We vacationed in St Martin for two weeks last summer and can now appreciate why so many adore this island and return regularly. We will be returning this summer and staying at the same villa in the La Savanne area.

We dined at four different restaurants in Grand Case and used a taxi vs our rental car for the 5 minute ride due to parking reasons, safety, and to be on the safe for alcohol consumption. I quickly realized that with proper awareness of surroundings that the safety concerns were laid to rest. The dining experiences were excellent but being whisked in and out from the front of the restaurant seemed to mute the evening. Are there any places to have a cocktail post meal in Grand Case and/or do the restaurants mind if you stay after the meal for drinks? We were there in low season and we actually felt that we were welcome to stay if we wished.

This forum was an integral part to enjoying trip with its wealth of tips and experiences from the members. It really gave us a head start from learning the culture, Blue Zone parking, restaurant reviews, visiting Club O and beyond! I would have never known about "service compris" and "le pourboire" on the French sideif it were not for this informative site. We felt like well informed and experienced travellers at the first 3 restaurants and then the last restaurant, L'Auberge Gourmande, the bill clearly stated "service non compris" and that gratuities couldn't be billed to a credit card. After such a beautiful dining experience, I have to admit to a little anxiety about how to handle this. I just reverted back to North American roots and left a 20% old fashioned "tip". I couldn't help but feel taken advantage of especially with the knowledge of French laws. There are numerous superb threads on here explaining gratuities for French dining so I don't want it to go down that path but I'm just wondering how the veteran travellers would handle this situation.