SHORT REPORT: Another wonderful trip, we were on the island July 2-10.

LONG REPORT: (lots of detail, probably TOO much, but one never knows what might be useful/interesting to someone, and it’s nice to have written it up as a souvenir…)

TRAVEL. Except in high season (when Sun Country flies a direct charter) flying from Minnesota necessitates either a very tight connection or an overnight. Despite the fact that it adds to the cost in several ways (hotel, plus an additional fee to actually speak with a live airline representative), we prefer to plan an overnight en route, rather than begin/end the trip with either (a) a very long stressful travel day or (b) an unscheduled overnight. Previous trips we’ve traveled on Continental through Newark—UGH! Busy, overcrowded, grumpy, delay-ridden. This time we traveled US Air though Charlotte—DELIGHTFUL! Everything was on time, people were polite and friendly, lines moved quickly. We stayed at the LaQuinta Airport South, and it was exactly what we were hoping for—clean, simple, quiet and reasonably priced. We didn’t need anything fancy, we were only there to sleep, probably 9 hours total each time. The shuttle was prompt, and the shuttle and front desk personnel were friendly and efficient. There is an adequate breakfast buffet available from 6 am. We chose this location because we weren’t scheduled to arrive until 8:45 pm or so, and there is an Embassy Suites with an Omaha Steakhouse restaurant right next door, providing quick access to a place to eat dinner in an area with few other easy options. While it pales in comparison to the options on SXM, the Omaha Steakhouse was fine, offering both full meals and lighter options (appetizers, salads, soups). If anyone has recommendations for other CLT hotels within walking distance of decent restaurants, we’d love to hear about it.

CAR and PHONE. Car from Ace/Panoramic, another trouble free rental. Phone from Sharon. We rent a phone mostly so my elderly parents can reach us in an emergency; it’s comforting to all of us to have the number before our trip begins. I’m pleased to say we didn’t use it once!

LODGING. We again rented an apartment from Zuzu (TTOL sponsor) over La California Restaurant in Grand Case. While certainly not fancy, Zuzu’s apartments are clean and quiet. On our last trip we were in the loft BR apartment; this time we were in the 2 BR unit. Even though it’s just the two of us, we prefer the 2 BR apartment because it has a wider, more comfortable balcony, and a bathroom on the same level as the bedroom (allowing us to avoid those middle of the night trips to the loo down the ladderlike stairs in the loft apartment!) The second bedroom in this unit is a loft with its own complete bathroom (toilet, sink, shower). We enjoyed several wonderful dinners of bread, cheese, charcuterie, fruit and wine on the balcony. (By the way, for those of you who’ve seen the picture and wondered about the bed on the balcony—yes, it looks rather romantic, but alas there are several big holes in the gauze that let in mosquitoes.) The ocean breeze and a couple of citronella candles kept the mosquitoes on the balcony to a tolerable level.

BEACH TIME. We spent our days uneventfully at Club Orient. It was fun to meet some of the people whose aliases I recognize from TTOL postings, as well as many other folks. We really enjoy the camaraderie of the beach at Club O. Nice to meet you, Deb, Becky, Bruce, Tom, Kathy, Nick, Amy, Cass, Shelley, Jim, Kimberly and everyone whose names I ’m forgetting at the moment. And Becky, I’m going to stitch up some of those nice lounger towels, what a great idea!

The 4th of July festivities (body painting, temporary tattoos, parade) were fun. We didn’t go to the Baywatch bash—it was just too early for us to eat or drink much. This was our first time joining in the parade. I was pleasantly surprised that most of the onlookers/gawkers seemed amused, often supportive, but not appalled. We don’t know the history of this event, but to be honest, we felt a bit awkward participating in such a fervent display of USA patriotism in another country (particularly the chants of “USA,USA”.) Maybe a French flag alongside the US and Club O flags would be a nice gesture?

My husband got a hand-painted temporary tattoo from the woman who walks the beach. The “tattoo” lasted about 5 days; it was a fun little indulgence, and he liked it enough that he’s now considering a permanent tattoo.

MEALS. We ate several lunches at Kokomarina. It’s our absolute favorite on Orient Beach. Marina and Koko are delightful people, and do a wonderful job with hospitality, décor, and food. In early July, they were one of the few places still offering 1:1, but are really feeling the pinch, and may have to abandon that if the dollar/Euro disparity continues to widen. One of the specials while we were there was especially delicious and perfect for lunch—a hot phyllo wrapped bundle of goat cheese and sauted vegetables over a generous salad. Yum!

We also had a great lunch at Baywatch (try the mussels a la Andy), and good meals at Brice Paradise and the Pirate. The wrap sandwiches at the Pirate were tasty, filling, and reasonably priced.

We lodge in Grand Case so that we can walk to dinners, and not have to worry about driving after a couple of glasses of wine. The dollar/euro situation does appear to be negatively affecting business in Grand Case; few places were ever more than half full, and some definitely less than that. We figured that prices and exchange rates are adjusted to more or less equalize value, so didn’t worry about who was offering what exchange rate.

We had two lovely, elegant meals at Le Cottage. We shared appetizers (once the crab millefeuille, once the trio of cold fois gras). Our mains were the mushroom stuffed chicken, the lamb, the beef tenderloin, and the scallops (a bit overcooked, by my taste); all beautifully presented and creatively sided/garnished. Service as always was impeccable yet friendly.

We had another delicious meal at L’Escapade (Has management changed? Several faces were new since last December, and one fellow we remember from previous trips was nowhere to be seen.) The duck trio was delicious, albeit wickedly rich. My husband had the red snapper filet over basil risotto, and said it was perhaps his best meal of the trip.

We had a good but not fabulous meal at Blue Martini. The garden was a very nice setting, and prices were (relatively speaking, this is Grand Case, after all!) reasonable. The onion soup gratinee was quite good. My tartiflette (admittedly an odd choice for the Caribbean in the summer) was good but unrelentingly rich; it would have benefited from being served with something as contrast, perhaps vegetables vinaigrette. We took home the leftovers and ate it the next night with bread and fruit. My husband thought his shrimp skewer was overcooked and rather bland.

Having read many great reviews, we made the “long” walk to the other end of Grand Case to try Spiga for the first time—wow! We shared the amazing lobster ravioli (with mascarpone and dill, I think) to start. Then came homemade pappardelle with sausage, leeks and peppers for me, and homemade asparagus ricotta gnocchi for my husband. Portions were large enough to take leftovers home. Major yum. Spiga is now on our “must” list.

We had lunch at La Plantation restaurant at the airport before our flight back. They have updated their menu since last December—more choices, higher prices. Food was fine, nothing fancy, and service as always was laid back (ie, slow). This is an okay place to have a relaxed meal, but we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re at all pressed for time. Our order got messed up (we think the server forgot to put the request into the kitchen) so we waited almost an hour for burgers and fries. At an airport restaurant, that’s really inexcusable.

MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS. We did not experience, witness, or hear of any crime while we were in St. Martin. Between the visible Security presence and general camaraderie of those around us, we felt comfortable leaving our belongings (not wallets or other valuables, but other stuff) between our chairs near the Perch when we walked down the beach to lunch. It seemed to us that there were more gendarmes on the road and in Grand Case in the evenings than we’ve seen before.

Although we were on vacation, we did need to check email occasionally. We used the internet café near Bounty on the main road past Grand Case. Prices are reasonable, and the proprietors are very friendly. (Note that the English keyboard computer nearest the door on the left wall as you come in is much faster than the sluggish one midway down the wall!) These folks also sell WiFi access in the area, so next time we may take our laptop and try that approach, or just find free WiFi spots.

All in all, we had a great trip, and are look forward to NEXT TIME!