Sorry about the delay, but here it is:


Trip Report Part 2:

Because we were entertaining guests we were off again on another excursion. This time we book ourselves on the Swaliga II for a three stop snorkeling extravaganza!!! This was a wonderful day. There were about 20 or so other people on the boat. There is beer, sodas, fruit punch, water, etc…as well as snacks (bread, cheese, and pepperoni). Our first stop was Little Bay, Anguilla. This is a beautiful spot with lots of fish to see. From there it was off to Prickley Pear. This is truly one of our favorite places. It is sooooooo beautiful. Here is where we did some snorkeling and after about an hour we went up to the little shack for lunch. We had ribs and they were excellent. I think you had a choice of chicken, ribs, chicken and ribs, or veggie. The setting is so wonderful and the beach at Prickley Pear is outstanding. After a great lunch and a bit more floating around it was back to the boat. We were off to our last stop, Sandy Island. This is also a wonderful spot to float, snorkel, or swim to the beach and just relax. Over all this was a worthwhile excursion. This evening it was off to Pineapple Pete’s for dinner. What a wonderful place. We had not been back to PP’s since the year it opened and this place is really doing well. The food and service were outstanding. I had the crab stuffed grouper with a cream sauce with spinach, and quite possibly it was my favorite meal of the trip. B had the coconut shrimp that was pretty good as well. Our guests had the ribs and lobster thermador (PP’s specialty), and they both really enjoyed their meals as well. The best was the desserts. Everyone left that place and pretty much went straight to bed. (I did manage a cordial when I returned to the Belair)

I will try to pick up the pace and hit the highlights from here on out. We had the SXM Newbies, so you have to do the usual island stuff. Here is a quick rundown.

1. Shopping in P’Burg – (I usually don’t mind this because I have my own version of shopping. I will meander down to the “Casa de Havana” and load up on tasty Cubans. From there is it a short walk to the Sint Rosa Arcade. Once positioned in front of the bar in the middle of the square, I calmly order one of the following: Carib, Amstel Bright, or Heineken. After which I will order one of the remaining two, and finally the one I have not yet ordered. This usually will consume the amount of shopping time B needs and we are ready to move on to the next thing. As you can see I really do enjoy “shopping” in P’burg.)
2. Orient Beach.
3. Mullet Bay Beach
4. Airplanes and Lunch at SSBB
5. Drinks at BBB (B loves the BBC)
6. Breakfast and Yacht watching at the St. Maarten Yacht Club
7. Dawn Beach

We ate at the following places:

1. Lee’s – very good per usual, they have live music which is nice.
2. Divi – I like going here because then I don’t have to drive, and it is a wonderful outdoor setting. I also really like Gizmo.
3. Halsey’s – again….we like it
4. Tiramisu – This was an interesting place. It is in Maho right above the Paris Bistro. I think we may give this one another shot.
5. Moulin Fou – This is between Pizza Pasta and Cheri’s. It is a french restaurant and one of our favorites. I had a wonderful swordfish and B had some great looking shrimp and pasta. They have this molten banana chocolate dessert thing that is really, really good. (B had that) I had a nice apple tart with caramel.
6. Piccolo – This is Zee Best at night. We love this place. The food is mainly Tapas and wonderful to try so many great things. The service is good, but it isn’t fast food by any stretch. Well worth the wait….
7. Coconut Joe’s – We stopped into try it and they were only serving appetizers. The full menu was to follow. We enjoyed it and will definitely stop back next year.

We decided to try the 12-meter regatta bit this year. Wow, what a great time. I was a primary grinder and boy is it a workout. B was a winch wench (don’t say it) and she got a workout as well. We were in the Stars and Stripes and were going against those pesky cannucks in the True North 4. The race was back a forth (literally) and tons of fun. It was tight until the finish, but the good ole Stars and Stripes was victorious. This means absolutely nothing…..but what a great experience.

We also did the Swaliga II to St. Barth’s for the day. We have done this before, and it isn’t a bad way to go, but this time it was rough. Andre, who is the captain, told me it was about 7 out of 10 on the rough scale. He said there were a couple of “10 footers”. The swells were so large the water was coming over the boat and soaking me as I stood in the back. No one got sick, but it was the most pleasant experience. B loved it and was bummed when we arrived in Gustavia. The day was perfect and I found a way to take my “shopping” routine on the road. This time the shopping spot was Shell Beach, not too far from Do Brazil. This is a great spot because B can walk there from Gustavia and I can stay and “shop” away…..After some good beach time the tummies were growling, so we went to Le Select and paid too much for a cheeseburger, but at least we got to hum Jimmy Buffet while we ate it. On the way back the ride was much smoother so I was actually able to drink more beer than wear! We did do a snorkel stop at Isle Du Forsche and we saw a little sea turtle which was cool.

We spent the rest of our days lounging on the beach, reading, eating, and enjoying our stay. Some basic observations about this trip:

1. The weather was a little odd (cloudy and rainy) for the first few days, but after that it was beautiful.
2. Traffic is bad, but it really didn’t bother us.
3. The island is growing. Lots of building.
4. This is our last trip before the new terminal is built. I wonder how this will change our experience
5. We love St. Maarten/St. Martin more each time we go. (and miss it more and more when we are away)

Thanks to all who have provided information to help make this trip a wonderful one. We are already thinking about next year. Has anyone done the Windjammer Barefoot cruise? We were thinking about doing that next year..

Thanks again and if anyone has any thoughts or questions, I would be happy to provide any information I can to help with your vacation to SXM!

Dave and Britt – dandbmn
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