Since I am an A Lister, Southwest sent me these certificates to reward their employees who I feel went above and beyond the call of duty so I used on at the SMF Priority Check In Counter when we headed out to Sint Maarten.
Since I am an A Lister, we had an extra leg room row all to ourselves. Of course, we got the free booze and the "premium" snack of pistachios in addition to what the common folk get on Southwest. LOL.
Although we had a red eye to BWI from SMF, we were able to relax in the Minute Suites there compliments of my Priority Pass during our short layover. Nice to have a private room to relax in after a long cross country flight.
I love my status with Southwest. We got the bulkhead extra leg room row from BWI to SXM.
We had a nice view of Sint Maarten as we landed into SXM.
We deplaned using the stairs once we landed into SXM. It is a relatively small airport. They took us to the terminal via a bus.
Princess Julianna International is located on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten. The airport is named for a former Queen of the Netherlands.
We took the short shuttle ride to the Europcar rental car facility which was just down the street from the airport.
The rental cars were somewhat primitive. LOL. This was our ultra compact Nissan. I guess the Europeans do not have the same standard of living as us.
We stopped for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant in Simpson Bay called Beirut. The conch fritters were delicious! The Caribbean has a large Middle Eastern population.
I love this local hot sauce they had at the restaurant.
We saw these Heineken machines all over the island. It is a Dutch beer after all!
After lunch, we checked into the Hilton Vacation Club's Flamingo Beach Resort in Simpson Bay. It was close to the airport.
Our one bedroom unit had a kitchen too. I got a bottle of Havana Club Cuban rum at the little bodega near the resort so I could make my own pina coladas.
We explored the beaches and tide pool at the resort after settling into our suite.
The coastal views from the resort were beautiful. Sint Maarten has great weather too with the trade winds.
The pool temperature was perfect. I thought the sea water was a little cooler than other Caribbean islands.
For dinner, we went to the Palapa Lounge in Simpson Bay. I got a drink in the bar area called Club 28. They have Savage & Cooke bourbon so I got that over a big cube.
They had interesting reading material in the lounge. LOL.
Club 28 was really cool! The Dutch side of Sint Maarten has the night life.
Palapa Lounge was a tropical outdoor dining experience.
The dining area was under a large tented area.
The fresh pasta with the Caribbean lobster tail was delicious!
The tropical inspried dessert was really good!
We went to the Sunset Bar by the airport the next morning to check out the low flying planes over the Maho Beach. The monitors have the landing times.
I got a pina colada, and Joy got a virgin drink as we checked out the amazing views of the water and the planes landing!
This is a smaller Win Air prop plane landing into SXM. Win Air is the airline of Sint Maarten and operates flights to neighboring islands like St. Barts.
Maho Beach is the famous spot where the planes land right over your head into SXM. People gather around the landing times to check it out!
We are waiting for a Jet Blue flight from JFK to land here. It is quite a site to watch and hear the large planes landing into SXM!
The planes taking off from SXM were also cool to see. We experienced the jet blast too!
We drove to the French side of the island after checking out the planes landing. The French side follows the laws and regulations of France, and it is like being in France.
After we got to Marigot, we hiked up to the Ft. Louis. This is a picture of colorful Marigot, the capital of the French side of the island.
Ft. Louis was a little hike up the hill. The French built this to defend their side of the Caribbean island.
We could see how this fort was a great way to defend the area from pirates and invading naval ships back in the day!
The views of Marigot from Ft. Louis were so amazing! Saint Martin (French name) is so beautiful!
We saw a cool iguana at Ft. Louis while walking around.
We found a great Greek restaurant to have lunch at on the French side called Kalos Beach Club
We had great views of the water from our outdoor table!
We loved the grilled octopus salad, hummus, and fresh Snapper crudo!
Kalos Beach Club is a great spot to stop for lunch when exploring the French side. Also, it was one of the few places open on Sunday on the French side.
After returning to Sint Maarten (Dutch name), we went to the capital Philipsburg and checked out Ft. Amsterdam.
The fort protected the bay around Phillipsburg.
We had dinner reservations at Pardon My French in Simpson Bay that night.
We are getting ready to experience some delicious French cuisitne at Pardon My French!
I started off with the Cassolette de Langouste, which is lobster and mushroom in a garlic Chardonnay creme sauce!
The fresh oysters were delicious!
I loved my beef bourguigon!
The chocolate sphere was so good to finish the meal! It had Ferrero Rocher pieces also!
They poured some chocolate sauce on top of the sphere also to melt it!
The waitress told us we would get 20% of our bill back in casino credit across the street so we went over there. I did well on Blackjack! Cheers with my complimentary Maker's Mark.
I spotted a mango and banana tree at the resort so I thought of that song, "Underneath the Mango Tree," from the Bond movie, Dr. No, and I sang it to Joy. LOL.
We walked to the pier where our Anguilla day trip excursion left from the next morning. On the way, we stopped at this French Bakery for coffee and a pastry.
Their madeleine cookies were delicious!
Our speed boat to Anguilla was pretty comfortable. They told us we would be drier by sitting towards the front.
Simpson Bay is shared by the Dutch and French in Sint Maarten. We deported from a pier on the Bay.
This is part of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard Fleet.
Sint Maarten is home to a lot of luxury yachts. The show Below Deck filmed here too.
The sea was really angry that day! Here is a sailboat navigating the rough waters between Saint Martin and Anguilla!
Our captain guided us through the rough waters to Anguilla and back!
Anguilla has these cool limestone cliffs and sea caves.
We docked in Sandy Ground Beach in Anguilla where our crew cleared our passports with the customs office. Anguilla is a British territory.
Sandy Ground Beach was beautiful!
Our crew poured us rum punch as we waited to be cleared by immigration.
Our land tour of Anguilla took us to a salt pond where they cultivate salt. Anguilla was used by the British for salt production with slave labor back in the day.
Anguilla also produces cotton.
This is the Royal Anguilla Police Headquarters in the capital of The Valley. Aguilla is very safe however!
The Blake Plantation house was the first on the island and built with slave labor.
This is St. Gerard's Catholic Church.
Here is the famous Anguilla sign.
This is a license plate on Anguilla.
We did some salt and chocolate tasting on our land tour also.
For lunch, we went to the famous Elvis Beach Bar at Sandy Ground Beach.
Mead's Bay is a famous area on Anguilla known for turquoise waters!
We enjoyed our stop at Mead's Bay.
For dinner, we went to Jai's Fusion in Simpson Bay. This Indian-Asian fusion restaurant was amazing! I had an Indian whiskey called Indiri.
The chef had an unique twist on traditional Indian dishes like this samosa which was more like a puffed pastry. There are lots of Indians who live in the Caribbean.
The chicken dish was a cross between Indian and Thai with the coconut milk sauce.
The chef prepared his dishes for us in the open kitchen.
Although US Dollars are widely accepted on Sint Maarten, they do have the Dutch Caribean Guildner also. The French side uses Euros.
We went to Phillipsburg the next day for our catamaran trip around part of the island. Beforehand, we explored some of downtown.
Phillipsburg is where the cruise ships dock so they have lots of shops.
Our catamaran was called the Phoenix.
The crew greeted us with some light breakfast items.
We are heading out to go snorkeling soon.
Joy and I are swimming in the warm waters of the Caribbean on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten.
I am snorkling here.
There were plenty of fish to see in the clear waters.
They put lots of crackers in the water so more fish would swim around us.
There is a submarine sunken underneath the area where we snorkeled.
We are heading off to the French side of the island afte a nice snorkeling adventure.
I think this is around where the Dutch and French side of the islands divide.
I loved the rum punch they made for us.
Carib is a beer from St. Lucia which is nearby.
They let us swim in Mullet Bay too. I took the paddleboard out here also.
It is time to head back to the dock in Phillipsburg after a fun day on the water!
We watched the planes land into SXM also as we made our way back to port.
We enjoyed our cruise back to port. The views were so beautiful!
After getting back to port, we went shopping in Phillipsburg. We saw this cool Old Street too so we had to check it out.
Old Street was very colorful.
On the way back to the resort, we stopped at Topper's Rhum Distillery for their famous rum infused ice cream!
I had to try some of the rum too!
Another day in paradise is about to come to an end. We had great views from our resort.
For dinner, we went to Skip Jack's in Simpson Bay. They are known for very fresh seafood.
The blackened Grouper was delicious!
Our views from the table at Skip Jack's was so amazing!
The next morning, we went to Buccaneer Beach for coffee.
I made another pina colada after getting back to the resort and chilled under the thatched huts on the beach.
That was my view from where I was chilling!
For lunch, we went to Captain's Rib Shack.
The jerk style chicken with the rice and beans were delicious! I got the Jamaican Ting soda also.
We had access to the premium lounge at the airport after checking in for our flight to Orlando.
A crowd was gathering by Maho Beach to watch our 737 take off!
I got some great pictures of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin as we took off from SXM. Simpson Bay is below.
We were upgraded to a room with a private gym at the Doubletree Orlando Airport. On the way back, we spent a night in Orlando.
They had a complimentary hydration station for us too in the room.
For dinner, we went to Universal City Walk.
The Universal City Walk in Orlando is much larger and nicer than the one in California.
We got my nephew a Yoshi pin at the Super Nintendo World shop. He loves Yoshi.
We had dinner at the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. Before dinner, we tried some of their chocolate too.
The desserts were huge!
The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium is known for these large milk shakes also.
We had to get a doughnut at VooDoo Doughnuts also after dinner!
VooDoo Doughbuts is so good!
They had a B-52 bomber on display near the airport so we had to check it out!
We had a short connection in LAX so I got a complimentary foot massage with my Priority Pass membership. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is so worth it!
What is this "splitting time" title have to do with going to a place? Well, the island of Sint Marteen or Saint Martin is split between the Dutch and French. The Dutch side is an autonomous country within the Netherlands, and the French side is part of the EU. Each side has its own laws and even currency. We headed out for Sint Marteen during Memorial Day Weekend on a Friday night. Once again, we took Southwest's red eye flight from SMF to BWI where we connected to SXM. Since I am A List with Southwest, we were once again allowed to upgrade to the extra leg room row. On board, we got free alcohol and the premium snacks. This time, they had the Siete Mexican wedding cookies along with the pistachios as the premium snack. After a few hours of sleep, we landed into BWI. I was able to get us an hour in the Minute Suites at BWI so we could relax before our connection to Sint Marteen.
Our flight to SXM was about four hours, and I was surprised Southwest operated it on a Boeing 737-700. We were over water a lot, but the route took us over other Caribbean islands so if something did happen, the plane had plenty of airports to land at. After arriving into SXM, immigration was automated. We got our luggage, and then we headed to the Europcar car rental office via the shuttle. Driving on Sint Marteen is pretty easy since they drive on the same side of the road as us in the US. The cars were quite primitive compared to our American standards. Sint Marteen had a lot of Chinese cars too. The Europeans are used to having smaller cars without all the nice options we have in the US. We headed to lunch after landing since we were hungry from the long overnight flight. The Beirut Restaurant in Simpson Bay was on the way to our hotel so we enjoyed a nice Lebanese lunch there. The Caribbean and Latin America has a large Middle Eastern community.
I booked a Hilton Vacation Club property near Simpson Bay called the Flamingo Beach Resort. This Hilton timeshare property had large units with full kitchens. Our one bedroom unit had a nice partition between the living area and the bedroom too. Parking was free on site also. This resort was on the water, and there were multiple beaches for us to enjoy along with a pool. We went to a small market nearby to get some breakfast items, Cuban rum, and fresh fruits after checking in. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the resort on the beach and in the pool. For dinner, we went to the Palapa Lounge in Simpson Bay. We enjoyed the lounge first where I got a drink beforehand. Our dinner was great! The Dutch side of the island is where the nightlife is!
The next morning, we drove to the Maho Beach area where people wait on the sand to see the low flying planes land into SXM. The Sunset Beach Bar even displayed the flight times. We enjoyed watching the small and large planes land into SXM as we had some drinks and a snack. Afterwards, we drove to the French side of the island. Marigot is the capital of the French side. Since it was Sunday, almost everything was closed. We went to Ft. Louis which is on a hill above Marigot. This old French fort had cool canons and great views of the island. Afterwards, we found a great Greek restaurant on the beach as we made our way back to the Dutch side. The staff had French accents so I figured a lot of French nationals live and work on the French side. We explored the Dutch side's capital, Phillipsburg afterwards. There was another historic fort on that side called Ft. Amsterdam. While driving around Phillipsburg, we saw a festival going on so we stopped to check it out. The island has a large Guyanese population, and it was their independence day. Guyana is a country in South America which is home to both Africans and Indians. That night, we had dinner at Pardon My French in Simpson Bay. We loved the French food there! Afterwards, I played some blackjack at the one of the casinos on the island across the street.
We went to explore the British territory of Anguilla the next day. The marina where the speed boat left from was walking distance from our resort so we walked down there. I noticed the resort had a mango and banana tree so I sang that song, "Underneath the Mango Tree" to Joy. That song was from the James Bond movie, Dr. No. I think a lot about the old Bond movies when I am in the Caribbean since many of them took place in this area. Our speed boat captain took us through rough seas to Anguilla, which is the island north of Saint Martin. Anguilla has beautiful limestone cliffs and caves. The island is known for turquoise blue waters and amazing beaches. We anchored at Sandy Ground Beach which was breathtaking! Our crew handed us over to another tour guide who took us on land tour of the small island. The capital is called The Valley. Since the island is British, we saw lots of references to the British crown. We saw a famous plantation house built by slaves as well as a salt pond. After having lunch at a famous sports bar on the beach, we departed back for Saint Martin. The water was very rough as a storm was over the Caribbean. We were so happy we made it back in one piece with the large waves that were hitting our boat! That night, we went to a nice fusion restaurant called Jai's.
The next day, we drove to Phillipsburg to board a catamaran in Blake's Marina. This catamaran took us on a snorkeling tour as well as a cruise around part of the island. We even had access to a paddleboard. Our chef on board cooked us a great lunch also. The bar was complimentary, and they had lots of great alcoholic drinks! We enjoyed our catamaran tour a lot! After getting back to Phillipsburg, we went shopping since it is tax free there. Joy got a nice emerald bracelet. I got a nice Pyscho Bunny shirt also. That night, we had a great dinner at Skip Jack's. I loved the fresh seafood there!
We departed the island the next morning for Orlando. Our flight was late enough to where we could still enjoy the beach at our resort in the morning. Once we got into Orlando, we went to Universal City Walk for dinner at the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. That night, we stayed in Orlando since there were no other flights available to Sacramento. The Doubletree upgraded us to a nice room with a private gym! I love Florida so we did not mind our overnight stop.