Sint Maarten 2016

I took a little break from food blogging last week to head down to the Caribbean for a while.  We went to St. Maarten (Sint Maarten) and did our best to relax.  

I think we did a pretty good job of it. 

The picture above was the view from our resort apartment.  Not bad huh? It was 82º every day we were there and if it rained at all, it only lasted for like 5 minutes. 

I have been wanting to go to the Caribbean for a very long time, so when this opportunity presented itself to us we had to jump on it. My daughter had never been out of the country before, so this was a great chance to show her new places. It also helped that every time I asked my daughter where she would want to visit she would always say "somewhere where the water is crystal clear and turquoise blue". Luckily we accomplished most of that.  The water wasn't always crystal clear but for the most part it was. 

Above is a small sampling of the drinks I tried while there.  I kept myself in check and only had one but man were these good.  Exactly my type of drink, fruity, sweet, and can't taste the alcohol. Just what the doctor ordered. I brought home a bottle of rum and a recipe book so I'll be recreating these soon.

The sunsets were amazing every night.  I probably took 100 pictures of sunsets.

Our resort had a sister resort that we decided to visit one day.  Their beach wasn't sandy like ours was but they had these amazing tide pools that my daughter loved exploring.

Eventually we went up to the North side of the island which is also the French side of the island.  We had decided to try a submarine boat ride, or glass bottomed boat which left out of Grand Case.  The water here is so extremely beautiful and all I wanted to do was just dive in.  All beaches are public, so I could have, but, I wasn't dressed for swimming.  I did get to walk around on the beach and that was nice as well.

We saw this turtle and a bunch of fish, cool coral, and some other sea creatures while on the boat.

Yeah, we got sidetracked at this French Bakery on one of our walks to explore the area.  This one is on the Dutch side near the resort we stayed at (The Royal Palm Beach Resort) at Simpson Bay.  We sampled some there at the bakery on a beautiful outdoor patio that overlooked a marina.  The rest I brought home and we snacked on for the next couple of days.

We did night walks on the beach almost every night.  This little hermit crab was so small and adorable.  We put him/her right back where we found it and went on our way but this moment was one of the highlights for my daughter.

This moment was another highlight for my daughter, and for me too.  This particular iguana scared me to death when he whipped around to face us after I took this picture.  I thought he was going to charge us and yes, I would have run screaming.  Luckily he just stayed where he was and stared at us before heading down into the rocks.

Excellent way to spend our spring break!  All other spring breaks will probably pale in comparison.

VooDoo Doughnut's - my Portland adventure

Some of you may know, and some of you may not, that I was on vacation this past week.  Well, first stop on my West coast adventure was Portland, Oregon.  Otherwise known as the place my mom and her family lives. We made the crazy decision to make our way into Portland one day for an adventure to find this well known doughnut shop.  VooDoo Doughnut has been featured in MANY ways, from blogs to television, it's a Portland must see spot. Their many varieties of doughnuts make this a favorite for everybody!

My mom, daughter and I caught a train into the city and then began our walk to the shop.  You see, it's not on the train route so get your tennis shoes ready because you WILL be walking.  Better yet, just drive there. After many city blocks and one wrong turn we finally made it.

The menu is extensive and so is the showcase.  There was a long line when we arrived but it moved quickly.  Lucky for us, there is a dozen doughnut option where they'll choose for you.  That's what we did.  There just wasn't enough time to sit and peruse the menu.

As you can see, we had plenty to choose from!

Now that I think about it, maybe walking was the best option.  At least we could burn off a few of those calories we consumed.  Don't worry, we brought the rest back for family to munch on.

Here's my breakdown.  Totally delicious and super unique and interesting options. I recommend you try something outside of your comfort zone and opt for something you will ONLY find at VooDoo Doughnut.  There are Vegan options as well. These toppings are truly unique and only found here so step outside of the standard "box" and try something new!

This is one of a couple of posts that I have from my vacation.  The others are recipes and then I can share some pictures.  It was such a fun trip!  Great to see all my family and friends, some of which I hadn't seen in 20 years!  Oh yea, that's because I went to Montana for my 20 year high school reunion! I just can't believe it!