Wonderful first day
We only had a slight complication today (had to check our bags at O Hare due to a packed plane), other than that had a great trip down, checked into the T Shell Inn and went and picked up our phone from Sharon, then off to Karakter for drinks and tapas.....as usual, very satisfied with one of our favorite spots!! Sorry we missed you Mitch and Kim, it was a long day that started at 3 a.m. So we are crashing early tonight! I will pm you with our cell number and maybe we can meet up before the TTOL party!

Day 2
Wow, I feel like this post is going to be an extremely slow read after reading one of the recent trip reports Forgot to mention that when we checked in our drinks and snacks were there waiting for us thanks Jeannie! Day 2- went for a long walk up around Billy Folly road, then showered and spent the day at BBB with BBC's in hand and ate some yummy chicken sate- came back to the hotel, cooled off in the pool, then ate some appetizers and had happy hour at the Greenhouse with Felix, our friendly island bartender.....hope he is there for our TTOL party, really nice guy with a great smile we talked to a couple who is getting "kicked out" of the Pelican on the 20th and are still trying to figure out where to stay for their last night......their son was supposed to fly in to stay at the Pelican for a week after them.....after the Greenhouse, we went to the Red Piano and had a great time singing along with Tony

We rented a car for days 3 and 4.....Day 3, we went to Art In The Park, then to Rima in Philipsburg, then on to Mr. busby's for a drink.....met a group from Chicago in SXM for their first time and enjoyed talking with them. We traveled on to Le Galion, and spent a couple of hours
hanging out with the local families and enjoyed watching all the kids having fun in the calm water. We decided to hold off on going to Orient,
and instead went to Loterie Farm for a drink at the Tree House Lounge,
what a beautiful spot! From there, we stopped at the store for supplies
then went home to lounge in the pool and finally met SXMNorm!! We
talked with him for a while, then showered and went to the Pizza Galley
for dinner.....great wine and great pizza!! After that we went and bet on
the crabs at BBB (and lost), then met up with Norm and Betty at La
Bamba.....great band, great songs, and great company!! Then home to
bed

Day 4
Awesome day, spent it working on our "all over tan" at Orient.........total relaxation!! There was a big group there "dressed" in red for Valentine's day and a woman brought around heart stickers and necklaces for anyone who wanted them, what a fun bunch After Orient, came back home and jumped in the pool again......Norm brought us a calendar magnet like the ones he handed out at his TTOL party, very nice present, thanks Norm (and AXARob who took the pic for the calendar)...... After showering, we went to dinner at Jimbo's.....we got some chips and salsa, I got a taco grande and Mike got a pork burrito......very good meal!

Day 5
We decided to take the bus to Maho and did a little shopping, then went back through Simpson Bay and took a bus to Marigot, did some more shopping, then finished up shopping a little more in Simpson Bay We found the buses to be very easy and when we got confused upon learning we had to switch buses in Simpson Bay to go to Marigot, the drivers and other locals were very helpful!

Tuesday night, we met Gramyankee at skipjack's for happy hour and to sail on the Celine for the sunset cruise. We were disappointed to learn the boat was in need of repairs and the parts were not yet in......we are hoping to make the cruise before the end of our trip!

Gramyankee had dinner plans in Maho, but we decided to stay close to home and ate at Bonita Cantina.....the food was great just like la

Day 6
We spent the day on the Bluebeard and sailed to Prickly Pear. This was one of our favorite days last year and has so far been one of our favorites again this year! The food was great, Mike had the combo (ribs and chicken) and I had the fish (mahi mahi). The crew is great, very friendly and they keep the drinks flowing!! After we got home, Mike picked up a pizza from the Pizza Galley and we ate in our room, then I went to bed at 7:30 Too much sun and too many drinks! We are hoping to have time to go back for another sail before we leave

Days 7 and 8
We spent day 7 lounging at our pool doing absolutely nothing (thanks to day 6 )......finally found the energy to shower, then headed over to The Greenhouse in Simpson Bay to get everything ready for the TTOL party. We had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones, thanks so much everyone for coming out!

Day 8 (which is still going on as I write this), we decided to take the GB Express over to Anguilla......although we had a great day and saw some very beautiful beaches (we rented a car and drove around the island), we decided we love SXM and it didn't quite measure up! We are now going to shower, go to Karakter, then LaBamba for their full moon party

Karakter was amazing as always, and the best part was watching the sunset, but then watching the beautiful full moon rise over the mountain.....breathtaking!! The parties were going strong both at La Bamba and at BBB......both had bonfires......it was especially busy because it was Friday. We grabbed beach chairs at La Bamba and dragged them over close to the fire where we could hear the DJ playing reggae music, hear the ocean waves,hear the fire crackling, and enjoy the moon. it was a great night!!


We went to Orient on day 9 and spent time lounging on the beach, then met up with friends at Kakao for lunch. I had a salad I can't pronounce but was fantastic, and Mike had a chicken ceasar salad which he also enjoyed. One of the couples had a lobster salad and another couple split a fresh 3 lb. lobster, looked excellent and they told us it's one of their favorite places to eat. The guys had post lunch cigars and we all had a couple of rounds of banana rum....oh, and I forgot to mention I had a very tasty mojito with lunch, so I was feeling pretty good by the time we wandered back to our chairs

We went home and showered, then met up with other TTOLers at Skipjacks to go out on Dave and Adrianna's Celine II for a sunset/moonlight cruise. We all pitched in and bought Dave a bottle of champagne and shared that along with drinks, and of course sang him "Happy Birthday"! We had a wonderful cruise on the lagoon and our hosts took us all around and showed us the sights. Dave had another capatin at the helm so he could enjoy the cruise with us and their relatives. It was the perfect way to end an evening and we definitely plan on doing this again next year!!



Day 10--We signed up with another couple for the Tiko Tiko, and once on board met two other couples who were joining us for our cruise around the island. We had a very calm day, so maybe not such a great one for sailing, but I was glad because the waves were nice for me with my healing back! We puttered around the entire island and our wonderful host and captain Phillipe pointed out points of interest in between steering the boat and fixing us our drinks and preparing our meal We had a fantastic chicken salad along with wine and baguette, then finished it off with a wonderful chocolate cake and shots of banana rum On the way back into Club O, we saw several catamarans leaving full of the "naked cruisers" Looked like they had a good time!! After our full day that ended around 5, we went home and stopped at Taco Macho and grabbed some tacos to go. Another great meal and another great end to a perfect day!!



Well, day 11 is coming to an end.....only three full days left, hard to believe it has gone so fast, but happy the hubby agreed to 3 weeks next year (without any coercion from me at all lol).......the day was spent on Pinel thanks to strong winds on Orient. Had a wonderful day on the beach, walked on the paths to the other side, and worked up an appetite
for lobster and spring rolls at Karibuni. Had a great meal, great banana rum afterward, and great company with our friends P and J. Stopped at the Dinghy Dock on our way home for the "pour your own" happy hour (thanks Norm for telling us how to get there!), then home to shower up and eat a nice home cooked meal back in our room. Looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow of taking a long walk, hanging out around Maho, and hope to make it to Harmony Nights tomorrow night in Grand Case!



We spent our 12th day around the Maho and Simpson Bay area. We started off the late morning by going to the Sunset Bar to watch the planes come in, then wandered over to the Driftwood and had a mango colada (thanks to someone on this site) and it was deemed one of our favorite drinks on the island We shopped a little in Maho, then went back to our hotel, showered, and stopped at the Simpson Bay Yacht Club for a drink and saw Brian.....he was very busy so didn't really have a chance to chat much. We then went to the Upper View lounge for a drink and watched the yachts come in while listening to Jimmy Buffet. After that, we stopped at the Greenhouse for happy hour and to see Felix we watched the sunset and then went to The Stone for a drink and an appetizer and met Guitar Jim and I got my picture with him The atmosphere was fantastic and the music was awesome! Stopped for a few minutes to listen to some music at Toppers on the way home, and even got Mike to dance with me!

Day 13
We were a little tired from day 12, so we slept in, took a walk along Billy Folly road, then hung out at our pool the rest of the day. We showered and then drove to Philipsburg to get some Belgian chocolate (thanks Sue for the advice on that!), then went to Grand Case to meet our friends P and J who are staying at the Dove's Nest. We watched a beautiful sunset on their balcony with a glass of wine, then headed upstairs to have dinner with the owners and their family. Emile and Suzy were spectacular hosts and we ate the best meal we've had to date on the island......ribs, fresh grilled lobster, fresh grilled trunk fish, and a lot of fixings to go with it! We finished the meal by celebrating Peter's 82nd birthday by singing to him and eating cake and ice cream Wow, they really are the nicest people! We are hoping to be able to get a room there next year for at least a week of our stay.


Last full day..
Spent the day at Club O getting in the last of our tan Had a great lime daiquiri made by Willie, she makes some great drinks! It was pretty windy but we didn't care, swam out to the floating dock one last time and reminisced on our wonderful trip and started making plans for next year! Had one last Carib and back to the room to start the packing
process while Mike ran to Maho and got our Ma Dou Dou and Guavaberry. Didn't feel much like a big dinner after last night's huge meal, so stopped at the Greenhouse one last time with Felix, who suggested fish tacos, they were awesome! Stopped at BBB and we are now back in the room to get a good night's rest before our long day tomorrow......we are going to check in early and go back to Driftwood for another mango colada before our trip back to the snow and cold (3-6 inches expected at home tomorrow). What a fantastic vacation, can't wait to return! Will post some pics later after we've unpacked!




Our favorites this year

Seeing old friends and meeting new ones - thanks everyone for attending the TTOL party, sorry we didn't get a chance to talk to everyone - see you again next year??

The dinner with Emile and his family at Dove's Nest (and best food of the trip)

Favorites:

Bartenders: Felix (Greenhouse), Brian (SMYC), Wanda (BBB), Willie (Perch)

Beaches: Orient, Le Galion, Pinel, Prickly Pear, and Shoal Bay East

Restaurants: Karakter, Karibuni, KaKao, Jimbo's, The Greenhouse, Bonita Cantina, The Stone, Topper's, Pizza Galley, Cafe Atlantico

Excursions: Tiko Tiko, Celine II, Bluebeard

Sunsets: The balcony of our friends' room at the Dove's Nest, Upper View Lounge, Greenhouse, Karakter

Music: Guitar Jim at The Stone, The Red Piano

Drinks: Mango Coladas at The Driftwood, Mojitos at KaKao and Karakter, and the "pour your own" drinks at the Dinghy Dock

Also a "shout out" to Carter and Pauline at the Turquoise Shell Inn for making our stay a great one (again!)

The only two bad things I can think of were the mosquitos (who for some reason loved me this trip!), and having to leave the island and go home <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />