Try It Tuesday: Travel Edition – Visiting Sint Maarten / Saint Martin #sxmbeaches

If you are looking to for ideas for your next beach vacation, how about Sint Maarten / Saint Martin?

While officially, the island is two countries Sint Maarten (Dutch) / Saint Martin (French), the locals see it as one. It is easy to travel on the island back and forth as you desire. You will find that most people speak multiple languages including English. But if you can learn some polite phrases, they will love that too.

Accommodations & Transportation

There are plenty boutique hotels and VRBO/AirBnB options available. Be sure to consider your mode of transportation when booking. For example, if you rent a car, the hotel may not have parking available.

If you want to explore the island, renting a car is the best way to go. Drivers are usually polite and the roundabouts are easy to maneuver. Make sure you have a GPS (we used waze app or Google maps) so you don’t get lost.

If driving in another country is too scary for you, getting a taxi is the next best thing. This can be expensive though! Average trips are about 20-30 minute drives and can cost $50 or more roundtrip.

There are many speed boat and yacht tours and excursions available which allow you see many of the islands beaches. **Recommend the Captain Bob Speedboat tour (ask for Anthony and CJ)

Visitor Recommended Beaches

Mullet Bay Beach (plenty of parking but be careful not to get stuck it the sand)

Maho Beach & Sunset Beach bar (great for watching the planes takeoff, free parking with validated parking ticket at the bar)

Grand Case Beach (limited parking access, great for snorkling)

Marigot Beach (maybe difficult to access in the off season)

Things to Remember

Some beaches have Beach Clubs that include food, drinks, and other amenaties for a fee
Most beaches have someone selling Set of Chairs & umbrellas $20 (rentals until 5pm) *try to negotiate if going later in the day or if you need more than 2 chairs
Beach area restrooms may be available on site for a fee
May see some seaweed or may have some rocky terrain

TOW Top 5 Travel Tips – To do in Dublin #Ireland ☘️ #travel #tryitTuesday

Jul6

Since it’s been a while since I have traveled internationally, I have been looking at my pictures of vacations from past years.

In 2017, I told hubs that we were taking an international trip to a new location. I wanted a new stamp in my passport.

He got to pick the country. He chose Ireland.

Not knowing much about the country, I began reading tourist blogs and watching YouTube channels dedicated what to do when visiting the country.

As I reminisce about that trip, here are my top 5 travel tips

-Do go to The Church and sit in the bar area (their food was phenomenal and they used to have live music and Irish dancers Monday-Wednesday). They take pub food to another level. If you get the roast chicken, it is big enough to share. Add on a dessert for a discounted price.

-Do book a bus tour to Cliffs of Moher (it’s a long day but totally worth it). It’s a win-win because you get to see the countryside, relax while someone else drives, and see breathtaking natural beauty.

-Do check buying your tour tickets online for best value (we saved 40% with Darby tours by booking online)

-Do go to Pennys for cute fashion at a value price. They have something for everyone. I bought some comfy pajamas.

Do a hop on-hop off city bus tour to get the layout and history of the whole city (we chose Do Dublin and added the Guinness brewery tour). You can hop off and visit the sites and then hop back in the bus to travel around the rest of the city.

Here are my top three DONT’S in the city

-Don’t be intimidated by riding the Luas aka “the tram” (its easy to navigate and people are generally helpful)

-Don’t believe it when the locals say “tram travel time is about 15 minutes” (whatever travel time estimate they give, you probably better triple that)

-Don’t forget that they drive on the left (be careful when crossing the street or only use crosswalks)

Final thoughts: Ireland is a BEAUTIFUL country and I think everyone should visit at least once.

I can’t wait to return!

Asheville area Bed & Breakfast: Dry Ridge Inn

Feb23

Back when we were doing a lot of traveling, we decided to go to a bed-and-breakfast in North Carolina to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

After doing a lot of research, we chose Dry Ridge Inn.

The inn keepers were gracious hosts. We also loved the location as it was walking distance from the town’s restaurants. And we were also close enough to Asheville that we could drive there in about 15 minutes when we wanted to visit downtown.

I would definitely visit again. I also recommend this location to anyone wanting a change of scenery when visiting this region in North Carolina.

Enjoy some pictures from our stay-