Just back from our seventh visit to paradise. This vacation was not without its issues, but we managed to have a fabulous time in spite of the circumstances. I would like to thank everyone for their helpful posts that make planning a trip so much easier!

GREEN CAY VILLAS
We booked early & received an excellent deal at Green Cay. Having stayed there once previously, we qualified for additional discounts that reduced our price for 7 nights to
$1867. This included tax, daily maid service, a breakfast basket delivered each morning & a free night during our next stay with them. That IS a deal! We requested either Villa #7 or #9 as suggested by Carol (thank you!). We received #7 and were stunned by the view!!! To see for yourself, go here & scroll down:
http://picasaweb.google.com/1marksmandebbie/SaintMartin#
Villa #7 was similar to Villa #10 (where we stayed in '08),
but the view from #7 was an unobstructed 180 degree view of the water, Pinel Island, Tintamarre Island, Green Cay and St. Barts. We loved it! Checking in & out was a breeze. Charlotte (in the office) was always ready to give us shopping tips & help us with anything & everything we needed. The entire staff was a pleasure to deal with. We already have made a reservation to return next June! Guess you can say that we are satisfied customers.

ISSUES:
On Friday, the day before we were leaving, my lovely wife started coming down with what she thought was a cold. Landing in SXM was a bit painful for her, but she took it in stride. By Monday morning, she was feeling worse and decided that she needed to see a
doctor. I posted an urgent request for suggestions on TTOL early that morning. Numerous replies were posted almost immediately. Thanks to everyone who posted. After reading the posts and then talking to Charlotte, in the office at Green Cay, we visited the office of Dr. Martin Chico, located on the 2nd. floor, next to the pharmacy in Grand Case. To say that we were impressed with the care that my wife received would be an understatement. There were no long forms to fill out, no insurance paperwork, no long wait, just show your passport and take a seat. The doctor himself came out to the waiting room to greet my wife and escort her back to the examination room. HE took her blood pressure, temp, etc.. It turned out that she had strep throat and an ear infection. We were out of his office in less than an hour, and the total charge was $35 US. It took another 5 minutes to get three prescriptions filled next door. Total charge: $40 US. What a wonderful place to get sick! Amazing how well things can work, if the government gets out of the way and allows the free enterprise system to do what it does best. Being the trooper that she is, my wife & I were back on the beach Monday afternoon.

WEATHER:
Very, very windy on Orient Sat, Sun, Mon & Tue. Spent Tuesday on Pinel to escape the wind. Some rain each of the first three days, mostly early am. Mosquitoes were the worst we’ve ever seen. Wednesday was better. Thursday and Friday were PERFECT!

RESTAURANTS:
Staying at Green Cay, we had a free breakfast basket delivered each morning and we grilled steaks on the provided charcoal grill several nights. These are the places we did eat during this trip:

COCO BEACH:
Had breakfast here one morning. We both had the American Breakfast. Nothing to brag about, just ok. Service was slow, but not horrible. Had lunch here twice. My wife LOVES their tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza. She claims it is the best pizza in the world. I must admit, it is very, very good. Service was much better at lunch time. Splitting a pizza made for a cheap lunch.

PALM BEACH:
Had lunch at Palm Beach twice. Should have gone more. I can’t say enough about the superb food and fantastic, friendly service at Palm Beach. We loved Koko Marinas & feel the same way about their new, expanded enterprise. It is a smash hit on Orient. B/T/W, best Mai Tai on the island and free chairs & umbrella if you eat lunch there.

ORANGE FEVER:
Had read good things about this place and decided to give it a try. Well…, the food was cheap, the service was very slow, sometimes you get what you pay for. Won’t go back.

SPIGA:
We always eat here our first night on the island. Why? Because, we can’t wait to get back to this splendid restaurant. Everything is delicious at Spiga and the service is as good as the food. They have easy parking and a security guard patrolling outside. What more could you ask for?

SUNSET CAFÉ:
Located at the Grand Case Beach Club. This was our first time at the Sunset Café. My wife and I both had the French onion soup and we agreed that it was among the best we had ever had. I had the Wahoo special of the day, my wife had Grouper. They were both excellent as was the service. Dessert was sub-par and we were a bit disappointed as the menu in the restaurant was missing about 1/3 of the selections that was shown on their on-line menu. Overall, a good meal and we will likely return at some time in the future.

KARIBUNI:
Another of our favorites. Like Spiga, this lovely restaurant on Pinel Island never disappoints. Well…, almost never. They can’t make a Mai Tai, but the food is fantastic! It would be a tough choice between Karibuni and Palm Beach. Karibuni might be a bit less expensive, but you get free chairs & umbrellas at Palm Beach (with lunch).

TAP FIVE PIZZA:
Hard to believe, but on our seventh stay in the Orient area, we finally had our first pizza at Tap Five. It was good, but the best pizza in the world is just down the beach at Coco’s.

SUMMARY:
We had a fantastic vacation, met some great people at Club O, and can’t wait to go back in June. Never made it to the Ma Doudou factory (thanks to those who posted replies to my inquiry for directions), but will put that on my list for June. Green Cay is a great alternative to a hotel/resort for about the same money. Give them a try!