LONG POST ALERT!
We booked this trip in August, and Ryan was keeping a countdown on our kitchen calendar whiteboard. This trip was highly anticipated for a few reasons. We've never traveled abroad with the boys, and typically, we take trips visit friends and family. Also, the boys are getting closer and closer to launching, at which point travel logistics may become more complicated.
After cross-referencing factors like safety, distance, and cost, we decided to book our Christmas trip to Sint Maarten (Dutch side) /Saint Marten (French side). For simplicity, they'll refer to the island as SXM, which is the airport code. The Caribbean island is 1200 miles south of Miami, 375 miles east of Puerto Rico, and 935 north of Venezuela.
We were thrilled to escape the snow, and unplug in the warm sun. We headed to O'Hare at about 2:00AM (witnessing a cross-lane, spin out on I-94 like I've never seen before!) on Christmas Eve to catch our 5:00AM flight.
Everything was going smoothly, until American Airlines called a national ground stop due to an IT issue. Long story short, the delay caused us (and many, many more travelers) to miss our connection to SXM, and we were stranded in Miami. Our options were dicey and uncertain. I was despondent, frankly. Since we didn't have much flexibility in travel dates, and our Airbnb was already paid for, I was envisioning missing our opportunity entirely, and essentially wasting a ton of money. Burke, Ryan, and Evan did their best to make space for my emotions, while maintaining hope. I am so grateful for them for that.
In Chicago at O'Hare, blissfully unaware of the travel issues we were about to encounter.
At least American Airlines gave us two hotel rooms and meal vouchers for our trouble. We did not, however, have our luggage - no toothbrushes, slept in our travel clothes. We were placed on a standby list for the next day's flights. We were #10-13 on a list of 15 people - not great! Burke, Ryan, and Evan convinced me to rally for a Christmas Eve meal in a random restaurant (La Rosa - Cuban food) within walking distance from the random Miami airport hotel. We were not in a beautiful part of Miami, but it was a pretty delicious meal.
Evan, flower behind his ear, making me laugh at our random Christmas Eve dinner in Miami.
The next morning, we arrived at the Miami airport very early so I could try to stake my claim to any standby seats that might be made available. Again, long story short, they ended up offering us two seats, and since there are four of us, I was again thrown into anxiety There were lots of tears, as we had to make quick decisions under pressure. Thankfully, Burke had envisioned this scenario and had a plan. He had shared the plan with me, so I was a bit more mentally prepared, but it didn't make it any easier. Burke wanted me and Evan to go ahead first. There was a second flight to SXM in a couple hours, and he thought he and Ryan could get on that one.
Evan and I were very sad to leave Burke and Ryan behind in Miami, and were elated when we landed in SXM, and had a text waiting for us confirming they'd both had seats on the next flight. That meant Evan and I had a couple hours to kill in the SXM airport. Evan kept us both entertained.
So, we missed one night in SXM and that night's Airbnb cost, which is a bummer. But what an excellent gift to arrive on Christmas Day.
Ryan took very artistic photos of the island, including this one. There are run down areas, hurricane ruins, and poverty. It was a beautiful landscape, and the juxtaposition was sometimes startling. It was nice to share with the boys a tiny glimpse of what the world in like outside our American entitlement and privilege.
Burke claims to have been very nervous to drive in SXM. You never would have guessed. He handled it like a pro, as usual. He's a great driver. The roads were narrow, hilly, and curvy. There were no stop signs or stoplights - just a few roundabouts here and there. I did not sense any road rage. People were just kind and calm on the road, and it works.
This is the "backyard" of our Airbnb.
This was our view of the Atlantic from our Airbnb.
same view as above, but pulled back to include the pool
They immediately found hermit crabs and turtles in the yard. We also saw monkeys at one point.
This was our view of the Atlantic from our Airbnb.
It's impossible to get tired of it, or take the vastness and beauty for granted.
This is very much not our typical Christmas situation.
We had a very merry Christmas in the sun and warm.
For me, I cannot imagine a more serene place to be.
Our "luxury" rental car - a local wanted us to move our car in this one parking lot, and made a comment that we needed to move, because she couldn't get through in her car, and she didn't have a luxury car like ours. This was interesting, because while it was a decent car, we would not have classified is a luxury car. Yet another impactful moment to acknowledge privilege and gain some perspective.
Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side, and a big cruise port. It was very touristy, and not really the vibe we were going for. We didn't spend a ton of time here, but we're glad we checked it out.
Back to the villa, our happy place - We would spend time sitting on the deck, reading, and enjoying the Atlantic. Those two sliding doors behind Evan are the entrances to their separate rooms with en suite bathrooms. They each had their own space, which were separate from the main living space and the master bedroom. It was pretty much a perfect set up for two teenagers.
We visited the Gibbs Bay beach, which was part of our view that I mentioned a few pictures/captions up. It was surprisingly not close to our villa, and we had a drive a windy road to get there. Its was private, and only trafficked by those in the immediate community.
At the Gibbs Bay beach, we could get a closer look at the hotel ruins from 2017 Hurricane Irma. Irma devastated this part of the Caribbean.
Gibbs Bay selfie, boys exploring in the background
So, there is a whole story related to this iguana picture. I'm going to shorten it up, and just say we narrowly avoided being trapped in a Marriott timeshare presentation. The only good thing about that whole experience is that we learned a lesson about agency, and sales tactics, and the boys got to see all sorts of iguanas and turtles.
Once we escaped our timeshare situation, we finally proceeded on to our original destination - Orient Beach on the French side. The boys got to swim a bit, and lost their frisbee in the surf, which was totally fine.
While the Dutch side converts to USD, you pay with Euros on the French side. We enjoyed some French breakfast sweet and savory pastries at the Good Morning Cafe, and later had a delicious dinner at Roasty's, where Evan learned he liked fresh tuna. This was a surprise to him, because he does not care for canned tuna. He had, hands down, the best meal of the four of us.
Outside Roasty's
Roasty's is also when Ryan discovered Orangina - a lightly carbonated, citrus beverage popular in France, Switzerland, Japan, and North Africa.
This is also where we discovered Acqua Panna. An Italian product, it's the most refreshing bottled water you will ever encounter. We all agreed, and recently ordered some to our house.
We also discovered BNs and Happy Hippos (not pictured), which are also European products. We also had these two products shipped to our house recently.
Evan was sick for a lot of this trip, and he was a trooper. He felt pretty bad on Christmas Eve, weak and possibly feverish, congestion. As the trip continued, he regained energy and mostly felt like himself, but his ears were so plugged. It became a common refrain of the trip, him reminding us he couldn't hear, and asking us to repeat things.
Back at the villa - Evan constructs a flotation devise.
another Ryan image
This is the gate between the driveway and our courtyard space.
We were looking for Guana Bay Beach, and ended up on this mini-hike, where we spotted more ruins from Hurricane Irma. This looked like it used to be a private residence.
Burke and the boys hiked a little farther than I was willing to go. Burke looked back, and captured this image of me. I take so many pictures of everyone, I'm always grateful to have one of me to document my existence. (haha)
The boys wandered off, and Burke took this picture.
Can you spot them?
Ryan was seeking a sunset view, and this is the best we could do, considering we had this ridge between us and the horizon. Still pretty. Photo credit: B3
After the mini-hike, we finally found Guana Bay Beach, which was also not very trafficked, and included hurricane ruins.
The sand was so hard packed, and shiny.
Evan scoped out this restaurant on the French side before we even left home, so of course we had to check it out. We waited longer for our check than we did for our food, but it was a lovely spot to spend some time, making it easier to be patient and enjoy.
Our view - If you look way off you can see Saint Barthélemy (St. Barts, in English). That's 30 miles off from SXM. We weren't always able to see it due to haze. In fact, on the first day, our host told us a sandstorm from the Sahara was blowing by, obscuring the view.
On our last full day in SXM, we arranged an adventure to Pinel Island on the French side. First we kayaked from the main island to a sandbar, and then on to a little natural island with conch shells to discover and big rocks to climb.
sandbar with St. Martin behind us
Wow! Evan just found this in the water.
After we were done exploring the natural island, we kayaked on to Pinel Island, which has more amenities, though no running water. This Caribbean Christmas tree was pretty interesting.
There were a lot of visitors to Pinel Island, but you can hike away from them to enjoy these beautiful vistas. The hike looked simple enough, but turned out to be deceptively treacherous. We all due to the uneven terrain, but Evan took a mighty tumble and scratched himself pretty good. He handled it like a champ, and we relaxed on the beach after our hike. It was absolutely lovely.
We had a really good meal at Karibuni on Pinel Island. I'm still not sure how they run a bar/restaurant with no running water. After dinner, we kayaked back to the main island, simultaneously exhausted and energized by the fun day. Pinel Island was a highlight for all of us.
We had to stop a take a couple pics at the Border Monument that sits between the French side and the Dutch side. Ryan was interested in this aspect of the island, and the intrigue was a deciding factor as we were choosing between Caribbean destinations.
[Can you imagine peacefully sharing a border? Not in today's American social-political climate.]
This notable structure was in the pull off area for the Border Monument. I noticed it, but didn't say anything. Ryan must have noticed it too, because he captured the image. Putting out our trash, having it taken away, and generally enjoying neat, tidy, clean outdoor environments is a privilege I bet a lot of us take for granted.
Last morning - boo hoo! We headed down to Gibbs Bay beach one last time, before it was time to head for the airport.
contemplative
This is what I visualize one these never-ending snowy, cold winter days in Michigan. It helps!
photo credit: Ryan
We seriously enjoyed our stay at Villa Robinson. Even the glitchy oven, and the many-legged creepy crawlies that I had to regularly sweep up in the living room were endearing. The cockroach, not so much, and I'm grateful only Burke got to experience that one. Still worth it!
10 out of 10, highly recommend!
Welcome to another year...
Our flight home was not without issues, which was a bummer. In SXM, Evan and I were on some list to possibly be removed from the flight if there was a weight/balance issue with the plane. We were put on that list, because when we took the standby flight from Miami we were removed from the original reservation, which unbeknownst to us, changed our seat holder status. Luckily, we made it on the flight - no problem. Then, we missed our tight connection in Charlotte, NC due to standard delays exacerbated by customs delays that Burke and I had not planned for. Luckily, we were able to still get back to Chicago that same night, so it wasn't nearly as dramatic of an experience. Still...It'll be a long time before I fly American Airlines again!
Welcome to another year...
