We left Toronto on Thursday via Sunwing at about 6:30 in the morning and arrived in SXM around 11:00 a.m. Lesley Bruce (Kenny’s Car Rental) was waiting for us with our car. A few minutes of paperwork and we were on our way. As always, excellent service from Lesley and we were pleased to recommend him to a family who came down on the same flight with us. They, too, reported they were very pleased with his service.

On to Maho, where we were on our 8th stay. Upon arrival, we were told that our room was ready. BIG RED FLAG here. If you arrive at mid-day and your room is ready it likely means it has not been rented out recently and is probably one of the un-renovated rooms. Such was the case. Our room was on the side of the hotel offering a lovely view of the remaining ruins of Mullet and in close proximity to the hotel filtration system. View and noise not appealing.

However, we had some errands to run. So we left without unpacking, went to lunch at the buffet and then on to the Garden Market to pick up distilled water for hubby’s breathing apparatus and also some drinks for the mini bar. We also stopped at the Mail Box to get Chippie cards for our phones.

Back at the hotel, we decide to unpack. Big mistake here. More on this later.

That evening, we went briefly to the Casino, had a drink in the hotel bar and then went to bed. By morning we realized that the room had shortcomings other than the view. The toilet did not flush well – it took five flushes every time to clear it. Hubby was also very unhappy with the constant noise from filtration plant. Also not too impressed by two old red velvet convention-type chairs on the balcony. So down to the lobby we go to visit the (newly created) Customer Experience department. Turns out that Sunwing had not told them we were 8 time guests. (Heaven help people going there for the first time.) A very pleasant young lady apologized and immediately gave us another room on the same 6th floor but facing the pool and ocean. Much nicer, renovated. We spent the morning moving.

After moving, we decided to drive around the island just to see what’s new, etc. We arrived at Orient Beach and found most places closed. A guy at Le String told us many of the beach places close to take a day off and Friday is the best day to do that. Walking the beach, we found Andy and Cheryl’s open. They were busy but had space for us. The food was good, the bar-man a bit surly and Cheryl was amazing.

By the time we got back to Maho, hubby was sneezing non-stop. We dropped by the local drug store for something for colds. Later, we went for ice cream across the street – well, I had ice cream, hubby had a cappuccino. Then we went to bed early.

On Saturday, we got up, had breakfast and headed out to Orient. Le String was open so we settled there for the day. The beach boy Jean was still there along with the French couple who, we were told, are leasing the place from the two Americans who own it. The lady is very pleasant and works non-stop. The husband is a wee bit surly and looks to be drinking the profits with a number of his “amis”.

We settled onto beach beds, me totally under the umbrella. Jean brought us our complimentary drinks – “Love on the Beach” without alcohol. Very nice. We had lunch there. I had the mahi-mahi and hubby had the chicken kabob. Both were very good but the portions are big.

We had a bit of rain but not enough to make us leave the beach.

There was lots of beach space when we were there – Orient was as wide as I can recall it. Le String usually has three rows of bed very close together. This time there was lots of space between the rows. Very comfortable.

As hubby was still sneezing – the cold medicine did not seem to work – we left a bit early to get to a drug store and look for allergy meds. We stopped at the pharmacy in Nettle Bay and picked up some pills. Back at Maho, hubby took a dose and went to bed. I watched some TV and went to bed early.

Sunday morning and hubby is not feeling better. Back to the Maho pharmacy for different allergy meds. Since he is not sure how long he wants to stay out, we decide on a drive. We went round the island and on the French side saw no less than three separate road-side checks by the gendarmes. They did not stop us but were stopping others and in one location, near Nettle Bay, they were searching vehicles.

We had intended to stop for lunch at Layla’s but by this time hubby was feeling really miserable. I drove us back to Maho and he went straight to bed. He stayed there, getting up only to take more meds, until Monday morning.

I went for lunch at the buffet then settled down out by the pool with my book and a couple of drinks. For the rest of the afternoon I read, dozed and watched the planes land. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining. An afternoon in the sun with a good book and something nice in the way of refreshments is heaven for me.

Monday morning and hubby is much better. We head back to Orient and Le String. Even as we arrive the clouds are gathering. No sooner are we settled on the beach than the skies open up and rain comes down heavily for about an hour. We decide to have lunch. I have the calamari and hubby has a sandwich. Again the food is good but too much.

Once the sun comes back out, we go back on the beach. I did some shopping at Sexy Fruits, buying sunglasses and really cute earrings – several pairs as gifts for my sister, the granddaughters and me. They are silver, in the shape of starfish and set with different coloured crystals – pink, mauve, etc. Really pretty for the summer.

We met a very nice young couple from Virginia who were also staying at Maho. They had come by taxi as they were not old enough to rent a car. They were both 21 and told us you have to be 25 years old to rent a car in SXM. News to me. Anyway, they caught a ride back to Maho with us. We offered and they said yes. When we arrived at the hotel I learned something else. Their taxi driver had taken them to Orient on the understanding that he would come and pick them up later. He had not taken any money from them on the trip out. They planned to pay him when they saw him again at the hotel. However, when they caught up to him that evening, they told us later that they had to pay him for the trip out and part of the trip back, even though they had not travelled back with him. I guess in hindsight it was not such a good idea for them to come back with us. Later that week, Jean at Le String told us that the driver had gone out to get them, unaware that they had left with us.

Tuesday we went in to P’burg to shop. Hubby bought a camera and a watch. He was feeling much better but also had to buy a fleecy hoody as he felt cold when out at night.

I bought some t-shirts for the granddaughters, some table linens for the folks back home and some cute little shopping bags from the Shipwreck Shop.

Wednesday we went back to Orient and Le String. By now I have drunk about a dozen of those Love on the Beach drinks. I buy toy monkeys that have knitted caps and dread-locks. These are for my mother, who collects stuffed monkeys.

For lunch we decide that maybe we’ll stick with appetizers so we order the Tapas platter and goat cheese bruschetta between us. Really good but we can’t finish it. We try to explain to the lady who was serving us. A guy at the next table asked where we were from. We told him “Canada”. He nodded and said that the servings are big because Americans - he was from Philly – like to see a big plate full of food for their money. He then said this was a polite way of saying Americans eat more than we do. No offense meant here – I’m just reporting what he said. Anyway, part of our problem is that we are not really foodies – I am trying to overcome major emotional eating issues and hubby will eat anything but only if he’s hungry.

Some general notes:

-Maho, it appears, is trying to be more like a Cuba, Dominican Republic or Mexico All Inclusive resort. They now have games tables – table tennis, pool and other games set up in lobby. These look a bit out of place. They also have activities and games around the pool all day, run by a team called the Animators. They have a program for kids with crafts and other activities. They show movies in the lobby in the evening.

-They offer mimosas at breakfast and have cookies and fruit in the lobby at all times along with sparkling wine and (plastic) champagne glasses; you just help yourself as you go by. Works for me.

- The mini-bars in the room are stocked with pop, water and beer. Staff come by and refill the bars regularly, asking what you want to have in there. I asked for ginger beer buy they don’t have that. Luckily I found it at the grocery store across the street and at the small shop under Royal Islander.

-When we were there last December, the dining room was under renovation. The reno is finished and there is a new omelette/eggs-to-order station and a spot where the chef makes fresh pancakes, French toast and waffles. There is also the usual – scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, cheese, lots of pastries at breakfast. Lunch is fine, also. There is enough variety that you can find something you like. Staff in the buffet area are friendly. Staff in the Palms Grill, where you order lunch from a menu, are not so obliging but the menu there is a bit more adventurous.

Thursday finally arrived and we head home. We dropped our rental car at the airport about 8:30 a.m. (Thanks, Lesley, for making everything so easy!)

The flight leaves at 11:30 a.m., with a planned stop in Punta Cana on the way to Toronto. In Punta Cana, they tell us that the plane will be cleaned so everybody has to get off with all their hand luggage. We are put through a metal detector, our hand luggage is x-rayed – Hey, didn’t we just do this in SXM? – then everybody gets a really invasive hand pat-down. After that we are left standing in a holding pen until the plane is clean and we can get back on. Then they board the passengers getting on in Punta Cana. Great, now we can go home.

Not so fast. One passenger complained about the hand pat down so much that airport staff called the local police. Now we wait out on the tarmac for 40 minutes until immigration and police finally let this guy board. No sooner are we airborne than the cabin crew come looking for a doctor, for the same passenger, who now appears to be ill. Some folks sitting near us said he had been kicking up a fuss back in Toronto on the morning we left. Missed that. When we land at Toronto, we are told we will all have to wait to deplane until an EMS team comes aboard and deals with the sick (same guy) passenger.

Now we are 40 minutes late arriving, 30 more minutes waiting to de-plane. The luggage takes an hour to come off the plane, there is a massive line up to get through customs and about 40 people in line for the limo service. Oh, yes, and it’s 57 degrees Fahrenheit and raining. Why did we come home again?

All in all, not the best trip but lots of beach time and sunshine. Now, if it would only stop raining here….