It was time for a family vacation and the unanimous choice was St. Martin again. My wife, Pam and I were there in 1984 and loved it. We went back with the kids in 2000 and had a wonderful time. Our 2000 vacation was so good in fact, that on our last day we decided not to go home, but stay for four more days. We like the place. This year it was me, (Bob), Pam, our son James (17), and daughter Kathleen (11). Part way through the planning stage my niece, Amanda (23), joined our group. We knew we would all have a great time.<br><br>We received a lot of help in planning our trip from the folks on Travel Talk On-Line. We spent countless hours on TTOL and all the information we received made a world of difference on our trip. We would like to thank everyone for all their enthusiastic help.<br><br>Pam used Interval International for our airline tickets and we insisted on getting "paper tickets." We're not sure if we'll use them again because when we later needed Amanda's tickets they really screwed it up and it took us about two weeks of calling and hearing all kinds of stories before we received her "paper tickets." We were to stop in San Juan on the way down and stop in Miami on the return. Next time we'll try real hard for direct flights.<br><br>Caribbean Islands Travel Service, a TTOL sponsor, was our source for accommodations and I must say Mary Ruos was a pleasure to work with. We weren't easy. We changed our plans quite a number of times and Mary was always pleasant and professional. We will definitely use her services again. Thank you Mary.<br><br>Kenny's Car Rental, another TTOL sponsor, was our rental car source. Lesley Bruce was great. He was on time, friendly, fast, efficient, and he had the best price. We will definitely use his services again. Thank you Lesley.<br><br>We were leaving from Newark, NJ, about 25 miles away from our home in Lodi, NJ. No one wants to leave a car at Newark for nine days so we arranged a limo to and from the airport with EZ Limo, a local company that distributes coupons. No TTOL sponsor here. For the five of us we really needed a stretch, a Town Car would have been tight. We got a stretch for no additional charge. Good deal. One small problem but we'll call them again.<br><br>OK, here we go!<br><br><br>Day 1 - Thursday, August 8, 2002<br><br>With a 7:05am departure, we scheduled the limo pick-up for 4:00am. At 4:05 the service called saying the car was ready outside. It wasn't. It went to the wrong address, obviously. A few minutes later the car showed up and we were on our way.<br><br>It was a long wait at the check-in line at the American Airlines counter. We eventually made it to the gate and got on board. Then more problems. There was an irate passenger who was arguing with a flight attendant and had to be removed from the aircraft. Then there was a passenger who checked baggage but didn't get aboard. Their baggage had to be located and removed from the plane before we could take off. The delay was a little more than an hour so we had about five minutes to run to our connecting flight in San Juan. Well, at least we made it on board.<br><br>So, after two nice flights we were in St. Maarten. While baggage was being unloaded I met Lesley Bruce from Kenny's Car Rental who was ready and waiting for us. Our car was a fairly new Toyota Corolla and in no time we were all set. We'll, almost. We still had no baggage. About an hour later we learned two of our checked bags were held in San Juan and the other two went to Miami! We left the airport with just our carry-ons and hoped for the best.<br><br>We took the route through Marigot to get to Orient Beach with very little traffic. We easily found our destination, the Caribbean Princess Condos. The Princess is three buildings with twelve beachfront condos right on Orient next to the Waikiki Beach Bar. It's a beautiful place with two bedrooms, large living room with sofa bed, full modern kitchen with a nice deck and patio. There was a small pool with additional pool privileges at the Cap Caraibes Hotel next door and free beach chairs at Waikiki. The staff was very nice and a few small items like trouble with a door lock, and tv were fixed the next morning. Lovely. I could definitely recommend it.<br><br>We settled in quickly with no baggage, went to a little grocery store for supplies and walked Orient Beach. It was already well after 4pm and most of the beach bars were closed up. We had some quick drinks at Pedro's and a dip in the ocean at Club O. Still no bags at the condo and we were starved so off to Grand Case and dinner at Talk Of The Town. We love this little place for a quick informal meal cheap. We walked Grand Case Blvd. checking out the other restaurants and shops before stopping at Le Pub for ice cream. Still no bags at the condo but it didn't stop us from taking a dip in the pool and in the ocean before we retired.<br><br>Day 2 - Friday, August 9, 2002<br><br>Walked the length of Orient at sunrise, lounged on a raft at Club O, then met Andy at Baywatch. Baywatch is our favorite place on Orient beach for breakfast and lunch. Andy and Cheryl are just the best. They quickly made us feel part of their family which was nice. Andy is from the same part of New Jersey as we are and we know some of the same people and places. It's been nine years since Andy was back in NJ but he'll be there September 7th partying and opening clams at a church feast in Garfield, NJ. Stop in and see him if you can, we can't wait.<br><br>Back at the condo I found Amanda had located our luggage which spent the night at the hotel reception desk. We unpacked and found that my nice laptop I brought along for downloading pictures from our digital camera and writing this trip report had died, no display.<br><br>On Orient Beach Kathleen couldn't wait to give Andy some license plates to put up at Baywatch so we went there for lunch. Try the BBQ chicken finger sandwich there, it's awesome. We all took waverunner water taxi rides to Green Cay for the afternoon. Pack some frozen water bottles when you go and you'll love it. The snorkeling there was great, lots of fish and even a few squid in the water. Watch out for the coral.<br><br>Back on Orient Beach Amanda and Kathleen went parasailing in the late afternoon while the rest of us had drinks. Pam and I tried to make a reservation on the Tiko Tiko at Club O, but they said they couldn't make a reservation more than a day in advance, they need at least six people to go and there weren't any other takers so check back every day. What a system.<br><br>Dinner was in Grand Case at California, an excellent French restaurant that lives up to the Grand Case expectations. We got a table overlooking the beach. Very nice.<br><br>Day 3 - Saturday, August 10, 2002<br><br>After Kathleen and I took our sunrise walk and swim on Orient we all headed to Marigot for breakfast at La Parisienne. We were anxious to find Happy Bay and it was worth it. Follow the sign on the road between Marigot and Grand Case to Friars Bay, go to the far end of the beach and you'll see a well traveled path going up the hill. Down the other side you'll find one of the most beautiful beaches ever. The water was calm and the snorkeling was great. The isolation makes it CO and you can have the beach to yourself like we did, but there's some development in the area and it probably won't stay uncrowded for long. Visit this place now.<br><br>We went to Ric's Place in Simpson Bay for lunch, another TTOL sponsor. We enjoyed their place on Front Street during our last trip and this place is bigger and even nicer. Again we got a table by the water. We chatted with Ric and Kathy are they are very nice folks. We wish them the best. Stop in on your next visit and say hi.<br><br>After lunch we were off to Baie Rouge with beach chairs and umbrellas from Raymond. This is one of our favorite beaches but this day it was so hot and there was hardly any breeze, we didn't stay very long. We needed a break at the Sunset Beach Bar at Maho on the way back. The place was crowded. We went back to Orient Beach. Pam and I stayed in for dinner while the rest of our crew went to Le Pub for pizza.<br><br>Day 4 - Sunday, August 11, 2002<br><br>The morning sunrise walk and dip was becoming a favorite routine by now. This time Pam and I stayed out long enough to have a light breakfast at Papagayo's and bring back breakfast items for everyone else from L'Orientique.<br><br>We went to the waterfront in Marigot for the ferry to Anguilla. While waiting for the ferry, a local gentleman asked if we would like a taxi in Anguilla. We told him we wanted to go to Shoal Bay East. When we arrived in Anguilla after a calm 20 minute ride we found a taxi van was waiting for the five of us. That was nice and so easy. We can't say much about the tour of the island on the way to Shoal Bay East, there's not a lot to see, but we rather liked that. At the beach we went straight to Skyline Beach Rentals. It was Raymond's day off, but his brother Solomon, a real nice guy, set us up and gave us a discount when we mentioned TTOL. We were beginning to feel we had this trip wired thanks to TTOL and we were right. Pam and I have done a lot of beaches in the Caribbean, but Shoal Bay East has got to be the nicest. The sand is incredible, the sparkling water unbelievably clear and calm as a pool. The expanse of white sand under the water led us to believe the snorkeling would be boring, but once we donned our masks we were pleased to find fish everywhere that seemed to love swimming between our feet. Lunch right there at Uncle Ernie's was great and our taxi van returned right on time for our return to the ferry. If you haven't yet done Shoal Bay East on Anguilla, don't miss it, it is a must see.<br><br>Back at the condo, James, Kathleen and Amanda hit the pool while Pam and I walked the beach at Orient to Club O's Dolphin Watersports where we were happy to make reservations on the Tiko Tiko for Tuesday. More drinks and shopping on the way back.<br><br>Dinner was at Il Nettuno in Grand Case, a popular Italian restaurant that also lives up to the highest Grand Case standards. Excellent.<br><br>Day 5 - Monday, August 12, 2002<br><br>The morning sunrise walk revealed that it would be an off day for Andy and Cheryl, Baywatch was closed. The beach remained nearly empty. We went out to the main road above Orient to a place called Rancho de Sol for breakfast. Nice view but I don't think we'll return there. We went to Bayside Riding Club to set up a horseback ride for Wednesday, but they were out. The only person there was a man who couldn't make a reservation or give us much information. Next stop was at Le Gallion Beach. Amanda wanted to get a windsurfer lesson but everything was closed up.<br><br>We went back to Orient Beach where Amanda was able to schedule a windsurfer lesson for the afternoon so we rented some waverunners and had a blast all across the bay. Then we tried out the Aqua Jump, one of those big yellow trampoline slide things you see in the water at Orient. It was fun, but the thrill wore off pretty quickly. We still had a lot of time before Amanda's windsurfing, so we tried to have lunch. We went to TropiCafe on Orient. We won't go there anymore. We were the only ones in there, but it took almost an hour to get our food and by then Amanda couldn't wait. She headed off to her lesson which was also delayed while we ate. Francois, her windsurfing instructor moved her lesson to the beach in front of Papagayo's to take advantage of the calmer water and she did very well. When we got back to the condo Amanda set up some incredible plans for Thursday, but we'll get to that soon.<br><br>For dinner we wanted to go to Da Livio Ristorante on Front Street again. We enjoyed them on our last trip, but they were closed. We chose Hot Tomatoes on Simpson Bay and it was great. We got a table by the water, of course, and the service, food and drinks were all excellent.<br><br>Day 6 - Tuesday, August 13, 2002<br><br>Put off the sunrise walk as Pam and I would be doing it a bit later. We lounged around a bit, gave the rest of the crew some money to enjoy their day and headed off to Club O to meet the Tiko Tiko. We got there a bit early, enjoyed a light breakfast at Papagayo's before meeting our shipmates as they started to appear. The other people on the boat were just great. Everyone was friendly and happy to be in paradise.<br><br>The Tiko Tiko Cruise to Tintamarre is simply incredible, indescribable. For me and Pam it was the highlight of the trip and we'll try to do it again every time we return. Yes, it was that much fun. The trip out there was a fun, wet and wild experience, the set-up on the beach, the drinks including that rhum punch, the snorkeling, all fabulous. Pam's head came within a few inches of getting rammed by an approaching boat while we were snorkeling and that taught us and the boat captain a lesson in water safety. Getting back aboard for lunch was a lot of fun. There was a huge black fish of some sort, about 4-5 feet long swimming between the hulls at the back of the boat as we swam back and climbed onboard. The creature stayed back there throughout our lunch which was just superb. A few chunks of meat were thrown overboard to test the creature's appetite and that was exciting. The fish was gone when it was time to return to shore after lunch. Then it was time for the "mud" which was just too much fun. I heard that the Tintamarre mud was good for you, but I was surprised to find that your skin really does feel better afterwards. What a blast. We didn't do all the exploring on the island that we would so we'll have to do the Tiko Tiko cruise again and again on future trips. The trip back to Club O was quieter and gentler than the trip out. We were all on such an incredible high. We consider the Tiko Tiko cruise to Tintamarre a definite must-do. The Tiko Tiko goes is in dry-dock now for annual maintenance until the end of October. The last trip of the season was on Thursday, August 15th.<br><br>We made it a slow walk back to the condo, stopping for drinks along the way. The incredible feeling stayed with us. Once we returned we found out the rest of our clan spent the day shopping in Marigot and Philipsburg, had lunch at Tequilla's and went most of the way up Pic Paradis. Dinner that evening was at Goodfellas in Simpson Bay, very good.<br><br>Day 7 - Wednesday, August 14, 2002<br><br>Rain at sunrise cancelled the morning walk, but it cleared up and dried up in time for all of us to have breakfast at Baywatch, our favorite place. We went out to Bayside Riding Club for our special horseback ride. We wanted to swim with the horses and normally that takes the two hour tour, but we had limited time in our schedule today so they were happy to accommodate us and swim with the horses in a one hour ride. We had some time before our ride so we went next door to the Butterfly Farm. This was a lot more interesting than it sounds folks. I'm glad we stopped in, you will be too. Time to saddle up and go for a ride. We've taken horseback rides before, but this was better. We got more than a slow walk, we were able to do a short gallop which was great, and the swim in the water was really a lot of fun. Next time we'll do the two hour ride.<br><br>A few weeks ago we decided we wanted to do a sailing trip aboard a grand ship. We found out about the Random Wind, another TTOL sponsor, and "Dicky" just raved about them on TTOL. We were convinced this was the ship we wanted to sail on but the ship's schedule didn't seem to fit ours. We wanted to do the trip on Wednesday, but the Lunch 'n Snorkel Sail we wanted was on Fridays. Dicky said it was good, so we had to find a way to do it. A private charter on Wednesday was the answer. Our Skipper, Marten, picked us up in his dinghy thingy exactly on time behind the Royal Palm Hotel for our five hour tour. Marten and his lovely wife Saskia are the crew to sail with, they know how to do it right. From the drinks, the food, the route, the stops, the soft music selections, and the smoothness with which they control the vessel one can tell this is a well experienced crew. We sailed to Baie Longue for swimming and lunch at the foot of La Samanna then on towards the Baie Rouge area for more swimming and snorkeling. More food and drinks on the way back and Marten even arranged for an airplane to pass directly over head on it's way into the airport at SXM. That was a nice touch! We had to get some Random Wind T-shirts before we left. Thank you Marten and Saskia for a wonderful day. Thank you Dicky for the recommendation. We're sorry we didn't get a chance to meet you Dicky and thank you in person. We'll catch you on our next trip.<br><br>What a day! Late dinner at Talk Of the Town again in Grand Case followed by some more shopping and ice cream again at Le Pub.<br><br>Day 8 - Thursday, August 15, 2002<br><br>Morning walk and dip again. Brought pastries back from L'Orientique. Our last full day of our trip and Pam and I still hadn't made it into Philipsburg to shop, so, off to Philipsburg we all went. We picked up a few things but Pam wanted a nice watch and although we found one, we didn't buy it. Back to Baywatch for a late lunch then Amanda and Kathleen went parasailing again. It was Thursday, so we just had to go to Peg Leg Pub for dinner on TTOL night. I even wore my TTOL T-shirt. Neil recognized the shirt right away. He even knew of our home town, what a guy. See you next time Neil. Sean was our waiter. Sean is cool. Thanks man. I had to get some PLP T-shirts before we left. Some late last minute shopping in Grand Case and back to the condo to pack.<br><br>Day 9 - Friday, August 16, 2002<br><br>Pam and I took our morning walk and swim at Club O. The kids met us and we had breakfast at Baywatch while Amanda took her last morning lounge in the sun. Said good bye to Andy, see you in NJ in a couple weeks. Check-out of the condo was fast and easy, even a few dollars less than we expected for some reason. We dropped off some postcards at La Poste in Marigot and off to the airport. Lesley Bruce from Kenny's Car Rental was right on time to meet us, friendly, fast and efficient, we will definitely use his service again. Check in at American Airlines was surprisingly fast leaving time for shopping at the airport shops. Pam finally got her watch and a few other nice things. She deserves them. Uneventful flight to Miami where we had to claim our bags, clear Customs, and re-check our bags. By the way, we never had to open a bag to get searched. Other folks did, but I'd guess we just looked too cool! Our limo met us a couple minutes after we got our bags in Newark and took us home. Trip over. Still on a high. Can't wait to go back.<br><br><br>We have wanted to explore a certain little cave near Cupecoy since Pam and I were there in 1984, but as we saw on our sail on the Random Wind it's still not easily accessible like it was back then. Perhaps someday the vast sands will return to Cupecoy and we'll be able to walk to our cave again.<br><br>We wanted to go to Pinel Island again, but the time was tight and a lot of the sand at Pinel has washed away for now, so we'll check it again on our next trip.<br><br>St. Martin in early August isn't bad. The crowds are gone. The first six days there were no cruise ships in port. A few places were closed but there were alternatives which were just as good. We had a bit of rain each day, usually just a mist or drizzle for a couple minutes with the sun shining. Twice we had real rain, but it didn't last long at all and dried up fast.<br><br>The Caribbean Princess is a very nice place to stay on Orient Beach. We could definitely recommend it if you want a nice spacious place to stay. It's not too far from everything, but everything except Coco's and Boo Boo Jam is to the right. Next time we'd like to stay further in that direction, closer to the center of things, closer to Baywatch, perhaps at Club O. That could work. We'll see.<br><br>There is still a lot of St. Martin that we haven't seen. We'll just have to return. The sooner the better.<br><br>Thanks again to all the TTOLers including the sponsors who made it such a great trip. We hope we can help out others like we were helped. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.
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