Return to St. Maarten/St. Martin 2022: 5/4/2022 Leaving St. Maarten/St. Martin, breakfast at Rainbow Cafe, Jet Blue flight home

We are up around 7:00 am. Our flight leaves at 12:30 pm. We have decided to have breakfast on the way to the airport. Bags in the car-check. One last check inside our unit to make sure we haven't forgotten anything. I left the almost full bottle of pancake syrup, the box of crackers and a few other food items that we decided not to toss just in case. I also left the full bottle of dishwashing liquid, my sponge, and scrubber I brought from home. I left a tip for the cleaning lady. I remembered to take my candy bar from the fridge. I'll eat it on the plane. One last look around outside. Our view. Going to miss that. Check out goes smoothly. At reception we hand over everything, get our printed out attestation papers for Jet Blue. I did ask about how the cleaning service tips work as I had seen 2 different ladies do our unit. I wanted to know if tips are shared or what. I found out that whoever cleans our unit today-and it could be someone entirely different than the 2 ladies-gets to keep the entire tip. I'm upset, disappointed. So what I've now learned and will follow on future trips is that I will leave a tip every day to make sure that the person cleaning gets rewarded-even if it's just a small amount as something is better than nothing.

I think we left things pretty clean.

Rainbow Cafe. Breakfast. Richard finds a lot that's almost empty to park the car. We're directed to the roof deck where breakfast is being served. Pretty views from up here. There's a large group and a few other tables occupied. We arrive at 8:30 am so a bit behind my schedule. I wanted to be done with breakfast by 9:15 am. Drinks-pineapple juice and orange juice. Richard orders the smoked salmon with cottage cheese on toast. I haven't had pancakes on this trip so I order the pancakes with fresh fruit. I ask for no mascarpone cream. It takes a long time before our food arrives and I'm getting worried about the time. Food arrives at 9:03 am so we are definitely behind schedule. I'm disappointed in the pancakes. They are cold and not light and fluffy like the ones I make at home. But the fruit is great. Richard loves his breakfast choice. As soon as our server brought us our food I ask for the check and explain we're on our way to the airport. She brings a machine to the table to process the credit card. I tell her to add 20% tip. Bill was 39€ no tip-45€/$47.61USD with tip added. We are back on the road by 9:30 am.

Rainbow Cafe

Downstairs are

View from roof deck

Is Richard thinking about breakfast or going home??

Our drinks-juice

Here I am!

My breakfast-pancakes and fruit

Richard's smoked salmon and cottage cheese on toast

View

On our way. First we need to fill up the gas tank. It's 31.20€/$32.82 USD and I get a receipt for the car rental company in case they need it. We get to Marigot fine but then we make a colossal mistake. We make a wrong turn somewhere and instead of the short, straight shoot to the airport we end up lost. Stopping to ask for directions we have ended up driving the long way-through Nettle Bat, Mullet Bay, Maho-until we finally arrive at the car rental place-ZezGo. It's now around 10:15 am! Dropping the car off was a breeze. They didn't need the gas receipt and everything is A ok with the car return! The mileage on the car when we picked it up was 36, 329 miles. I forgot to note the exact mileage at return but do remember it was 36, 000+. The shuttle from the car rental takes us over to the airport and drops us off by the departures area. He helps Richard unload our bags so I tip him $3.00 USD.

Getting gas for the car

Receipt for gas for the car

Our shuttle from the car rental place

Richard is rolling the bags into the airport!

Princess Juliana International Airport. As soon as we walk through the doors we see a long line for the Jet Blue counter. It's 10:30 am. Hope we have enough time. I have all my documents out-passports, negative covid test result papers, Jet Blue attestation papers. Most in line are scrambling to bring up their covid test results, attestation form filled out, etc. I see the same store where I bought my Chippie SIM card when we arrived back on 4/25. I have that postcard with the Dutch stamp. They said they can mail it but it will take a few weeks. Check in-smooth as silk as I had everything printed out. Weight on checked baggage good. Passports stamped, given boarding passes. We head to the waiting area by our gate. We are on JB flight #788 departs 12:30 pm. Arrives JFK 4:49 pm. We have the window and aisle seat in row 22. Use the bathroom and browse the few shops. Boarding begins. Our plane is named I Only Have Eyes For Blue!

Our flight is JB #788

Boarding pass-notice it's marked cleared

Our plane I Only Have Eyes For Blue

1994

Princess Juliana International Airport 1994

It's a very comfortable trip. No one sits in the middle seat! I take video of our take off as well as pictures of us leaving the island. Part of us is happy to be heading home while the other part is sad to be leaving. The personal screens are different than what we had arriving. The screen's greeting has our names! I finally get to watch the Spider Man movie! Snacks-apple juice and cheez-it while Richard get the cinnamon maple oat/seeds bar. Before we know it we're landing at JFK. We have to get our bags from the carousel, go through Customs/Immigration, then recheck the bags for the last leg of our flight from JFK to Buffalo. We're told since those bags have been tagged with our final destination of Buffalo we don't have to do a normal check in. We can drop them off at the drop off bags area. Great. I take a picture of the departure board when we arrive at JFK.

Personal screen

So long SXM!

Snacks and drinks

Getting ready to land at JFK

Touch down!

Almost at Terminal 5

We have plenty of time for dinner

We have plenty of time to grab a bite to eat. Eventually we decide on 5IVESTEAK. I'm craving a burger! Drinks-just water. I order the 5IVESTEAK with cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato. Cooked medium and it was delicious! Comes with fries. Richard gets the 5IVE STEAK CHILI which he says is ok but nothing fabulous. Cost without tip $34.73.

5IVESTEAK

My cheeseburger was just what I wanted and needed!

Richard's steak chili

Where we had dinner in Terminal 5 of JFK Airport

Map

Eventually we sit at the waiting area for our flight. It's JB flight #102 departs JFK 8:50 pm. Arrives Buffalo 10:25 pm. Seating is 2-2 configuration so we have a window and an aisle in row 9. Our flight is delayed but only by a little bit. Departure now 9:05 pm. Boarding goes smoothly. Not completely full plane but not a lot of empty seats. I take a few pictures. We arrive Buffalo around 10:30 pm. Claim our bags, head outside where I spot the shuttle for the long term lot standing there. Lucky us. We get on. First to be dropped off at our car. Tip $3.00 to the guy who helps Richard with the bags. To the exit. Pay for parking credit card $87.00. Driving home is a breeze. Get home around 11:45 pm. We're so tired we bring the bags in and just leave them in the family room. Time for bed! Time to sleep in!