We returned last weekend and here are the highlights. It’s rather long, but I couldn’t think of anything to omit!

Flew Delta and all flights were on time and worry free. Arrived in SXM around 1:30 pm. Thanks to all the great advice we got from TTOLers, we had a fantastic trip!!

Rental car was waiting from Michael at Unity and he and his guys were great, no car problems at all. We pre-registered at the Pelican, so our check-in was a breeze and we were having lunch and Heineken by 2:45. We stayed in unit B468 at the Pelican, which had a great view of the water and overlooking the pool. We watched all the cruise ships come and go and our balcony was a great place to watch the sunset.

Monday 5/28, it was partly cloudy and rained off and on, but that was okay with us since we planned to shop for groceries and get ourselves situated for the 2 week stay. Went to Grande Marche in Cole Bay and it was very nice. Great selection of fresh fish, cheese, meats, and booze!! We stocked the room, then headed to Pineapple Petes for lunch. It was good, but not great. Spent the afternoon, walking around the Pelican, laying on the beach and enjoying the pool. Dinner consisted of Rum drinks, cheese, baguette, pate, shrimp salad, etc. on our balcony.

Tuesday 5/29 was our 25th Anniversary and we started the day with 2 dives with Luciana and Jeff from Ocean Explorers. It was great getting back into the water and they made it really fun. The current was really bad on the first dive, but better for the second. Had lunch at Lee’s Roadside Grill (one of our favorites). We sat at the bar and had a Mahi Mahi sandwich and grilled Wahoo and both were absolutely perfect. Glen was the bartender and provided great service and fun to talk to. Went back to the Pelican and enjoyed the pool and beach again. We celebrated our anniversary with dinner at La Belle Epoque at the Marina Royale in Marigot. We had originally planned to have dinner at La Vie En Rose, but it was just too hot in the restaurant with no fans and no breeze. Dinner was delicious and our waiter Sebastian surprised us with a wonderful dessert and Caribbean coffees afterwards.

Wednesday 5/30, we started in Marigot with croissants and coffee and spent the morning strolling the market and shopping for perfume and sunglasses. Had a mid-morning iced coffee at Saveurs Gourmandes in Marigot since I was missing my iced lattes from Starbucks. We had planned to go to Orient Beach afterwards, but after making some purchases we decided to head back to the room and drop off bags so we wouldn’t have to lug everything around with us at the beach. (we NEVER left anything in the car). Traffic was bad between Marigot and Simpson Bay due to school getting out at 12:30. Had lunch at Topper’s (another favorite). We split a shrimp cocktail and Mahi Mahi Sandwich and both were delicious. We decided to chill at the Pelican for the afternoon and had dinner on our balcony again.

Thursday 5/31. Took 7:05 WinAir flight to Saba for a day of diving. What an exciting landing on the 1200 ft runway! Had 3 fantastic dives with Mike, Steve and the crew from Saba Deep. Saw a large black tip shark, lots of turtles, lobster, eels, barracuda and lots of other sea life. Saba Deep had arranged for a taxi to pick us up at the airport and drop us back off and his name was Vincent and he was awesome. He pointed out all of the interesting sights along the way and stopped several times for us to take photos, look around and we took time to enjoy a beer at a quaint little pub. This was one of our favorite days!! We had dinner at Fathoms on the way back from the airport. Great view of the water and good food.

Friday 6/1. Started with breakfast at Zee Best. They had wonderful pastries and full breakfast menu. It was cloudy, so we decided this was a good day to explore. We headed to Dawn Beach and saw the Westin “concrete monster”. It was very sad to see what they have done to that beautiful area. We stayed at the Dawn Beach Hotel on our first visit to SXM in 1987 and I couldn’t believe the difference. Afterwards we went to Orient and parked behind Pedro’s and walked the beach. After reading about Luiz’s custom made bikinis on TTOL, I was on a mission. Unfortunately, he was not there and his sign said his hours were between 3-5 on Mon-Fri, so I missed him that day. We left OB and went to Grand Case and had some beers at Talk of the Town Lolo and savored the smell of lobster and ribs on the grill. Thanks to recommendations from all of you, we went to Lotterie Farm and had lunch at Hidden Forest Café. Wow, it was awesome! Best lunch of the entire trip. I had a shrimp Caesar salad and my husband had the duck breast salad. His was the best and it came with toasted French bread with melted Feta. We ate every bite. It rained while we were there and it truly felt like a rain forest. We met some friends from England for dinner at their hotel, the Holland House, in Phillipsburg. This hotel is gorgeous now and the food and drinks were fabulous. It reminded me of South Beach in Miami.

Saturday 6/2. Had toast and coffee in the room and laid around the pool and beach until lunch time. Went back to Toppers and had a great lunch again. Went back to Orient and enjoyed a sunny day with our friends from England. Had great Pina Coladas at Baywatch. I was looking to buy some local island music and someone from Pedro’s told me to talk to Rollin, the bartender there. He is also a DJ and he knew about all of the great music, calypso, reggae, soca, zouk, steel pan, etc. I love this stuff and he recorded some custom CDs for me to take home. We had dinner at Lee’s Roadside Grill and it was great once again. They have live music each night beginning at 7:00 pm.

Sunday 6/3. Moved to a different unit at Pelican for our 2nd week. This one was right on the beach in the F building. Great view and sounds of the lapping waves! Had breakfast at Picante Grill (eggs, bacon, etc.) Loved it. Headed back to Orient and enjoyed beers with Rollin at Pedro’s and walked the beach again. As we were leaving, I noticed that Luiz was there. Yeah! I got fitted for a new bikini and wrap skirt. It was so hard deciding on the color, so many choices! Went to Sunset Beach Bar to watch planes land. What a FUN day! We had a blast and got some great pics of Corsair and Air France landings and take-offs. This is a must-do in SXM. Went back to Pelican and had some drinks at the swim-up bar and had dinner on our balcony.

Monday 6/4. Shopping day in Phillipsburg. Had breakfast at Passangrahan. I still love this place. It is one of the oldest hotels on the island and makes me think of what the Caribbean islands would have been like many years ago. Food was great and the view of Great Bay spectacular. We decided to shop for anniversary gifts and went to AMA Diamonds and worked with Mac, who helped me pick out some beautiful Australian Opal earrings, bracelet and pendant. Greg bought a new dive watch and we were happy campers! I also found another music guy named Johan who has a small cart full of local CDs set up right across the street from McDonalds on Front Street. I bought some Tradewinds, Lashing Dogs, and Mighty Bomber CDs from him. Fun, fun music! Had lunch at Barefoot Terrance on the boardwalk and it was delicious. Grouper salad was great! Went back to OB to pick up bikini from Luiz. It fit perfect and I love the bright colors! He has beautiful fabrics from France to choose from. After OB, went back to Simpson Bay and had dinner at Boathouse for another great dinner of grilled and blackened grouper. I can’t get enough of the fresh fish!

Tuesday 6/5. Another day of diving with Ocean Explorers. These were great dives and we were joined by some of the same divers from last week, Bob and Steve. Had lunch at Lee’s Roadside Grill and loved it again. Mahi Sandwich and BBQ chicken – yummy!
I rented a float at the Pelican beach and watched planes fly overhead as I floated for a couple of hours. Talk about relaxation! We went back to Marina Royale for dinner and ate at La main a la Pate. Vick was our waiter and he was great. We had Escargot, Steak Tartar and Grilled Ahi Tuna and all were perfect!

Wednesday 6/6. Went back to Phillipsburg for more shopping and had breakfast at Kangaroo Court. Very cool place with Almond trees growing in a courtyard in the back. Great food too. Found a shop called Great Bay Island wear (or something like that) right next to AMA Diamonds and my husband found some beautiful Tommy Bahama shirts for buy one, get one for half price. Had cheeseburgers with Gouda at Harbor View on Great Bay. (love that cheese!). Went back to Pelican for beach time and rum drinks by the pool. Had dinner on our balcony.

Thursday 6/7. Took ferry to Anguilla. We’ve never done this before and we rented a car from Maurice when we arrived. We toured some of the resorts, then visited the Pyrat Rum factory. We were tasting rum at 10:00, (ahh, vacations) Had lunch at Gwen’s Reggae Grill and enjoyed the beach. A big rain storm came in and we just sat on her deck watching the rain. We also visited Uncle Ernies and had some drinks there. Left on the 3:00 ferry. Had an awesome dinner at Saratoga. Had Beef Carpaccio, Red Snapper and Pork Tenderloin. All were excellent.

Friday 6/8. Had breakfast at Passangraham and petted the “one-eyed” cat. He was so sweet. Did some last minute shopping and enjoyed the beautiful day. Took off for our last visit to OB and said goodbye to Rollin and Elise at Pedro’s and spend some time walking the beach. It started raining, so we left and headed back to Simpson Bay. Stopped for one last lunch and Toppers. Dinner was at Lee’s and we enjoyed the live music.
Saturday 6/9. Time to leave. Flights home were smooth, but Atlanta airport and customs was a zoo.

Regrets – Didn’t make it to Paradise Café or Boo Boo Jams. Didn’t get to try Andy’s mussels at Baywatch and didn’t have dinner in Grand Case. Oh well, we will catch those on our next trip!
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