Flying from the West Coast to SXM for us is almost a 20 hour ordeal including layovers. If memory serves me correctly, we had a drink to celebrate our arrival and then crashed for the night. This is our eighth trip and our sixth time at Beachside Villas. <br><br>I will hit mainly on some of our trip highlights and new discoveries. <br><br>It has been a tradition for several couples that survived Hurricane Lenny to meet in November for an annual reunion. Immediately after Lenny survivors Bruce and Judy arrived from Indiana, we went to the TTOL party at PLP. I finally met BobD, (what a very nice guy), Dicky with coconut retriever Frankie from Mary’s Boon, Shoreboy and Aggie, Patty (Patitaly) and the honeymoon couple in bridal attire and all. The new owners of PLP took very excellent care of us and appear to be well on their way to a successful venture. <br><br>New Discoveries:<br><br>Floating Bar: After the PLP TTOL party, we followed Dicky to the Floating Bar on Airport Road, where the party continued. This is a great place and recommended as one of those unusual, interesting, and fun places to go. Colin is the owner and a friendly host. <br><br>Uncle Harry’s: This is a very small, unassuming, but excellent restaurant inside the boatyard near the Lagoon. If you are traveling from the airport towards Simpson Bay, turn just after the Thrifty Car rental sign. A small yellow and red sign marks Uncle Harry’s. Turn at the sign and travel straight through the boatyard toward the Lagoon to the small “shack”. The consensus among our group is that the filets were one of the best, if not the best, we have ever eaten. The menu is small and includes Mahi Mahi, Lobster, tenderloins, and hamburgers. Lobster can be ordered earlier in the day and picked up parboiled, cleaned, cracked, and ready to take home for the BBQ. According to friends, they paid $80 for 7.5 pounds of lobster and had a goodly amount left over after feeding four adults. The tenderloins are $22.00. There is a small bar that might seat up to 7-9 people, with 5 or 6 tables for dining. If the place is packed, you either find a place to wait in the boatyard, or go somewhere else. Uncle Harry is a kick and will be featured on the Food Channel sometime in February. We enjoyed Uncle Harry’s so much we ate there twice. I am interested in other TTOL comments about the uniqueness of Uncle Harry’s. <br><br>Random Wind: Although we talked about going on the Random Wind on previous trips, we finally booked a trip this time. We left Indiana Beach at 9:00AM and returned at 4:30PM. This was a leisurely day of swimming, sailing, bending the proverbial elbow, and eating good food. Snorkeling was available. This is a well run sailing cruise and well worth the expense. I believe it was $75 per person.<br><br>Soprano’s Piano Bar: This is on the second level of the Maho Plaza across from Cheri’s. Excellent drinks and a very well rounded array of piano music. It becomes crowded later in the evening. It is a nice change from some of our rowdier evenings. <br><br>St Maarten’s Day Party: Dicky along with Frankie the coconut retriever, walked down the beach to our place at 11:30AM and made frozen Bloody Marys for our group. An impromptu party ensued. Our best guess is that it ended around 11:30PM that night. Shoreboy, Aggie, and girls arrived to party until their flight left. I have to say we thoroughly enjoyed meeting them. What a fun and generous family. We hope to be on SXM with them again. Our SXM party had representatives from New Jersey, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Oregon, and Dicky, formerly of Leeds, England. <br><br>It should be duly noted that some of the spouses on this trip were negligent and did not “train” hard enough in advance for the trip to SXM. A lot of naps and sand gravity occurred the day after our St. Maarten’s Day party. <br><br>Mary’s Boon: This is a very nice place as earlier reported and I highly recommend a visit. We partook of the invitation for free drinks and met some wonderful people. We also owe many thanks to Dicky for some recommendations on the island, his overall SXM hospitality, and wit. <br><br>Old Discoveries: Judy and I were very successful at the Dolphin Casino next to Sunset Beach Bar, - only if we had enough sense to quit. Alas, we did not and broke even over our two week stay. We did, however, have a great time and were able to spend several evenings gambling without damage. Video poker is our game.<br><br>Every Ting Cool: On Front Street in Philipsburg, it is a nice place for the guys to seek the refuge of elixir while the girls shop. Great BBQ pork sandwiches. <br><br>Village Bakery: Under new ownership, but we continued to enjoyed their pastries and breads. <br><br>Cheri’s: We have had average to good experiences at Cheri’s on earlier trips, but this was not the best. Food was poor to mediocre and we were chastised for not ordering more drinks after dinner and therefore occupying non-paying space as we watched the show. Shoreboy, Aggie and my husband exhibited amazing decorum and restraint with Cheri’s management that night.<br><br>As usual, we were not able to visit all of our previous favorites and as many new places as we had intended on this trip. Fortunately, there is always the next trip. <br><br>Beachside Villas is owned by Yolanda Mascarin from Michigan. Yolanda takes great care in making the villas a very enjoyable place to stay. It is decorated very tastefully, and has open airy spaces with local artwork. The upkeep on the grounds is immaculate. The master bedroom is large with a walk through closet and master bath. Both the master bedroom and the living room open to a deck that runs the full length of the villa. The construction of the villa allows for deck privacy from neighbors. The kitchen has an oven, range, microwave, large refrigerator and is fully stocked for cooking. The décor is planned right down to hand-painted dishes. The second bedroom has its own bathroom. Air conditioning is provided in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Ceiling fans are in the living area. With the design of the villas and large sliding glass doors, the breeze off the ocean keeps the temperature down in the living area. <br><br>Maid service is provided once a day. The pool and beach area are cleaned everyday, as well as the deck of each villa. Hand held showers and small tubs of water are available on each deck to hose down after walking on the beach. There are no telephones, but cellular phones are available for a small rental fee. <br><br>Security is on duty at night. We have never had any experience with theft at Beachside. <br><br>The management on the property will book any reservation you may need while on the island. <br><br>The pool deck has a large gazebo and is perfect for parties as noted in our trip report. I believe that her low season rate is $165 a night. The website is www.mascarin.com. I will be happy to answer any other questions. Our repeat stays attests to the quality of Beachside Villas. <br><br><br>