This trip report will not be as long and ones I have previously submitted simply because the weather was FANTASTIC and most time was spent on the beach or in the water with Carib in hand! Also we went only for one week rather than two due to financial considerations (read labour dispute here) and decided to “cheap out” on meals and shopping (read no jewellery here).

This was our 15th trip to St. Martin in as many years and 4th stay at Club Orient (see accommodations).

Getting There:
We were booked with Air Transat out of Pearson Airport in Toronto, however, their flights were taken on by WestJet (our favourite Canadian Airline). All flights were on time going and returning and seats were comfortable with leg room. WestJet now has small monitors that your can watch TV, see movies or follow the progress of the aircraft on a map...I really like this feature as I like to know where I am all the time! Great Airline!

Car Rental:
We rented from AAA. This is the 8th or 9th time we have rented from Alain and we have never been disappointed. We were met at the airport and transported to AAA’s yard, Myra did the paper work and were on our way. The car was a Toyota Corolla, with scratches and dents as per my request. However it ran well and even had enough guts to take the Cole Bay Hill shortcut. We used the car every day, total expenditure for gas was $24 US. Gas was .95 per litre which was comparable to what we are used to paying in Canada. Filled up at the Gess Station in Quartier d’Orleans where a sign said June to October 1 dollar = 1 euro.

Accommodations and Club Orient:
This was our fourth stay at Club Orient. The first three were in Studios, but his year we opted for a Mini-suite as they were the same price as the Studios. “Herladyship” loved the mini-suite, as there is much more room and you can eat comfortably inside when you want a break from the sun. We were in unit 154 which is close to Orientique. It is farther away from the beach than the Studios but I figured the walk would do me good as I went from the beach to our unit for another Carib...and another...and another!
We did not eat at Papagayo but did attend a couple of happy hours and of course the Manager’s Wine and Cheese get together.
Andy at Baywatch told us that the employees were actually running Club Orient until things get “straightened out”. From our point of view Club O was being run very well. On two occasions our power went out. I went to the office to report it and both times the maintenance people were there by the time I walked back to our unit. I also like the idea of having tags on the chairs, no need to “Stake a claim” early in the morning.

Where We Ate:
Any gourmets can skip this part!
Breakfast and lunch were mostly in our mini-suite. We did have our kick-off breakfast at Baywatch but the rest of the time we ate breakfast in our room.
Our first day there Jim and Carmen treated us to lunch at Baywatch...the ribs were right up to their usual standard! Ate lunch a couple more times at Baywatch, had Andy’s Grouper burger and on our last day ribs again. Our favourite place on the beach! We did miss Cheryl who was still in the States looking after her mother. Andy is now working longer hours but did prove he was up to the task of running the place by himself ...if something needed to be done he would just look around and shout “Yo, Adrian!”
Dinners:
Talk of the Town Too, Grand Case - our favourite lolos and we ate there twice (under $30).
Les Brasseries des Iles (le Pub), - also ate here twice. I always describe Les Brasseries as the “safest restaurant on St. Martin” as this is where the gendarmes are brought for their meals (the restaurant has a contract to feed the local constabulary). At dinner time there are anywhere from 12 to 20 gendarmes eating there. The food is excellent and the portions are huge! It is advisable to split appetizers and entrees. Both times our bill was in the low $40s and that included a couple of drinks! The ladies always say that the young gendarmes are “easy on the eyes”!
Ric’s - we really enjoy Ric’s. Spaghetti and meat balls and one of their huge burgers and a couple of beers for something like $30.
Peg Leg Pub - we were not feeling adventurous this trip and went to all our old favourites! We were warmly greeted by Shawn with handshakes and hugs. We have been in Peg Leg numerous times before, but I am sure Shawn did not “remember us from Adam”, however he greets most people that way who call him by name...what a great ambassador for the island!
I had a Red Snapper burger and “Herladyship” had roast beef dip...both excellent...and a couple of “Stellas”. 30 something dollars.

Shopping:
Most of our souvenir purchases were made at the Rimas store in Philipsburg, largely gifts for grandchildren and sun dresses and golf shirts that we will be sending to our in-laws in Cuba. I love the 3 for $10 and 3 for $20 deals. Also a bit of “window shopping” in Philipsburg and Marigot but no “bling-blings” this trip.
We did our grocery shopping at Grand Marche in Philipsburg, great store with plenty of variety.
Did my MaDouDou shopping at the “factory”.

Casinos:
Atlantis, Dolphin, Casino Royale and Paradise Plaza. Made small contributions at each one via the slot machines. I think the best you can hope for is that you get to play for a while.

Best Stuff:
Most will agree that the best part of any trip is the people you meet and reuniting with friends.
Upon our arrival at Club O we were greeted by friends Jim and Carmen. Jim just received a new kidney this past December and Carmen had donated one of her kidneys so that Jim could move up on the recipients list. Their operations were within days of each other. On previous trips Jim had to disappear back to their studio to do kidney dialysis a number of times a day. We spent the first four days of our vacation with them this year before they had to go home and it was marvellous to see them both in such good health now!
Later in the week we met up with Larry and Leah and Kip and Linda who we knew from previous trips and also Bill and Linda’s “Bastille Day Parties” in Maryland...see you soon guys.
While at Baywatch we also spoke with Jeff and Bonnie who we had met on a previous trip.
On our first day on the beach we met another Canadian couple, Luke and Irene, who we gave a tour of our mini-suite to. They in turn took us on a tour of their time share in Guana Bay. Unfortunately on their first night there they had their car stolen (see Bad Stuff).

Other best stuff this year was the weather. Nearly Perfect! We lost no beach time as in previous years to bad weather. There was the occasional “sun shower” or it rained at night...nothing serious!

New Things:
Discovered the “shortcut” from the traffic circle near the old Rams store in Philipsburg over the mountain to Cole Bay (one way road). What a view! It also reminds me of driving on St. Barths.

Bad Stuff:
Some of the roads (potholes)
The entrance to Club Orient (Galion Road)...craters! The Club O part was in the best repair we have ever seen.
Construction at Cupecoy - appalling!

On the third day at the beach we met fellow Canadians Luke and Irene, who on their first night had their car stolen from outside their villa at Guana Bay. The car was found stripped in Orleans. The car was an older Toyota and they were told by the police that the older Toyota Corollas are popular cars with the young people on the island as they are cheap to buy and are stolen for replacement parts. The next day on the beach they said that their TD VISA Gold credit card covered the car. If they had taken the insurance offered by the rental company, they would have had to pay the deductible. What a relief, we have the same credit card and were driving a Toyota Corolla...and we did not take the local insurance! I asked Myra about this and she explained that their cars (AAA) cannot be hotwired as they have a safety device on them. The cars can certainly be broken into but not taken away.

Favourites We Missed:
DK Gems - sorry Deepti but I am sure we will be there next year (I owe bigtime).
Buccaneer Beach Bar
Tiko Tiko
Long time friends who were not on the island at the same time we were this year...we missed you guys!
Bistrot Caraibes
Repaire du Pirate

Sorry for the length...I got carried away!

John (and Toddy) <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Umbrella.gif" alt="" />