SXM Day 9 June12, 2006

This is moving to Grand Case Day. We've spent 8 incredible nights in St. Maarten, and now we're heading to the French side and the Grand Case Beach Club. Lynn got up early, and I got up later than usual........(I wonder why?) Uncle Joe was movin' kinda slow at the junction, but we managed to make the 11:00 check out time and headed to Marigot. We parked in the dirt lot next to the harbour, as parking is a creative experience in Marigot. We went to Marina Royale, where we had originally planned to have breakfast, but due to circumstances beyond my control, lunch was in order. Unfortunately, we arrived just before the restaurants started serving lunch, so we went into a cigar shop to check on the possibility of bringing a few Cubans home. I'm not a smoker, but I have a few friends who are cigar connoiseurs, and on occasion they will give me a 'gar for special situations. The proprietor was a kind white haired and bearded gent, who was very patient and helpful in my blind cigar endeavor. We talked about celebrities that had been there ( Billy Crystal, Robert DeNiro, and Robin Williams ), and he took the time to talk me through choices within my budget. I ended up with 3 Punch cigars at $16 a pop, and he said I could put the cigars in my cargo shorts pocket, and it would be no problem getting through customs. Took the time to get a photo with the owner, Ives, who was very friendly and informative, a pleasant experience.

We ate at Brasserie de la Gare, which is situated at the crook of the "L" of the harbour, a yellow awninged, alfresco restaurant that looks out over Marina Royale. We ordered sparkling water ( which I had fallen in love with, imported from Italy, what's up with that?), and a tuna tartare appetizer, that I knew would be a stretch for our palates. It took forever for service, and they brought out the main courses before the appetizer. The server appologized, and said he would make right, and we waited for the appetizer for another 20 minutes. I'm getting peeved just writing about this. They brought out the tuna tartare, a cylindrical mound of fish that was really very good. It was twangy ( is that a word? ), a generous portion, that even Lynn , who doesn't like fish, enjoyed. I finished the tartare, and felt semi-satiated afterwards. Had to wait for the entrees again, lunch took 2 hours. The food could've been fabulous ( it wasn't ) but because of the poor service, the experience left a lot to be desired. It's unfortunate, because they really seemed to want to please us, but they just screwed up......

We finally escaped the restaurant and headed to Friar's Bay, on the reccomendation of Linda's Mike at the TTOL party on our 2nd night on the island.The drive off of the main road to Grand Case to Friar's Bay is very scenic, with well-to-do homes dotting the landscape. Ended up at Kali's Beach Bar and parked between the beach and a lake. We headed down to the beach, and we were met by Kali himself. He directed us to two beach chairs and an umbrella right on the surf line on the beach. Soon, he came back with 2 complimentary rum punches, and said if we needed anything else to just call. Talk about great first impressions! We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at Kali's, which is painted in red, yellow and green, situated in the shade of palm and seagrape trees. We chilled on the beach, once again, a perfect sunny day! The beach wasn't very crowded, and the bay was surrounded by small hills on both sides, with a resort on the hill on the right. The hostile island of Anguilla was off in the distance, but we didn't see any imminent attack during our stay. I must say, if I haven't already, the French have the right attitude about beach attire.......

About 4:00, we retreated under the shade at Kali's and ordered a round of rum punches. Some of the best time we spent on the island were situations like this - sun-soaked, and enjoying the shade and libations while looking out over the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Before we left, Kali made a point to set us up with some homemade rum shooters. Lynn's was, in her words, "spicey, sweet", that left her lips numb. Mine was banana-spiced and left me with a nice, warm feeling inside - they didn't taste strong, but I don't think you could make a night of them! The 2 beach chairs, umbrella, 2 complimentary rum punches and the two shots game to a grand total of $14.

We bid farewell to Kali and his wife, and headed to the Grand Case Beach Club. I had originally booked two nights there, but Delta changed their flight plans and we had to spend another night on the island, instead of having a day to recoup before going back to work - oh, darn, an extra day in paradise! Arrived at the resort and checked in, where they gave us a bottle of wine, which we brought home with us ( along with some other select boozes ). Checked into room 115 on the 3rd floor with a balcony view of Grand Case, the Caribbean, and Anguilla - PERFECT!!! We just hung out on the balcony and enjoyed the view for hours, still covered with beach, with Caribs and Cruzan shots mixed with leftover rum punch. After sunset, we tore ourselves away from the balcony and got ready for dinner.

I had really wanted to check out Spiga's after everything I had read, as we love Italian. Spiga's was closed, however, so we went to plan B, L'Cottage, which was recommended by Kathy's Harry from Chi-Town at the TTOL party. This very well could have been the best dining experience I've ever had - we started with a Lobster Ravioli appetizer which was good but not great. But the entrees, the attentive staff, and the ambiance made the evening. We were seated at a roadfront table under the overhang - I had the Beef Tenderloin with Bernaise Sauce, asparagus and something that looked like hushpuppies. They were garlic mashed potatoes with a light batter and deep fried - absolutely melt in your mouth! The steak was a perfect medium rare.

But Lynn had the bomb.......Sea Scallops in Phillo dough with Porcini Mushroom sauce........I dont' know what that means, but I can attest to the fact that it was incredible! It was served with a rice concoction that was to die for. We had consulted with the wine expert beforehand and told him what we were having, and he responded immediately with a Bourdeaux that was incredibly smooth and complimented the meal perfectly! Thank you Harry, for the recommendation, with so many fine restaurants to choose from, I'm glad we found L'Cottage!

Back at the GCBC, we took a walk around the grounds, and took a lot of pictures. The resort is like the Garden of Eden, it seems like every square inch of the place was planned for optimum visual appeal, full of color, flowers, artworks, nooks and crannies to relax for two and some for larger groups. We ended up in a hammock above the beach under the seagrapes with the lights of a peaceful Anguilla flickering across the Caribbean Sea............