I was quite surprised when I received a number of e-mails asking about my trip to St. Maarten. I’d never known anyone locally who’d visited the island and was quite amazed at the number of people who have and continue to do so. This was my first trip and, hopefully, won’t be my last.

Our good friends, Paul and Paula Skurecki of Orlando, Fla., have a timeshare at the Royal Palm Beach Resort in Simpson Bay, near Phillipsburg, the capital on the Dutch side of the island. They invited us to spend a week with them, and, they couldn’t have picked a better time of year to go. The weather was perfect; the island was beautiful; the beach was gorgeous; the water was clear as blue crystal. And since it was off-season, the crowds weren’t too bad. All said, this is the best time of year to visit, in my opinion.

The flight’s an easy one. Delta flies directly from Atlanta to the Phillipsburg airport. It just takes about four hours. Once there, the resort was just a 10-minute drive by taxi — at most. Royal Palm is located in a convenient place. A number of restaurants are right across the street. One of our favorites was Lee’s Roadside Grill, where the smoker churns out some really good ribs all day long for $5 a slab. Or, for a treat, go around back. The restaurant is located on the bay and right off the dock is a large cage filled with live lobsters. If lobster is on your menu, they’ll pull the cage out of the water, let you pick which lobster you want, then weigh it, split it and put it on the grill. Food doesn’t get much fresher than that.

The Skurecki’s, having been to St. Maarten on numerous occasions, made excellent tour guides and knew how to “do the island.” Renting a car is the best way to get around, so we spent on day traveling to the French side known as St. Martin. Traveling between the “countries” is not a problem. No passport is needed. Marigot, the capital of St. Martin, is a charming little town that reminded me of a French village. Located on the water, there are numerous shops and restaurants, such as Le Croissant, where I had some of the best quiche this side of France.

While the French side deals in Euros, most places offered an even swap for American dollars. One for one which made things very affordable. However, that wasn’t the same when we took the ferry to St. Barts, a 45-minute boat ride from St. Maarten. We spent most of our time dining at Le Piment, a wonderful little open-air lunch spot in St. Jean.

A highlight of our day in St. Barts was a stop at Le Select, the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” This island truly is paradise, but you pay for it.

I stopped in a little shop across the Le Select and purchased a St. Barts beach bag. The tag read 25 Euros. I paid $38 American. I asked the shop owner if the declining dollar was hurting business. She said irrevocably “yes.” Business on the island was worse than ever. So, it appears that the depressed dollar is not only hurting Americans, but foreign business, as well.

I was glad to get back to St. Maarten/St. Martin, where there are still deals to be had. And to find them, go into the city of Phillipsburg to get your presents to bring home. I got a great-looking beach bag for $3. Get your groceries and wine at the grocery store. There are many to be found around the area and the prices are extremely reasonable. Prices are higher in the convenience markets.

I hope this little travelogue helps if you’re headed to St. Maarten. If you need a relaxing getaway, this is a place to find it. I’m ready to return.