Just came back from a most wonderful three weeks in Saint Martin. We stayed in Oyster Pond, in La Caravelle, two doors down from Les Balcons. Our accommodations were fantastic, consisting of a studio type apartment (a bedroom with kitchen facilities, bathroom with shower and a balcony facing the Marina), with a shared pool and BBQ facilities. I would recommend La Caravelle to any couple wishing a peaceful, safe, and relaxed atmosphere, just minutes from Phillipsburg or Orient Bay. A rental car is a must.

Shortly before we got there, two girls were robbed in front of La Caravelle. The owner, Mireille, assured me that they had definitely been negligent in exercising safe travelling practices. Carrying a purse or handbag is a no-no when travelling in Saint Martin at night. That is a small inconvenience when compared to travelling in Nairobi, in Kenya, where one risks having wrist watches, ear-rings or any jewellery snatched from ones body at any time.

For anyone driving between the Oyster Pond and Orient Bay area, look out. There was one fatality (a goat) on the road while we were there, but after a week or so, he had practically dried up. Be prepared to stop for donkeys, goats, cows, horses, long line-ups of ATV’s, and careless time-share salespeople who will stop anyone on blind curves or just beyond the crest of a blind hill. If you hear the loud wailing of a what sounds like a fog-horn, it’s not a ship on the road ahead, but rather a trucker warning you that he is coming around the bend ahead, towards you, and you better toss over to the side (I’m not kidding).

For $122.00 US dollars you can buy a return ticket to St. Kitts via Win Air, all taxes included, or you can purchase 4 square inches of material on Orient Beach to help keep your sweetie virtuous, modest and happy. I went to St. Kitts. She went naked.

For $70.00 US you can share a fine meal, with water, on a poorly designed picnic table at La Frigate in Oyster Pond with your loved one, or you can go to Massimos, dockside at the Marina, and spend ten bucks on a shared pizza (the cook is a world class chef) and quench your thirst for the next three days. What’s wrong with that?

We had a great time, and are looking forward to our next trip there already.