The "It's All New" Story

It was an ordinary day. Sitting in traffic, waiting for the yachts to pass. And it's all new! Decided to stay on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten this year with friends Karen and Barry. Carol and I usually stay on the French side, so quite a few things we did with Karen and Barry were all new. Stayed at the Pelican Marina Resort, which while we were there was renamed the Simpson Bay Marina and Resort. Ate at Skip Jacks which was voted as the #1 seafood restaurant on the island a few years ago. Second night we had a meal at LaBamba Beach Bar and got to meet friends that I correspond with on sxmtravelforum and TravelTalkOnline, web sites for travel to the Caribbean. That was a fun night with new friends to meet. Picked up croissants for breakfast most days at the Peli-Deli. Wonder if they will have to rename that store after changing the name of the resort. Had supper a few times at Ciao's which is the resort restaurant. Great Italian food at this spot. For the first time ever I had lobster thermidor at Pineapple Pete's. Have meant to try it for years, but was too far to drive at night on unfamiliar roads. Unbelievable meal. They remove the lobster, cut it into small pieces and mix it with cheese, cream, mushroom and peppers, then stuff it back in the lobster tail shell and cover with more cheese and bake it. Can't be good for you!! We traveled to the Butterfly Farm to show our guests a new experience. We had been there years ago and really enjoyed it, so it wasrelatively new to us. Ate breakfastat Bon Appetit a few times as well as Zee Best which is supposed to have the best breakfast on the restaurant. How can you go wrong when they all serve croissants with their meals. Visited Kali's Beach Bar one day for a beach experience as well as Karakter's Beach Bar where you get free chairs and umbrella if you eat at their restaurant. Both these places were new to all of us. We also ate at Toppers one evening which is on the beach near our resort. We did do a few favorites to show Barry and Karen why we enjoy the island so much. Stopped by Orient Beach but it was too windy. Went to Pinel Island by ferry for a day as well as shopping at Marigot and Philipsburg. About the only new thing we didn't enjoy during our week long visit was the traffic. It is high season in the Caribbean during the winter and the traffic was terrible. There is a drawbridge near our resort and it opens for 30 minutes at a time and you might know that I hit that a few times. Most all experiences were new and after the week we realized why we love the French side of the island so much. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from the top are: The Simpson Bay Marina and Resort, lobster thermidor, Old Street in Philipsburg, and Karakter's Beach Bar.