We’ve been on the island for over a week and it’s really beginning to feel like home.

Each day we’ve explored a different part of the island. One day we joined the hoards of cruise ship passengers on the beach in Philipsburg. Many days there may only be one or no ships in port as a result of Hurricane Irma. Twice a month St. Martin greets three ships in one day. This creates some energy around the island and we decided it was a good day to join in.

For $15-$20 you get two lounge chairs and an umbrella on most of St. Martin’s beaches.

Another day this week we joined our Swedish friends Nancy and Richard for a day on the beautiful beach Baie Rough. Like the other beaches, there is a great little restaurant on the beach, and we enjoyed a yummy lunch of grilled fish and chicken, accompanied with a chilled bottle of rosé.

One evening we went out for a nice dinner to say farewell to Nancy & Richard. They are headed back to Sweden and we all agreed we’ll cherish the memories of our time together sailing the BVI. The World Cup began this week and it’s evident across this international little island. Many cars and homes are adorned with country flags, which indicate the owner’s alliance. France 🇫🇷 Germany 🇩🇪 and Brazil 🇧🇷 seem to be the favorites. We even found fans watching a game in the supermarket. St. Martin can be expensive, especially when eating out. We’ve become fans of the local BBQ restaurants called lolos. These outside restaurants, found throughout the island, offer a plate of grilled fish, ribs, chicken, or lobster along with plentiful sides like potato salad, cole slaw, mac and cheese, and rice. Usually the cost is around $10-12. Beers are $2.

You know a lolo is good when a lot of locals eat there.

We finished up our week with a kayak out to Pinel Island. It takes less than 20 minutes to paddle from the main island out to Pinel, and once you get there, it’s like another world. Pinel is home to two beach restaurants and the warmest, calmest water around. We spent the day swimming, people watching, and just chillin’. We were even entertained by dogs that arrived by boat with other beach goers and enjoyed running free. The photo above shows a cute puppy playing on our kayak. Yes, another bottle of rosé was involved. It’s the thing to do.

Each afternoon the ice cream boat comes to Pinel and you can swim out for a frozen treat.

We didn’t partake but have plans to return to Pinel before we leave, so ice cream from the boat is still a possibility.

Yes, we have ten more days on St. Martin so we’ll have more updates to come.