I had a great time. I won't say that it was a well-deserved break, as well, yes, okay, it was a break from the norm, but then the norm isn't really much at the moment (for me anyway!!)

Apart from a couple of problems (one included being at the bank for over 2 hours on Monday due to not being able to use my debit card and not having enough money on me to last for the rest of the week.), my quick vacation was lovely and it was nice to be somewhere different for a change.

The island
St Maarten and St Martin are the same island, except the southern half is Dutch and the northern half is French. You can travel freely between the two with no problems at all.
The weather is typical of the Caribbean - very hot and sunny. It's also relatively flat and arid. There was one day when it rained (not torrential), along with some thunder and lightening.
From this island, there are regular ferries to Anguilla, Saba, St Eustatius (aka Statia) and St Barthel emy (aka St Barths).

The Hotel
I stayed at the http://www.hhbh.com">Holland House Beach Hotel, which is right on Front Street in Phillipsburg - the capital of the Dutch side. Right slap bang in the middle of all the exquisite shops.
The room was good and comfortable, with a small balcony looking out onto Front Street (it was cheaper than the beach view), cable tv, a/c, mini-fridge and a bath. ...mmm..I was in heaven and had a bath for the first time in over a year (just so you know, I do have showers every day, but a bath is just out of this world!).

The restaurant which was at the back of the hotel, looked out onto the beach (Great Bay Beach), filled with golden yellow sand and the dazzling turquoise Caribbean Sea. Definitely a gorgeous view while sitting down to breakfast in the mornings. The ala carte menu for dinner was reasonable priced (about US$30 per person) and the food was exquisite.

The Shopping
The shopping was just great, I was in complete heaven. The shops are a mixed array of tourist-focused shops (t-shirts, beach wear, suitcases etc), jewelry shops (I noticed about 4 in a row at one point) and electronic shops hosting a mass array of mobile phones, MP3 players, digi-cameras, TVs, radios etc and at a reasonably cheap price (well, okay, cheap compared to the prices in St Lucia). Plus a good number of decent clothing shops (boutique style or designer - Ralph Lauren, Hilfiger, Lacoste, Adidas)
Along Back Street, which runs parallel to Front Street, is where most of the locals go to do their shopping. It's still nice to walk down as the government (or whomever) is revitalising the street to look more aesthetically pleasing and more inviting to tourists and locals alike.

Marigot on the French Side is also nice for shopping. A number of streets filled with French boutiques selling fashions and cosmetics from Europe. Plus there is a craft market near the ferry dock that sells t-shirts, sarongs, jewelry etc that are at a good price.
The weather was soo hot when I went to Marigot (I was told the next day that it was 98F) - way hotter than St Lucia (that wind thing has alot to do with it). Walking around lugging a backpack and various shopping bags isn't a good idea.
The numerous restaurants around offer a few french delicacies - escargot, french patisseries (very yummy!), and also the common Caribbean delights like lobster.

I also managed to get to the scuba shop in the Simpson Bay area and bought myself a lovely 3mil long wetsuit (Scubapro if you're interested :o)), adjustable strap fins (Mares Volo), mask strap and gear bag (both Akona). I nearly left my fins at Antigua airport when flying back, but luckily I remembered and they were still where i'd left them. Phew!
Just a shame I couldn't do any diving - not that I didn't want to, but due to having a cold the week before I flew out - colds and diving do not mix well.

24 hours in Anguilla
After getting the 25-minute, US$12 ferry to Anguilla. After all this time, I finally came face to face with meeting Francie and her lovely kids. It was nice seeing a bit more and another side of Anguilla, including some snorkelling (and getting slightly sun-burnt!) Oh and she had me peeling potatoes....after they were cooked....

Other stuff
I didn't do any tourist type things (Fort Amsterdam, Museums, casinos galore etc), as I didn't have time after doing all the shopping stuff, which also included getting stuff for friends back home. Note to self: Don't tell anyone else that you're going on vacation somewhere else within the Caribbean as they will ask you to get stuff for them as well.

One funny thing that happened was being approached by two women, who must have come down from one of the cruise ships and got lost on Front Street and asked me for directions. The really scary thing is that I was able to give them the correct directions to get where they wanted to go....

When I was paying for stuff, most of the shop assistants asked me where I was from, as I replied "St Lucia" they gave me a quizzical look, and then I said "originally from England", then the penny dropped. Very funny......

:oD