TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Trip Report December 10-18, 2021

This trip wasn't the usual girls trip, this time was a thank you trip with the couple who let us crash with them until our house was finished (a few weeks turned into a few months . . .)
Lodging:
We stayed in a lovely, recently renovated villa in Orient Bay. I've stayed in several rentals along Rue du Cabestan this one was my favorite by far. It's amazing how much a tiny sink in the toilet room can make a difference in these villas. The extra deck area and a slightly larger pool made the al fresco living arrangement even better. Wifi was also surprisingly stable and robust.

Food:
Note: I pretty much had the fresh catch tartare with a green salad and fries at every possible opportunity, it's one of my favorite meals. I had a hard time ranking fries this trip, all were up to my high standards.

Baie Orientale:
-Yellow sub is still the best place for a first night late lunch/early dinner after a day of travel. The one place I did not have tartare, but the fries are better than I remember.
-It's not the same without Cote Plage in La Place du Village. Their wahoo tartare with fries and a salad with a glass of house Sancerre still ranks as one of the best meals I've ever had. The sign, "Maison Mere" went up in its place and remodeling was ongoing. House mother? Mother's house? Just doesn't have the same cache.
-Dinner at L'Atelier (lobster paella) and Le Telegraphe were almost as good. My vegetarian/non-carb/non-starch eating friend loved La Favela. I thought it was good, but would pick the former two options first if given a choice.
-BO Pizza was perfect for staying in and dining by the pool. I love the potato and dijon option!
-Good Morning cafe was once again a reliable source for breakfast pastries, that I enjoyed with a coffee by the pool every morning.
-Petit Casino also carried half and half so I didn't have to do my usual mixing of cream and milk to try to balance the appropriate fat percentage.

Orient Beach bars:
-Aloha is back! It was as good as I remember.
-La Playa and Wai Plage are still my favorite among the bigger facilities. No obnoxious cruise shippers at Wai Plage this time, so it was even more lovely. Wai Plage's Accras de morue had a lovely balance of heat and flavor. La Playa's red snapper ceviche was outstanding.

Grand Case:
Because I normally only get to eat at the lolos in Grand Case (nothing wrong with them, but sometimes I want more), I used this opportunity to try Oceans 82 (seafood stew) and Les Temps des Cerises. Both excellent options.

Anse Marcel:
I finally got to try Anse Marcel Beach club. Probably the most expensive outing, a lovely seafood salad, but worth every penny.
While we were there we noticed a floating structure out in the water and got more information at the water sports rental place. It's called Le Radeau Bleu and we spent the next afternoon there. It was too windy to use the paddle boards, kayaking was exhausting, snorkeling gear was good, and it's something I totally want to do again, but on a calmer day.

Logistics:
Car rental from Kenny's was excellent as always.
La Playa arranged covid tests for $50 each (cash only), even though we weren't guests. We had our tests poolside, done within 20 minutes.

Traffic was the worst I've ever experienced on the French side. It was bumper to bumper all the way from Marigot through Grand Case when we drove over from the airport on Friday afternoon. During the week I aborted a trip to Marigot when traffic came to a halt between Hope Estates and Grand Case. Returning to the airport on Saturday was a mess only in Marigot, but nothing worse than the usual there. Thank goodness there's now a Super U in Hope Estate!

Airport: A breeze when arriving on Friday, but a grossly understaffed, overcrowded mess departing on Saturday. I've done Saturday departures before, but the covid test/attestation statement checking easily added an extra hour, and our flight was already boarding when we got to the gate. We arrived at 1pm for a 3:14 flight (which used to be plenty of time), but don't regret the stop at the Driftwood for one last rum punch.

Cell phone: I had what could have been an emergency in Anse Marcel but thanks to good cell service (Verizon-travel pass) I was able to make the necessary calls to prevent the situation from becoming more than a minor inconvenience.

General observations:
-I never would have guessed there were protests had I not read this forum or Le Pelican, aside from the "this is our land" sign by the Cadisco station downhill from Rancho del Sol.
-Not sure if it's because I'm getting older, but the crowd definitely felt younger than it has in the past. More young families than usual.
-It seemed more windy than usual, but it's my first time visiting in December instead of my typical late February.
-The beach was still moderately busy even without the cruise ship craziness.
-Masks were only enforced at Super U, the pharmacy and the airport. No one asked for proof of vaccination. Fortunately it wasn't crowded in Le Petit Casino when I left my mask at the villa, but I would have been the only one wearing it if I did remember. That's the only place I felt like it would have been a good idea to wear one.

Bottom line? Another fabulous trip and I can't wait to get back!

"No obnoxious cruise shippers" as a past cruise ship visitor I resent that labeling statement.
Other than that I'm glad you had a nice trip even " without the cruise ship craziness."

For the record, I didn't intend it to apply to all cruise shippers. In fact I think it's great for both the economy and people watching. But last time I was at Wai Plage we encountered a pretty crazy group so my intent was more situation specific. My apologies for not clarifying.

No big deal. Enjoy the holidays.

Thanks for the report!! Sounds like a lovely trip, except for the airport on the way home! We haven't travelled on Saturday in a long time. Do you mind sharing the name of the villa where you stayed?

I'm having trouble finding the link on air bnb, but I can tell you it's Villa Soualgia #3, next to the beach house (which is Villa #4 and I also highly recommend)