Ok- here’s my attempt at a trip report. This was our 4th visit and we stayed at GCBC again for the 2nd time. We were only able to stay for 5 days (still have 2 kids at home and a new 8 wk old puppy, so getting a sitter for any longer than that is tough).

Sunday - Flight down was uneventful and on time. We only had carry-ons, so there was no waiting for luggage. Unity was waiting for us and we were filling out paperwork with Michael and able to take off in our Suzuki in about 15 minutes. Headed straight over to Grand Case and stopped in US Imports for the basics to get us through the first day – water, diet coke, liquor and evaporated milk for coffee in the am. Checked into GCBC and were told they didn’t have the room we reserved so they had to upgrade us – Darn, I hate when that happens. We ended up with an oceanview studio w/loft – which includes a slightly larger kitchen w/table & chairs, living room, balcony, full bathroom on 1st floor and bedroom, full bathroom & balcony on 2nd floor. VERY NICE. Fixed a quick welcome drink, changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the beach. Stayed on the beach for about 2 hours before heading back to the room. We wanted to go horseback riding this trip, so we stopped by the Watersports Desk and asked Sebastian to book the 1-hr. private ride at Bayside for Tuesday. Sebastian, Damian & Laurent are always so helpful and pleasant to deal with. I had won a prize of 4 bottles of Bordeaux from Ch. Coloumey on the SXM-Info.com website (ESK’s site – Thanks again, Erich!) and they were delivered that afternoon by the sales rep from the winery, Daniel. The balcony off the bedroom was the perfect spot to catch some of those late afternoon rays and have another cocktail before heading out for dinner. The walk from GCBC into Grand Case is short – about 10 minutes. We went to the Blue Martini restaurant, which was fabulous and instantly became our favorite. There is a main dining room indoors, but also an outdoor garden/bar with seating at the bar along with high pub style tables & chairs, picnic tables scattered throughout the yard, and a beautiful orange velvet couch. We sat at the outdoor bar and Julian, the bartender, was attentive and made my Cosmos just the way I like them. There was a musician playing acoustic guitar who was very good. We didn’t want to eat too heavy, so we ordered a tapas plate, which included a sampling of salmon sashimi, tuna tataki, duck egg roll, crab cakes and baked goat cheese – AWESOME! We would be back!

Monday – Coffee on the balcony before heading into Marigot early for some quick shopping. Hubby needed his Cuban cigar fix, so found Casa del Habana in the Marina for some Cohibas and Montecristos. Stopped at Match for a few more food items for the room and we were back at GCBC and we were back on the beach in no time. Walked down the beach to the lolos for a late lunch -wanted to be sure we had some real food in us to hold us over the rest of the day. Didn’t bother to go back to the beach – we really got a lot of use out of that balcony. Spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on it sipping cocktails, playing Scrabble and smoking cigars – doesn’t get much better than that. The TTOL party at St. Martin Yacht Club was that night, so we cleaned up and headed over there. It was a lot of fun and great meeting everyone and finally being able to put some faces with the names, especially the fellow Rhode Islanders. (She314 – when it’s time to plan the RI party this summer, give me a shout if you need any help.) A dozen or so of us headed over to Pizza Galley (I can’t remember all the names – everyone had taken their nametags off by then). After dinner, Hubby & I headed over to the Atlantis. We’re not big gamblers, (Mohegan Sun & Foxwoods are about 30 min. from our house and we’ve never been) but just wanted to play a little. Neither of us were having much luck and I was starting to get tired, so we headed back.

Tuesday – Went down to Sunset Café for breakfast – omelets and the smoked fish plate. Down to the beach by 9:30 and stayed there pretty much most of the day, swimming, a couple more games of Scrabble and napping. Headed up to the room around 2:30, laid out on the balcony, sipped on some cocktails, smoked a cigar and munched on some nuts, cheese and crackers. Got into some clothes and headed over to Bayside for our 4:00 horseback riding. A very nice and relaxing ride with Jessica through the Nature Reserve and on the beach and into the water. Back to GCBC to get cleaned up and dressed so we could head into town for Harmony Nights. Very fun! All types of vendors set up – bought some handmade earrings and a necklace/bracelet set from a local artist, a really great sounding band was set up and playing right across from the lolos. There was a marching band which paraded down the street. We headed right to the Blue Martini and Julian remembered our names and drinks from our previous visit. We met a gentleman from San Diego at the bar who was drinking something that looked so good, we had to ask what it was. He called it a Sidecar and it was made with Contreau, cognac and lime juice with a sugared rim. We had to try it – YUMMY!! We chatted with him for awhile and then decided we would go into the dining room for dinner. We ordered the duck trio appetizer – balsamic marinated duck breast, duck egg rolls, and duck liver mousse. I ordered the sea bass and Hubby had the beef kabob. Both dishes were outstanding. We were liking this place more and more. Hubby followed up with a coffee and crème brulee (which I had to help him with <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cool.gif" alt="" />) Strolled back to GCBC and slept like babies.

Wednesday – coffee on balcony in a.m. Headed down to the beach with plans to take a sea kayak out to Creole Rock for some snorkeling. Another perfect day, but noticeably breezier than the past few, making the water rougher than usual, so we decided against the kayaking and settled for more lounging on the beach (shucks). Headed into Grand Case for a late lunch. I wanted to try Restaurant du Soleil after reading a good review in the SXM-Info newsletter. We weren’t disappointed. I had the farmer’s salad – basically a chef salad, but with some sautéed potatoes on top, hubby had the croque monsieur, which is basically a grilled cheese, but the cheese is on the outside as well. These two dishes were very good, but very filling and when we got back to GCBC, we had all we could do to stay awake. Took a little nap and were rejuvenated for the evening. Watched the sun go down from our balcony, drinking one of the bottles of Bordeaux and played another game of Scrabble. Headed directly for the Blue Martini and Julian’s wonderful mixology skills. There was a saxophone player that evening. A couple came in sat down next to us at the bar and we started talking to them. This was their first visit to the island and they had lots of questions, which we tried to answer for them, giving them some of the great information I’ve received from everyone here on the board and what we have learned from our own previous visits. Before we knew it, they were closing down for the night and we were the last customers in the place.

Thursday – had planned to check-out late so we could get a few hours on the beach before leaving, but it was rainy and windy, so those plans were null and void. Made coffee and finished up the few food items left in the fridge while packing. Stopped in Howell Plaza to check out some of the shops and picked up a gift for the sitter. Drove into Simpson Bay and went to Ric’s Place to hang out for awhile. I walked to some of the nearby shops to browse a bit, but didn't buy anything. We ate lunch and relaxed watching CNN before having to drop the car off and the dreaded wait at PJIA. Flight out of SXM was late (as usual), getting us into CLT late, leaving us just enough to get through customs, immigration and to our connecting flight – they were holding the plane for several other late flights as well, but we ended up being seated separately – Hubby up in the front and me in the next to last row – jammed in like sardines! But it's always SOOO worth it.

Kelly
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