Day 1: November 16<br>We arrived by USAirways and had a relatively uneventful trip. Our flight arrived early, at about 3:30, and we were about the 3rd people off of the plane, we were second in our line through customs, and our suitcase was the second one off of the plane. So all was right with the universe from the beginning!! Mickey from Tropicana was waiting with our Toyota Corolla ($140 for the week, we negotiated him down due to past business with him!) and after traveling to their office to complete the paperwork we were on our way to the Sunset Beach Bar. It was just about 4:00 or so when we sat down to have a beer and a welcome shot! We then drove over to Sapphire Beach Club to check in. One of the great things about being a return visitor is that your friends look out for you….we had used our RCI points to get a studio since it was just my hubby and I and we did not need our usual sleep 6, so we had only used about half of our points to take this trip. Anyway, when we checked in we found that we had been moved to the Villa!!!! Another couple had been scheduled to have the villa, but did not realize it had steps! They were elderly and could not negotiate the steps up to the bedrooms, or the steps from the villas up to the resort pool, and wanted to switch to a normal room….and they were more than happy to switch to our studio! One of our friends at Sapphire realized that we would not be unhappy to switch (to say the least!) and made the trade (without it costing us another cent or another RCI point). So we were quite thrilled to find ourselves in a 2300+ square foot 2 story villa with 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (complete with bidets!) whirlpool tub, 2 balconies, and a splash pool on our balcony (right on the beach!). Ahhhhh….vacation was really going well so far!!! We had ordered chairs and an umbrella for the week from packlight vacations ( located at http://www.sxm-info.com/SXM-services/packlight , and they were delivered right to our room! $25 for the whole week! They can also set you up with coolers, rental cars, cell phones, and other amenities! Tell them Mary and Paul referred you! <br><br><br>Now that I have put you into our shoes, I will tell you what we did each day, starting with that evening of Nov. 16th. We got freshened up, made a cocktail, and got together with a friend for dinner. He recommended MAMA MIAS in Maho, and it was delicious. We shared a tegamino mozzarella appetizer between the 3 of us ($8.50), my hubby had the pasta fagioli ($8), I had the snapper filet with veggies ($14) and our friend had the chicken butterfly with pasta ($12). We shared a bottle of merlot ca Bolani ($15) and our total bill, including service charge, was $66.12 for 3 people. Everything was delicious! My hubby put their hot sauce in the pasta fagioli and was in heaven. After dinner, we went to SOPRANOS piano bar (for one drink). Yeah, right, one drink….Alex from Sopranos made certain that each time we set our beer glass down empty another beer was brought in its place. I have no idea how much we drank…..but we sure had a lot of fun! We were there until at least 2:00 a.m. and the music, atmosphere and people were a blast! We sat in a booth and basically talked to people as they passed by throughout the evening. We met a couple from Connecticut that joined our group of 3 for the evening, and we ended up joining up with them a couple of other times during our vacation. No idea how much we drank (A LOT) but our final bill for 3 of us was $72. We all are pretty sure that we got a great deal, but none of us was keeping count! <br><br>SUNDAY, NOV 17: Ok, my head hurt this morning…..but I was up and ready to go to the Sapphire orientation by the pool (hubby did not make it there!). Got updates on things around the island, bought a few items from the lady selling pareos and bags, and headed back to get my husband moving. We floated around on our rafts in our splash pool for about an hour until we decided to get moving and go the beach. We drove up to ORIENT where we had lunch at PEDROS. The waiter there was the friendliest guy! My husband asked for a Red Stripe, but they did not have it so he ordered a Carib. I had a diet coke (no hair of the dog for me …!) I ordered the grilled swordfish with fries and rice, and Paul ordered the ribs with rice. I thought the swordfish was a little dry for my taste. Paul loved the ribs, as he always does! For some reason (could it have been the excess alcohol from the night before?) the fries just tasted so good that I needed more of them, so I asked the waiter if I could buy a side order of fries. He brought out a HUGE basket of them which Paul and I shared. He also gave Paul another Carib (“on me”) and another diet coke for me (“on me”). He also gave us the fries for free. We tipped him very generously, needless to say, and again reminded ourselves that these types of things happen frequently in this paradise called St. Martin! After a lovely afternoon at Club O we signed up for Thursday’s TIKO TIKO cruise and headed back to Sapphire. We went home, I exercised at the Sapphire exercise room, then we lounged in our pool. We freshened up and went over to the OCEAN CLUB to say hello the Bert and Jill. Bert was there and we had a few drinks and promised to catch up later in the week. Then we were off to LEE’S for dinner. Chi Chi greeted us with his usual charm and friendliness. We did not see Lee, but intended to stop to see him later in the trip. We decided to have Lobster, so Paul and I split a 3lb lobster and fries. We had a couple of drinks each, and our total bill for the evening was $64.89. The lobster was delicious (we finally asked for a “cracker” so we could get every bite of the butter drenched meat!) and the music was jamming! A rather obnoxious man was very loudly making a stir on the dance floor and at his table (he had missed his cruise ship from its original destination and they had flown him and his wife to SXM to pick it up there) Apparently he and his wife had a large stipend from the cruise ship to spend until the boat came 2 days later. Paul and I were wondering what the cruise line would pay US for having to tolerate him! LOL! Oh well, just another funny memory! We then decided to stop at Dolphin Casino so that I could get rid of the 17 dollars of quarters that I had in my purse from a recent trip to Atlantic City. I went to the slot machines and put in the quarters (all of them) so I could just play until they were gone. Well, I won just under $500! Paul and I got the money and left quickly before we reinvested it. This vacation is really going well for us, isn’t it????<br><br>MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18: I got up early to go to the gym in Maho, only to find that they were closed until 10. So I decided to take a walk instead. I walked through Maho, up to Caravansarai, around the Dolphin Casino, and back to Maho. I made a few detours along the way in order to get at least 45 minutes of fast paced walking in. Got back to Sapphire, went in our private pool for a while, then we packed up and headed out to the beach again. We went to Cupecoy for the morning, and then decided to drive up to Loterie Farm for lunch. We got there and found out that the Hidden Forest Café is closed on Monday, so we went to Grand Case to TALK OF THE TOWN instead. I had the snapper, with curry rice, rice with beans, and corn on the cob. My husband had the plate of food (ribs and chicken) with curry rice and coleslaw. We each had 2 beers. Our bill was about $28 (I can’t remember the exact amount). The food was excellent and very filling! We then headed to Phillipsburg so I could begin my jewelry shopping!! We went straight to MIRAGE, where our friend Manu was very happy to see us (we have gone to him since he was at Touch of Gold) and we bought a few things. He also gave me 3 little gold charms for my daughters (we have a 5 year old and 2 year old twins). We then headed back to Sapphire, I changed for the Managers Cocktail Party. The couple that we met at Sopranos (they were staying at Caravansari) came over to Sapphire to join us for the cocktail party and for drinks in our villa, along with another friend of ours. Out of 51 crabs, Paul’s crab won the crab race at Sapphire (another $25 for us!) so we have been lucky all week! We had dinner reservations, so we agreed to meet the other 3 people back at our villa at 11 and Paul and I headed to a new place to eat (one that we had never been to) but which now ranks as one of our favorites! O PLONGEOIR. It is located near the new mall in Marigot (drive toward the front de mer and around the mall to the right. It is just past it, facing the water). It was AWESOME!!!!! The bread was a little slow to arrive, but once we got our food all was forgiven! My husband had the Duck which was made in a sauce that was about the best thing I have ever tasted! And I had the tilapia and shrimp in a cream sauce that made me almost melt. We were in heaven with every bite!! We then had the O PLONGEOIR house chocolate dessert which was a chocolate lovers dream. We shared a bottle of wine, and our total bill came out to only $67. CASH ONLY, though…no credit cards. We highly recommend this place! We then returned to Sapphire and met with our friends, where we had a small pool party with lots of vodka, orange juice and beer until 3:30AM. We were really enjoying having that villa!! <br><br>TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19: I got up early and did the stretch and tone by the pool for an hour, then went back to get Paul moving. We drove to Loterie Farm for lunch at HIDDEN FOREST CAFÉ (--cash only!) because we love Julie’s cooking! I had the chicken satay appetizer with peanut sauce, and then the curried chicken lunch. Paul had shrimp and an appetizer, but I can’t remember which one! Our total bill was around $50. We visited with Julie for a while, then headed to Cupecoy beach again, where we stayed until the sunset! We met a couple from Cleveland on the beach and talked to them for a while. They were interested in looking at the Sapphire beach club, so we invited them to come to the Karaoke party the next night. We then headed back to our villa to freshen up. Paul had gone shopping, both at the Daily Extra (which did not have much of a selection) and at Rams (which did!). So we had a mini wine and cheese party as we lounged around our villa, floated in the pool, and then readied ourselves for dinner. We went to LA GONDOLA in Sandy Ground, another favorite spot of ours. David, the owner, is very gracious and so proud of his place! He even remembered what I had ordered back in February! We had the Puff pastry appetizer (yummy!!!). I had the Salmon for dinner (good, but a little dry…I usually get the lobster ravioli which is out of this world but I was trying to behave!!) and Paul got the cannelloni special which was fabulous. The side order of pasta that came with my salmon was fantastic….the pasta was so fresh that you felt it had just been made an hour before (and it might have been!) We had a coupon for a free drink each. We also had water. We shared a Tiramisu for dessert…fabulous!! I also ordered a coffee, for which I was charged $8!!!!!! I did not question it at the time (I guess because our total bill was only $54.50 so I did not really think about it) but I hope it was a mistake! So if you order coffee there please check the price first!! Talk about sticker shock!!! I could have made a whole pot for myself back at the room! But otherwise this is one of our favorite places for wonderful food at reasonable prices.<br><br>WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20: I got up and did the one hour beach walk at Sapphire (a nice little workout!) and then headed back to get Paul moving. We met with our sales person from Sapphire to see what it would cost to upgrade to a villa (we were getting spoiled!) then he gave us a coupon for $30 off lunch at BIKINI BEACH BAR. We went there for lunch. Paul had the house pasta. I had fish and I can’t find the receipt, but I know it was good! Paul loved his pasta! We went over our $30, probably mainly because we had a few drinks, but our total bill was about $47, so once we subtracted the $30 we only had to shell out about $17 plus tip. Not bad at all!! Had I remembered to bring my free drink coupons it would have been even cheaper, but I forgot them in my room! We spent the rest of the day at Club O, where we ran into the couple from Cleveland, again! The informed us that they were going to come to the Karaoke party that evening, so we said our goodbyes and headed back to Sapphire. We freshened up for the party and for our dinner that we would be having at 9:00 that night. The other couple joined us at the Sapphire poolside, and I sang 2 songs (I Fall to Pieces and Don’t Cry Out Loud). We had a few drinks, then down to the villa for a few more. We had convinced the other couple to try the TIKO TIKO Cruise, and they told us that they had signed up to go with us on it the next day. We then said goodbye to them until the next day and Paul and I went out to celebrate our 6th anniversary (it actually was going to be on the 23rd, but since we were flying that day we wanted to make sure we took time out to make it special). We went to TEMPTATION by the Atlantis Casino (Asha, who used to work at Sapphire, is the hostess there….her son is the chef and he is fabulous!!) We really splurged! I had the Peach salad to start (wonderful) and Paul and the taco crabcake (for which the chef has won an award! It was delicious!) For dinner, Paul had the seafood martini (which was really great!) and I had the snapper special (yummy!!). For dessert, I had a wonderful sorbet with fruit that was served in a giant martini glass, and a cup of coffee. Really topped off the meal. Then they served a small citrus sorbet to cleanse the palette. It was a very romantic atmosphere, with a pianist playing and a waterfall in the windows, and we really enjoyed ourselves! The total cost for the evening was $91. We each had one cocktail, but it was complimentary due to a certificate that we had from Sapphire Beach Club. <br><br>THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21: We got up early to drive to Orient for the TIKO TIKO cruise ($170 for 2 people). We stopped in Marigot to see Danny at ZEE BEST and to have a couple of his brioche and croissants. I also grabbed a coffee to go (it was the hottest coffee I have ever had…guess they never heard of the McDonald’s coffee lawsuit there! LOL!!) I could not even begin to drink it until we got to Orient!! There were 4 other couples on the Tiko Tiko (one was our new friends from Cleveland). We had a wonderful time on the cruise…my husband served as bartender most of the morning, swimming the rum punches and seabreezes out to the rest of us who were lounging on the floats in the ocean and socializing. Our lunch, served by the captain of the boat who wore nothing but a bowtie, was delicious. The salad and bread were wonderful, and I had the seafood with a baked potato. My husband had chicken with corn. For dessert we had cheesecake and an after dinner liquor (Frangelico for me…yum!). Then back to the shore for more fun in the sun! Finally, we did the mud baths (we enjoyed it so much that some of us did it 2 or 3 times! The best part was when about 7 of us, covered in this dried mud and sand, grabbed hands and raced toward the water! What a sight! We laughed so hard! But my skin was as soft as a baby’s for the next couple of days! After the TIKO TIKO came back to shore, Paul and I said our goodbyes and headed in to Phillipsburg to finalize a few more purchases. Manu gave us a complimentary bottle of champagne to celebrate our anniversary. We stopped at the internet café right behind Mirage to get a phone card ($10 for 35 minutes!) to call home. Much better deal than calling from the Sapphire, where they charge you by the minute to call your 1-800 number for AT&T, then you also get charged by your calling card. We called Paul’s office, our answering machine, my work machine and my parents and STILL had time left over, so it all totalled less than $10. while only one call from Sapphire was more than that. So we will do our calling this way from now on! We also got 15 minutes on the internet there for only $5. We left Phillipsburg and headed back to Sapphire to relax and get ready for dinner. We went to RANCHO ARGENTINAN STEAKHOUSE for dinner since my husband was having a serious craving for red meat! He had a plate of food (steak and chicken) with a side of their creole sauce. I had the small filet of beef (if you call the jumbo serving I had small! I only ate half and it was delicious! Can’t imagine ordering a larger one!) with a side of their garlic sauce. We drank 5 iced teas (we had a lot to drink on the TIKO TIKO and needed to take a rest!) The meal was wonderful, the meat was perfectly cooked, and the music was fun. The service was slow, however. But we only noticed that because we were so thirsty that we needed more iced teas and had a hard time flagging someone down to help us! The total meal cost was $56.29.<br><br>FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22: We had decided to try the RHINO RIDERS because they looked like fun and because it would take us to HAPPY BAY, which we love! We had purchased discount tickets from the discount stand near the PEG LEG PUB (it was cheaper that way by about $10 per couple). We met at 8:30 and it was about a 2 ½ hour trip all told. I let Paul drive, and we went through the lagoon, through Marigot harbor, out to the sea, past Marigot and Friars Bay to Happy Bay, where we snorkeled for about ½ hour. Then back to the RHINOs for a soda. One couple’s boat malfunctioned, so we had to wait a while for it to be fixed. Then Paul and I ran out of gas in Marigot harbor (but they fixed that quickly!). When we returned, we went to PEG LEG PUB for lunch and drinks. We met the new owner, who was very gracious, and I had a Tuna steak sandwich on Rye, my husband had the fish and chips, and we both had a couple of drinks. Our total bill was $27. We then headed to CUPECOY to spend the rest of the afternoon. That evening we stopped over to OCEAN CLUB again to see Bert and Jill and got to see both of them, plus their beautiful daughter, and had a few drinks there. We then went to Maho to DALI SURF AND TURF for dinner. I had the Lobster Thermidor, and my husband had the Grouper. We were pleased with the service, food and overall experience. Alex (from Sopranos) also is there, and he remembered us from earlier in the week. He graciously gave us a free round of drinks with dinner (which was all we needed at that point!) and our total bill was $60. We then went home for our last night in the Villa.<br><br>SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23: We got up early to pack and try to get a little more enjoyment out of what remained of our day! We took some pictures from our balcony and from the beach below. We checked out and drove to the airport. When we saw the line at USAIRWAYS we quickly turned around and headed for CUPECOY again! We spent 3 hours there till we knew we had to go to the airport! Then we went and had a very short wait in line (about 15 minutes) after which we went to the upstairs restaurant for lunch. When we walked into the restaurant we saw our friends from earlier in the week, from Connecticut, eating lunch! They had left messages at Sapphire for us, but we never got them (not unusual for Sapphire, much as we love it this is one area in which they are sorely lacking!). So we enjoyed lunch with them! We both had swordfish sandwiches, and they were tasty. We boarded our flight quickly after that and left on time. Our flight to Philadelphia was early, but we had trouble getting a gate which caused a delay. Our transfer through customs went smoothly and we were home in Pittsburgh right on schedule (about 11:00 at night). <br><br>In all, one of the most wonderful and unforgettable trips I have had! Every time I go to SXM (and this is my 9th trip) I fall in love with it more. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at mecsesq@yahoo.com.