Return to St. Maarten/St. Martin 2022: 4/25/2022 Wheels up-we're on our way, Grand Case Beach Club, dinner at Spiga

Woke up so early this morning at 1:30 am but our flight is at 5:30 am! OMG my eyes are stuck. It is way too early for me. Thank goodness our luggage is all packed. Luggage gets loaded into the car. My husband completes his check list. Water off. Thermostat set at 65˚F. And more.

Packed up and ready to go!

Consensus is that if you are catching an international flight you should arrive at the airport around 3 hours before your departure to do check in, security, etc. We are hoping to reach the airport and the parking lot where we'll leave our car by 2:45 am. Then we will catch the shuttle from the lot to the departures area where we can check in. Hopefully no problems with Jet Blue. Fingers crossed!

We are on the road and it's 2:15 am. I had planed for us to leave the house at 2:00 am but I am not a morning person and it takes me longer to get ready to leave than I thought it would. There is hardly any traffic on the road so we reach the airport in record time at 2:45 am. We parked our car in the long term parking lot just by following the orange signs. There's shuttle service 24/7 daily that will take you over to the departure area. And there's a shuttle standing by an empty parking space. Lucky for us. The shuttle driver-a nice woman-tells us the airport isn't really "open" until 4:00 am! But we can sit inside the airport and wait for the airline counters to open. So here we are at the area for Jet Blue. The driver helps us with our luggage so I gave her a tip. Think it was $3 or $4 for the 2 heavier bags. Inside there's a few others sitting and waiting.

Finally the JB counter opens around 4:00 am. We get in the small line. I didn't do the self check in because I had been having problems with my JB confirmation number number bringing up the details of our flights. Check in goes smoothly at the counter. Whew! Our 2 bags are checked in all the way through to SXM. That's the airport code for St. Maarten. We get our boarding passes. For BUFF to FLL and for FLL to SXM. I showed the lady the paperwork which shows our approval from EHAS/SXM to enter but she's not interested and tells me that that is something for the customs people to look at when we arrive in SXM. Uh, ok but I don't think that's right. I had read you can't get on the plane leaving the US to enter SXM without having this approval.

Boarding pass-flight Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale

Security is not too bad. Because we are 75+ we get to keep our shoes on! Our gate is 7 and it's right there as we gather our things from the conveyer belt that scans them. My carry on, purse, lap top computer, etc. I take a picture of the departures board that has our flight JB #2465 on it. Departs 5:30 am.

Departures screen showing our flight Jet Blue #2465

My husband Richard wants to buy a bottle of water as his throat is dry but nothing is open! Around 4:30 a store opens but won't accept cash and he doesn't want to put a bottle of water on the credit card. Usually if our bill is under $20 we will pay cash, not credit card.

But boarding is now starting. We're group D so board almost last. Good size plane. When I did our pre check in on line via email message from JB I changed our seats from 9C and 9D to 25C and 25D as I noticed back rows were showing empty on the plane's seating chart. These are both aisle seats as we both have leg issues. Maybe we'll get lucky and have our rows to ourselves. Wrong! Plane is full.

Leaving Buffalo

Each seat has its own personal screen for you to watch movies, play games.......... I try to watch Spider Man, No Way Home but my screen isn't cooperating so I give up and play some games instead. Snacks are served. Choice of non alcoholic drinks-hot or cold. Apple juice and water for us. Snack-several choices. I get cheez-it crackers and Richard gets kettle corn crisps.

Snack: cheez-it crackers

All too soon we arrive FLL-Fort Lauderdale Airport. Much larger than I expected. Busy. We want to find a sit down restaurant where we can order breakfast. We have 3 1/2 hours layover here. I see a store-Body Shop. We used to have one where I live but it's not there anymore and I love their soap. So I stop and buy some bars of soap! Buy 2, get 1 free. Cost $12.84. A bargain. The store clerk tells me Casavana is a sit down place for breakfast and a little bit of walking later we see it.

Casavana. Tables and booths. Busy. We're seated in a booth and not given menus but told to scan my phone to bring up the menu. But what if you don't have a phone?? Menu is very limited. I order the Casavana special which is scrambled eggs, bacon, Cuban toast. Comes with potato tots. Coffee. It's awful. The eggs don't taste like "real" eggs and maybe I should have known that as the menu didn't have eggs any other way on the menu. The bacon is not crispy as I requested. I think this food is all precooked, kept warm, etc. Richard does better with the Cuban breakfast wrap which is scrambled eggs with ham and cheddar cheese in a flour tortilla. He orders coffee too. He's not wowed by his choice but he eats it. I have a taste and it's better than mine. Only the coffee and the potato tots tasted decent. I'm so disappointed. 18% tip has been added to the bill automatically. Cost $35.37 for a barely edible breakfast! However our server Maritza was nice.

Breakfast in FLL Airport-Casavana

Menu using phone

Cuban breakfast wrap comes with potato tots

Casavana special

We have lots of time to kill. Our gate gets changed. Tons of people in this airport. At the boarding counter here I have to show those island approval papers which get stamped so I am allowed to board. It's boarding time. Large plane but so empty! Maybe only 1/4-1/3 full. This is a much more comfortable flight. We're in row 22 all by ourselves-the entire row! Tried again to watch that Spider Man movie but no luck! Drinks-we both opt for apple juice. Snacks-Richard gets energy bars and I go for the sugar cookies!

Boarding pass-flight Ft. Lauderdale to St. Maarten stamped approved

Each seat has its own screen

Selfie!

Will try again to watch this movie

Lots of empty seats

Drinks and snacks menu

Sugar cookies and apple juice

Leaving Ft. Lauderdale

View from my window seat

Smooth, uneventful flight. We are landing soon. The SXM Airport is situated by Maho beach. Planes landing fly low over this beach. It's quite a sight. I'm hoping to get a picture of the people on the beach as we fly low to land. Oops. Took my picture a few seconds too soon but it was cool anyway.

Flying low over Maho beach to land in SXM

On the ground in St. Maarten!

We exit the plane-down the steps to the outside. Hot and sunny! I took a picture of our plane-Ole Blue Eyes! A shuttle takes us to the arrivals area. Immigration, customs. All ok. Baggage carousel. There's our bags!

Our plane FLL to SXM

Shuttle to the terminal

Right in the airport I find the place that sells the Chippie SIM card which I need for my iPhone. I get the 7 day plan for $35.00 USD cash only. The guys sets it all up for me and hands me some paperwork about the Chippie. This place also sells souvenir type stuff. On every trip I try to get certain items. Here I find my fridge magnet, a few postcards. I buy stamps for the postcards which the guy puts on. $11.00 USD total.

Dutch stamp on one of my postcards

Postcard

Chippie SIM card

Now I'm looking for a guy with a sign with our name on it for our rental car. Booked through Expedia. ZezGo. After a bit of anxiety I find him! He drives us and another young guy over to the car rental office on Airport Road. Completed some paperwork. Have to give credit card for deposit in case we wreck the car...... If everything fine upon the car's return there will be no extra charge. Told to bring the car back with 3/4 tank full. OK. No hassle about signing up for extra insurance, etc. Easy peasy. I've already paid so we wait until he brings the car to us. It's a compact/economy car but more than enough for just the 2 of us. He notes down scratches and so on. I also take pictures of the outside and inside of the car. Our sweet ride is a gray Nissan.

Car rental office

Our sweet little car

Just big enough for us

Our car rental from 1994

Off we go! Driving to our resort. Bad traffic. Few signs. Wifi not working on phone so I can't get google maps to help. Got lost several times. Asking for directions. A lady-Angeline-we talked to about directions to Marigot was very helpful. She asked if she could hitch a ride with us into Marigot. Sure. No brainer. She knows how to get to Marigot! We left the car rental place at 4:05 pm and finally arrived at our resort at 6:02 pm!!! Part of that due to lots of areas bumper to bumper traffic and a lot due to us getting lost. Oh well, it's an island. You can't really get lost I've been told.

Away we go!

Driving

GRAND CASE BEACH CLUB. It's gated and we don't know how to get in. A guy walking his dog presses the button next to the gate which is an intercom to the reception desk. Duh! Now why couldn't we figure that out. It's just been such a long day and our brains have turned off I guess. Entering reception after parking the car we finish checking in paperwork and are told we've been upgraded from garden view to ocean front! Sweet. We are given 2 beach/pool towels. Security guy Steve helped us find our way to our unit. #59. We have a space to park our car right in front of the unit. He helped show us how to use the key card to enter and helped bring in our luggage. What a nice guy. I gave him a small tip of $4.00 USD for carrying in the 2 bags. This is just so much better than I expected. We have a full kitchen with basic supplies of dinnerware, glasses, cookware. There are 2 coffee makers. One takes Nespresso pods. The other is a regular coffee maker. We have starter kits for the coffee. Some coffee pods and some packets of ground coffee. Small dining area with table and 4 chairs. On the table is a vase of pretty flowers, a large bottle of water and a bottle of wine. Living room has 2 chairs, a couch, and a coffee table. A dresser. Wall mounted TV. Half bath with toilet and sink. Remote control for the wall A/C unit. Sliding doors lead to a covered patio with 2 chairs and a small table. Outside directly across from our patio is our lounging area. It's covered and has 2 loungers and a small table. This is great so far. There's a winding/spiral sort of stairs going up to the 2nd floor. I appreciate all the hand rails. Upstairs one bedroom has a king bed. 2 nightstand tables. A chair. A dresser. Another wall mounted TV. Sliding doors to a covered balcony. On the balcony we have a lounger, 2 chairs, and a small table. The bathroom for this bedroom is nice-not huge but good enough. Single sink with plenty of counter space for things like make up, toothbrush.... Toiletries are provided like shampoo, conditioner. Under the sink counter is a ledge with extra boxes tissue and toilet paper. A hair dryer. This bathroom has a step in shower with a rain shower head and a hand held shower unit. The toilet makes up the rest of the bathroom. The closet contains a safe and there's several more hangers than I expected. The second bedroom seems to have more space. There are 2 full size beds with a night stand in between them. A chair. Wall mounted TV. So our unit has 3 TVs!! Bathroom pretty much the same as the other but it has a tub/shower combo. Handrail by the tub. Closet has hangers but also iron, ironing board, blanket. Each bedroom has a remote control for the wall A/C unit. This is a really spacious unit and perfect for families and great for just the 2 of us.

Our unit is #59

Full kitchen

Two coffee makers with starter kits

Dining area-table and 4 chairs

Chair, dresser/desk type unit, wall mounted TV in the living room area

Couch, end tables with lamps, coffee table, another chair in the LR

Chairs on the ground floor patio

Our loungers directly across from our patio

Our view of the beach

Looking at our 2 story unit from the loungers area

Stairs going to 2nd floor

This bedroom has 2 full size beds

Dresser, chair, TV in this 2 bed bedroom

Bathroom for the 2 bed bedroom

Tub/shower for this 2 bed bedroom

Walk in shower for the king bedroom

Bathroom for the king bedroom

Dresser, TV, and chair in king bedroom

King bed in this bedroom

View from upstairs balcony off the king bedroom

Lounger on balcony

Table and chairs on balcony

View from 2nd floor balcony

Half bathroom ground floor

The sun is setting. Lovely views. But I had made dinner reservations before we left our home back in Colden for dinner tonight at Spiga for 7:30 pm. We have to boogie.

Sun is setting

SPIGA. Dinner. Technically we could have walked here but we didn't know that so we drove. No problem finding a space to park the car. We are asked if we want to sit inside or outside. No knowing anything about possible bugs/mosquitos we opt to eat inside. We are seated at a nice corner part booth part table. Our server is Youlaine. She's very friendly and sweet. Drinks-glass of rose wine for me and Richard asked for Corona beer which they didn't have so he got a local beer which he said was good. Bread basket and butter. I ordered the seafood risotto. It comes with crab, shrimp, scallops, baby clams. Spices of garlic and ginger. Tasty and filling. Richard ordered the pesto crusted salmon which he enjoyed. It came with sauteed potatoes and vegetables. But it's been a long day. Right now I'm so tired. Too tired for dessert. My feet are hurting. Cost of our meal 65€/$70.49 USD. MC and Visa accepted. There's a note that states unable to process tips on the credit card so I leave $15.00 USD cash on the table for the great service we received from Youlaine.