This was a trip of many firsts for us. First time staying in Oyster Pond. Francine and Gérard, our very gracious hosts at Caribbean Nature, offer their guests a tranquil, peaceful location with a great pool in a secluded tropical garden. We were only able to meet Francine at the airport when we arrived as she was leaving for France. We enjoyed the opportunity to practice our French visiting with Gérard during our stay. There are three ground floor studios and the comfortable upper level studio, Bella Vista, where we stayed. Studio Bella Vista offered beautiful views of the sunrise and the Atlantic Ocean just 200 yards away.

First time renting the Hyundai I20 hatchback, the perfect size vehicle for the island (thanks Michael at Unity). First time dining at BZH Creperie, Quai Ouest and Daniels by the Sea (which is Mr. Busby’s Beach Bar by day) all very good and all in the Oyster Pond area. First time to Iquana Bar (behind Captain Oliver’s) but since there was no power that particular evening we didn’t stay. First time dining at 12 Metre Bar in Phillipsburg which was also very good. First time dining at Sint Maarten Yacht Club for breakfast, great food and excellent view of the ships going in and out of the lagoon. First time having ribs at Dany’s on Cupecoy while watching the planes arrive.

First time shopping at the mini grocery stores in Oyster Pond. Aux Pain d’Epices was a real find right in our neighborhood, very upscale, air-conditioned and had everything one needed including fresh produce and baked goods. Finally, we purchased a SIM card from Sharon instead of renting one so now we have a permanent SXM phone number (if we can remember to “top up” every 60 days). There were many other places in the Oyster Pond area that we wanted to visit but there just wasn’t time to do so on this trip, so we’ll definitely return to the Oyster Pond area in the future.