What is the perfect vacation? There is no right answer. Answer will vary depending who you ask and when you ask and what they're looking for at the time. The best vacation I had was in the summer of 2007. In 2005, between work and business, we couldn't take a vacation until late in the year. Katrina came through our city and readjusted my priorities. Needless to say, no vacation in 2005 or 2006. So we decided to plan a much needed vacation in 2007 to an island at an all-inclusive. After picking the brains of my parents' friends whom are well traveled, we decided to go to Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. We stayed for a week, stress free, deadline free, cell phone off, three books, plenty sleep, good food and a sunburn like I've never had in my life. The sun burned me when I was sleeping on the beach, so bad, that the bed sheets were hurting me. That'll never happen again. While there, we found a few activities to do. We rode a bus to go on a boat tour on the north side of the island. After the boat tour, the foodies (us) followed their noses to a cafe and got left by the bus. We were on the north side trying to hustle a ride back to Maho Beach. It was getting close to evening time and it would be a long walk. Just then, a man pulled up to drop off a person at the cafe. We asked him to bring us back and he was happy to make that money since he had to go back that way anyway. We were so thankful for him. I can't imagine dark catching us on the French side of that island. At that time it was undeveloped and I would have had to sleep on someones porch. Nothing commercial is on that side the island.
We spent many hours relaxing and chilling. Sometimes you never know how bad you need a vacation until you get there. Down the beach from our resort was Sunset bar and grill. There we enjoyed good food and drinks, live bands and a good mix of locals and tourists.
The Princess Julianna airport is a tourist attraction of its own. The Sonesta resort is right on the beach near Princess Julianna airport. From our room balcony, the first plane I saw almost scared me to death. It was so close and so low, I thought it was falling from the sky. It looked like it would touch their heads. As those planes got ready to take off, despite the signs warning people that jet blast can kill them, people line up by the fence by the hundreds to watch the plane blast exhaust in their faces to forceful that you can see people tumbling and sand just blowing out into the ocean like a hurricane.
This vacation was my perfect vacation. It was what I needed and wanted at the time. I said I wanted to go somewhere where I can relax and not be bothered. It was all-inclusive, so I didn't even have to think or plan. I can do these every year.