Our first full day on the island, and it truly has been a good one.

It started out with a somewhat hazy sky this morning and no great sunrise worth talking about but it's St. Maarten, we're here and well rested so let the vacation begin.

Breakfast in - pastries from ShopnDrop with fresh coffee but just as we were ready to head out to the porch to eat we could see the rain clouds moving in. Hmmmmm. Plan B - breakfast in while the rains came down, but by the time we were done so was the rain.

Now comes the hard part - decision time. What to do and where to do it? After much deliberation we decided to head over to El Zafiro. Great choice! We got there about ten-thirty and opted for chairs in the front row. The beach was immaculate and the staff couldn't have been more personable. The waves were relatively calm, too, so it was a good choice.

Around noontime my DH's built in alarm click went off so we ambled up to the restaurant. When we were here in December they were still working on the bar and lunch consisted of 4-5 offerings on a chalk board so it was a pleasant surprise when we were offered a full menu with lots of offerings. And when all the options were poured over, two of us ended up with delicious Caesar Salads with grilled shrimp and one of us had the pulled pork sandwich plate. All were delicious and nicely presented and served with several glasses of Chardonnay and fruit punches.

No room for dessert so back to the beach for a few more hours and a few more glasses of wine. About 3:30 we called it a day and when DH went to settle the bill we were surprised it was as reasonable as it was. When all was said and done, lunch with drinks and gratuities was a hundred dollars for three of us with chairs and umbrellas included.

Back to the Towers - showers and then cocktail hour. If I say so myself, I make a mean piña colada- and then it was nappy time. The breezes were blowing through the unit when we opened the doors so we shut off the airco and we're cooling on natures best efforts.

We thought about going in to P'berg for dinner this evening and to reintroduce our Granddaughter to the owners of Antoine's. The last time they saw her she was nine years old and she has certainly changed since then. I called to make reservations and the staff informed us Front Street was all torn up in their area and we'd have to park on Back Street and walk in.

Okay - so plan B was FIG at Maho Village and a very pleasant choice it was. A tip for those going there - there are plenty of parking options but if you park in the underground garage at La Terrasse, you can take the elevator straight up to the second floor and you're right there at the entrance to FIG.

We were all about introducing Sarah to some new options so this was a dinner of firsts for her - her first time eating 'SCarGo' and Nems with mint leaves served with a soy based dipping sauce. Dinner was excellent right up to the rains which caused a little scurrying but it was all good. We finished the evening off with a cheese flan for John and Sarah and Frangelica on the rocks for Sarah and me. It was all yummy and then of course, the obligatory house concoction- none of us knew what it was - chocolate 'something' - and it was delicious. When all was said and done dinner ran about $150.00 for three with apps, entrees, desserts, drinks and gratuity. It was all in all a very pleasant evening and by the time we were done with dinner the rains had ended.

So here we are, home at last, after a leisurely spent and well enjoyed day and ready to call it a night. We've given some thought to tomorrow's activities but plans require so much effort so I guess we'll rise and shine and figure it all out then.

Thanks for the update. Sounds like things are off to a good start.

I believe Front St. is being worked on in two different installments.

"The project will be carried out in
two phases, with phase one starting
on Sunday, April 10, from Sea Palace
Hotel to the Courthouse. This
section of the street will be blocked
from Sunday, April 10 to Wednesday,
April 20, to facilitate the necessary
works.
Phase two entails from the Courthouse
up to Emmaplein. This section
of the street will be blocked
from Wednesday, April 20, to Saturday,
April 30."

Enjoy!

What are they actually doing to Front street? Ripping out all the blocks and paving?

It was in the Daily Herald last week, April 8. I was able to find this Article but it does not give much detail nor did the DH article.

Sorry we missed you, Pat. Sounds like a perfect day for you.
We went to Mullet for the second time and it wasn't busy (no ships the last couple of days??)and the water was calm.

I was surprised that Simpson was calmer than usual. Did you get to swim?

Beautiful day today---possibly Mullet. Will have to check it out. Maybe we will bump into you soon........

Then we may just not get to see some Front Street friends this trip and I'm sure you know who I mean, but thank you for the info, ruralcarrier. I didn't see that anywhere prior to your post.

And I wonder whose brainchild it was to interrupt Front Street businesses during the last few days and weeks of their last busy time of year, including Carnival? Maybe they took their lead from the Orient Beach construction planners?

And on another note, we had crazy rain last night and I didn't sleep well because of it and because of that I slept late this morning (this isn't a particularly bad thing) and I completely missed the day break/sunrise but it looks right now like the day is off to an awesome start. Sunny and breezy and beautiful.

I saw the street thing last week but never got around to posting anything about it. Knowing you were going, I should have but I didn't pay that close of attention to the dates. That long of a disruption can not be good for what little night life there is in town.

Glad the day is starting out good. Get that rest in for when more arrive!

I thought I read somewhere that they were doing emergency repairs to some type of infrastructure, perhaps water lines? I don't remember the details, but I do remember the word emergency.

I also read emergency somewhere--probably Facebook, but it also said to be finished by Carnival.

I don't think I will be doing any shopping this trip. T-shirts by Secret Spot at Marigot Market are great.

Not many details and not finished totally (yea, right!) until the final parade.

I posted a link to an article earlier in this very thread.

Article on Street Work

Enjoyed your first day Pat,...almost as much as being there ,....NOT!

Sounds like a great first day. Enjoy!

A lovely day. I'm glad to hear Fig is maintaining its good reputation, and I can't wait to try it in its new location.

Glad you enjoyed your first full day. Sounds relaxing!

The new Fig is quite lovely and a definite step up in atmosphere from its previous location, and our dinner was still very good and I thought reasonable for all we had. It was fun to be 'on the edge' so to speak and people watch all the Maho activity while we dined. Well, until the rains came down, but that, too, was quickly and nicely handled. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

What a great way to start the vacation, Pat. Will have to check out Fig.

I agree, I quite liked the new location. I was personally disappointed in my food there this time, but I do plan on going back.

Sounds like a great trip so far. We arrive next Monday and can't wait. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

It really has been very low-keyed but very nice. Your time soon-come and you'll be enjoying it all firsthand. And don't forget, if you're of a mind to stop in, ukdude is planning a meet and greet at Toppers on the 18th as listed in the People Talk section. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Pat where is El Zafiro , after many years we are looking for different places to go .

Not Pat, but El Zafiro is located on Simpson Bay Beach, next to Beachside Villas. Drive past Sunset Bar and Grill, keep to the left, with the airport fence on your left, and follow the road. Right before you reach Beachside Villas, you'll see the parking lot for El Zafiro.