I'll give you my perspective for what it's worth since since my wife and I prefer to stay on the French side. I know there are many nice restaurants, from what I've read here, on the Dutch side and everyone has their own preferences on the beaches as well as what they like to do or not do on their visits. We rented a AirBnb in Orient Village this trip and arrived on Friday November 26th. Having usually travelled on Saturday's I didn't know what to expect but was happy to see we were the only plane on the ground upon our arrival. The wait to get through immigration appeared to be longer since the line stretched out onto the ramp above the entrance to the immigration booths but then we realized they had reconfigured the room since our last visit. Once we entered the room there wasn't any line and we immediately preceded to booth where we were processed quickly. Taken by bus to Priceless Rent a Car and we were on our way in about 30 minutes after touch down.
Traffic was bad going through Marigot and the main road was blocked well before the last roundabout is forcing everyone to detour to our right. The detour wasn't marked at all and we realized we were at the mercy of the cars in front of us to find our way around the roadblock. Eventually we came back out onto the main road at the roundabout as you exit Marigot to the north headed to Grand Case and Orient Bay. This excursion took us about 45 minutes to travel 1 mile. There were Gendarmerie's at the initial roadblock with metal barriers which made us think it was just construction. When we got back to the main road we saw they were setting up tents or taking them down, not sure but didn't care at that point. A broken down bus creating a one lane road another mile up added to the confusion but eventually we arrived in Orient Bay. All in all it was a 90 minute ride from the airport. We learned later there had been two separate demonstrations which had helped create the chaos with the traffic.
We've been watching the news and talking to locals but the unrest in Sandy Ground/Marigot has had zero impact on our stay. We've frequented Orange Fever, Bikini Beach and KaKao Beach bars here on Orient as well as Friars Bay Beach Club and Nu Love Beach bar in Philipsburg. On the way back from Philipsburg we stopped in Marigot at the La Casa del Habanos store which is adjacent to Sandy Ground without any issues. The construction in Grand Case is still an issue but didn't keep us from enjoying La Villa and Spiga this trip.
Kathleen said it best about the vibe here. Where else can you walk to the numerous beach bars, enjoy gourmet lunches and enjoy the incredible view that is Orient Bay. Add in the fact you have several amazing restaurant choices in Orient Village for dinners and I don't think there's any other choice.
Today's our last full day and we'll be heading home tomorrow. I'll follow-up with some restaurant reviews when I get home. The weather has been great and Orient Bay has been very busy. There's a lot of people here now and I'm glad to see most of the restaurants open again. I wouldn't hesitate to book again on the French side.
