We are back from St. Maarten and after a day of rest back at work.<br><br>Our trip did not get off on the right foot as United really made a mess of our travel arrangements. After sleeping in the San Juan airport we finally made it to Oyster Bay Beach Resort at 10:30 AM (about 13 hours later than planned) on Sunday, 6/29.<br><br><br>Most of the day was spent at Dawn Bay and getting some incidentals at the old RAM's and getting gas for the car (it was on empty and we didn't notice it until we got to OBBR). Went to bed at 5 0'clock and didn't wake up until 6:00 AM on Monday. We did eat at Mr. Busby's and had a great meal.<br><br>Monday was an all day shopping event since the cruise lines were to be in harbor the rest of the week. Stopped by and saw Deepti at DK Gems. My wife and Deepti are trying to work out a jewelry purchase as I write. Ate lunch at the Greenhouse and had appetizers and their special Margaritas.<br><br>Went back to OBBR and went snorkeling at Dawn Beach. That night we went to Atlantis Casino to find Temptations (Deepti and TTOL recommended this eating establishment). Ate at the little cafe at Atlantis and spent some time in the Casino. OK, spent a lot of time. Left about 2:00 AM.<br><br>Got up at 8:00 AM on Tuesday and went to Ric's for breakfast. I thought they use to open before 8Am, I guess not. Food was still great. Went to Marigot for the day and did some shopping again. (Wife’s idea and my time was coming) Had pastries and espresso at the corner bakery next to the post office. Went to the East Indies Mall and just toured all around the city. They had their farmers market open (I thought it was only on Wednesday). Took the long route back around Grand Case and took some wonderful pictures of the Baie de l”Embouchure (between Orient Bay and Oyster Pond. Went snorkeling at Dawn Beach for awhile and had Guava berry colada’s from Mr. Busby’s. Had dinner at Boathouse and visited some more casinos.<br><br>Wednesday we started the day going to the restaurant at Oyster Pond for breakfast. Great omelet and fruit plate. Walked the beach and did some snorkeling afterwards. Drank Guava berry colada’s from Mr. Busby’s. Drove to Maho and Cupecoy for the afternoon. Had a dinner cruise on the Tango at Simpson Bay that evening. Stopped by a few casinos (Princess, Hollywood, and Paradise) before going back to OBBR.<br><br>Thursday we went to Phillipsburg to finish up on shopping and to take a half-day deep sea fishing excursion on the Confusion. We had lunch at the Green House where I had a great Mahi Mahi sandwich and the wife had French Onion Soup. Did not catch any fish but had a great time. Mario, our captain, kept us out on the sea well after 5 o’clock trying to let us catch some fish. No luck. We went to Marigot and had dinner at the L’Arawak. Great meal. Stopped in at the Princess Casino on way back to OBBR.<br><br>Friday morning we went to Dawn Beach and lay around. The wind was pretty stiff and so snorkeling was out for the day. We had lunch at Mr. Busby’s and also some more great guava berry coladas. We had a Rhino Rider excursion at 2:15 PM so we went to the Lagoon If nobody has ever experienced a Rhino Rider excursion I would definitely recommend them trying it out. They take you on a 2 ½ hour ride with 30 to 45 minutes being a snorkeling session off of Grand Case. I still feel the bumps from riding the waves of the ocean along the French side. We saw Happy Bay, Friar’s Bay, and Lover’s Bay. When we got back we went to the Pelican where we had a great dinner at Captain’s Cove Restaurant. Since we had an early flight on Saturday we went straight back to OBBR and started packing. <br><br>Flight back was uneventful even though we had to get up at 4:00 AM and got back to Norfolk, NE at 9:25 PM that night. We rented from Tropicana-Tropical and they were to meet us at the airport at 6:00 AM. Never happened and we left the car locked up in the airport parking. I have been e-mailing Mickey but have not heard anything yet. We put over 400 Km on the car. Do not know how many miles that is but I filled up with gas and also put an additional $5.00 in on Friday.<br><br>Enjoyed the accommodations at Oyster Bay. However, would have enjoyed a beach or bay villa better than a middle unit. Also, we knew the Oyster Bay was in a more secluded area and therefore we found ourselves having to drive a lot more than we really wanted this time. That was just us, we had our places we wanted to see. When we go back we will probably look at staying at Royal Palms, Pelican or in Maho.<br><br>All in all we had a great time and the people were fantastic. Wish we were going back next week. Wife did mention that one week was not enough (even though I can not get her to take more than a week of vacation a year anyways). Maybe next time we can spend two weeks and spend one week on each side of the Island. We definitely love visiting St. Maarten/Sin<br><br><br>PS: I posted the pictures from our trip before ZI wrote the trip report, a little backwards I guess. Anyways, they are on SXM photos on the msn site for anyone who wants to see them. Can not take credit for the photos because the wife had the digital and I had the 35mm.