Honeymoon

Our trip was supposed to start before the sun came up on Sunday, June 23rd, but Saturday and Sunday meshed into one long day for us.  Saturday night we had a 30th birthday dinner to attend in Uptown.  We ate, had a few glasses of wine, and then decided to head to a nearby bar.  We had a few drinks and then decided to take a cab back home and get a few hours of sleep before we had to leave for the airport.  Well, once we got home it was nearly 1:00 a.m., and we were afraid that we wouldn't wake up to our alarm.  I played out the whole nightmare in my mind-oversleep, miss our flight, lose at least one day of our honeymoon that we've been awaiting since October, etc., etc.  So, since we were already packed, we decided to change our clothes, load the car, and head to Amelie's for a late-night treat.  After that, we headed to the airport, parked the car, slept in the lobby for about 2 hours, and then checked in around 4:00 a.m.  Because we were so tired, we were able to sleep on both flights (the one to Miami and the one to St. Maarten).  We arrived late in the afternoon on Sunday, settled in, grabbed a quick dinner, showered, and called it a night.  In the days that followed, we developed a bit of a routine-go to breakfast, go back to the room to get our things ready for the day, enjoy whatever we had planned, return to the beach resort and catch some rays for an hour or so, shower, and then walk to dinner.  Some nights we'd crash early and others we'd have an evening walk along the beach.  So here it is in a nutshell...

Day 1:  Shopping in Philipsburg

We stayed on the north part of the island (the French side) but ventured south (the Dutch side) to do a little shopping.  They had the usual thrifty souvenir shops, and there were more jewelry stores than I'd ever seen!

the port in Philipsburg

a quick photo before lunch

dinner at Piazza Pascal

shrimp & crab stuffed ravioli-phenomenal!

Day 2:  Hiking & Zip Line Tour at Loterie Farm

We hiked for an hour or so up to the top for a beautiful view of the island.  On the way back down, we had a four-legged friend follow us.  We figured out that the dog must belong to the owner or one of the employees, because she made her way back to the restaurant area and took a nap.  She deserved it after that hike!

proof that we participated in a zip line tour

the lunch/bar area

headed out to dinner

dessert for two

Day 3:  Orient Beach

Brantley did his research and found this "world famous beach" on the island.  We may have been a little anxious-got there around 10:30 and there weren't too many people around.  I'm glad, though, because we had the best seats in the house-front row of chairs and the bar directly behind us.

frozen strawberry margarita for me

The waiter made sure our glasses we never empty.

Eventually, he had to break out his rash guard.  He doesn't get along well with the sun.

lunch time on the beach

outdoor seating so we could still enjoy the view

 Day 4:  Mullet Bay
We contemplated going back to Orient Beach but decided to try a new spot.  We ended up on the Dutch side in a cozy little nook.

There were people swinging from the ship into the water.  We saw some great back flips and perfect dives.

Dessert that night was a nutella-filled crepe from a street vendor.

Day 5:  Beach time at our resort

Because we had some things to take care of-packing up, checking out, etc., we decided not to venture out.  We stayed on the beach right outside our door.  We had a few drinks, read, and just relaxed, trying to soak up the last few hours before heading back to reality.  

the Byrdies

sunset at the Sunset Cafe

our last dinner on the honeymoon

While we were there, we were already discussing where we'd venture to next.  We both want to travel and explore what the world has to offer.  We agreed that the next vacation will be smaller scale-New Orleans or maybe Vegas.  But in two years, we hope to visit Europe.  Already looking forward to it! :)