Thursday April 25<br>USAir to Philly and non-stop to SXM was well run and on-time. Arrival was easy, except it was a while before the Hertz shuttle showed up. No problems once we got there, except we later regretted allowing the nice lady outside Hertz to talk us into signing up for a Saturday timeshare tour.<br><br>Drove our Kia up the French side, stopping at Match in Marigot (thanks, TTOL!) for wine, bread and cheese, and then through Cul de Sac and over the mountain road to the Meridien Habitation Hotel. We'll rent a jeep next time; that's some road! Handsome open-air lobby, easy parking ($6/day to park beside the front door; free to use the lot about 75 meters away), good-sized and nicely decorated third floor garden/mountain view room with terrace and a slight musty smell so we left the terrace door open at night. Excellent exclusive Anse Marcel beach and two pools. The pool area on the Domaine side was particularly gorgeous, so we used it rather than our Habitation pool-apparently that's allowed, since we charged food there to our Habitation room with no problems. Clientele was about 50% French, 40% US or Canadian and 10% other including a Saudi bigshot with wife or wives, retinue and bodyguards.<br><br>Meridien Report Card<br> Ambiance/Décor A+<br> Room A<br> Service A<br> Restaurants A (we had a few continental breakfasts and one late supper)<br> Beach A+<br> Pool A+<br><br>Thursday dinner at Il Piccolo (thanks, TTOL!) in Cul de Sac, on the right past the Texaco station. A perfect welcome to St. Martin, dining outside on the porch. Friendly and efficient waiter, and we chatted with a couple of SXM regulars at one table and two Frenchmen at another (they were the owner and chef at Cottonier across the street which was closed that night). We had 1 appetizer (stuffed mushrooms), 2 entrees (lamb chops with chevre, blackened tuna), two $3.50 side orders of vegetable cake at the waiter's suggestion (super!), 2 glasses house wine and 2 coffees. Total was $52, 'service not included' and we were happy to leave a full tip without worrying if the waiter was getting something from the bill too.<br><br>Piccolo Report Card<br> Ambiance/Décor A<br> Food A<br> Service A+<br><br>Friday<br>Drove 5 km to Orient Beach and parked behind Pedro's as our friends from Piccolo had suggested. We'd brought an umbrella, chair and beach towels with us from home. Started to set up at Pedro's but they firmly explained that we could stay behind their chairs, but not in front or alongside. So as our friends from Piccolo had also recommended, we moved south about 100 feet where there were no umbrellas and stayed there all day. In fact our friends from Piccolo arrived soon after, and they watched our stuff while we had 4 coffees and 4 croissants at Pizza Yoyo behind Pedro's (best coffee we had all week!) for breakfast and, later, shared a 'full house' of chicken, ribs, fries and slaw (best ribs we had all week!) (thanks, TTOL!)<br><br>Pedro's Report Card<br> Location A+<br> Food A+<br> Service A<br><br>We had brought snorkel gear with us, and we were surprised to find quite a few fish among the rocks in the area behind the floating raft (but watch out for passing windsurfers and sunfish sailboats). The weather all week was perfect, but beware of that Caribbean sun.<br><br>Back at the Meridien cleaning up for dinner, we heard sounds of a party in the courtyard below our window so we went down to check. The hotel was hosting a reception for the travel industry-open bar, assorted appetizers including fresh-fried conch fritters, pastries and dancing girls (2, in Carnival regalia). So we invited ourselves to the party, and that was dinner.<br><br>Saturday<br>We started the day by enduring a 90-minute timeshare presentation at the Flamingo for a $100 credit towards the Tuesday Prickly Pear snorkel trip on Lambada (Scoobidoo which leaves from the Meridien waterfront was unavailable this week). Then stopped for ribs and Caribs at Sunset Beach Bar and saw Air France land (thanks, TTOL!), and drove to Front Street and shopped at bit at Little Switzerland and Delft. Ended the day at Dawn Beach, easy parking and cheap beer available at Mr. Busby's and Ms. B's (thanks, TTOL!). Left when some French people brought their dogs out to the beach to romp.<br><br>Sunset Beach Bar Report Card<br> Location A+<br> Food A<br> Service A<br><br>For dinner we went to Hibiscus in Grand Case. Casual-looking island style décor, mostly French clientele. One of us had the all-lobster meal ($45): lobster soup with truffles and cream, picked lobster meat with vegetables, lobster tail medallions, and dessert of choice (pear Helene). The other had lobster bisque, halibut with leek, and 5 assorted mini crème brulees. Excellent food but unfortunately a party of 8 arrived just after us for a birthday celebration, and the house put their grand luxe dinner (all sorts of fancy courses, champagne toasts, etc.) ahead of our service, so we waited about an hour between courses. The bill including a half-bottle of Chablis came to $103 'service not included' so this time I took the view that service is really always on the bill and tipped $7.<br><br>Hibiscus Report Card<br> Décor A-<br> Food A+<br> Service B- <br><br>Sunday<br>Coffee and 'baker's basket' of croissant, brioche and baguette at the Meridien, stayed at the Meridien beach until about 2, then drove to Grand Case for a late lunch at Talk of the Town. Ribs and chicken and side dishes were good not great, and we had to ask for lime for our Caribs, but the coconut ice cream made it worthwhile (thanks, TTOL!).<br><br>Talk of the Town Report Card<br> Location B (Rib Shack has the water view)<br> Food A-<br> Service B+<br><br>Then drove to Orient Beach for the last swim of the day, and at dusk had delicious guavaberry coladas at Kon Tiki. This was the first young and lively crowd we saw all week, and we had Internet coupons that gave each of us 2 drinks for the price of 1 . <br><br>Kon Tiki Report Card<br> Location and ambiance A+<br> Drinks A+<br> Service A+ (those are hard-working bartenders!)<br><br>Back at the Meridien, neither hungry enough nor energetic enough to head back over the mountain, shared an entree of spaghetti aux fruits de mer at the Habitation poolside restaurant that was really very good.<br><br>Monday<br>Drove out to the bakery at Mt. Vernon for coffee and croissants, across the street from Taitu Restaurant (from the main Orient-to-Grand Case Road, take the turn for Cul-de-Sac and then the first right for Mt. Vernon. The bakery was the first time all week we needed to use our high school French to communicate (of course, we could have just pointed), and we used it again to get directions to the Ma Doudou factory ('usine') from a passing postman. To get to Ma Doudou, stay on the Cul de Sac road past Texaco, past Il Piccolo, and just before the road to the Meridien on the left there's an uphill street on the right, follow the sign to Pinel Restaurant and continue straight past it. Free tasting and the perfect island souvenir (thanks, TTOL!).<br><br>From there made a fruitless trip all the way to Front Street (most stores were closed for the Queens' Birthday and/or Carnival), and back to the Meridien where fortunately we'd made an early enough start that we had a full day at their wonderful beach and pool. Lunch this time near the Domaine pool, a terrific 4-vegetable pizza ('quatre saisons') and a salade Nicoise with spectacular olive oil, $12 each.<br><br>Dinner at Le Pressoir in Grand Case. Wonderful decor, but we thought the food lacked the creativity we'd enjoyed at Hibiscus and even Piccolo. We shared 12 escargot in garlic butter as an appetizer. For entrée, the menu lists the house specialty served in two courses, the first course an assortment of grilled shrimp, lobster, mussels, scallops, etc., the second course four different fish filets. Since the specialty cost twice most other entrees, we told the waiter we'd like to share it. To our surprise the two courses were delivered at the same time, one plate served to monsieur, the other to madame. The fish, etc. was as advertised, but no special sauces or flair. Pressing our luck, we ordered one dessert to share, the assorted sorbets. The moment we finished that the waiter brought the check, which we had not requested, nor did he ask if we desired coffee. The bill with a half-bottle of Sancerre was 75 euros, service (such as it was!) apparently included. I reluctantly left a 5 euro tip and we hit the road. Not a happy meal.<br> <br>Pressoir Report Card<br> Décor A<br> Food B<br> Service C<br><br>Tuesday<br>Drove to the Pelican waterfront for our all-day catamaran to Prickly Pear (easy to find-turn off the main road at the casino, count 4 speed bumps and proceed onto the dirt road). Lambada's crew is a pair of Dutch girls, pretty, pleasant and efficient. $70 plus $10 tax per person, minus our $100 timeshare tour credit. Beer, punch, wine, soft drinks, bread and Dutch cheese on the boat, views of Anguilla en route and we even saw a whale. Lunch at a beachfront restaurant, choice of chicken, ribs or fresh fish, but drinks on land not included. The snorkeling at Prickly Pear was excellent-great underwater scenery and lots of fish (for example, we followed a school of over 100 blue tang). Best of all there was plenty of time to snorkel, about 90 minutes before lunch and 90 minutes after (or you could hang out on the empty beach and look south to Anguilla with the mountains of St. Martin behind it). Glad we went!<br><br>Dinner at Sol e Luna <br>Sol e Luna is in Mt. Vernon (continue straight past Restaurant Taitu to find it). A perfect choice for our last night in St. Martin (thanks, TTOL!). Our table on the outside porch had a view of the distant bay. Service was friendly and competent, and the food was terrific. Here the appetizer was 6 escargots, but with puff pastry and a fresh tarragon sauce. For entrees we had lamb shoulder cooked 7 hours with root vegetables and broth, and boneless duck medallions with shiitake mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and shallots. Dessert was the best crème brulee ever and an order of profiteroles. With 2 glasses of wine, the bill was about $75 and we were happy to leave a full tip.<br><br>Sol e Luna Report Card<br> Décor A+<br> Food A+<br> Service A+<br><br>Wednesday<br>The Meridien extended out checkout time to 2 PM without charge, and enjoyed their beach and pool almost until noon. Then to Hertz to return the car; my contract had somehow been altered from the $170 internet rate to $180, and I had to argue a bit to get the $10 rebate restored. No problems with the airport shuttle, and check in for the USAir 4PM nonstop to Philadelphia was quick and easy, as was SXM customs on the way out and US customs in Philadelphia on arrival. As discussed on this board we bought about a dozen bottles of liquor, wine and champagne, declared it all, and US customs passed us through duty-free anyway. A lot to carry on the half-mile dash from Gate A to Gate C for our connection in Philadelphia, but the long run will be worth it in the long run.<br><br>Home now and looking forward to our next visit. Thanks, TTOL!<br>
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