First, I want to thank everyone on this message board for the great advice you gave out as we researched our St. Martin trip for the past six months. We had an absolutely AWESOME time and can’t wait to go back! Even though we were unable to make the TTOL party on Tuesday the 19th (I had a nasty case of sun poisoning and didn’t feel like setting foot out of my room that night), we did meet a few TTOLers on the beach, etc., including Robbie who so graciously hosted the party on Tuesday. OK, on to the trip report:

Getting there – We had a direct flight from Miami to St. Maarten on American Airlines. We didn’t check any luggage, and I was a little nervous about going through security with everything we needed for the trip in carry-ons. It was a breeze! The flight was uneventful, and debarkation was a snap (again, thanks to our carry-on luggage).

Getting around – We chose not to rent a car for our entire stay. Instead, we got taxis to and from the airport and out to dinner when we needed one. We did rent a car for one day (Tuesday, which was overcast & rainy) which we used to tour around the island. We went to the top of Pic Paradise (a bit scary!!), drove through Grand Case to scope out restaurants, drove around Phillipsburg but didn’t stop and shop because there was absolutely NO parking, then went to Marigot for lunch, shopping, and a grocery stop. We felt that one day with a car (early in our trip, so we could go to the grocery store) worked well for us. We rarely left the beach!

Accommodations – We stayed in a mini suite at Club Orient. We LOVED our mini suite! It was just the right size for the two of us, and we enjoyed having a kitchen to cook some of our meals in. The people there are wonderful, and we made some friends that we hope to see again on future visits. We can definitely see why Club O has so many repeat customers!! The beach chair tags worked well, and every morning our chairs were set up with an umbrella between them, just waiting for us! We had to huge floating chairs that we blew up and anchored out in the water early in our trip, and we left them there overnight the entire time without any problem. Nick walked the entire beach nude every morning (between 6:30 and 7:30) and never had a problem. While he was walking, I grabbed a little more sleep and put the coffee on. The Perch was the social hub during the day, and we never missed a happy hour. Willie’s guavaberry coladas are amazing! We weren’t terribly impressed with Papagayo and thought Orintique had a limited selection and high prices, but the pros of staying at Club O definitely outweighed the cons. We would stay there again in a heartbeat!

Activities – We spent the vast majority of our time just hanging out on the beach and socializing with other beach-goers. We did do the Tiko Tiko trip on Monday and had an AWESOME time with the three other couples we were with. Melanie and Pascal were wonderful hosts and took very good care of us! On Tuesday we rented a car and explored the island a bit, and that was a fun adventure. On Wednesday Nick booked massages for us at the spa at Club Orient, and they were wonderful! I would definitely use their spa services again. Nick was a little bummed that there wasn’t a weight room anymore but I told him to chill out – he was on vacation!! We had wanted to give the ziplines at Lotterie Farms a try, but sand gravity got the best of us. That’s OK – it gives us something to look forward to on our next trip!

Food – Where do I begin?? Whether we were at a fine dining establishment, a beach shack, or eating in our own room, we were never disappointed. We ate breakfast on our back porch of our mini suite all but two mornings. Our usual breakfast consisted of a fresh baguette, raspberry jam, brie, fruit, and smoked salmon, along with coffee and mimosas. Lunches in our room consisted of ham and cheese crepes or smoked duck with various cheeses and fresh bread. One evening I cooked a “real meal” of roasted duck, baked apples, and spinach with Roquefort cheese. The rest of our meals were eaten out, and I’ll describe the restaurants one at a time.

The Perch – We got ribs at The Perch one day during happy hour. One plate of ribs was plenty for me and Nick to share. It comes with cole slaw and a baked potato. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, and the sauce was sweet yet spicy – perfect! I would highly recommend getting ribs at The Perch. Not only is it convenient, it’s delicious!

Papagayo – We were NOT impressed with our meals at Papagayo, and I wouldn’t recommend it, convenient or not. The evening we arrived we weren’t very hungry after traveling, so we decided to share a bowl of French onion soup, an order of escargot, and a Caesar salad. The French onion soup was bland and had unmelted “Mexican blend” shredded cheese on top of it. The escargot was good but not outstanding, and the Caesar salad was on par with the “bagged salads: that I get at the grocery store. One morning later in our stay we went there for breakfast. Nick got eggs benedict, and I got French toast and bacon. It was pretty standard breakfast fare with a rather high price tag. Nothing was BAD at Papagayo (well, the French onion soup was pretty bad), but nothing was GOOD either.

Tiko Tiko Cruise– Melanie is an excellent cook, especially for doing it all on a boat! Nick and I both had steak, and he had a potato while I had corn on the cob. We shared the veggies between us and enjoyed it all. Champagne and wine (both white and red) flowed throughout the lunch, and dessert was a delicious cheesecake and some orange ginger rum to sip on. Overall, a great meal!

Baywatch – We ate here twice, once for lunch and once for breakfast. Lunch consisted of an Italian meatball plate with baked ziti and salad for myself and the buffalo chicken hoagie for Nick. I had hoped to get the oh-so-famous mussels, but they were out of them. The food was very good, and Adrian and Andy made the meal a real treat. We returned on our last morning for breakfast. Nick and corn beef hash, eggs, and toast. He said it was good. I had banana pancakes. OH MY GOODNESS!! These are the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten!! It was like biting into a slice of fresh, warm banana bread except lighter in consistency. If you’re there for breakfast and Andy’s making the banana pancakes, do yourself a favor and ORDER THEM!

Chez Leandres – This was our unexpected surprise on this trip! It’s a little beach restaurant nestled in between Baywatch and The Pirate. They serve sandwiches, wraps, salads, creole food, and seafood. I’m surprised I haven’t read much about them on the message board, because the food there is absolutely wonderful and VERY REASONABLE! We started with appetizers – conch fritters for me and hot ribs for Nick. For lunch, I had the lobster salad full of HUGE chunks of lobster, and Nick and the creole shrimp stew with peas and rice which was wonderfully spicy. I had a couple of glasses of rose wine and Nick had a couple of beers, and our total bill was less than $40 including tip! We left there absolutely stuffed to the gills and extremely pleased with the food, the price, and the service.

La Belle Epoque – We had lunch here while shopping in Marigot. It ha a great view of the marina, and the food is tasty and inexpensive. I had a wonderful thin crust pizza with ham and mushrooms, and Nick had beef with shallots. It was served with mashed sweet potatoes, home fries, and roasted vegetables. I had a glass of merlot and Nick had a beer, and we finished with two espressos. Again, we were surprised with a final tab of less than $40 American! There was so much food that we left more than half of the pizza behind. If we had been going back to our mini suite, I would have boxed it up and taken it with us – it was delicious!

L’Auberge Gourmande – I don’t know where to begin describing this dinner. From the moment we walked in until the moment we left, it was amazing. The service was impeccable – there when we needed it but unobtrusive. The selection was outstanding – we could barely decide what to order. The food was out of this world! We started with a bottle of water and a bottle of burgundy wine, along with goat cheese in phyllo with walnuts and apples for me and rock fish & saffron soup for Nick. The appetizers were so good that I was almost full before the entrees even arrived. My main course was duck medallions with flambéed pineapple for me and beef filet with morel sauce for Nick. Both were served with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted veggies. I also had herb mashed potatoes on my plate, and Nick had the most AMAZING potatoes au gratin on his plate. For dessert, we split a crème brulee – every bite was heavenly! There was so much food that we took almost half of it home in a box. The left-overs for dinner the next night were almost as good as the first time around! While we waited for our taxi to arrive, the owner brought over a bottle of spiced rum and told us to help ourselves!!

OK, I think that about sums up our trip. Sorry it got so long, but It was just such an awesome trip that I couldn’t stop gushing about it! The island is amazing, the food is amazing, and the company is DEFINITELY amazing! I certainly can’t wait to go back!!

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