Travel Dates:
Saturday, January 1 through Saturday, January 8. This was our 5th and shortest <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> visit to St. Maarten. First time in high season.

Travel:
Hotel: I bid $35 on Priceline for a Charlotte, NC airport hotel. My bid was accepted for the Doubletree and the cost after fees and tax was $51. Very nice place to stay for the price. It was free park and fly, which made the stay equivalent to what we would have spent on parking at the airport.
Airline: Traveled on US Airways using FF miles earned from our credit card. Flight was a little late leaving Charlotte due to fog. Otherwise, the flight was a good one. The return flight was on-time and as effort-less as a day of flying gets.

Car Rental:
Used Unity Car Rental and once again our experience was excellent. Immediately upon exiting the airport, a van took us to the rental office for Unity and the paperwork was very brief. We rented a Getz which was clean and in good condition.

Traffic:
Definitely was a little more traffic to deal with than during April, when we usually visit. More bridge openings. Danny is getting good at being an aggressive driver like the locals!

Weather:
First few days had scattered clouds with a few sprinkles/showers. A nice breeze. The end of the week was hot!

Phone Rental:
Rented from Sharon. As usual, this was a good experience.

Accommodations:
Pelican Resort: We were assigned D-15 through Interval International and that is the unit that we received. It was an downstairs 2 bedroom unit, decorated like the other Pelican units that we have stayed in. This unit is comfortable in size and a good location close to the casino. The nightlife noise bothered us a little on the first night, but was no problem after that with us running the bathroom fan to drone the noise. The view was limited, but at least there was a view. Lots of amenities on the grounds. We love this resort and will definitely continue to exchange here in the future. Our only complaint is that check-in is sooooo slow!
show.

Beaches:
Sand gravity hit us quickly, so our variety was limited this time.
Kimsha Beach (at Buccaneer Beach Bar) – This is still our favorite beach, being more quiet and having BBB right there. We love it here so it is hard to go anywhere else!
Maho Beach (at Sunset Beach Bar and Grill) – Plane watching is as fun as ever! My amateur photography skills get plenty of practice here!
Pinel Island: Our first time to this beach and won’t be our last. We were amazed at the number of people that they were able to transport over in such a small boat! We used chairs at On the Key. Didn’t walk any of the trails or go to the other side of Pinel, so we have to return!

Breakfast:
Topper’s by the Sea – We love to go here for our first breakfast, with the wonderful view and the good food!
Alexandra’s (at the Pelican) – Don’t miss the French toast that is made from homemade egg bread. And those homefries! The prices were extremely reasonable and the food was the best!
Other mornings: Most mornings we had breakfast on the balcony. Danny would go down to The Market grocery store at the bottom of the hill and bring back fruit, bacon, sausage and eggs from their buffet. And then he would stop by the Peli Deli for pastries! Loved the lazy mornings!

Lunch:
Buccaneer Beach Bar –Still our favorite beach bar! We ate here several times, having burgers, ribs, chicken w/ peanut sauce and tuna steak sandwich. I refreshed my memory of those wonderful Guavaberry Coladas!
On the Key at Pinel - Best coconut shrimp!!! Danny had chicken and ribs and said it was yummy too!
Sunset Beach Bar – Wings and french fries. Danny was disappointed that the hot wings were not hot.

Dinner:
Buccaneer Beach Bar – The pizza here is great!
Skip Jacks – I had Penne pasta with shrimp, and Danny had tilapia with onions, red peppers and black beans. Both were excellent!
Pineapple Petes – I always get Seafood Gratinee and it was as yummy as always! Danny said his tilapia stuffed with crabmeat was also excellent. The crème brulee is the best!
Topper’s By The Sea – Fun evening! Went for Prime Rib night and I tasted Danny’s and it was really good! I had tilapia which had a wonderful sauce! Both were cooked perfectly. We enjoyed the dancers performing by music from “Caberet!”
Café on the Bay: I had bacon wrapped stuffed shrimp and cheesy scalloped potatoes as a side. Danny ate chicken combo, which was a pasta dish with lots of chicken and seafood! Both dishes were FANTASTIC! And the atmosphere was wonderful!

Miscellaneous:
The highlight of our trip was meeting Marilyn and Bill, owners of Café on the Bay! Marilyn is a Georgia girl and we loved the combination of the southern hospitality and being in the Caribbean! We also loved Bill from the minute we met him! The turn for the restaurant is across from the movie theater in Simpson Bay and has an awesome view on the bay. The décor is lovely and our experience there was top notch!! It will be the first place for dinner for us on our next trip! Actually they are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A few pics from the restaurant:



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