Day 13

Our 15 day vacation which is our longest to date is quickly coming to an end with 2 more full days.

Spent another sunny day on Orient at LaPlaya. We obviously love it there as this was our third visit in a week. We settled in on our lounge chairs to read and relax. We had asked one of the waiters if we could reserve the table for two on the upper deck with what we thought was the best view and were accommodated. Great views from our dining sight.

Our lunch started with Thai fried spring rolls with a chili dipping sauce. I love wrapping the romaine lettuce and a mint leaf around the roll before eating them. David is more of a purist and eats them without the "greens." I opted for the "crispy chicken" wrap with aioli. It was filled to the rim with crunchy strips of tasty fried chicken, bits of cheese along with the aioli in a plain wrap. I opted to eat one side and forego the wrap on the second side. This gave me a chance to really taste the chicken and it was very good.

Sides available are fries, smashed potatoes (mashed w/ scallions) rice or steam veggies. I had asked for the steamed veggies consisting of a mix of pea pods, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli in an asian light sauce. David had the smoked salmon wrap. We were too full to consider dessert so returned to our chairs. By 3:00p the clouds came over us with some very light rain. We left for the beach bar and while we were there the sun returned.

Food photo

https://goo.gl/photos/KMafPjg5U5PhuxM8A

David, Bruno and I . If anyone wonders I have a swim top on but it's strapless

https://goo.gl/photos/ow971o2uj93orxTFA

View during lunch
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For dinner we decided on the Dinghy Dock in Simpson Bay. It's on the marina side with a large bar and plenty of seats at the bar as well as large picnic type tables to dine on. It's similar in decor to the one in Oyster Pond although we found it a lot more comfortable. The Celine 's night time pub crawl had just landed so they were busy when we arrived. We ran into SXMSammy (Bruce & Sandy). The bartender tended to us as soon as he could and told us they were so busy last night they had run out of ribs when he overheard us talking about ordering them.

Written on the bottom of the menu it mentions a 4% discount if you pay cash. a 15% service charge may be added, more if you cause trouble! (a-hole tax). Very clever!

David and I split the best fish and chips I can remember eating in a very long time. If you want to order they call it the Worst Fish & Chips ever. Two moist and perfectly fried (no grease) pieces of group with delicious chips and home made cole slaw. Absolutely delicious and for the large portion I thought the price of $15 was reasonable. We also split an order of asian chicken wings which also were cooked perfectly and tasty. I believe those were $5. We did not arrive until after Happy Hour and even so the mixed drinks were only $5.

Restaurant view followed but food photo
https://goo.gl/photos/E6cDZDg7RomHLVzt7

https://goo.gl/photos/FiAB9pp1UC279QQd8

https://goo.gl/photos/KQKhtyW2QrwHDqTG9

If anyone is looking to host a TTOL party I think that this would be a great location, big - nice menu, reasonable prices. There are several parking spaces in front of the Robbie (Dinghy Dock is behind it) where the former supermarket was and long before that it was Hot Tomatoes if you need a reference spot.

LaPlaya sounds like a winner. Great views and your food reviews make it a must for our next visit. Are they open at night for dinner or just the lunch part.i think they used to be closed at 4 before Bruno.

I am fortunate enough to be there for the month and a little bit in January, so I will send a report! And yes, before Bruno they closed at 4.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />I am truly enjoying your journals. Love the photos too. Thanks for sharing!

Very nice, Louise. I know how much effort and time it takes to do the trip reports so believe me, they are very much appreciated. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

And as a ps - the fish and chips look great!

I was wondering how does now LaPlaya compare with Palm beach (as far as food, setting, beach front,loungers, calmness of the ocean, seaweed,...).
Thanks
Nick

The beach has been raked before we arrive each time we've been there. We get there before 9 and they have been set up.

The beachfront is quite large. It's great now but they are improving with new cushions and beach type beds. The ocean tide will be the same as they are both in the northern section of Orient.

We find LaPlaya pretty close to perfect so no comparison.

As to evening dining. Yes, they plan on being open for dinner. They have been installing lights for the past few days. They will be offering a somewhat expanded menu which hasn't been finalized yet.

Exact opening date not yet solid but certainly before the high season.

La Playa closing time used to be 4:00, in theory, but more often than not it was well before then, certainly for the kitchen.

Now it's more like 5:00 and the full kitchen is open.

I spoke to Thomas about this and they do want to continue this but he and Bruno are still feeling things out as to exact schedules.

Both he and Bruno are here most days right now and the rest of the beach and restaurant staff , which is quite large, are all new with the exception of Roman, who handles the beach bar.

Louise--thanks for the report! Looks like we should check out the Dinghy Dock, since it's close to us at Beachside. Those fish and chips look wonderful! I love them, if they are not greasy.

Perhaps I misunderstood, but is there something in the former Gourmet Grand Marche building now?

Can't wait also to try out LaPlaya! Sounds great!

Carol, they were not greasy at all. Really wonderfully light and cooked to perfection.

There is nothing in the Grand Marche location which is why I'm suggestion someone to consider it as a TTOL party location in the future. I'm not sure who parks there but during the day when we pass the parking lot often it's fairly packed with cars.

Bruno will be at LaPlaya on Friday. He and Thomas continue to upgrade and will be added chairs, make the outside shower area a bit more private. More to come.

Roman is a wonderful bartender who speaks English very well. Matthew is one of the waiters who has served us in the restaurant each day and he is a pleasure. the beach boys equally friendly and attentative are Nicoli and Uri. I may not be spelling their names correctly.

Thank you for all the trip reports. We really enjoyed them but makes us wish February would come faster. Today added two places to our list of places to try. We have never been to LaPlaya but it sounds wonderful and I loved the view. Didn't know Dingy Dock was in that location which is convenient for us. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

OK, I misunderstood what you meant. Yes, when we were there in June, that lot was often fairly full, and I couldn't figure out who was parking there. I saw in the paper the other day that the parking lot beside Captain D's is about ready to open. Are people parking there yet?

I have been so enjoying your reports. Being new to St Martin and not knowing what to expect you have given us a good idea of the 'lay of the land'. We are especially excited that you love LaPlaya so much as this is the beach bar that is right in front of our hotel. We will look forward to enjoying the great food and great views. Thank you for including pictures!
Enjoy the rest of your vacation
Cheers
Pixie