When I go on a press trip with other journalists, the
details are usually planned out between the tourist board and public relations
agency so the trip is smooth sailing. Sometimes things don’t go exactly as
planned. Even in paradise, the seas can be rough – soliterally and figuratively.
We met for an early breakfast at the Ocean Restaurant of the
Westin St. Maarten hotel. It was
looking a little cloudy out, but we didn’t expect any real rain for our
snorkeling trip so we headed out in the van to the pier a few miles away.
The trip sounded like it would be an exciting one, four
hours with stops at various small beaches. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it
that far. The sea was extremely rough and as soon as we hit a swell that was
about six feet coming over the boat, we were ready to head back.
Every cloud has a silver lining and the positive side to
missing the boat ride was that we had a few hours with nothing scheduled. That
meant a rarity in the press trip world – lying around by the pool and enjoying
the free time. It was really nice to relax in the hot sun and I even got to do
something I don’t do enough of, read a book (
A Million Little Pieces
).
Before heading up to change I took a little stroll by the
beach. Dawn Beach, where the Westin is located, is quite beautiful. While it
was quite nice to see the waves crashing on the shore as I walked by, I was
glad I wasn’t back out on the boat experiencing them.
Lunch was nearby at Mr. Busby’s Beach Bar. The restaurant
was literally on the beach, with a thatched roof and almost a Hawaiian feel. We
were told that the place transforms at night into Daniel’s, an Italian
restaurant complete with red and white tablecloths and low lighting.
There was something very relaxing about having the sand and
turquoise water right next to you that made the day even more leisurely. I have spent most of my life allergic to
seafood and used to it, but found myself a bit jealous here when I was the only
one not eating the grilled shrimp.
After lunch, most of the group went back to the hotel, but
Julia and I decided to head down to Phillipsburg to do a little shopping. It was a quick trip as I came down with a
stomach bug and headed back to the hotel within the hour.
I was stilling feeling a bit queasy at dinner time and
decided to skip the evening outing. I heard that dinner – and especially the drag
show – at
L’Escargot was great.
I knew that I still had four more days to enjoy St. Martin and felt confident
that the road would get a bit less bumpy than it had been on this day.
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