Well, we’re home. Already, the tan is starting to peel, and the feeling of sand between the toes is leaving….but I do want to memorialize some of the things we did, and identified that we want to do next time.

Did not leave sufficient time to get to Newark-Libery Airport on Thursday, Feb. 26th. Encountered some traffic on I-280, and ended up being wisked through check in, and walking right up to the plane, and getting on...well after taking off belt, shoes, etc...you know the drill!! Good thing we were carrying on and not checking luggage, or we wouldn’t have made it. The Renault Twingo I reserved never appeared, ended up renting a Subaru from another company. The Twingo company [Golfe Rental] called to apologize, and offered to bring the car to the hotel. Told them I already rented one….maybe next year.

Stayed at La Plantation....which was very nice. A nice studio with kitchenette outfitted in Provence colors….very nice, very French. Nice balcony with teak chairs and lots of privacy. Would have preferred if the trees and flowers weren’t there so we could see the beach, but the privacy was nice too.

Used the beach at Coco by the rocks, and had lunch there. Good pizza and burger, and forgot how good Carib was!!

Dinner first night was at a place in Marigot on the harbor…don’t remember the name, there were ducks and cats walking around, food was good, but not particularly memorable. Liz had chicken that was a little dry, but my marinated flank steak with blue cheese sauce was good.

After the beach the second day [Friday], dinner was one of our favorite restaurants in Grand Case, Chez Martine. I had Tuna, and Liz had another fish special, and both were great. You can really feel the “exchange rate blues” in the restaurant prices…better last year when the dollar/euro were almost 1-1, now at 1E-$1.20, things certainly feel more expensive.

Saturday, we took the first ferry to Anguilla. Very nice ride from Marigot, and took a taxi tour of the island…..ride was to be 1 ½ hours, turned into 2 2/1 hours. A beautiful island, with incredible beaches. Not nearly the development of St. Martin, but with several new hotels going up, it may be in time. The only thing that may save it is that Anguilla lacks the deep-water port needed for cruise ships. Got back to Orient Beach about 2pm….stayed there for about 1 hour, then decided to drive to Cupecoy to watch the sunset. Surprised at how much sand is gone as compared to last year [much more exposed rock], but the beach drinks and sunset were very nice. Dinner Saturday night was at place in Cul de Sac called Piccolo. It’s a restaurant serving only appetizers….really nice, and interesting fare. Would definitely return.

Sunday was a lazy day…took a drive in the morning, and discovered Oyster Pond beach area….part of the nature preserve. A very nice spot with Saba in the background. Didn’t bring the snorkel, but would certainly do so next time. Still can’t get over all the loose goats just roaming around!!! The rest of the day was spent just parked at the beach, went snorkeling, and took a nap, just what a vacation should be. Had BBQ take-out from Pedros for lunch….was really good, and would certainly do that more often!! Thought about Papaguyos for lunch, but spend about ½ at Pedros, and had great BBQ. Wanted to go to the “Paradise View” restaurant [on top of the hill on the way to D’Oleans] but it was closed on Sunday. Went to “Poulet D’Orleans,” but it too was closed. I had a real yearning for Creole food, so we drove to Cul de sac, and came upon this little place called [in translation, well almost translation] the 13 Travails of Hercules. It’s a great little restaurant. We had boudin Creole and Cristophe for appetizers [heard about christophe in a great vacation book called “An Embarrassment of Mangoes”] Liz had sautéed conch and I had curry goat. All was great…in fact, I would have asked for the conch recipe if my high school French wasn’t so rusty. [found a recipe online….it’s conch sautéed with coconut milk…. hope to try it out this weekend at home….with a bottle of “Club O” wine I bought at Orientique!!]

Hoped to do the beach thing Monday morning, shower and make the 2:55pm Newark departure, but it started raining late Sunday night, and rained on and off all morning. So, we drove around some more, and found some other beaches and areas to explore in more detail next year. Turned in the rental car, ate at Turtle Pier, and then off to the airport.


Flight home was uneventful…while always glad to be home, really want to begin planning for the next SXM trip…and 4 nights is just not enough!!!