Another chapter done.....

We’re home a week today and already it seems like a lifetime ago that we were basking in that warm Caribbean sunshine. And it also seems like another lifetime until we get to go back again but I know in my heart, November will be here before we know it.

We had great flights down flying AA First Class from HPN, our local regional area and connecting to AA Business in Charlotte. Due to some newly emerging health issues I opted for wheelchair service there and it really makes a difference in navigating that airport, though it didn’t seem to help too much in Miami.

We arrived a few minutes early and navigated and cleared the SXM airport in almost no time flat and of course, Lesley Bruce of Kenny’s Car Rental was right there with our chariot, but low - no white Toyota this trip - our chariot for the two plus weeks was a bright shiny red Hyundai and it served us well.

We stayed at BSV on Simpson Bay again - why wouldn’t we when they’ve covered every creature comfort you could ask for and then some. The suites are complete, the pool has plenty of chaises and is almost deserted most of the day, and the grounds are beautiful. Airplanes out the front door and luxury yachts off the rear deck. Could it get any better?! Actually, for those of us who enjoy eating in - we do - it could and did as Jeannie Gee of ShopndropSXM had already been in and stocked our larder. And then there’s the staff - Smarthie, the ever smiling maid who took care of our suite most days and the main man, Emanuel, who basically takes care of everything else.

We didn’t do anything exciting this trip - John was still recuperating from surgery and I was busy being best buddies with my newly and recently acquired cane, so no sailing trips or other island adventures and yes, Covid practices are still in effect there when in stores or crowded situations and when entering eateries at least until seated.

So what did we do? We ate at some great spots:

The new Lee’s was good but believe it or not, no lobster the night we were there. And contradictory to what we thought there is plenty of parking but the upper lot is a trek down to the dining room and shouldn’t even be considered if you need crutches or canes. Leaving and climbing those stairs would not be for the feint- hearted. We parked on top at first but then moved the car down at the insistence of the staff. We spent the evening with dear and long-time friends and enjoyed every moment.

Mario’s at the Cliff was lovely. We had a great table and excellent service. Personally speaking, while I thought the food was very good it didn’t meet my expectations based on our last Mario’s venture at Porto Cupecoy. And I was surprised at how quickly the dinner check climbed into multiple hundreds. But the company was a joy ergo it was worth it.

New to us this trip was Meza Luna. The food was delicious and even though the house was packed, the service was very good. I wouldn’t consider this to be the typical vacationers choice but they don’t know what they’re missing. I know I’ll return in the future. And again, the company was great.

People might laugh but I think my favorite dinners out were the Tuesday night steak plate at Fat Tonys and any of the two or three meals we enjoyed at the Spaghetti House in Jordan Village. Not fancy, for sure, but the food is excellent and if it isn’t made quite the way you like it, Katrina will make it to your needs and wants. Enzo’s magic touch and know-how is evident.

We ate at lots of other locations, ElZafiro, Mary’s Boon, Bar Code, Sublime and others whose names escape me and as usual, never had a bad meal anywhere. Breakfasts and lunches included Rosie’s ribs, The Sand Box, Zee Best, the French Touch on Old Street, and a bunch of other places whose names escape me at this point but they were all good.

We managed to catch up with island friends which is always a blessing and even got to dine out with the Millers, the Cannegieters, and Sharon Harris who arrived back on island during our stay and of course, Jeannie Gunthanen to mention but a few. And then the time spent with friends made through other island visits - Terry and Rit, Todd and MJ - it was priceless and too short. And to laughingirish - should you see this,it was nice to meet you and who knows, perhaps our paths will cross again on ilon time. And to BlackMercedes and Cathy and her sister from Michigan, it was so nice to meet you all. I wish our time for chatting had been longer - maybe next trip?

The golf course, always of interest to a few diehard fans, was a mess. Yes! I actually said that. We did see people playing a few times while driving through but between the lack of regular maintenance and the lack of rain early in our trip - YIKES. The grass was mostly brown although with the nighttime rains towards the end of our trip it was starting to green up and down there, it doesn’t take much.

We made one foray into Philipsberg and what we saw broke my heart and that one visit was more than enough. Too many shops closed; too few shoppers in those that were open. And the stories of many of the shopkeepers were enough to make you want to cry. Our jeweler has managed to keep most of his staff on board and when I questioned him about this he said he did it because it’s the right thing to do. They’ve been together so long they’re family. So if anyone is in doubt, they are definitely happy to see more and more visitors returning every week. They truly do appreciate our presence.

And some things never change. The suicycles still reign although supposedly the police are going to crack down on them, I hope at a faster tempo than they created the timeshare laws they’ve talked about for twenty years. The dredging of the lagoon is on-going and they’re removing an incredible amount of debris. The fun boat is still stuck on the cliff on the end of Simpson Bay by ElZafiro where it was wrecked a few years and storms back. The building, 14 on the Green at Mullet Bay, is butt ugly and I guess selling well since the hole for the second foundation is in place. It’s at least 21 stories and IMHO, it sticks out like a sore thumb. No change in the status of the Towers timeshare property or in any of the other real estate properties in limbo that we could see. But the flora on the island was breathtaking every where you looked - the beautiful colors couldn’t help but make you smile. And lastly, we got to enjoy the Nord off our beach every day and to see it beautifully lighted at night. Gorgeous!!

All trips have to come to an end and ours was no exception. We flew home First-class on AA and one thing I know - I will NEVER book a connecting flight through Miami again if I can possibly avoid it. We had almost an hour and forty-five minutes to clear C & I on a Friday evening and do all that happy stuff one needs to do when coming home and even using wheelchair service we got to our gate when they were already well into the boarding process.

And now we wait for November.