The weather was spectacular on the second and last week of our stay in SXM. We stayed at an Airbnb in Oyster Pond for 2 weeks on this trip, but next time I think we will stay in Simpson Bay for half the trip and Orient Village for the other half since these are our favorite stomping grounds.

Had a new Toyota Yaris from Hertz which was $589 for 2 weeks including liability. No car problems and fuel was about $1 a liter.

Food shopping was mostly Leader Price in Cul de Sac but we also tried the New Super U, also in Cul de Sac. It's pretty similar to the Super U in Marigo but not as crowded.

One day we stopped to check out Cupecoy where we had a drink at Dany's beach bar. He has a couple helping him run the operation. They were saying that the "Lemon Drop" sunset ritual has really take off with as many as 50 takers on some evenings. Unfortunately there was no sand on the main beach but supposedly Baby beach has some. We did not attempt the beach since Laraine is recovering from back surgery. We also took a stroll through Puerto Cupecoy which seemingly has added some restaurants since our last visit. We meant to go back and try Mama Pizza but never made it.

We got a front row table to listen to Alfredo Acosta at Rainbow. Alfredo was backed up by Phil on the saxophone and these guy do some great pop and latin jazz. This was a magical evening with the lights of Anguilla in the distance.

During our second week we also met our great TTOL friends from Texas, Dan and Katherine and new friends Paul and Sue who were traveling with them. We all enjoyed a couple of relaxing days on the beach with them at Orient and Kakao as well as an evening with yummy warm water lobster at Skipjack and, after that, music at Hole In the Wall. Hole in the Wall has live entertainment every night. Ronnie Santana and Bobby Jagger are a treat on Friday night. Bobby also rents chairs during the day (Pack Lite), but his daytime name is Craig. Haaaaaaaa

Superbowl was at Tanja and Michael's "The Pub" in Simpson Bay. We met up with SXM residents, Vanessa and Andy for the game. We even ran into SXM Norm. We missed the first half of the game but caught the exciting second half anyway.

In the area of food and drink, we normally share an appetizer and a meal or just a meal, can't seem to do 2 full meals anymore:
Mixed broiled seafood grill at Chesterfield's was very good.
Warm water lobsters at Skipjacks were wonderful, we shared a 2lb which cost about $42.
Filet mignon at JAX in Maho was very good with veggies. $42
We only had a cheeseburger at Yellow Sub but it was overcooked and not good at all. We understand island time but they took it to extreme. Maybe just a bad day for the place, or possibly new ownership.
Cheeseburger and onion rings at Johnnie Burger in the airport was excellent. $17
Somehow we ended up trying espresso martinis on this trip which are somewhat addictive. Le'Telegraph in Orient Village and JAX in Maho make great ones.

The trip home on Feb 5 was nonstop SXM to EWR and uneventful. Got to the SXM airport on early for our United Flight on Wednesday and the airport was empty, breezed through check in and security. Had a drink at the new bar which was nice and empty early but filled up later.

When we arrived at EWR we got to try out Global Entry for the first time. It evidently has been streamlined even more, no fingerprint check. The kiosk just snaps a picture, give you a receipt (which you give to the customs guy) and you're on your way. If you have GE you don't fill out any paperwork on the plane either.

Since we live in Maryland we stayed overnight at the Crown Plaza EWR on the nights before our trip and the night of our return. This worked out well and the hotel and staff are great. $200 for the first night includes a week of parking, then $5 per day for as long as you are away. No limit on long you can park as far as I could tell. There was plenty of parking capacity so you can find a space where you won't come back to dinged up doors. The night of our return was about $130.

Thanks for all of the great trip reports from TTOL that give us ideas!