A twilight view from our balcony
This was the view on our first evening there. Notice the underwater stools at...
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Downtown Maho Beach
This is on the Dutch side where there is more neon lighting and...
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Sonesta hotel, Maho Beach
Our room was on the third floor all the way to the left, facing the...
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Casino Royale
This casino was directly across from our hotel, which also contained a casino...
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Sonesta Hotel, Maho Beach
This is the view of the hotel from the restaurant and conference center
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View from Sonesta Hotel
Looking southwest
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Gazebo at Sonesta Hotel
The westerly trade winds blew (from left to right in the picture)...
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Saba Island from Sonesta Hotel
Saba Island was a mysterious and intriguing volcanic mountain about 10 miles...
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Plane landing from Sonesta hotel grounds
Queen Juliana Airport was immediately to the east of our hotel. Luckily the...
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Heineken regatta off sonesta hotel 2
The huge boat in the foreground may be Dennis Conners "America" which...
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Fort Saint Louis from Marigot
This fort overlooks the entire village of Marigot in French Saint Martin. Its...
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Road up pic paradis
Pic Paradis is the hightest peak on Saint Martin, over 1300 feet high.
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Hiking up pic paradis
Although the hiking was easy, the tall grass made the going slower
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John Rugge leads a climb up pic paradis
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Three amigos on pic paradis trail
John, Vicky and Harriet with the French capital of Marigot in the distance
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Marigot bay from pic paradis
The panoramic view was fantastic!
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Fort saint louis from pic paradis
The Fort is on the hill in the left foreground; the circle is a marina
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Closeup of second fort, marigot
There is a second fort outside Marigot; this one is on higher ground...
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Phillipsburg harbor from pic paradis
Looking Southeast instead of southwest reveals the city of Phillipburg, the...
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Descending from pic paradis
Looking notheast from below summit toward Pinel Island
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Pinel isle &Orient bay from Pic Paradis
Orient Bay is the most famous bay on the Island, and one of the largest
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Cattle on pic paradis
Two cows seemed to be in charge of guarding the summit from invaders! They...
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Enjoying the shade at marigot bistro
After our hike we enjoyed some refreshing water and ice cream at a...
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Marigot alley
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Marigot market scene
The market offers many fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and more
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Fort saint louis from marigot harbor
The local hospital is the white building half way up the hill in front of the...
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Goldfinger building, marigot
A very pretty building- I believe it was a small hotel
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Fort saint louis from below
Notice the foliage on the slope. Saint Martin is an arid, almost desert-like...
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Marigot from fort st louis
The view was ridiculously beautiful!
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Marigot from fort st louis
Although it is the capital of, and the largest village in French Saint...
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John & vicky on fort st louis
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Exploring fort saint louis
The three masted ship in the distance was beautiful
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Taking in the view from ft st louis
You could sit there all day and not get tired of the scenery!
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Looking east from fort st louis
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Marigot marina from fort st louis
Notice how well-protected the boats in the marina are from waves
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Trail up fort saint louis
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Marigot alley and church
There were a lot of quaint churches all over the island
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Inside marigot church
It was dark as pitch after coming in from the brilliant sunlight. ISO on my...
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Marigot marketplace
The market during market days is a very vibrant place; unfortunately...
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Marigot medical lab
We hoped this was not what it looked like...
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Marigot roundabout
There were no stoplights on the entire island!
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Marigot mural
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Shipwreck, marigot bay
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Street in marigot
This is Rue de la Republique, along the harbor and below the fort.
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American airways jet landing
Taken from the Sonesta Hotel beach
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Bougainvillea
This beautiful plant is a native of South America
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Ferry boat from Pinel island
On our way to paradise! Only $5 each way for the ten minute ride.
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Yellow beach, pinel island
A great place for snorkelling, swimmming, and just relaxing
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Yellow beach pub
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Yellow beach
Two beach lounges were $20 with umbrellas for the day
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Main island from pinel island
Notice the crystal-clear water
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Harriet with the fishes
The fish were very curious, and not very afraid of us. They...
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Sergeant-majors and surgeonfish
It was like swimming in an aquarium!
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Sergeant-majors
The fish are named for their resemblance to the army rank insignia for a...
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More sergeant-majors
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Surgeon fish and others
There was also a Blue tang in the group
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Grand case scene
Looking north from main street at the northern end of town
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Grand case scene
Grand Case is the second-largest village in French Saint Martin
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Grand case beach
The entire bay was lined with fabulous but informal bistros and reastaraunts...
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Grand case beach
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Grand case beach
Things are very informal on the beach...
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Grand case beach from pier
There are two small piers in the bay for small boats to come and go.
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Grand case beach
Even bathing suits are optional
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Blue Martini, Grand Case
Walking down Restaurant Row
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Blue Martini, grand case
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Grand case bistros
They're all good!
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Grand Case Catholic church
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kids on banana boat, grand case
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lo-lo barbecue, grand case
These open-air barbecues are ubiquitous in French Saint Martin
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California restaurant, Grand Case
This looked promising...
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Grand case bay from California restauran
The best view in town!
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Grand case harbor from California
An ironic name for a restaraunt in St Martin for us Yankee tourists
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Creole Rock, grand case bay
This rock is a popular snorkelling destination right in the bay
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Dinner at California restaurant
An after dinner bottle of home-made liqueur was left on the table for our...
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Grand Case sunset
we had a bird's eye view of the sunset as we enjoyed our meal..
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Sunset, grand case
going, going....
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Grand case surf
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California restaurant, grand case
Leaving after a nice meal and a beautiful sunset!
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Grand Case neon
"Kiss Me" and "Fish Pot" restaurant signs
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Casino Royale show
This was a live advrtisement for the casino show across the street from our...
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Phillipsburg courthouse
This was in the center of town along Front Street
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Phillipsburg plaza
Directly across from the courthouse
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Phillipsburg courthouse from plaza
This was taken during the only significant rain we experienced in 8 days. It...
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Phillipsburg plaza
Looking toward the harbor
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Phillipsburg harbor
The harbor is in Great Bay. It is the only harbor on the island for the huge...
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Great Bay beach, Phillipsburg
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Great Bay beach, Phillipsburg
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L'escargot restaurant, Phillipsburg
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L'escargot restaurant, phillipsburg
One of the most reknown restaurants in town
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L'escargot restaurant, Phillipsburg
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Phillipsburg waterfront
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Phillipsburg waterfront
Heineken appears to be the national beverage, especially in the Dutch side...
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Absinthe- still legal in Saint Maarten!
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Phillipsburg waterfront
Parking in Phillipsburg is ridiculously difficult. Get there early if...
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Simpson bay bridge
This is the most notorious traffic jam area on the island. Stay away at night...
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Simpson bay yachts in lagoon
These were the largest, most elegant yachts I have ever seen!
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Mullett bay
This bay faces right toward the sunset!
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Collapsed lava cave at Mullett Bay
The proof that these Caribbean Islands are volcanic in origin is plain to see...
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Mullett Bay beach
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Volcanic rock, Mullett Bay
Walking on these rocks in bare feet would tear your soles to shreds!
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La Vie en Rose, Marigot
A very classy restaurant!
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Doing medical research at La Vie en Rose
All that was missing was Edith Piaf
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View from La Vie en Rose, Marigot
Looking toward the harbor
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Cruise ship off Saba Island
Apparently this island is a dormant volcano 2870 feet high. Clouds...
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Saba island
Taken from our hotel room with my 18-200 mm VR Nikon lens
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Saba island
Check out the fancy sailing yacht in the foreground
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Bay Rouge entrance
get there early- the parking lot is small
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Bay rouge sign
Apparently a lot of people ignored this sign!
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Gus's beach bar, Bay Rouge
Carib beer is a favorite, especially in the French side
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Not-so-fancy beach restaraunt, Bay Rouge
This was a lo-lo grill right on the beach.
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209 gus's beach bar, bay rouge
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Volcanic rock, Bay Rouge
This beach was a veritable classroom for studying volcanic rocks!
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Bay Rouge
Looking southwest
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Bay Rouge
from western end
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Bay Rouge
Notice the dark rock, basalt, and the light porous pumice rock
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Cloud bank off Bay Rouge
These clouds clung to the coastline all day, just offshore!
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Bay Rouge cliffs
Looking toward David's Hole. I was standing on very sharp black basalt rock
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Cave at Bay Rouge
I was able to swim through the cave from one side of the cliff to the other....
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Looking West towards David's Hole
Farther in the distance to the north from Bay Rouge (Red Bay) we could...
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looking north toward grand case, bay rouge
You can barely see Creole Rock in the far distance to the left. That...
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The easy life at Bay Rouge
The bay is located along the northern shore of the Lowlands or Terre...
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Surf at bay rouge
Once again the obviously volcanic rock- basically long-cooled lava- basalt.
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Tropical shirts, Bay Rouge
There was a vendor at every beach selling shirts, handbags, scarfs.
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Looking up at surface
The snorkelling was so good we went back a second day!
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Sea urchins, Bay Rouge
Every time I swam near large numbers of urchins I could hear what...
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Banded butterfly fish
The fish were incredible!
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Shelf coral
The coral was disappointing overall, but there were some good shelf and brain...
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Shelf coral
This was about 10 feet down
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Small jet landing at Juliana airport
The airport is named for Juliana, the Queen of the Netherlands.
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John and Vicky at Maho beach
Jets would fly directly over this spot all day long!
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Watching jets land at Sunset Beach Bar
This is one of the most famous bars in the Caribbean because it is in the...
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US airways jet landing
The hotel in the center background was ours- The Sonesta at Maho Bay
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Ready for take-off, Juliana airport
You can look right into the ass-end of every plane that takes off. You...
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Maho beach
This is the view from directly in front of the Sonesta Hotel. The snorkelling...
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A reluctant farewell
Poor John- he and Vicky had to leave a day before we did. Plus his plane was...
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Blue Tangs and sea urchins
These were right off our hotel beach!
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Yellow Tang with sea urchins
There were also Angelfish and other aquarium fish there
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Surgeonfish school
In Maho Bay
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Mullett school
There must have been 5000 fish in this school, only a few feet...
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Mullett school
They always kept me to the side of their group= never in front or behind, and...
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"gentleman" pissing on my medical center
It was actually called Dannaway, but a little Photoshopping and voila-...
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257 looking toward simpson bay
I will finish editing these titles tomorrow
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Simpson bay hotels
Simpson Bay, which stands between Maho Bay and Phillipsburg, is where some of...
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Simpson bay
This view was taken as we waited at the waterfront for a dinner cruise
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Our dinner cruise ship
We would be sailing on the Tango from Simpson to Long Bay, passing by the...
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The Tango is a double-hulled catamaran
This makes for a very smooth ride on the open ocean
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Embarking on tango sunset dinner cruise
Everyone was asked to leave thir shoes on the dock before sailing!
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Mixed feelings about the cruise!
Although Harriet wass very enthusiastic about the cruise, the same cannot be...
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Raising the sail on tango
We motored out of the bay, then raised the sail and cut the engines.
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Raising the sail on Tango
Everyone had been given a rum punch as soon as we got on board, so...
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"Can we trade jobs?"
Harriet couldn't convince the crewmember to switch lives!
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Simpson Bay ship at anchor
Does anyone know what kind of ship this is? Research maybe?
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Yachts in Simpson Bay
There was a wide variety of fancy ships at anchor in the bay.
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Plane above Simpson Bay
Look at the jet's angle of ascent!! This is because of a range of...
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The best job in the world!
Believe it or not, the pilot was actually complaining about what a...
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Ships passing off Simpson Bay
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Mouth of Simpson Bay
Simpson Bay is to the left, while the cruise ship is coming from Phillipsburg...
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Sonesta Hotel, Maho Beach
Now we are headed towards Long Bay where some of the most exclusive resorts are.
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Sonesta Hotel, Maho Beach
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air france airbus taxiing for takeoff
Most of the people watching are about to scatter before the plane turns 180...
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Air France Airbus taking off
This is the largest plane to use the airport- as big as a 747 with 4 huge...
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Air France Airbus after takeoff
Once aloft, the huge plane must go into a steep climb to avoid...
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Panorama of Sint Maarten
Maho Beach is on the left, Simpson Bay to the right
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Partying on the Tango
The drinks were free, so people got pretty loosened up. Everyone was very...
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Watching the sunset off Long Bay
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Another jet approaching Juliana
Jet landings stopped at dusk, so this was one of the last ones of the day.
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Sunset from Long Bay
I would swear that the big cloud in the foreground was the same one we...
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Sunset from Tango
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Sunset from Tango
Going...
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Sunset from Tango
Going....
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Cruising into the sunset
Gone!!!
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Saba Island from Tango
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Dusk on the ocean
I suspet the cruise ship was headed for somewhere aong the Central American...
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Dusk landing at Juliana
This was the last jet of the day.
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Dinner on the Tango
The buffet offered a tasty though not fancy meal. It was good enough for us!
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La Samanna resort, Long Bay
This is supposedly the most exclusive resort on the island where all...
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Partying on the Tango
Even in the dark it was very warm on the ocean. No sweater was required.
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Moon rising over Tango
A perfect evening.
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Bada Bing, Simpson Bay
The Sopranos were very popular in Sint Maarten. This strip club was...
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Our 757 ride home
Alls well that ends well...
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Taxiing for takeoff
Now if we can just get over those mountains!
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Simpson lagoon from the air
Looking across the lagoon towards Long Bay in the distance
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Phillipsburg from the air
Turning out to sea over the capital
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Saba Island from the air
One last look at paradise...
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Clouds over the caribbean
Then homeward bound. We have already decided to go back some day!
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