As stated before, this has been one of our most relaxing and enjoyable vacations we have ever been on. Well here it is the long over do Trip Report.<br><br>Tuesday April 1st. <br>We arrive on the island at 2:45 cleared immigration and customs (what customs) picked up are bags and the next thing we saw was Marius standing there waiting. He loaded us into a taxi and off we went to his office/store that was located in the resort we were staying at. After we picked up our car, a white (go figure) Kia Rio (more than enough car for 2-4 people), we walked over to the Ocean Club office and checked in to our home for the week, a lovely poolside studio. We put our bags in the room, grabbed a couple ice cold Caribs and our vacation is officially started.<br><br>April Fools Day TTOL Party @ Hot Tomatoes.<br>Dicky, you are a fabulous host you made sure everyone enjoyed themselves. For your Lovely and Exuberant hostess who made introductions, conversation and made sure that everyone’s coconut was full of Dicky’s, World Famous Rum Punch we say BRAVO BRAVO!<br>About 30-35 people were in attendance and at some point I believe we spoke to just about everyone. We had the Daves in attendance. There was Dave & Deb, Dave & Tracy, Dave & Diane, Ron & Maureen, Ken & Marissa, Joe & Terry, Bill & Cheryl, Cheryl’s Mom, Deepti and Jeff. I know I have forgotten a few names (well more than a few) with the number of people there coupled with the amount of Rum Punch consumed what can I say, but extend my sincere apology to the ones who’s names I have forgotten. <br><br>Wednesday April 2nd.<br>After a much needed 6 hours sleep we were off in our little white car to Orient Beach to sign up for the Tiko Tiko cruise. When we were signing up, we ran into Bill & Cheryl and decided to join them at Happy Bay Beach for the day. Upon arriving at Friar’s Bay I realized I did not have an opener for my Caribs and went from bar to bar trying to buy one with no luck. I asked a chair vendor if he knew where I could buy one. He reached in his pocket and gave me his off his key ring and said my name is Petey and you can return it to me when you return from Happy Bay. At that moment I thought this really is the “friendly island”. Darlene & I made the hike over to Happy Bay and found our new friends. What a beautiful and picturesque beach, the waves were crashing, the sun was shining, the Caribs were flowing and for the first time in my life “Sand Gravity took control of me. When we finally could pry ourselves from the sand and hiked back we stopped at the Friar’s Bay Beach Cafe for a few cocktails, much needed after the hike over the hill. That evening for dinner we went to Ric’s Place and had a very enjoyable meal on the deck overlooking the boats in the harbor.<br><br>Thursday April 3rd. ~ Tiko Tiko Day<br>We woke early to another beautiful morning in paradise. I went to check my email at the computer room at The Ocean Club and met Bill Edwards aka “ocbill” on TTOL, but also known as “Fluffy” to the local island girls. After emailing Bill for several months prior to our arrival, we finally met face to face. Throughout our stay @ The Ocean Club he was always there for us whenever we had a question or needed something. Thanks Bill!<br>Well off to Club Orient for our cruise and a day on Tintimarie Island. We were all rounded up and shuttled out to the boat by our skipper Philippe and were greeted by the first mate Philippe and his adorable little boy. On the bow over cocktails 5 couples met, some for the first time. Bill & Cheryl, Cate & Scott, Jack & Coreen, Tony & Kris and us (Dave & Darlene). We all drank, chatted and got to know each other on the wet ride over to the Island. On the island everyone kind of did his or her own thing. Some snorkeled, some explored, some swam and some just let sand gravity take its course. Kris, Tony and Jack found the mud and soon everyone was playing like little kids and covering each other in mud. In a short while we all looked like some lost native tribe. That mud really makes your skin feel soft and smooth when you wash it off. Philippe & Philippe served lunch on board the Tiko Tiko. They served our prearranged chicken or steak dinner and an after dinner cordial. Back in the water we just floated back to the beach and everyone just lounged and chatted. Until someone, I do not remember who, produced another bucket of mud and then the little kids come out of us again. We even shared some with another group down the beach. All to soon Philippe and Philippe arrived on the beach to take us and all the equipment back to the boat and all to soon the trip was coming to and end. 10 strangers boarded the Tiko Tiko that morning, but 10 friends left the Tiko Tiko that late afternoon. With hugs, handshakes, and exchange of email addresses the cruise was over. By the time we got back to The Ocean Club we decided to not go out to dinner and try The Ocean Clubs Oasis Grill, where we chatted with Bill, Ross and the grills owners Bert and Jill. Bert made us a couple of his off menu specials, chicken for Darlene and steak for me. Dinner was great, that guy can really cook and make mean Mudslides and Mango colada’s.<br><br>Friday April 4th.<br>Another beautiful day to wake up to, after a quick breakfast we went to orient beach. As we arrived at the Club Orient parking lot we met up with Scott and Cate and decided to get chairs and spend the day together. On the beach throughout the day we talked to Ron & Maureen, Jack & Coreen, Bill & Cheryl and Tony & Kris. After spending the morning lying in the sun, swimming, and partaking in a few libations we decided to take a stroll up the beach. We stopped at Pedro’s for drinks and ribs and more drinks (boy! those mudslides just go down so easy). We heard that you could get tattooed (the temporary kind) further down the beach. Now we were on a mission to find the tattoo girl, we found her in front of The Bikini Beach Bar. Scott & Darlene got tattoo’s Cate and I drank and listened to the band. On the way back we stopped at Baywatch where we met Andy and after a few cocktails Andy told us to come back tomorrow and he will fix us lunch. We crawled back to our chairs at Club O and just sort of vegged out the rest of the day. As we were heading to our car 2 people approached us and said; are you Dave & Darlene. I am only on the island 4 days and some one recognized us. It was Joe & Terri from the TTOL party. I must have made an impression at the TTOL party; I just hope it was a good one. We were a little tired after a full day on orient beach so we stopped at Talk of the Town for a quick bite and then back to the condo.<br><br>Saturday April 5th<br>Up at the crack of dawn (well not that early) we drove over to Margot to the open-air market. A must see if you are looking for vacation gifts for friends back home. After spending a small fortune on gifts for everyone and I mean everyone. We headed for Happy Bay to meet Scott & Cate and fellow Michiganders Pete & Jayne who we chatted with on TTOL. Everyone arrived at their own leisure and in addition Pete & Jayne brought there their teenaged daughter Rachel. We relaxed on the beach and watched the world slip by. The waves were extremely large that day and after Darlene got knocked down and sucked under one of the waves she said lets get outta here and head over to Orient for a late lunch. We introduced Pete; Jayne & Rachel to our mini beach bar crawl and stopped at Baywatch for lunch, where in addition to Andy we met his sweet and friendly wife Cheryl. After plenty of food and drinks the afternoon was coming to a close, and with broken hearts we had to say goodbye to our new friends Scott & Cate who were heading back to reality and their twin sons in St. Louis. With tears in our eyes we watched them walk hand in hand down the beach. (Well the tears in our eyes part was a bit much) We just ordered more drinks toasted them and were happy to still be able to stay in paradise if only for a few more days. <br><br>Sunday April 6th.<br>A large storm blew thru during the night and we woke to cloudy and over cast skies. So what do you do when the sun is not out? You go shopping in Philipsburg! Stopped in at DK Gems to see Deepti and Jeff, picked up some Guavaberry for home and a few other treasures. A couple hour of shopping is all I Darlene & I can handle, but the clouds parted to a beautifully sunny day. We decided to go checkout Dawn Beach but after driving for what seemed like an hour we some how got lost and ended up at Orient beach. Not to waste a sunny afternoon we got a couple chairs found our friends Ron & Maureen and relaxed on the beach sipping ice cold Caribs. During our afternoon stroll we met a very attractive woman walking on the beach and after a few minutes we find out that we are talking to TTOL’s one and only “Sungodess” what a pleasant surprise. Later we ate dinner at Jimbo’s on a recommendation from Deepti and it was a very good recommendation. The place has very pleasant atmosphere and great Mexican food coupled with a good personal touch from the owner who greets you at the entrance.<br><br>Monday April 7th.<br>Our last full day on the island, we wanted to spend it relaxing on the beach. We got to Orient early and grabbed a couple chairs and umbrella at a great location on the beach. We seen many of our new friends and met even more people. Had lunch at Papagayos with Pete, Jayne & Rachel and as the day wound down we had a very delightful chat with Pat aka Sungodess, what a friendly and interesting woman. To end the day we had dinner at The Peg Leg Pub with Ron & Maureen. The food was delicious and the friendly conversation was even better. After dinner we went back to pack for our journey home tomorrow, that took about 10 minutes because we only used about ¼ of the stuff we brought. Next time we are only bringing 2 carry ons.<br><br>Tuesday April 8th. <br>We got up early had breakfast and hiked over to Cupecoy Beach to check it out we heard a lot of negative things (i.e. cliff boys, and exhibitionism) about it and wanted to see for ourselves. The beach was very nice, a pleasant mix of people, all very friendly and it would have been a nice place to spend the day but unfortunately we had to catch our plane for home. The plane ride home had only one glitch, when we landed in Miami to connect to our flight to Detroit there was a power outage at Miami international. We made our connection with about 3 minutes to spare. On the plane Darlene was already looking forward to our next trip to the friendly Island of St. Maarten/St. Martin. <br>At this point I would like to thank every one on this board who we met in person and who helped us plan one of the Best Vacations that we have ever been on. I can now see why all the people on this board keep returning to this island time and time again. <br><br>Thanks for the memories<br>Dave & Darlene<br>
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