You are right of course. We absolutely love St Martin, have been going for 20 years and have many friends on the island.

We very much want to support our friends, but we are getting older, don't have unlimited funds, but do need a place to get away to and relax.

So, as painful as it might be to us, for a while we will have to seek out other alternatives.

We just hope that "a while" is not a long time.