Here is a somewhat belated trip report. We were on the island only four days because we combined our visit with a family-oriented trip to Antigua. It was our 12th visit to St. Martin. Our first was in 1990, but we have been almost annual visitors since 2007.
On Saturday March 2nd we flew American out of MSP, escaping the near record snowfall and cold. Landing at Princess Juliana at 4 PM on a Saturday is not something we would like to repeat! As other posters have stated, it’s a bit of a mob scene getting through customs. Our time in line was about 45 minutes, but I’m sure it was longer for others. Once we were through, our bag was waiting for us, and so was Lesley. The traffic in Marigot was very tolerable, and we made a quick stop at Super U for some groceries.
We stayed at Esmeralda in a villa behind Astrolabe – our third time in that unit. (Thanks to Jim Ruos for the booking.) Most of Esmeralda is in excellent shape, with fresh repairs and paint. As others have reported, Coco Beach is being rebuilt, and they seem to be making very good progress. Poster RunnerNReader has done a great job submitting photos of the progress.
Our beach days were at Perch Lite. We usually arrived before 9:30, and there was no problem getting a spot. Cedric and his crew have it running well and by late morning most of the chairs were occupied. We didn’t have any food from Perch Lite, but the grill was always cooking something. We miss Willy, and the wonderful drinks she poured. For those with questions about the facilities, there is an outhouse-like structure with a high-end marine/RV toilet installed. It was kept clean, and we had no concerns. On our final morning, we spent a few hours at Kakao, which has a free chair policy for Esmeralda guests.
As others have mentioned, the Club O property has a very eerie feeling about it. We walked around some of the units, and anything that could be moved/stolen is gone. All that is left are the concrete shells of the buildings. I’m not a construction expert, but it seems like it would be a herculean effort for Club O to resume operations once the CoPro issues are resolved (hoping that they will).
Our dining was pretty simple this trip, with three of our meals in Orient Village, one in Grand Case. In the village, we enjoyed dinners at La Trattoria, Cote Plages, and Le Piment. Our favorite in the village was Le Piment, but that is splitting hairs. In Grand Case, we visited Piazza Pascal, where we had a fun conversation with two other couples during a brief rainstorm. We also connected with an OUTSTANDING young waiter (Francois). We were very surprised to see Francois the next morning working the breakfast shift at Astrolabe!
Departure around 2:00 PM mid-week on LIAT was a breeze. No lines of any kind.
We would like to thank everyone on this forum for their contributions. I don’t post much, but I enjoy the dialog on an almost daily basis. This is a great community!
Dave
