Trip Report – SXM Jan/Feb 2016

TRAVEL – AA down and back, ¾ on “miles”.
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St Louis through Charlotte outbound on Saturday. Though Miami coming home. Now granted we traveled on Wednesday, but it was less than 45 minutes from the time our plane stopped at the gate till we were through C & I, rechecked our bags, through Security, and “back in the system”. Can hardly get any faster than that.
Here’s a few views we all look forward to.
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CAR - angela@horizoncarrentals.com 2 weeks plus 4 days - $480.00/cash for a Corolla. No problems. Easy airport pickup and drop off.
PHONE – Sharon at queenofsxm2000@yahoo.com Phone ready. $45 for our stay including $10. for about 30 minutes which we didn’t use all of.
GROCERIES – Who else but Jeannie and her www.shopndropgrocerysxm.com She is the best even with deliveries to OBBR which push their own stocking service.
ROOMS – We’re original owners at Oyster Bay Beach Resort since 1997. They gave us a requested 1 bedroom unit with lockout on the first floor. Our traveling friend, Tom, recently had back surgery and the fewer steps, the better. This room had no steps. The room had a slightly hidden by trees view of Dawn Beach.
[i216.photobucket.com] This pic was actually taken from next door at Beau Beau’s.
Our second week we moved to a 2 bedroom unit looking towards St Barts. It was only a few steps up or down. It would have nicer and more considerate if management had told us a little more than two hours before, that we had to move.
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OBBR is in great shape. Totally recovered and improved since Hurricane Gonzalo. The Gardeners have done a wonderful job.
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OBBR has also totally redone the Infinity Bar and Restaurant as well as the main courtyard bathrooms. They did a nice job giving the bar a nautical look with more seat around the bar.
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Here’s their bar menu.
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And some of their dishes. Their Caesar Salad - - [i216.photobucket.com]
Chicken Club - [i216.photobucket.com]
Chicken Alfredo
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BLT –
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The last four days of our trip were spent at Turquoise Shell Inn on Airport Road. $145./night. We like it there because it’s an easy walk to many great eating places. It also very close to the airport for the early departures. It’s only a few steps across a road to Simpson Bay Beach. Carter keeps the place in good shape. He says it’s still for sale and that he’s had interest, but no firm bids.
BREAKFASTS –
Many of our breakfasts would be in our room or on patio. Someone would take orders then head down to The Pier Grocery next to the dock across from Mr Busby’s to get crossiants. Favorites included Apple Turnovers, Chocolate Croissants, Almond Crossaints, and the Swiss Brick Crossiant.
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However, I did venture out to check places close to OBBR. One place was StarDock, which is located on the dock next to Pier Grocery. It’s a small place with limited menu. It’s owned and run by Katie. No service charge.
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She makes all her Quiches, sandwiches, etc. Here’s her menu.
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Here’s a partially eaten Vegetable Quiche. Almost forgot to take a pic. Quiche with coffee is $8.50
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The view while sitting on the dock eating is very pleasant.
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Another new place is Lucky’s Bar & Bistro. It’s located next to Dinghy Dock in the Captain Oliver complex. It’s quite busy at breakfast time as people going to St Barts wait for the ferry. They serve all meals. Here’s their menu.
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Here’s my plate. $7.00. Coffee is $2.00 extra.
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Of course no trip to the Marigot Market would be complete without a stop at Sarafina’s .
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They’ve done a lot of interior remodeling. More seats, new tile floor, less trees, booths, but the main displays are still there, tempting your taste buds and will power.
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And now there are two other bakeries within a block of Sarafina’s.
Mr Busby’s also serves a nice breakfast with a wonderful view of Dawn Beach and the ocean. We visited there twice. There’s no service charge at Mr Busby’s. There’s also no credit cards accepted. Here’s their bacon and egg breakfast.
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I usually get the two eggs($5.) with a Johnny Cake($2.) A cup of coffee is $2.50. Decaf coffee was instant and poor.
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This is their fried egg sandwich.
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One of the great things about staying at Turquoise Shell Inn is the Bagel House, also known by Vesna Taverna is just a block away.
Sally is in charge for breakfast. Always pleasant with a great memory. My must have at least once, is their French Toast.
[i216.photobucket.com] It’s $6.00. No service charge there.
Here’s their French Breakfast. $9.00
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One other great place for pasties in the morning is Café Atlantico .This is their Raisen Roll.
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LUNCHES -
Of course, staying at OBBR makes it very easy to try and order food, either from the Infinity Bar, which is served around the pool area or from Beau Beau’s overlooking Dawn Beach. With the new food management, items on the menu are a little different from previous years. Here’s another look at the Infinity Bar menu.
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The first day we tried the Beef Sliders with fries for $5.50. Well I should have realized that was pretty cheap. It’s fries with “A” beef slider. No “s”. It was good and really just what I wanted, but it was only one slider. We ate there three times over our two weeks. Pictures of our meals are in part 1 of this report.
Our friend Tom had their Cheeseburger one day.
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Judy had their Caesar Salad.
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We tasted the dressing. Still not we were looking for, but Judy liked it.
Here’s Beau Beau’s menu.
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We visited BeauBeau’s with the hope of experiencing their Chicken Caesar Salad that we loved.
Unfortunately the size(smaller) and taste of the dressing had changed. Last year we rated Chef Lewis’ Caesar Dressing as the best on
Island. Granted everyone’s taste is different, but for Betty and I, this was the best with lots of grated cheese and a fairly thick dressing. This is this years version.
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Tom had their fried chicken one day.
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On another visit we had Beau Beau’s Rib plate. Although not billed as it, it had the wonderful taste of Chef Lewis’ Guavaberry Ribs.
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Other visits, here’s their Fish and Chips.
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BTW, The last item on Beau Beau’s menu is a drink called the Bob Marley. Tom couldn’t resist.
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A new little food place in the Oyster Pond area. Next to The Pier Grocery and across from Mr Busby’s parking lot is the Rostierre Hut. It’s run by Beverly. Has no sign yet. Open noon to 8pm.
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Here’s her menu. [i216.photobucket.com]
O’Plongeoir - Located facing the Marigot Marina. We met Island friends there. A wonderful place. Good food, Reasonable prices.
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The pic was taken just after they served dessert, and although Betty and I each have a plate in front of us, that’s only because they were nice enough to split our Profitiroles order.
For lunch I had a wonderful a Parisaine Salad with bacon, chicken, and more.
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Our friend Paul had a grilled Duck Breast.
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Tom had the Veal Chops.
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Carol had a bowl of scallops, veal, and I don’t remember what else. She loved it.
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Betty had a Chicken Sandwich.
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Judy had the same as me. Total price was $180.00 including drinks and desserts.
Buccaneer Beach Bar – Another favorite, The cheeseburger at BBB($14.) with a BBC(. $9.) Costs more, but still great.
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No service charge there. You can charge food, but NOT tip.
Dinghy Dock – Oyster Pond Still a favorite. Their Fish and Chips($15.). Be prepared to eat slowly as the fish stays HOT a long time.
[i216.photobucket.com] Their fries are a little different. Kind of concaved, like a stalk of celery.
There’s no service charge at Dinghy Dock(Oyster Pond).
El Zafino – Beach, Bar, Restaurant, Rooms. Fairly new, next to Beachside Villas, at the top of Simpson Bay Beach.
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Had lunch there twice. They're open 8-8. Free beach chairs with food and drink purchases.
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Here’s their menus. Probably will change since the smoker grill arrived the day we left SXM.
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This is our BBC. Made with real bananas.
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And this is Anthony, who created this great drink.
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We ate Chicken Wings –
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A Cheeseburger –
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A Chicken Caesar Salad –
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A Griyo Plate with Plantain or Patatas. We ordered the plantain, however the cook sent out the patatas. The plantains arrived eventually. The fried pork bites were very good. The creole sauce was spicy. Nice dish.
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Our waiter
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There is a service charge here. Also no checks or credit cards.
12 Meter Bar and Restaurant – After a walk up and down the Boardwalk, shopping, there’s nothing like a great lunch at 12 Meter.
It’s just over the bridge from the Greenhouse on the way to the parking lots. A very personable and pleasant young man named Akeen was our waiter. Betty and I split the Flo Wrap. It had Chicken, Bacon, Hard Boiled Egg, Lettuce, onion Cheddard Cheese, $14.00.
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Also tried at the table was a house salad with everything you could think of. [i216.photobucket.com]
Tom had the rib tips.
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Happy Hours, Dinners, and pm Activities -
Mornings for our little travel party usually consisted of breakfast, then some pool or beach time, followed by lunch. From there the scheduled was very loose. Sometimes Bingo around the pool, usually a short nap or rest period followed by maybe casino time, or visiting, or driving around, or reading on our patio. One of our favorite Happy Hour stops, and sometimes even when it wasn’t Happy Hour was the St Maarten Yacht Club Restaurant and Bar. HH times there are 4-6pm. Besides watching the “boats” come through the drawbridge, our favorite part were their Grouper Fingers. In fact we stopped there a couple times just for the “Fingers”.
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Our first visit we ordered the Grouper Fingers, Ribs, and Coconut Shrimp(partially eaten before I got picture). $25. Great deal. [i216.photobucket.com]
We did see some “boats” come in. The last was most impressive, almost like a Darth Vader.
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Our first night, in fact, three hours after we landed, we were at Captain Olivers. We had been invited by owner Maggi for drinks and the Saturday Night Buffet and to watch her “Dirty Dancing” performance. The Buffet has changed. It used to be a big seafood buffet, now it has fish there but there’s also Turkey, Roast Beef, Ribs, as well as a bunch of other choices. The Buffet is now only $39.95 .
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Maggi and her dance partner did a wonderful job of replicating the movie dance sequence.
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My apologize for the poor pics.
We attended another Buffet, this time at Beau Beau’s. They had Cover 2 Cover performing on Tuesday evening for about three hours. Admission was the buffet meal. Their Buffet was $21.75 plus service.
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It was good to see/hear Bob and David singing together again. Many remember that they used to sing weekly at Peg Leg Pub.
Mark’s Place – Last year Judy tried Mark’s mussels. She couldn’t wait to order them again. Mussels come in on Tuesday and Friday. Since we were already committed to hear Cover 2 Cover on Tuesday we called, and they said you can reserve your mussels for the next day. Only in SXM, reserving your mussels. They were just as good and plentiful as last year.
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Here’s Mark’s Specials and menu. Plus there is no service charge.
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Betty had their appetizer rib plate. They were plenty left for next day lunch.
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Tom had the Trout Special. I had the Cheeseburger.
The Palm’s – One of my favorite places. Greg, Jo, and his Mom do a wonderful job with the food and making you always feel welcomed.
I had my usual Lasagna.
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Betty had the chicken kabob app.
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Tom had the Chicken Wings.
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Judy had their sirloin cheeseburger.
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There is no service charge at The Palm’s and it’s cash only.
While we were staying at Turquoise Shell Inn I went by after others were starting to bed-down to satisfy my sweet tooth. Nothing better to do that with than Greg’s Mom’s Carrot Cake.
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That night Greg and Jo were home “ sick”, so I was served by new waitress, Ivanta(pretty sure that not exactly correct).
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Island Pizza - Located in the parking area of Mr Busby’s, very close to OBBR. It’s good when we gamble in the afternoon and early evening and then just want to come home and put on our jammies. You order and pay for your pizza at the counter inside Mr Busby’s. Then take the recipt out to Island Pizza. Pizzas are large, thin crust. This one was $15.25. We got several snacks besides our dinner.
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Pineapple Pete’s -
Always a favorite. Very consistent quality and service. Tom had his usual Lobster Thermadore.
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Judy loves their Grouper with crab and garlic.
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Betty and I split their Neptune Burger with cheese, the coconut shrimp appetizer, and, of course, a Crème Brulee which is one of our favorites on SXM.
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Pat Roadhouse - A new place, located in front of the old Boathouse. We went there on Super Bowl Sunday.
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They seemed a little disorganized. Their menu was on a caulk board that night.
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Since burgers were their specialty we ordered one of them. It was $10.
[i216.photobucket.com] It was good. Seemed to have a little taco seasoning mixed in with the other spices. More bun than burger though.
Here’s our waiter for the night.
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Villa Royale – In Grand Case, just over the bridge, before the Lolos. They do 1E=$1.
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Owned and run by Rose
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Here’s their menu. [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com]
I enjoyed the grilled Trigger Fish for the first time. Came with fried potatoes and a salad for 15E.
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Here are some of the other dishes tried.
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Nice meal. Great service. Reasonable prices.
On the way to Harmony Night we stopped by the Rui Complex in Anse Marcel to check out the public part of the beach. Beautiful setting coming down the mountain.
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Looked like a nice place. Food prices on menus looked somewhat expense.
Also on that trip we stopped by Tijon Perfumery to say hello to friends John and Cyndi. Also needed to pick up some of their Lip Balm which makes great Christmas Stocking Stuffers. We found Refillable Perfume Atomizers which will also wind up in some stockings. Cyndi has invited me to display some of my fused glass projects in her boutique side of Tijon. So starting in November this year, my first public outlet.
Piazza Pascal – What better place to enjoy Harmony Night than above the crowd at Piazza Pascal. We made reservations and Donna gave us a nice table upstairs. [i216.photobucket.com] Here’s our toast with their after dinner shots.
I had the Filet Modano - 31E [i216.photobucket.com] Tom had the Filet Gorgonzola - 31E
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Judy had the Clam Liguini - 22E [i216.photobucket.com] Betty had the Spagetti with meat sauce - 18E. [i216.photobucket.com]
They do 1E + $1. at Piazza Pascal.
Here’s some of the parade as they passed Piazza Pascal.
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One of the highlight dinners of this trip was at Rancho Del Sol. I’m pretty sure most of us have driven by this place several times over the years and never stopped. What a mistake.
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We went as a party of six with Bruce and Susan. However before driving to Rancho Del Sol, we stopped by Bruce and Susan’s place in les Balcons. Here the view off the their deck.
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Back to Rancho Del Sol [i216.photobucket.com]
Here’s their menu. [i216.photobucket.com]
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This was Susan’s choice. [i216.photobucket.com]
Bruce’s choice. [i216.photobucket.com]
Norm and Betty’s choice. [i216.photobucket.com]
Tom’s T-Bone. [i216.photobucket.com]
Norm and Betty’s Crème Brulee. Very good. Now up at top of our list. Had a little coconut favor to it.
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It was a wonderful night with good food, good service from our waitress Jennifer, and great conversation and laughs with friends.
Dinghy Dock II - Located just down the walk from Lal’s.
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Same menu as original DD. I had the Caesar Salad, Betty had the rib tips. Of course we shared.
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There are some differences however. There is a service charge here. There is also a sign which says, “Tips Suggested”.
Big Fish - Big Fish got new owners, Mike and Theresa, and chef this past year. Their chef won the Crystal Pineapple award this year.
The setting is very nice. [i216.photobucket.com] Bread is served while waiting with this pesto sauce.
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Big Fish features fish with cooking and sauce options. I choose the grilled grouper with garlic/dill sauce.
[i216.photobucket.com] Tom had the same except with the lobster sauce. [i216.photobucket.com]
Judy had the appetizer special mussels and a salad. [i216.photobucket.com] [i216.photobucket.com] Betty had the appetizer chicken tenders, although they looked kind of strange.
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For dessert, Tom and Judy shared a Lava Cake which disappeared very quickly. [i216.photobucket.com]
Betty and I went for the Bailey’s Crème Brulee. Another new favorite.
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We found our old waiter friend Aussie, who used to work at Canoa now working at Big Fish.
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Skip Jacks – Another consistently good place to go. Here’s part of their menu.
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I had a bowl of their French Onion Soup. Then Betty and I shared the Pan Grilled Grouper .
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This is Judy’s selection. [i216.photobucket.com]
Tom got the Surf and Turf…….and the big plate.
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We saved our Phillipsburg shopping trip to the last day. After parking at Bobby’s Marina Parking Lot, we strolled the Boardwalk starting at the cruise ship end.
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One stop was at the top end of Front St., almost to Sea Palace, where there’s a store that specializes in Saint Maarten made arts and crafts.
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Didn’t buy anything, but has a wide range of lace, knittings, jewelry, art, all done by local residents.
Our “last supper” was at SMYC for a Caesar Salad [i216.photobucket.com]
and Grouper Fingers. [i216.photobucket.com]
I should give mention to The Carousel. The quality and choices of ice cream require many visits. We stopped at least three times. Here’s a pic of one of the mosaics that decorate the inside walls.
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We had an early departure so decided to try The Johney Burger place in the airport.
[i216.photobucket.com] We each had a Johnny Cake. Kind of a last goodbye toast.
Here’s our parting shots.
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hi Norm
Thanks for posting your trip report here. Sorry I missed you while you were here.
your pictures are wonderful! as usual, my mouth is watering

[barcann.livejournal.com]