Saturday We arrived in SXM to begin the celebration of our 29th anniversary. We were dog-tired after the redeye to Charlotte, but the connecting flight down to the island really wasn't bad at all.

Lesley Bruce of Kenny's Car Rental met us at the airport and we were on our way in less than five minutes to Oyster Bay Beach Resort. We checked in smoothly to our two bedroom, ocean view unit and were completely impressed by the view and facilities.

Dinner was a short walk over to Mr. Busby's, with entrees of veal picatta with capers and shrimp scampi with pasta napoleatani. The service was great and the setting superb. Had it not been for the plank flooring, we felt like we were dining directly on Dawn Beach.

Sunday After a quick breakfast in the room, it was off to Orient Beach. We parked behind Pedro's and found two great chairs near Perch where we spent the next five hours in bliss. Eventually, the Club O staff found us and extracted $18 ($12 without umbrella). Lunch was at Baywatch for a cheeseburger, calamari, beer, and rum punch, all served from the ever-gracious Cheryl. This was our first time meeting Andy and Cheryl, and they instantly make you feel like a member of the family.

Dinner was at Beau Beau's (because we were too lazy to drive anywhere at night, and consisted of a spicy red snapper filet and shrimp scampi; yes, we really like shrimp! Live entertainment was by vocalist Bob Stone, and we danced to his music spanning several decades.

Monday Sleeping in till 7am was a real treat followed by a quick trip to the hot tub. Then it was on to our trek of three beaches, starting with Baie Rouge. Rental chairs, without umbrella, were $5 each rented from the 3 gentlemen perched in the treehouse guarding the lot. Waves were rough, but lunch wasn't as Gus made his finest ribs. After leaving Baie Rouge, we headed to Cupecoy and were a little disappointed. We parked next to the long concrete wall, and hiked down the path next to the major construction project. The construction noise was nominal, but the beach was small and rather crowded. And, the new resort is literally right on top of you! Even though the beach and rocks are gorgeous, we stayed only an hour before heading on to Mullet. We were approached twice in the parking lot at Mullet for the latest radio/timeshare scam, but found Mullet to be the nicest beach of the day. Crowds were generally young and professional, food was cheap, and the sand was ultra-soft. We wished we had gone to Mullet first, rather than last. After pulling ourselves away, we headed through Maho to Sunset Beach Bar for some drinks, plane watching, and a photo op near the surfboard.

However, even on an incredible day, the highlight had to be lobster dinner at Uncle Harry's. As you leave the airport road, you feel like you're turning into an industrial park. Don't b deceived, though, as Uncle Harry's serves the best, and cheapest lobster we've ever had. The restaurant is a permanently docked boat, and we saw our lobster unloaded, steamed, and chopped before our eyes. The inedible parts of the lobster were scraped off into the water, and while we were eating, we saw three sharks trolling in the water for lobster chum. Talk about up close, personal, fresh, and delicious! What a day!

Tuesday This morning we took the coast road over to the French Quarter and then to Cul-de-Sac for the boat to Pinel Island. We landed and hiked 10 minutes over to the "wild" side of the island and had the feeling that we were on our own private beach. It was complete relaxation, but we eventually got hungry and headed back into Grand Case for our favorite restuarant, Le Tastevin. Our server, Jose, remembered us from four years prior, and served us lobster salad (with shrimp, again) and beef tenderloin. Wine was a great Pouilly Fusse, followed by an incredible red whose name I'll never remember. Dessert was a thin crust apple pie, ala mode.

After leaving Grand Case, we went back to Orient where Luiz did his magic with a custom swim suit. Cindy got a wrap, top, and two styles of bottoms for $160, and yes, they do fit perfectly. Luiz makes everyone feel comfortable. On Orient, we met Wally and Susan from Austin who might be the easiest people in the world to talk to. Wally walked up and noticed my TTOL cap, and we were instant friends. The TTOL logo is a great icebreaker.

Then it was back to OBBR for some dance lessons by the pool followed by a great Latin band. Dinner was in the resort courtyard, and was spicy chipotle salmon and (surprise!) spicy shrimp. Again, all we could say was, "what a day!"

part deux to follow...