Air France jumbo jet coming in at Princess Juliana International Airport.
- Beach-goers (or plane spotters?) brace against thrust from a departing jet.
Flight schedule at the popular Sunset Bar on Maho Beach.
Warning!
Azamara: Sint Maarten or Saint Martin
This little island is packed with diversity and lots to do. Half Dutch and half French, it’s an interesting blend of Afro-Caribbean with a European flair and some Spanish thrown in. In fact, as Miamians we felt right at home.
We had reserved a Jeep ahead of time and set off on our island adventure. We did a similar trip 20 years ago and immediately noticed a lot more cars on the road this time. Even with it being high season, we heard from some locals that there are just too many cars on the island at this point. And, other than a new bridge, the roads are in pretty bad shape. Driving is on the right and a GPS was extremely helpful, since the map we got from Hertz did not identify the major roads by name.
We circumnavigated the interior, taking in the small town of Grand Case and making the trek to Pic Paradise (Paradise Peak). We survived the rough one-lane road only to find a padlocked gate at the top (at 1,400’).
In the charming, crowded French capital of Marigot, we broke away from the crowds to lunch at La Belle Epoque along the small Marina Port La Royale; we have some good friends that have been visitors to the area for the past several decades and gave us some good insider info. They also warned us how difficult it would be to park and it did prove challenging. There are plenty of good (duty-free) shops, on both sides, to log in some retail therapy.
The highlight of our visit had to be stopping in at the Sunset Bar to watch the low-flying planes land over Maho Beach. The local Princess Juliana International Airport has a very short runway and it starts just behind the beach. We checked the arrival schedule earlier in the day, since our goal was to see a jumbo jet, generally KLM or Air France, land. We knew the larger planes were arriving between 1:30 and 3, so we staked out a perfect spot along the beach-side edge of the bar, ordered some rum drinks and waited. It was a blast in every sense of the word! People on the beach also get a charge from being blown away as the jets take off, not my idea of fun. I was just happy not to be directly under the planes.
We finished off the afternoon with a stop at the nearby Casino Royal, formerly of James Bond fame, but today famous for having celebrities Ludacris and Kevin Hart playing at the other occupied Black Jack table.
A nice drive through quaint Front Street in Philipsburg got us back with the car just before dark.
Tips:
Cabs are available to get to Maho Beach and back. The Sunset Bar posts the daily flight arrival schedule and other patrons are pretty friendly, so don’t be shy about asking to join someone at their table if there are available seats. There is a $40 minimum to charge, or you will need cash; they do serve food.
St. John’s famous Trunk Bay
Typical panoramic view along St. John’s winding northshore road (driving on the left); highest point just over 1,000′.
On most trips, my husband forgets at least one essential item – this time, it was shorts. For a South Florida guy who pretty much lives in shorts, this was a big surprise. So, we have another fairly immediate shopping opportunity.
Yesterday we flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico to sail on the Azamara Quest for a New Year’s trip in the Caribbean. This morning we woke up in the USVI, St. John to be specific, to bright blue skies, turquoise water and an amazing rainbow. Awfully nice of the Azamara folks to schedule that rainbow; we hear the President of the company is on board, so maybe it was planned. . .
It was a relaxing day visiting the Virgin Islands National Park (covering 2/3 of this small island), enjoying incredible views, seeing ruins of the Annaberg Sugar Plantation, and walking along the famously beautiful Trunk Bay beach. Got some great scenic shots before lunching on Mahi tacos and Conch fritters at the harbor-side restaurant, High Tide. We concluded our shore visit by successfully searching the Cruz Bay area shops for shorts!
Now, about time for that massage.
Trunk Bay, USVI
The Annaberg Sugar Plantation ruins; from 1718 – 1848 one of the area’s largest.
Burr’s Berry Farm is located at 12741 SW 216th Street in Miami. 305.251.0145
I grew up in Central Florida and I know many will argue the best strawberries are grown in that region; but I’m willing to bet most of those folks have not tasted the strawberries from Burr’s Berry Farm.
A local favorite, Burr’s is famous for the most amazing, sweet berries as well as strawberry shakes, ice cream and sundaes. They also feature fresh farm produce, homemade jams, hot dogs and a wide variety of other shake and ice cream flavors. We are purists and always go for the fresh strawberry shakes and just picked berries.
A family owned business for more than 50 years, they have modernized their roadside stand and added a garden area for relaxing while you enjoy their delicious treats. You can buy berries ready to go, or pick them yourself from the recently added vertical “field” located near the garden. Self-picked berries will cost a bit less than the ready-to-go pints and quarts.
Burr’s is located in south Miami-Dade County and is open 9-5:30 daily during the season from December until May. On weekends you can run into some long lines and on a busy day they may sell most of their fresh produce. Plan for enough time to relax and enjoy this unique South Florida experience. www.burrsberryfarm.com
Not your granddaddy’s berry fields – the new fields are vertically grown, five layers high and much easier to pick.
Quaint, historic Tarpon Springs, Florida; sponge capitol of the Gulf coast.
All sizes and prices at the sponge market.
Just north of Tampa Bay, you will find the gulf-coast community of Tarpon Springs. Well-known in central Florida as a colorful Greek community, the area was made famous by Greek sponge divers who arrived in 1905.
Today, picturesque Dodecanese Street along the harbor-front, plays host to tourists with shops full of sponges and shells as well as a high density of authentic Greek restaurants. Visitors can take a dolphin boat tour or a trip out in the Gulf to learn how early divers harvested the valuable sponges.
We chose Dimitri’s on the Water for a great Greek lunch, making the selection due to the waterfront location. We sat outside and watched tourists board the sponge tour boat while chatting with the tour “diver” suited-up in the old-fashioned dry suit and heavy boots that would anchor him to the seabed. He was leaving the next day for a two-week commercial fishing trip, still a thriving industry in this area.
No visit would be complete without a stop at one of the local bakeries (we stopped at Hella’s), for some traditional baklava or nontraditional baklava cheesecake – all delicious!
Sponges on a local fishing boat.
Pelicans wait for handouts by the commercial docks of this Greek community. Tarpon Springs is located just north of Tampa Bay, about an hour from Tampa.
