Jan – Feb 2023

Sint Maarten, Netherlands

This is truly one of the very few, as we are not in the habit of taking winter vacations and going into warm places (although Jan.2020 Palm Springs, CA would qualify).
In any case, never been to the island (either side) and looking forward to it. Read more

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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 5
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 6:28 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.053333, -63.01518°3’12” N 63°0’54” W
Dawn is the feeling
February 1, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Dawn is a feeling
A beautiful ceiling
The smell of grass just makes you pass into a dream

You're here today
No future fears
This day will last
A thousand years
If you want it to

You look around you
Things they astound you
So breathe in deep
You're not asleep
Open your mind

*************
A bit more cloudy than I would like it to be but I came out with hops to catch the sunrise

And that is Babit Point where we hiked to yesterday

And here it is .... Lève toi Soleil de Saint Martin.... about 06:38 amRead more
TravelerBeautiful! Love the sunrise and the clouds!
2/1/23Reply
TravelerOh it is beautiful!!
2/1/23Reply
Traveler🙏🙏 both
2/1/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 5
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 6:40 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.053333, -63.01518°3’12” N 63°0’54” W
Sunrise
February 1, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 5
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 12:04 PM
- ☀️ 77 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.053333, -63.01518°3’12” N 63°0’54” W
Pool again
February 1, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
I squeezed in another session of aqua aerobics this morning shortly after the sunrise, but unfortunately my hopes of being able to rent a car for one day did not come through, so the planned exploration of the island is not happening.

We are spending another completely lazy day by the pool.
Laurie is busy with her coloring book while I am nose-deep in a book I just might float by Coram Deo as my next selection, while every-so-often takin a dip to cool down.

It it quite hard for me to sit in one place doing "nothing", so perhaps @Bette Mayers can teach me how 😇

Making a fast stop at our room to drop off beach bag we ran into this colorful ladyRead more
TravelerBeautiful beach -- and beautiful iguana. The one photo makes it look like she is lounging in a beach chair.
2/1/23Reply
Traveler😁
2/1/23Reply
Traveleractually it's one of those infinity pools. Does makes it appear as if I am swimming in the ocean... and yes BTW... it is the Atlantic Ocean
2/1/23Reply
TravelerBeautiful place to stay put! Just enjoy your surroundings although I don't think I would hang with the lizard! 🤣
2/2/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 5
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 1:02 PM
- ☀️ 77 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.051667, -63.01518°3’6” N 63°0’54” W
Dawn Beach
February 1, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
Dawn Beach is a famous beach that is located on the eastern coast of the island of St. Maarten. Dawn Beach is known for its stunning sunrises, beautiful white sand, and clear blue water.

So while we obviously can agree that the sunrise was spectacular, I am not so sure about clear blue water.
There is way too much seaweed, which is why we opted for the pool and not the beach to begin with. Nonetheless we decided to take a short stroll along the beach line and Laurie performed her 'dip the toe in the water' ritualRead more
TravelerWhat a beautiful beach! And it doesn't seem jam-packed with tourists.
2/1/23Reply
Travelerno, thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case
2/1/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 5
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 6:42 PM
- ☀️ 79 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.051667, -63.01518°3’6” N 63°0’54” W
Evening dinner
February 1, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
Tonight we are dining in style on Spécial Maison Shikhvarg.
Hamburgers, cherry tomatoes, Cole slaw and wheat toast.

To bring everyone up to date, we had a light lunch sharing nice Turkey Club with fries plate, chilled some more, hit the gym and aptly replenished the lost calories by dragging ourselves into another 2 4 1 daily special ( which, if you haven't figured out by yourself by now, is happening every F***** night... and there is no way that you can stay away from it because those drinks are so good) before ending the night as described.

No huge excitement today, but it must be good to do so on vacations every once in a while 😉🙃Read more
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 7:11 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.053333, -63.01518°3’12” N 63°0’54” W
Somewhere over...
February 2, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
We were greeted by this beautiful view upon getting up in the morning 🌄 😍

If you look closely you should notice that it's a double rainbow 🌈
TravelerYes it is! Beautiful!
2/2/23Reply
TravelerWow!
2/2/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 9:29 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.053333, -63.01518°3’12” N 63°0’54” W
Oyster Bay Marina
February 2, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a wonderful trip
That started from Oyster Bay Marina
Abord this tiny ship.

Our capt Colleen, and the boat we'll ride on -
Gamma II - has a nice allure
Seven passengers set sail today
For a four hour tour, a four hour tour.Read more
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 10:26 AM
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Baie Blanche 18.113333, -62.9918°6’48” N 62°59’24” W
Île Tintamarre
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin
Île Tintamarre, also known as Flat Island, is a small island with an area of approximately 0.8 square kilometres (0.3 sq mi). It is located in the Caribbean Sea, about 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the island of Saint Martin, and is administered as part of the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin.
This is our 1st stop. We snorkel in beautiful blue water.
Laurie saw 2 sea turtles 🐢 💙Read more
TravelerYou both really look relaxed and happy.
2/3/23Reply
Travelernothing to do here but relax and be happy 😊
2/3/23Reply
TravelerBeautiful! Love the blue water.
2/3/23Reply
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:17 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: 20 ft
- Saint Martin Baie Blanche 18.116667, -62.98833318°7’0” N 62°59’18” W
Tintamarre 2
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
TravelerSo lovely!
2/3/23Reply
TravelerWe didn't go onto the beach. We could have but any time spent on land is not spent snorkeling... and we were out to snorkel 🤿🤿😍
2/3/23Reply
TravelerLove the rock formation/cliff.
2/3/23Reply
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:32 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Baie de Petites Cayes 18.125, -63.03166718°7’30” N 63°1’54” W
Petites Cayes
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Petites Cayes is a beach that is located on the north-eastern coast of St. Martin. and is one of the top hidden beaches on the island. The Baie of Petite Cayes has perfectly powdery golden sand, blue water, and impressive views of the mountains.

We didn't make a stop here but Colleen pointed it out for us.Read more
TravelerBeautiful.
2/3/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 11:41 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Crowl Rock 18.116667, -63.05518°7’0” N 63°3’18” W
Rocher Créole
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Creole Rock (in French, Rocher Créole) is a small island in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of the island of Saint Martin, It is part of the National nature reserve of Saint-Martin.[The rock has an area of 0.2 square kilometres (0.1 sq mi) and is uninhabited.

Our second snorkel stop for today with a beautiful Reef and many colorful fish. Laurie and I also saw 2 calamari and another pair on our boat actually saw an octopus.

On the other side the beach is the Grand Case - the little town that we've passed by on our first Island Tour on Monday.

We also had a very nice lunch with ham and cheese or turkey and cheese sandwiches and of course a great beverage to cool us downRead more
TravelerThe views are really beautiful.
2/3/23Reply
TravelerI am considering to invest in a small camera ala GoPro so I can take pics and videos underwater. The couple that saw the octopus showed me the one they have and it worked quite nicely and the price was reasonable.
2/3/23Reply
TravelerIf your going to be around water that is the way to go.
2/3/23Reply
Traveler👍
2/3/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 12:24 PM
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Crowl Rock 18.117332, -63.056418°7’2” N 63°3’23” W
Créole Rock 2
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 12:46 PM
- 🌬 77 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Petite Clef 18.106667, -63.01833318°6’24” N 63°1’6” W
Ilet Pinel
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin ⋅ 🌬 77 °F
Ilet Pinel is a small paradise island in the heart of the Nature Reserve , located on the east coast of Saint-Martin.

There is a very nice beach with couple of small shops and restaurants.
Here is where we were supposed to see more iguanas but somehow didn't see any...

But we did see quite interesting public restrooms...🤨😏Read more
TravelerBeautiful!
2/3/23Reply
Traveler🤣
2/3/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 1:22 PM
- 🌬 77 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Pinel Island 18.105, -63.01666718°6’18” N 63°1’0” W
Ilet Pinel 2
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin ⋅ 🌬 77 °F
This was our last stop after which we happily went back to Resort
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 1:30 PM
- 🌬 77 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Pinel Island 18.105, -63.01666718°6’18” N 63°1’0” W
Ilet Pinel 3
February 2, 2023 in Saint Martin ⋅ 🌬 77 °F
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 6
- Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 4:20 PM
- ☀️ 79 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Ravine Rouge 18.053333, -63.01518°3’12” N 63°0’54” W
1
Its 4 pm....
February 2, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
Do you know where your parents/ grandparents are?...

Can All Y'All count with me?
(All together now...
Ground Control to Major Tom...👨‍🚀👨‍🚀)...
TWO FOUR ONE....🚀🚀

😊🤭🤣

Nice entertainment while at it

Salt n Pepper are doing Free Wine Tasting with Cheese and Veggies nibbles (see you can REALLY get loaded here)..

And later on a Jazz night in Inner Court...

And things deteriorated from here...Read more
Traveler Wow
2/3/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 9:43 AM
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Flaminco Pond 18.035, -63.09833318°2’6” N 63°5’54” W
Simpson Bay Custom & Marina
February 3, 2023 in Sint Maarten
Fasten your seat belts and get your passport ready because on the Last Day on Sint Maarten we are off to Anguilla - British Overseas Territory.
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 9:49 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Sint Maarten Simpson Bay 18.033333, -63.10833318°1’60” N 63°6’30” W
Simson Bay
February 3, 2023 in Sint Maarten ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Getting under the sail shortly after leaving the Marina

Boats Boats and more boats :)
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 10:26 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Saint Martin Roche de Plum Bay 18.078333, -63.1618°4’42” N 63°9’36” W
At sea... or rather Ocean
February 3, 2023 in Saint Martin ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
The 1st 2 shot - the lady & the guy with kid - they are way up on the bow side seats, definitely a bit of a roller coaster ride there
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 11:00 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Anguilla Lower West End Point 18.171667, -63.1818°10’18” N 63°10’48” W
Desayno Numero duo
February 3, 2023 in Anguilla ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
(Considering the one we had in the room before leaving being Numero Uno)

Just past Anguilleta, we are served a light array of sandwiches - ham & cheese, turkey, tuna, and a veggie one.

Just the right sizes to get you filled, but not too much before going snorkeling.

The guy in a blue shirt and the lady next to him are from Media. He was a Police Officer in Philly for 13 years and just retired (sadly, "had enough"... and I cannot blame him)Read more
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 11:39 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Anguilla Prickly Pear Cays 18.266667, -63.17518°16’0” N 63°10’30” W
1
Prickly Pear island
February 3, 2023 in Anguilla ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
Prickly Pear Island is an islet approx. 650 metres off the north shore coast of Hodges Bay on the much larger island of Antigua, West Indies.The island measures approx. 50 metres north to south, and approx. 50 metres east to west.Read more
TravelerDid you have fun snorkeling? (You look like you did)
2/4/23Reply
Traveleryes I did. I really like snorkeling. As I mentioned yesterday, I need to invest in a small GoPro type camera which will allow me to take pictures in water or underwater so then I can share those as well
2/4/23Reply
TravelerI have never been snorkeling but it looks like fun!
2/4/23Reply
Travelerit is. all you have to do is float 😁
2/4/23Reply
1 [e]
4/1/24Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 11:42 AM
- 🌬 75 °F
- Altitude: 20 ft
- Anguilla Prickly Pear Cays 18.265858, -63.17220818°15’57” N 63°10’20” W
Prickly Pear 2
February 3, 2023 in Anguilla ⋅ 🌬 75 °F
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:17 PM
- 🌬 77 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Anguilla Mead Point 18.191667, -63.1418°11’30” N 63°8’24” W
Meades Bay Beach
February 3, 2023 in Anguilla ⋅ 🌬 77 °F
Meads Bay beach has several expensive hotels, luxury apartments and restaurants of high cuisine, both Caribbean and international. Luxury yachts often moor here in winter. Public access to Mids Bay Beach is situated in its eastern part, right near the spa center of one of beach hotels. Meads Bay beach is famous for boat racing held on Easter Monday and other holidays.

Meads Bay Beach is loved both by locals and by tourists. Although, it is seldom crowded, so vacation on this beach won't be obscured by noise and cramped space.Read more
TravelerWhat a GREAT photo of Laurie!
2/4/23Reply
Traveler🙏
2/4/23Reply
TravelerBeautiful beach!
2/4/23Reply
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 1:28 PM
- 🌬 77 °F
- Altitude: 69 ft
- Anguilla Mead Point 18.186667, -63.13518°11’12” N 63°8’6” W
Meads Bay 2
February 3, 2023 in Anguilla ⋅ 🌬 77 °F
We swam to the shallow water next to the beach, returned to the boat where
we were served a yummy BBQ Lunch and proceeded with partying while slowly casting away
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Traveler Sint Maarten, Netherlands
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- Day 7
- Friday, February 3, 2023 at 3:20 PM
- 🌬 79 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- Anguilla Mead Point 18.191667, -63.1418°11’30” N 63°8’24” W
Back in the Saddl....er... Open Waters
February 3, 2023 in Anguilla ⋅ 🌬 79 °F
Slowly cruising back to Sint Maarten; soaking up scenery and... yup you guessed it - boats
TravelerLove the blue, blue water, the scenery and the beaches! Glad you & Laurie had a great time.
2/8/23Reply
Travelerthanks
2/8/23Reply
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