Have been home for a week. I do not think I have so much to 'Report' but here ya go:

While this is about our 18th trip to St. Martin (maybe a dozen at Club O), we've been unable to make the trip the last few years and were VERY glad to have the opportunity to return! And, as with all things, some things change but many stay the same.

The resort: Looked very good! This was our first trip since they stopped letting you park at your unit and allow parking in designated parking areas only. I didn’t think I would like it but was actually glad!! It allows much more grass to grow, making everything look greener and more tropical and eliminating cars in sight everywhere. Its not THAT far to walk to one of the parking areas.

The beach was beautiful, that's one of the things that never changes. The first few days were perfection. The wind came up pretty strong after a few days and stayed for the duration of the trip. No complaining from me tho – it cleared any insects! Got a lot of early morning rain showers but most days it cleared by the time we were ready for the beach. There weren’t that many people but the numbers increased as Halloween got closer. We had only a couple of days when they did not put the umbrellas up due to wind but that did not deter us!!!

There were a few couples we knew from past visits - another thing I love about Club O. And we met a new ones too. Our unit had a great back porch with an plastic oblong table and 10 chairs for eating and drinking where the wind wasn’t as bad. We had a ton of fun eating, drinking and laughing til we cried. Ton o' fun with the Fun House mirrors just outside Papaguayo too! Willie was at the Perch and we drank frozen drinks at Happy Hour many days. We did wine and cheese managers party two weeks in a row and went to the Halloween party. All great fun!

Few things were different than previous trips: We only went outside Orient for Marigot Market and several dinners and lunchs. (Le ti Bouchon, Le Shore, Lolos, Loterie Far/Hidden Forest, Laylas, Kakao, Palm Beach). Ate a lot at the unit, Perch and Papagauyo (lunch better than dinner. Kudos to Carlos, who is doing a great job!).

One day we took a ride around the island with friends - Simpson Bay & Cupecoy developments made me sad. We were stuck in traffic for hours. It had grown so much! (TOO much?!) We do still enjoy going to Grand Case or Cul de Sac to restaurants but anticipate staying pretty close to Orient in the future.

Part of what makes going back so wonderful are the warm memories we have there. And the people. We made more memories & friends this trip! And, hopefully, that'll never change.

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