St. Maarten Vacation, Day 5

Today was spent mostly in Saint-Martin, the French side of the island. We went to Loterie Farm, a misleadingly named private nature reserve in Rambaud. Loterie Farm offers adventures (like hiking trails and zip lines) and relaxation (like a restaurant and swimming pool). We did a little of each!

First Abigail drove us as close as possible to the top of Pic Paradis (French for "Paradise Peak"), the highest mountain on the island. We hiked the rest of the way up and enjoyed the serene setting and the incredible views, not only of the island but also of the ocean and some neighboring islands in the distance, including Anguilla to the north and Saint-Barthélemy (a.k.a. "St. Barts") to the southeast.

Then we returned to the vehicle and drove onto Loterie Farm's main grounds, where we had a day-long rental of a poolside cabana at their "Jungle Pool" area. We swam, we napped, we read our Christmas Eve books, we ate, we drank champagne ... it was heavenly.

For supper, we picked up takeout from Chef India, an Indian restaurant between Abigail's apartment and the medical school. We got several dishes to share and thought everything was absolutely delicious. We remained at her dining room table to play card games into the night. A great day!

(Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

One view from the top of Pic Paradis.

The requisite family photo from atop Pic Paradis.

The view from inside our private cabana looking out at the Jungle Pool.

The champagne that was the first thing brought to us upon our arrival!

The array of appetizers that we shared for our poolside meal.

The requisite family photo at/in the Jungle Pool.