I have been going on jazz cruises for a few decades; they are always to the Caribbean. That’s given me the opportunity to visit many different Caribbean islands, but Sint Maarten was always my favorite.

Some friends of mine, also from Oregon, were on one of the cruises. I knew they had several timeshares, including Mexico, Hawaii, and SXM, so I asked them to tell me about timeshares. “Have we got a deal for you!” They were in their 80s at the time, and traveling from Oregon to SXM was getting to be too much for them. I purchased their two weeks at Divi, sight unseen, for a very reasonable price; there were still about 25 weeks left on the 40-year contracts. My first time sleeping on SXM was staying at my new timeshare at Divi, which I knew nothing about. I had lunch with them after returning; they were on pins and needles wondering if I liked it. Their relief was palpable when I said I loved it.

A couple of years later I wanted to stay for three weeks. The owner of the third week was using his week so I had to move next door. At some point, I knocked on his door to ask if he wanted to sell his week. He did! So I then had three weeks in the same unit; his contract had about the same amount of time left on it as the two weeks I already had.

From 2007 until 2021, I enjoyed my time at Divi, but the bloom is now off the rose. I had become familiar with Horny Toad when extending my stays after my Divi weeks and when returning in November. I find that I prefer the intimacy of a small property as opposed to a sprawling resort. It remains to be seen what I do about my Divi contracts (I don’t have to pay maintenance fees in any year I don’t use my unit). For now, I am happy coming twice a year for five weeks each and staying at the Toad.