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Happy Bay on the island of St. Martin
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Landing in Sint Maarten
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It was an ordinary day. Just opened my email and there in a beautiful Caribbean blue color was a message that read "Romance in the Caribbean" and was sent to me by "Caribbean Travel & Life" magazine. Naturally caught my attention so I opened it and there it was: Romance in the Caribbean - The sunny skies, the pristine beaches, the ultra-clear sea — from Antigua to Tobago, the Caribbean nurtures romantic relationships by its natural gifts alone. But which is the right island for the two of you? And which resort has the look, the price, the amenities, the activities and the amorous extras that fit your style? The options are endless, so here we highlight four delightful, and distinct, possibilities. As I continued with the email I counted only three possibilities. I clicked on every link, but still only three possibilities: Mexico, Bonaire and Punta Cana. OK, how about the fourth possibility. Guess it is up to my imagination. Well, Carol and I are in the process of making all our connections for our own romantic getaway in a few months. Heading back to our "second home" of St. Maarten/St. Martin. Who needs romance in Mexico, Bonaire and Punta Cana when we can have all the romance we can stand on the white sand beaches and in the crystal clear blue waters of St. Martin. We have reserved for the third time Villa Jeluca which overlooks Orient Bay and Beach from high above on the top of the hill where you can see for miles. This year we are planning a side trip to another gorgeous island, Anguilla. The beach called Shoal Bay East is on the north-east side of the island and is rated as the #1 beach in the world by a few travel magazines. All I can tell you is if you were ever there, you'd know why. We had the same day trip planned for the past two trips, but sand gravity took over and we never got on the ferry to Anguilla. This year we both agreed we would make the trip on one of the first 4 or 5 days of our vacation. We'll see how that works out! In case you haven't read any of the St. Martin stories on my blog I can tell you that St. Maarten/St. Martin is 63' 5' West Longitude and 18' 1' North Latitude and is officially named the "Friendly Island." It is half Dutch and half French. We prefer the more laid-back atmosphere of the French side for our vacation, but we do hop in the car a few times every week to make the 15-20 minute journey to the Dutch side for shopping and eating. The official currency of the island is the Dutch Antillean guilder on the Dutch side and the Euro on the French side, but both sides have no trouble taking my American dollar. I have a new lens for my Sony Alpha and hope to buy another one while on vacation, so I hope to share some more sights of the island with you via a story or two while we are there. As for the article about Romance in the Caribbean, we think we have found our "right" island, "right" villa and right activities and amorous extras that fit our style. As we become seasoned travelers, meaning older, we have found that the romance can still be part of the journey, but the relaxation we achieve on the island of our choice is just as important to us. We decided many years ago that as long as we can physically make our journeys, we will do as many as we can possibly afford, because who knows when it will end. We aren't going to chance it so we hit the beaches often. Don't ever put off until tomorrow the trip of a lifetime you can take today. You'll be sorry someday if you do. Carol and I take that advice often. The suitcases are calling ....... It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary
guy.
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Islet Pinel off the shores of St. Martin
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Shoal Bay East on the island of Anguilla
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