My trip report will probably be boring to most but may be slightly helpful to those looking to purchase property on the island. Our trip was booked for the sole reason of closing on a condo. Our closing date was April 23rd and so we traveled to the island on the 22nd, prepared to take possession of a beautiful 2 bedroom condo in Cupecoy. We decided on a condo for the sole reasons of convenience and ease of upkeep.

Tues, April 22nd – We flew in on Continental from Newark on a 4 hour, on-time, flight. We rented through Lesley and he had our cell phone from Sharon in the car which was super comfortable. We arrived at the complex and were greeted by the wonderful staff hired to make our stay as well as the closing as easy as possible. They put us up in a unit close to the Caribbean waters (and the front pool) until the closing took place the next day. Unfortunately, the elevators were still being installed in our building and so with total understanding, they put us up for the entire week in the front building unit to spare Rick and I from climbing 10 flights of stairs each time we decided to go somewhere.

The first day was really a washout because by the time we arrived and settled in, the most we could do was sit by the pool and try to relax. Closings have always made me nervous so relaxing was beyond my capabilities but I did try. We did shop at the Food Store across from the Royal Islander and bought the essentials.

That evening we went into Maho and ate our first inexpensive meal at the Fashion Café. Their pizza is thin crust and really pretty good. They are now getting a nice customer base so I am happy for them. They have large pizzas (actually equal to what we know as a small pizzas at home) starting at $12 and small pizzas starting at $9. We ordered the large pizza and realized that the small would have been better for us as we weren’t all that hungry.

We then went into the Casino and I sat at the Let It Ride table. About 20 minutes into playing, a very good friend we had met years ago at the Royal Islander came in and sat down directly across from me. I freaked. We only see each other every December and I had no idea that they had a T/S the last week in April! When she lifted her head and we looked at each other, we both screamed and got up to hug each other. Her sister was due to come into the casino shortly thereafter so Rick went outside and surprised her as she entered. We were all so thrilled to see each other and so finally I got to put a smile on my face which erased all the nervous tension building up.

Wedns, April 23rd - The next day was our closing. We slowly climbed the stairs in the morning to do our walk-through. After about 2.5 hours, we went over the minor things that needed correcting which they did almost instantly and so we were now ready to close at 2:30 PM in Philipsburg. One of the reps from the complex drove us there so Rick would not have to walk far and Marita, the rep from ReMax in Simpson Bay drove us back. We could have taken a cab but she insisted. Such a wonderful person she is and very customer dedicated as well. The closing took approximately 45 minutes and the notary was so very nice. He explained the process, we signed the necessary docs and we were now officially homeowners on the island. This brought tears to my eyes.

We returned to the complex and got to relax but because, once again, the day was filled with projects, we had no time to do anything else. We went to the Peg Leg Pub and listened to Cover to Cover while we ate a simply delicious meal. We went inside the Princess Casino but after looking at the slot machines, decided to head to Casino Royale again and spend some time (and money) there.

Thurs, April 24th - The next day was also a washout because the climb was so hard for Rick, his legs were shot so he stayed pretty much sitting or lying down the entire day while I went up and down, and up and down checking out the condo and having some items installed for the renters. Again, the day was a washout and so we went to the Sugar Cane Café across the street for a light dinner.

Friday and Saturday, April 25th and 26th - Unfortunately the timing wasn’t there and the next 2 days were literally a washout. The skies were overcast and drizzly. We did hardly anything so we hung out at the complex and relaxed or took a ride over to the Royal Islander to visit our friends. I made sure to get one of my favorite tropical smoothies at the Driftwood Bar. We ate at Soprano’s one night and then the Fashion Café again the other night but had the small pizza this time.

Sun, April 27th – The sun finally broke out and we headed over to Marigot for our traditional lunch at La Croisanterie. I had my usual Croque Monssieur and Rick had an awesome crepe with thinly sliced ham and cheese with an over easy egg in the center….He loved it. We then headed over to Orient Beach since we hadn’t been there in years and relaxed for a few hours. We parked ourselves at KonTiki. A very enjoyable day was had by both of us. We ate at the Sugar Cane Café again and had a simple meal.

Mon, April 28th – We decided to hang out at the complex this day because we knew we were leaving in the morning. We got to enjoy the front pool. I went down to the beach and hung out there for an hour. The water was a tad too rough for me to go in by myself so I headed back to the pool for the rest of the day. In the evening we joined Elaine and Bill (who closed on their condo the following day) as well as a whole bunch of really great people at the Kissing Fish like Bob and Dot, Pam and Wayne, Elizabeth (Island Gem) Sherri (not sure if I spelled that right), Peconic and family, Bill, and the wonderful “nametag lady” Sandy with her hubby Bill as well as their friend Mark. I’m so sorry if I left out anyone else that I met that night but when I meet that many people at one time, my mind becomes one big blur. I never smiled so much the entire week than I did that night. It was simply wonderful. We finished the night by eating at The Wharf and then on to the Casino Royale.

Tues, April 29th – We said our goodbyes to everyone at the complex and headed to Sharon’s place at the Royal Palm to drop off the rented phone and then back to the airport to drop off the car we rented through Kenny’s. We arrived at the airport at about 11:00 and stayed there until the plane left at 1:00 PM.

I guess that’s all there is…nothing that may be helpful to most but might be to some…what I did realize though is that this was not really what I would have called a vacation but maybe what I would now classify as a “working vacation”.