Sint Maarten here we come

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So we decided on Sint Maarten this year for our summer holiday. We have been to several islands in the Caribbean, but we have never landed here. Check it out on Wiki Travel (http://wikitravel.org/en/Saint_Martin) if you want more info on the island.

This trip we are traveling on paid tickets, so it really takes the adventure out of getting there. It was nice to relax at the USAirways Club during our lay over. Not quite as nice as Bangkok Air's Club, but pretty cushy non the less.

So the flight from Charlotte was uneventful, until it was time to land. We had to hold for about an hour because of a storm at Juliana airport. We finally made it, picked up our little car and made our way to the hotel. Flamingo Beach Resort is on Pelican beach, which was not that far from the airport. We made it in time for happy hour at the hotel beach restaurant “Topper’s”. We made quick friends with the bartender Stevie and several other vacationers. We then headed off to the local market, which had surprisingly reasonable prices, to pick up a few staples (you know, Presidente, peanut butter and bread) then headed off to Pineapple Pete’s for a nice fish dinner. We were pretty spent for one day.

Sunday we slept in but not too late to make it to the Bloody Mary bar, where we met Topper and his wife Melanie. Topper is a US ex-pat from Boston, who has done well in St. Marten as he Hs two restaurants in town. Nalia, his restaurant manager from Spain gave us some tips and with the help or Nordea at Aqua Mania Adventures, we are ready for a couple of days of adventure.

We headed on our first road excursion and made it to Baie Rouge Beach on the French side. I was a great beach, not too crowded and even had a little beach grill with live music. (thanks for the tip Steve Wyloge) The water was a bit rough, but it made it fun, quite a bit different from the calm waters we experienced in Thailand. One thing we noticed right from the start was the friendly locals. Since we have visited several islands in the Caribbean, it is very safe to say the people here are so far among the friendliest.

We left the beach, picked up a few more necessities at a local market, and off to the Sunset Bar by the airport. For those of you who have heard of this place or seen videos on YouTube, it is the real deal. The planes coming and going from Juliana International Airport seriously fly right over the beach. Check out my pictures and videos, they tell it all. Yes, I did get a face full of sand myself, but I had to do it…right?

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