I couldn't complain about any of these things even if I wanted to. And I don't!
This trip was different from so many others because we had no particular agenda to fulfill. We looked forward to the girls coming and being with us for a bit, and likewise, we sincerely enjoyed our time both before and after their departures. No other-island trips to report on and no day-trips to expound upon. We truly just relaxed and enjoyed the pleasure of each other's company - you really need to do that every so often. John got his fill and then some of plane watching both from afar and then up close and personal and I truly enjoyed quiet time with my kindle. Somehow, there's always too much to do at home to justify settling into a comfy chair with a good book in the middle the day here at home, but on vacation it seems okay.
We enjoyed some serious comradery with island residents who have become dear friends over the years - and we also enjoyed some incredible dining OPs as just the two of us as well. And quite honestly, we enjoyed our low-key meals just as much as the higher-end evenings and even relished our reheats in both locations along with a spaghetti and meatball dinner from home one night and a grilled steak dinner another. Somehow, as good as a grilled steak is anywhere, there's just something about the view at BSV that makes the meal an actual feast! And this one was no exception.
And the things we didn't do - OMGoodness!! Were we ever slugabugs?! We didn't do as much as one dinner in Grand Case and we had tentatively planned on at least two but at least we did manage our sundowners at Calmos one afternoon with the girls. We never made a daytime trip into Philipsburg which equates to 'didn't do any shopping at Caribbean Gems' this year but we knew the majority of the family was off island so that was okay, too. I've reached the point where I can easily say enough in that department, believe it or not. We had hoped to do dinner at Dreams one night but didn't realize they had already reverted to their low-season daily schedule of dinner closures.
There were people we'd hoped to meet that didn't happen and there were other acquaintances made that were unexpected but happy surprises. And then, so often and in unexpected places, the casual running into of friends from years of island visits. It was all good.
We only had two occasions of traffic snafus - we never did make it to Paradise View because of the traffic that day but when one door closes, so often another opens and we had a lovely lunch at Friars Bay Beach Cafe instead. And then, there was the evening we were a half hour late for dinner reservations at Skipjacks because it took us a full hour and twenty minutes to get from our driveway at the Towers to the Royal Palm but we were meeting a well-connected island persona and they held our table.
We were able to enjoy our entire trip without needing to use the airco at The Towers and we had no major issues with moskies, bugs or bites over the whole stay.
It just doesn't get much better in my book and I hope all of you who have come along with us this far soon have your own equally great trips to enjoy in whatever manner you choose to do so. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />
