TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) SXM Trip Reports and Photos "Fun in the Sun" Nov.5-Dec.5 2013 Part 3

Part 3

Nov.20-Wednesday – Marigot Market Day We were up earlier than usual to get to Marigot before 8:00 A.M. The ladies and gents were just setting up their stalls so we decided to go to Sarafina’s for a sinful breakfast. The croissants there are fabulous and so we each chose two and some coffee and cappuccino. Nothing like eating all your calories first thing in the morning!! This breakfast got us all pepped up for the visit to all the different stalls so I’m sure we benefited greatly. We always trek to the market on every trip, but there is never really anything new or different there; just a mandatory visit! I purchased a couple of dresses and some Caribbean décor for our cottage and we were off before two large buses of cruise ship passengers arrived! Good timing for sure!

We returned to Simpson Bay via Marigot and made a stop at the Mailbox and then the Ship Wreck Shop to pick up a few souvenir items. We met Josephine and Paul who were staying at the Royal Palm and they invited us back to their condo for drinks. It was great spending some time with them.
It was now past lunch time so we went back to the condo and I made two salads for lunch with crackers and cheese and some fresh fruit.

We spent most of the afternoon catching up on correspondence and doing some things around here.
At 5:30 we left for Peg Leg Pub where we were meeting a group for dinner. Cover to Cover (Bob and Dave) were opening tonight for the season so it was nice to listen to them while we had dinner. David had the Texas steak and I chose the Sampler plate which is in the appetizer section, but really is bigger and more filling than the steak. Our food and service was good so hopefully with the new manager and bar steward this will return to the top rate restaurant it once was. We wish Linda the best in her new endeavors.

We stopped in to the Princess Casino for a couple of hours and then returned home before midnight. There was a big full moon again tonight and lots of stars in the sky so hopefully a good beach day tomorrow. Sweet dreams!







Nov.21- Today dawned cloudy and dark so the moon and the stars last night did not insure a good beach day as expected. We had planned to spend the day on Orient Beach, but changed our plans. Actually it is not even Sunday, but we have decided it will be a day of rest!

We had a nice cooked breakfast in the condo and did some laundry and a few other jobs around here. We relaxed on the balcony for a while and then had lunch and relaxed some more. The clouds hung over the entire area but still no rain here. There was a nice gentle breeze and we settled in and read our kindles while taking in the extensive balcony view. Later in the day we had a few sprinkles, but no serious rain. Anguilla was only a haze in the distance today and really the first dark day since our arrival over two weeks ago.

Tonight we had arranged to meet Jeannie for dinner at Lal’s. We enjoy the food and service there and tonight was no exception. We all had different chicken dishes accompanied by rice and delicious garlic Nan bread. Water and mixed drinks were enjoyed by all. We spent the remainder of the evening visiting with Jeannie and before we knew it midnight had arrived and time to go home. Time goes so quickly when you are having fun! We enjoyed our day of rest- sometimes it can be just nice not to do anything for a change!



Nov.22- Glorious sunshine filled the sky today after a cloudy day yesterday. We had breakfast in the condo and decided to spend the day here by the pool since we had a party to attend in Maho tonight. The pool here at Blue Marine is one of the nicest on the island, and during the week we often have the entire area to ourselves since most owners here work during the day. We had a light lunch and stayed poolside until about 4:00 P.M.

Tonight Ann Elliot was hosting a party at the Dream Pool Bar at the Caravanserai Resort from 5-7:00 P.M. and about 30 people were in attendance. It was fun meeting lots of November folks and enjoying a nice sunset over the sparkling water. When the party ended, we went to Pineapple Pete’s for dinner. Pierre was the perfect host as usual and the restaurant was filled to capacity.

We enjoyed some tropical drinks before dinner and had water with our meal. My meal choice was SURF and SURF which consisted of lobster thermidor and coconut shrimp served with rice and vegetables and David chose the fried grouper with fries and cole slaw. Both meals were delicious and we were stuffed upon completion. We forced ourselves to share the dark rum Crème Brule for dessert as it is so good there.
Following dinner, we made a stop at the Hollywood Casino to try our luck. We didn’t win tonight, but I did watch a lady win over $1000 on the penny machine beside me, so I was happy for her.

We returned to the condo at midnight and enjoyed a night cap before retiring to the land of the nod.






Nov.23- The sun was shining brightly with not a cloud in the sky this morning so after breakfast we decided to spend the day at Karakter. We arrived early and there was lots of parking and chairs available so we settled in and enjoyed the special drink of the day which consisted of rum, ginger ale and pineapple. It was unusual and interesting, but it was very refreshing and tasted very good. We enjoyed basking in the sunshine and watching some big yachts which were anchored out in the ocean there. The water was relatively calm there today and lots of people were swimming. The chairs quickly filled up and parking was soon filled to capacity!

We had a delicious lunch there again which consisted of two of their famous sandwiches with salad and fried potatoes and mayonnaise for dipping. The fried potatoes there are the best I have ever tasted and we will definitely order them again. Beer was our beverage of choice with the meal as we were both very thirsty from sitting in the hot sun. After lunch we returned to our chairs and spent the remainder of the afternoon reading and cooling off in the water. It was a most relaxing day!

We returned home about 5:00 P.M. and enjoyed a dinner of large shrimp cooked in curry and wine and served over a bed of rice with a side of vegetables. A nice bottle of white wine accompanied the meal and we were pleasantly filled with no room for dessert.




After dinner, we went out to the Buccaneer Beach Bar to meet up with Todd, MJ, Georgia, David, Bill, Elaine, Annie and Joe and Gail. We enjoyed the music there and had a few drinks together. Everyone left around 9:00 P.M. and after we finished our drinks we went to the Dunes Casino for the rest of the evening.

It was a wonderful day and now it is time to close our eyes and dream of more fun in the sun!







Nov.24- We planned a day at Club O again today with Maureen and Larry since this was their last beach day before departure. We got up early and left the condo at 7:30 A.M. so we could enjoy a nice breakfast at Cheryl’s on Orient before settling in to our beach day. I ordered the western omelette with toast and home fries and David had the two egg breakfast with sausage, toast and home fries. We had several cups of coffee with the meal. George was the server and Cheryl cooked the delicious breakfast. It was nice seeing her again and hearing she is doing well in spite of life’s challenges. A few others had gathered for breakfast although it was still quiet on the beach. While we were eating breakfast a brief shower passed over so we lingered a while until the sun came out again and then we left for our walk down the beach.

It turned out to be a beautiful day, but we did have another 5 minute shower just before noon. It is always so easy to lay there and enjoy the azure blue water as the clouds slowly drift by. It is a memory I always try to imprint until the next visit!

We left the beach around 4:00 P.M., stopped for gas at Cadisco near Orient and were home in about 30 minutes with no traffic today.

Since we are moving to another condo on Tuesday, we needed to get some food used up so we enjoyed dinner at the Islandgem Café again tonight. Salad and Shepherd’s Pie were on the menu and were very tasty. Dessert was Etna Rum raisin ice-cream.

We relaxed on the balcony with some after dinner drinks and spent a nice evening at home.

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Nov.25- We awoke to a very cloudy sky today with thunder in the distance followed by some showers. It was a perfect day for us as we had not planned anything until the evening. Since we are moving to a new location tomorrow, we decided to use the morning to pack some things in preparation for the move. We had breakfast and then did some packing and laundry. We stayed in for lunch today and used up some of our remaining food.

After lunch we relaxed until it was time to get ready for our social event of the day-a wine tasting party hosted by Jeannie from Shop N Drop Groceries. The event was held at Panlaan in Simpson Bay and was attended by 12 people. Connis provided the musical entertainment and Jas provided the information on all the different wines which were sampled. Panlaan provided some delicious appetizers to accompany the wine. As always, Jeannie was the perfect hostess! It was a lovely evening and was enjoyed by all in attendance.

We returned home to finish packing and had a late dinner since we were still full from the food and wine at Panlaan.
Since we are going to Royal Palm tomorrow for the next 10 days, I will close Part 3 tonight and start Part 4 at our new location. It has been another great week and we look forward to what the remainder of our vacation has in store for us. Hopefully we will enjoy more “fun in the sun”!

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