Amen, RonDon. Very well said. If we turn our back on SXM this year how can we ever expect this island and their people to recover? My wife and I were set to return back in late November and stay at Palm Court. Then came Irma. We had no choice and rebooked our trip to Mexico. The Playa del Carmen area was very nice and the people were outstanding, but it wasn't St. Martin. Nothing is in my opinion. No sooner when we returned did we begin to lay out our plans for 2018. We'll return this fall with the realization that some of our favorite places may not be open (or are gone completely), but this won't stop us. There were always so many things to do here that it seemed that we never had time to do everything we wanted! Yes, we will long for the butterfly farm, Kakao on Orient Beach, Ocean 82 in Grand Case, and so on. But, we'll fill these voids with new places and new adventures as only St. Martin can provide.

For everyone 'on the fence' about visiting this year here is my advice (for what it's worth): Buy a portable beach umbrella, a small cooler, book a rental car, and just do it! There are 37 beaches on this island to explore, and how many of us can say that we've been to all of them? I know I haven't, but this fall my wife and I have plans to visit several new ones! In closing, all I can say is that St. Martin has been there for us in the past when we needed to get away and experience total relaxation. It's time for all of us to be there for them.