You may have already read Timo’s version of the trip, here’s mine. He gave you all the itinerary and facts; I’ll delve a little deeper. <br><br>Dinners. As Tim said, my absolute favorite dinner was the Cioppino at Sol e Luna. The broth was heavenly. The tiny mussels were sweet. Perfect. My worst dinner was at Tropicana at Marigot Marina. I had the seafood stew. The waiter described it as a creamy bisque sauce, not too heavy. What I got was a funky green sauce made out of apparent lobster guts. Now let me qualify by saying that I love seafood. I pick crabs and don’t mind getting some of the funky stuff with the crabmeat. I eat clams, oysters, and mussels. I prefer fish that is fishy and I’m not too crazy about the milder stuff like flounder. I’ve eaten all kinds of chowders. But this was the absolute weirdest thing I’ve ever encountered. Tim had his favorite meal here, so maybe we’ll give it another chance. <br><br>Lunches. Talk of the Town had the best and meatiest ribs. They do them the 'right' way-- add the sauce after grilling. I don’t want to re-open the ‘best ribs’ debate, but that’s our vote here. And with some kind of pepper sauce that was on the table. Yum. I’m also amazed at the quality of the food at some of these beach shacks. We had this outstanding calamari and pepper oil appetizer at Karibuni’s on Pinel. And at Baywatch on Orient we had mussels that were about as good as the Cioppino at Sol e Luna. And the fish salad at Baywatch was better than the lobster salad at Brasserie de la Gare. <br><br>Beaches. I like being naked on the beach and in the water. But I don’t necessarily want to socialize or eat out naked. I don’t want a totally deserted beach either. So my favorite beaches turned out to be Baie Rouge and Pinel Island. Enough other people around (even if it was only the Pinel hermit!) that you didn’t feel so alone and vulnerable, but not so close that you are a part of everyone else’s conversation. (P.S. I feel this way on clothed beaches too) <br><br>Coffee. Most people post about MaDouDou and Heinekens, but since I don’t drink anymore, caffeine is my only mind-altering experience! Last trip we got turned on to Douwe Egbert coffee. Does anyone have any US import source for this stuff? We also had outstanding cappuccino after just about every meal and it was all good except one place. <br><br>Tourists. Of course there is always traffic. But, as others here have said, most restaurants are at least half empty. We didn’t need reservations anywhere. Bananas was crowded one night so we walked across the street to Mezzanote, which was about 2/3 full. Ric’s was all but empty the night we went. Every place was glad to see us. Cheryl at Baywatch said the past 10 days had been picking up. But the bars between Baywatch and Kontiki were closed the day we were there. And most chairs on the remainder of the beach were empty. We also heard reports that stores in Phillipsburg were closed unless a ship was in port, and even then there wasn’t a lot of buying. <br><br>Snorkeling. As others have said, don’t go to St Martin for the snorkeling. Maybe next trip we’ll take an excursion boat trip somewhere, but that sand gravity is awfully strong! We went off Dawn beach and saw a lot of fish. But nothing special, but it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. <br><br>A few questions for the ‘regulars’ (since this was only our second trip). <br>· We never found the access to Plum Bay, so if anyone can give us some insight to what it’s like and how to get there, maybe we’ll get there next time. <br>· We’d also thought we’d like to rent a little motor boat and putt putt around to places that are more remote. Did anyone ever do this? <br>· I never hear anyone talk about venturing where the locals go. All of the restaurants, shops and other places I see mentioned here (and that we went to) seem to cater to the tourist. Any stories to be told? <br>· Any insights regarding those guys in Baie Rouge? (see thread in Timo’s report) I don’t want to jump to conclusions. For all we know, they were the local private security for the villa owners. <br><br>I had an absolutely great time. My idea of a great vacation is that my brain is on vacation too. The only decisions we had to make were: What beach today? Where to dine tonight? Otherwise just lie around in the sun and remember to reapply the sunscreen! Only 51 weeks to go!!!! <br><br>And thanks to everyone here for their insight and advice. <br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 12/10/01 01:49 PM.</EM></FONT></P>