Left from Manchester, NH on 6/4 on USAir. We both had FF tickets. Flight down through Philly was easy as well as customs in St. Maarten. Coming back was another story. We got to the airport and no one was there from AAA car rental. Luckily an airport attendant called the car rental place and they came immediately. There was another couple with us who had also reserved a car. The man was quite upset that no one was there to greet them, but we weren't. We were happy that the paperwork didn't take long and that we were on our way with this little dented up bug of a car that I loved. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

Stopped at Rams for a few supplies then headed to the Divi where we spent most of our vacation. My husband just completed radiation so he was tired and weak. He was alot stronger after climbing to the third floor every day! However, we had a great view of the pool, Little Bay and all the cruise ships.

Weather during the two weeks was outstanding - one cloudy day and the rest were sunny. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" /> One night we had a torrential downpour for about two hours. It was so heavy, there was flooding everywhere. But other than being awaken by the rain, we had perfect weather though it was quite humid, but I'm not complaining. We loved it. I did bring Off wipes but could have used a fly swatter

Beaches - Simpson Bay. We used the umbrella and chairs at Mary Boons.
Friar's Bay - went there twice because the water was calmer. Never walked to Happy Bay because by the time we got to the beach, it was too humid.

Little Bay - spent most of our time there. I brought down a float the I bought for 99 cents. Noticed that alot of people brought their own floats. When we left, I gave it to someone else to use. For that price, I didn't care if it never worked, but it turned out great. Also, many people were at Little Bay snorkeling. People reported that there were alot more fish than previous years.

Restaurants - not many.
We had appetizers one day at Turtle Pier. I had calamari and my husband had coconut shrimp. The cocunut shrimp was burnt (2nd time this happened there) but the calamari was very good.
La Main a la Pate in Marigot. We both had lobster salad and it was outstanding. Plenty of food and the lobster was tender.
Divi - I ate at the Divi most of the time. We had meal tickets that our daughter bought as an anniversay gift, so I tried to use those. Twice, I had the shrimp dinner and the caribbean salmon. With the meal plan you can get appetizers, salad, dinner & dessert. One night I brought back oysters for my husband. They even let me take the plate that they baked them in to the room. Food was very good and large portions.

Shopping - thanks for recommending DK Gems. I did buy myself a pair of earrings - which unfortunately were missing from my luggage when I returned. My husband bought me a diamond ring (for our 25th anniv.) and a bracelet. The bracelet was a complete surprise. Deepti wasn't there the first day I was there. Kamal waited on us and was very helpful and nice. We did get to meet Deepti. I was glad since I heard such wonderful things about her. The best part about shopping at DK's besides the jewelry is neither Kamal nor Deepti pushed you into buying something that you didn't want. I've been in several jewelry stores in St. Maarten, where they try to sell you everything and show it to you even if you have no interest. DK Gems was really a pleasureable experience. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" />

Calling cards from ECC. I brought my Nokia phone with me. When I was at the Divi several of the people told me that if I had Verizon International, that I could call the States. I had Verizon, but not the Verizon International plan. The down side of using the calling card was I would get a recorder from ECC about some problem with the number I was trying to dial. When I did get through, it took several minutes to connect. It does work, but you have to wait awhile for the connection even if you think that they call has been dropped. I would look at my phone, it would say calling and then it would say end and I would hang up disgusted that the call didn't go through. However, if I waited another 3 minutes after the end appeared, it would eventually connect. The ECC store was selling $50 calling cards for $40 if you paid cash.

Other places - Sunset Beach Bar and two casinos. Had fun at both.

Return flight with USAir was awful. We left St. Maarten on 6/18 at 4:30 PM through Philly. I won't go into the details, but we landed in Manchester at 2 A.M.

Now back to reality but looking forward to our next trip. Would definitely rent from AAA again as well as shop at DK Gems.