Hello BOAmsterdam. My wife and I have been traveling to the island for about 20 years now and have stayed in Orient Village area all but twice. We have made many friends on the island over the years whom we try and visit each time we come. We will miss you by a few days this year. We also rent a car every year, though don't put a lot of miles on it. Just good to have transportation to use when you need it. You will enjoy a trip to Marigot with a visit to the outside market along the water as well as maybe a trip to the fort atop the mountain next to the market and don't miss a visit to Roland Richardson's art gallery which is also near the marketplace. A visit to Philipsburg is a must but be prepared to be harassed by vendors along Front Street. Takes about 15-20 minutes from Orient Village to either Philipsburg or Marigot. On your way from Orient Village through the French Quarter you will pass Parrotville. Really neat place to visit where you can feed the parrots as long as you want. May want to take a trip by ferry to PInel Island which will be to the front-left of you when on the beach at Orient. Someone can give you directions to the dock where the small ferry can take you to Pinel. The beach is very nice with shallow water and no waves. Very easy to get in the water there. If you don't mind crowds, take a trip to the Sunset Beach Bar which is at the end of the runway at the airport. At the top of this website you can find the days when the cruise ships arrive. Pick a day with very few ships are in port so the place won't be too crowded. Not too many places to eat breakfast in Orient Village, but "Good Morning" does have a good menu and makes great sandwiches to take to the beach for lunch. Croissants and breakfast also at Yellow Sub at the other end of the street from "Good Morning". There is also a very nice convenience store in Orient Village called Le Casino. Plenty of choices, but maybe a bit more in price than a larger supermarket. Make sure you travel to Grand Case for an evening meal or two. Not much more than a 10 minute drive to Grand Case. Turn right on the main road when you leave Orient Village. We stick close to the Village for most evening meals since I no longer like to drive at night. There are plenty of places to eat in the Village as well as El Rancho on the hill before you reach Orient Village. We have rented cars many times from Leslie who goes by Kenny's on this site. He will meet you at the airport with a car. Even loads the suitcases in the car. Fill out the form, sign it and off you go. If you use his website, which you can find in the sponsors above, you can even ask him if he can find you map to use. He can give you directions to Orient Village. He's very reliable and not much different in price than anybody else. Since the swing bridge has been built, we use that direction to Orient which takes you through Marigot, Grand Case and to Orient Village. You are welcome to send me a private message if you care to. You will enjoy your time on the island and in Orient Village. We only wish we hadn't waited until I retired before we made our first trip to SXM. You can access my blog where I have a ton of stories on SXM. https://lifewithldub.blogspot.com. when you open it, type St. Martin in the white box, top left. Plenty of pics and stories to read before you go on vacation. Enjoy your time on the island!