Susan and I visited St Martin for the fourth time, 9-17 November 2002. This time we brought along Susan’s daughter, son and daughter-in-law, and two nieces, all in their early- to mid-20s. We stayed at Green Cay Village. On our first visit, Susan and I loved having a villa at Green Cay all to ourselves. But Green Cay made even more logical sense for a party of seven.<br><br>[color:blue]Travel</font color=blue><br>We flew USAirways PIT-PHL-SXM. Everything went smoothly on the way down, and we arrived on the island twenty minutes early. Due to an “electrical failure” we had snack boxes instead of a hot meal on this flight, and I was very happy with a bagel and cream cheese, protein bar, and fruit snack. Given a choice, I would request this on future flights.<br>    We departed on time on our way back, and arrived in Philadelphia half an hour early. We spent those thirty minutes waiting for a people mover to take us to the terminal. Meantime, they were unable to open the baggage compartment and we were told that we would be confined to the customs area until our baggage could be retrieved. This happened in just the nick of time, and we were literally waved through customs and rushed to meet our flight to Pittsburgh, which was held for ten minutes.<br><br>[color:blue]Car Rental</font color=blue><br>We rented two white cars and one [color:448800]green</font color=448800> car from Marius of St Louis Car Rental and everything went very smoothly.<br><br>[color:blue]Weather and Island</font color=blue><br>Beautiful. Heavy downpours our first three days, but none lasting more than fifteen minutes. After that, it only rained at night. The island is very [color:448800]green</font color=448800>, the roads are good, and we encountered fewer daredevil scooter guys. The Village d’Orient continues to grow, with a fitness center and board shop/beach supply store now open. A new gas station is being built in front of the salt pond next to the Boo Boo Jam road.<br><br>[color:blue]Beaches</font color=blue><br>Apart from one morning at Dawn Beach, and part of a day at Pinel Island, Susan and I divided our time between La Playa and Club Orient on Orient Beach.<br>    We might have picked an off morning for Dawn Beach. It was overcast, and the beach was still littered from whatever had been going on the night before. We might try again, someday.<br>    The Pinel boatman who some people think is “crazy” is actually a very smart fellow, who can intelligently discuss a wide range of topics, including St Martin’s immigration and crime problems, when given a chance. He worked in a GM factory in New Jersey for years in order to return to St Martin in a position to get where he is today.<br>    Pinel appears to have lost most of its sandbar. It’s actually still there, under the water, and you can walk a long way out with water only up to your knees. The beach traditionally used by naturists on the other side of the island actually has more sand, much of it also underwater. This has covered over a lot of the rocks that made wading and swimming dangerous. Our experience at the naturist beach was not idyllic this time. We were harassed by a nude Frenchman who insisted that the beach belonged to him. When we ignored him he brought his umbrella down to where we were and set it up right in front of us. We were happy when another couple hiked over the hill to join us, but still left Pinel earlier than we would have otherwise. (This annoying Frenchman was not the “hermit” who has a well-furnished palm hut on the island, and he actually seemed frightened by the “hermit” when he wind-surfed onto the scene.)<br>    Orient was beautiful, despite the lack of sand near Papagayo, and between Pedro’s and Kontiki. During one cloudburst we noticed the huge amount of runoff from Pedro’s parking lot heading right to the beach, and have to think that this contributes to beach erosion. A new wall has been built behind Pedro’s. Club Orient removed the guard shack near the Perch, presumably to make room for more chairs.<br>    We observed nude use of loungers at all major beach bars except for Waikiki and Boo Boo Jam. Most interesting was a nude contingent at Blue Bay/Mount Vernon, segregated to the south side of the volleyball net. They were using Blue Bay loungers but did not have the Blue Bay shade tents. Nude walkers were seen on all parts of the beach, at all times of the day. On at least one day, someone seems to have organized a noontime walk out of Club Orient—good for you, whoever you are!<br><br>[color:blue]Breakfast</font color=blue><br>Usually croissants from the bakery at Cul de Sac, poolside at the villa. We also enjoyed omelettes at Mama Lopes, which is the new name for the bakery next to Portofino in Grand Case. Breakfast at Les Tartines d’Elodie at Oyster Pond was not as good.<br><br>[color:blue]Lunch</font color=blue><br>Very good at Bikini and La Playa, super at Baywatch, but best of all when we enjoyed wine, bread and cheese on our own, on the beach.<br><br>[color:blue]Dinner</font color=blue><br>I was not disappointed in my continuing quest to eat well as a vegetarian in St Martin. I do not seek out juice bars or Asian restaurants, because we have these at home, and Susan and I want to experience French and/or Creole cuisine while we are in St Martin. The restaurants this time, in the order in which we visited:<br><br>Sol e Luna<br>A beautiful evening on their front porch. Charlotte had the night off, and while her Yugoslavian replacement was not as charming, the food and the atmosphere were perfect. Note that their new menu has higher prices, putting Sol e Luna on a price par with the land-side restaurants in Grand Case.<br><br>L’Hibiscus<br>Our fourth visit to my favorite St Martin restaurant. David and Lise were the perfect hosts for our party of five, and their new menu has dispensed with the separate “traditional” and “creative cuisine” sections. Now, it’s all creative cuisine! And the fantastic Hibiscus Chocolate Plate has been joined by Grandmother’s Dessert Plate, with miniaturized versions of six desserts that would have been served in 1900 France. Wow!<br><br>Poulet d’Orleans<br>Thank you to AlanB and everyone on this board who has recommended this great place. The Romneys are a super family, Christian is hilarious, and Dad can cook. We liked this so much that we changed our plans and organized a farewell lunch with all seven of us at Poulet d’Orleans on Sunday. No one was disappointed. Vegetarians are limited to salad, rice and beans, and grilled vegetables, but that was plenty. No credit cards. (Christian is collecting the new state quarters, so if you have one from your state, or whichever one is new, please bring it along.)<br><br>Le Mambo<br>This Grand Case restaurant was not even on our radar screen. Their menu, rich in octopus and squid, seemed to offer no hope for a vegetarian, and their ad in the very helpful Ti Gourmet did not include the icon for “we can accomodate vegetarians.” But when we were strolling the boulevard and reading all of the menus on Monday evening, Maryline was so friendly, and welcoming, that we booked for Wednesday. As she said, “My husband is the chef, and he will do what I say.” I had an excellent vegetable plate, and Susan loved her mussel, squid and snail combination. Everything happened a bit faster here, and we ended up with a 90-minute Grand Case dinner, with the check presented before we even had a chance to ask for it.<br><br>Citrus <br>What a contradiction. A wonderfully creative menu (including a vegetarian tasting menu on the night we were there), superb food, and a tense, unenjoyable atmosphere. After a warm welcome, the service was unpolished. We are not used to being addressed as “you guys” in SXM, or to having our used utensils taken off our plates and put back on the table (that is something they do at Bob Evans, but not on the French side). These would have been minor complaints or things we wouldn’t have even noticed if Citrus had the easy-going elegant atmosphere we had been led to expect. Instead, we had a self-obsessed server who insisted on sharing anecdotes about herself, a sommelier arguing with the people at the next table, and staff members quaking in their shoes in anticipation of the frequent reprimands from the man in charge. What bothered me most was that the young man who seemed to be working hardest, delivering bread to all of the tables, and checking in on us while our server was chatting with her friends, appeared to be getting yelled at the most. To be fair, Citrus was packed, and many of the restaurants where we received great service were almost empty. But I hope they can do something to make the feel as excellent as the food is.<br><br>Little France<br>What a great dinner. This is superb, wholesome French fare in your choice of sauces, with warm, personal service. And by sitting in table “C” on their front porch you get the best of both Grand Case worlds—all of the activity of the boulevard, plus a view of the sea and Anguilla beyond. Little France is not aggressive, did not use a greeter to attract folks, and actually had ringers in place on their porch, pretending to be eating dinner, before we arrived for our 8 o’clock reservation. I hope more people will discover this great place, because I want it to be in business when I return next year. This is a clear winner in the Grand Case value-for-money department: three course dinner for two with an enjoyable Corsican white wine was $66.<br><br>L’Escapade<br>We wanted to enjoy our last dinner on the water, and this was an excellent choice. Gerald was friendly and informal (wanting only a first name for a reservation), his menu offers several vegetarian choices, the food was both beautiful and delicious, and the setting perfect. Service was basic (water and wine glasses were not refilled and the table was not cleaned before dessert) but always nearby when needed. <br><br>[color:blue]Other Restaurant News</font color=blue><br>In Grand Case, La Marine has re-opened as Le Jasmin with a Tunisian menu. Hevea’s restaurant was dark. L’Amandier is adding on a tapas bar. L’Auberge Gourmande has a new menu with several vegetarian choices. Several Grand Case restaurants were offering French toast, as either an appetizer or dessert. So I guess it's not just for breakfast anymore.<br>    The new menu at Le Piccolo maintains most old favorites but no longer includes vegetarian options. There are now three restaurants in the Village d’Orient: the Alamanda (with dinner service scheduled to begin last weekend), Fish Bar (also in Nettle Bay, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and Cote Plages (lunch and dinner, with a something-for-everyone menu). Cheryl did not sound enthusiastic about dinners at Baywatch. “It’s something we’d like to do,” she sighed, “but I only have so much energy.”<br><br>[color:blue]Safety, Security, and Annoyances</font color=blue><br>We never experienced or witnessed any crime, and unlike our August visit did not hear any first-hand reports of it. Two family members had planned to go to Pic Paradis, and we told them not to. We witnessed regular police patrols in Grand Case and observed police in several locations in Marigot. The younger people were all offered drugs in Marigot, but we oldsters were not.<br>    I made it a point to check out Pedro’s parking lot about once an hour on Tuesday, the day on which gendarmes asked me to get dressed in August. No sign of them this time; it may or may not be a coincidence that there was no Disney ship in port this Tuesday.<br>    The hair-braiding/bead ladies at Club Orient are becoming more annoying. I’m on record as not minding the beach vendors in Negril, and the difference is that one polite “no thank you” took care of a Negril vendor for the whole week. Two of the ones at Club Orient were asking us several times a day, each day.<br>    The Club Orient sign says no vendors, and it also says no photography. When we told boat people to put their camera away, when it appeared to be aimed in our direction, people actually staying at Club Orient told them “no, that’s OK.” Several days later another Club Orient guest became incensed at a camera pointed at his group, started yelling, said he was going to get a security guard, but eventually returned without one. Club Orient becomes much less attractive if it is not an oasis away from beach vendors and cameras. One of the great thing about the nude-friendly La Playa is that the voyeurs don’t head there in the first place. <br><br>[color:blue]Capsule Comments</font color=blue><br>Things two or more of the younger people did without us:<br>Anguilla: 4 out of 5 day trippers agree that this island of great beaches is well worth the visit. They were especially pleased with Andy of Mitchell’s Car Rental for an easy and fun rental experience.<br>Le Bar de la Mer: great food, atmosphere, and service<br>Bayside Stables: a great ride on well-cared-for horses.<br>Boathouse: a fun place, despite the disappointing Iguana Soup<br>Goodfellas: good food and friendly service<br>Kontiki Waverunner Excursion (Orient-Tintamarre-Friar’s and back): Fantastic but tiring; don’t make any big plans for the rest of the day<br>Paris Bistro: very good food and service<br>Le Petit Cul de Sac Pizzeria: great pizzas, service, and value<br>Portofino: not interested in serving a party of 5 who wanted pizza and drinks at 8 p.m. on a Saturday. The place was empty, and the staff only wanted to watch TV.<br>Rainbow: spectacular food and service in a very romantic setting<br>Ric’s: food ranged from bad to OK, everyone was unhappy that their server disappeared halfway through the meal.<br>    The younger people also visited several casinos and discovered that they were the only Americans at the off-track betting shop in Bellevue, Marigot. Their favorite beach discovery was Plum, which was deserted except for a few surfers at one end. Their favorite store was the mini-mart in the Galerie de la Plage behind Bikini Beach, with great made-to-order sandwiches for €3.20. <br><br>[color:blue]Next Year</font color=blue><br>St Martin really has something for everyone. This whole trip worked out so well that next year we’re thinking about taking the parents.