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DonLinda

 Sint Maarten
 June 4- 17, 2016

 

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Updated:
07/03/2016

 


 Our SXM Page

 

Ocean Club
Pictures expand

Our yellow crowned
night heron is still here

Below OC landing


OC landing

Hidden in cliffs

 AA flights from SAT to MIA very early...on time....the MIA to SXM about 1 hour late - 3PM arrival.  Delta going home thru ALT.... 2nd leg another 1 hour late arriving home about midnight. 

The Ocean Club is in very good condition.  Our 15D studio unit had new AC and safety bars.  There were no issues except the usual lousy cable TV service.  The WiFi has been completely redone and is quite powerful.  Even the Kindle Fire worked for streaming Netflix.  

Julio, Val, Mildred, Sandra, Pearla, and Noreen are all doing well.  Mildred is sometimes working in the office now and is doing a great job.  Elvis went to France to visit his kids and his passport was stolen...he is having difficulty getting papers to renew it, at least that is the rumor.  Cheryl is no longer working for the resort.

Villas #4, #5, and #2 have been sold.  #8 bought #2 and is reconstructing it.

The Green Monkey Bar and Grill (Facebook Page) was only going to be opened for breakfast and closed for lunch and dinner during the off season, but Sal opened it for us and our friends for dinner and happy hour each evening.  When Marjory returned with her husband Tom they decided to keep it open for more of the summer.  We definitely appreciated it and ate there often. 

The Cupecoy Ocean Club beach had a moderate amount of sand right below the landing.  We could walk the beach easily with no drop off the first week.  The 2nd week the sand started exiting and a drop off started to form.  Dany was available with lounges, umbrellas and food on the OC beach.  Dany's Cupecoy does not have much sand except in front of Shore Pointe.  The little beaches are all rocks.  Dany (Facebook Page) is doing well with his $5 parking access, beach bar and serving lobster with a day's notice.  He is constantly watching all the beaches on Cupecoy, but there is usually a pervert or two around trying to show off on the OC beach. 

The island is dry.  The golf course is brown and we had very little rain during the two weeks.  There was quite a bit of haze most of the time and we could not see Saba except for one or two days.

Traffic was not a big problem...the causeway is wonderful.  We only took two trips around the island.   Our rental car was favorite R-14 Nissan from the wonderful Lesley Bruce.  (personal FB Page)

The Blue Mall has more food courts now that opens around 11AM.  Rumor - completely unverified - is that Marriott has obtained ownership or an interest in it.

Again this year we stayed around OC, visiting with our friends from the East Coast, Canada, and Nebraska.  We really enjoy the pool and the laid back ambiance of the OC resort.  

 

 

 


 

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Below OC at landing

OC landing


OC Beach


Green Monkey Grill
 

 

Sapphire

 

The Sapphire next door to the Ocean Club is making big strides to improve the facility.  There is music most evenings and Paolo is running a great menu in the restaurant.  The renovations are complete in tower #3 and 1/2 finished in the middle tower as told to us. 
 

 Sapphire Beach

 

 

 Bird Park

 

 


 


 

The newest attraction in the Belvedere area is a parrot/bird sanctuary.  It was quite enjoyable with the attendant, Valentine, giving us a thorough explanation of the bird varieties, the little museum and history of the island.  The cost is $10/person and it is open most days around 10 AM. 

 

 


 
 


 



 



 

 

 

 SunSet Bar and Grill
 





 

We visited the renovated SSBG one morning for brunch.  It is quite impressive.  Parking in the Alegria lot was $5 payable upon exit.  Take your SSBG receipt and parking is free (they keep your receipt).   The upscale Reserve restaurant is not yet open, but the huge umbrellas and new boardwalk area make for a pleasant stay.
 

 
     




 




And 'Yes"...it is still observed.


 

 
     


     Our OC Friends

Since 2003, we have found such joy with Bob and Jo and their circle of friends.  We met them at the OC Grill on a Sunday morning at the timeshare event with now sent-home Tony and we bought week 23 - RCI points option.  We took the Blue Wave Boat with Mitch (Cheryl) to Pinel and had a wonderful time. 

Bert and Jill (Pincus?) ran the Grill and we had great parties.  Bert could create a very large platter of salad and meats for a table of 6-8 that was spectacular.   We had karaoke nights and banquet nights around the pool with many of us diving in as a finale. 

After Bert and Jill left, the Grill went into a several attempts at revival but all failed to meet the fun times we found then...but now, Marjory and Sal have revitalized the Grill (The Green Monkey).  We enjoy and support their efforts.  With Tom and Marjory now both on-site, Sal's experience, and the Cupecoy area development, the Grill is bound to be successful. 

Regretfully, we have learned from staff that Bert passed away.  We think that Jill and her daughter are still in Puerto Rico. 





(The camera did not work well on other images, so apologies for those friends not shown)