Just returned from a wonderful week in SXM. Spent the week at Club O in a mini-suite deluxe.

Very windy on Orient early in the week. Especially Tuesday, when we got caught in a driving rain on our morning walk. A number of people had to take shelter at the beach bars. We decided to go into Philipsburg to do some shopping that morning. Turned out to be an expensive decision, but Jen and some of the jewelers didn't mind! The wind got much better later in the week.

We ate breakfast in the room every morning, except one morning at Zee Best in Simpson Bay - great omelettes, highly recommended.

Lunched at Perch, Baywatch, and Sunset Bar. Enjoyed them all, although at Sunset you are paying for the location and view more than the food. Even so, its still worth it.

Ate at Calmos Cafe one night with friends. Great food, great company, and great atmosphere. There's nothing quite like dining with your toes in the sand looking out at the lights of Anguilla with the water lapping at the shore 20 feet away.

Only other dinner to note was at Spiga. We ate out on the balcony. I had the lobster bisque, mushroom and asparagus risotto, and prosciutto wrapped stuffed chicken breast; Jen had the risotto and the salmon and shrimp. All of it excellent. Took a stroll through Grand Case after dinner, and found an interesting pendant for Jen at one of the shops.

Watched the Canes take down the Devils in Game 7 at Ric's. Two goals in the last 1:30 to win. Loved the reaction of the girl in the NJ sweater behind the glass after Staal scored the game winner. Two thumbs up! Wait, those weren't her thumbs ...

I rented a Sunfish at Club O Watersports and a Hobie Getaway at Wind Adventures (just past Kon Tiki) and managed not to capsize either one. Beware if you rent the Sunfish at Club O - the bracket between the tiller and the rudder on the Sunfish is loose and bent, which makes steering and tacking it a little tricky for the inexperienced (like me). Saw a big sea turtle while out on the Hobie, which was neat.

Saw lots of fish around Pedros reef, and a couple of jellyfish in the water. I got stung on the arm by a jellyfish during a morning swim. It left a nasty mark, but the sting went away after a few minutes. On another swim, I got stung several times by something, or things, in the water somewhere between about Bikini and Coco Beach. Not sure what they were, but it didn't seem to be a jellyfish sting, at least not like any I've ever had. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced anything similar in that area.

Did the Tiko Tiko trip to Tintamarre on Friday. Philippe had a new first mate starting that day. She's a very sweet, very pretty Spanish girl named Racielle (that's what it sounded like, anyway). We decided she looks like a cross between Kristin Davis and Katie Holmes. We had a wonderful day, as always. Must have been a heavy cruise day, as there were two Golden Eagles racing us to the island. Lots of other boats at Tintamarre that day, too, although it cleared out pretty well as the day went on.

All in all, another great trip to our favorite island!

Miscellaneous notes:
As has been noted, the beach at Club O is very wide right now, and there seems to be a lot more seaweed washed up. The folks at Club O groomed the beach every morning, though. ... The island does look very dry and brown, although we heard that they have been getting good rain this year.... We were impressed with how much less trash there seems to be on the island, at least by the main roadways. They seem to be doing a much better job with garbage collection... We experienced no problems with crime, and never felt unsafe... Traffic was spotty. We hit a few traffic jams, but traffic was sometimes very light, probably because everyone was in Philipsburg for Carnival activities.... LOVED the new road into Club O. Breathed a sigh of relief every time we turned onto it and didn't have to face the craters... We checked in an hour before our departure, and needed every bit of it to get through immigration and security. Apparently, the Air France flight was checking in at the same time as we were, so the lines to get through security were huge.