(The [color:ff8c00]orange</font color=ff8c00> comments were written by Peg; the rest was written by Lou.)<br><br>[color:blue]The Flights Down and Back</font color=blue><br>Our flights on US Airways were non-stop from Philadelphia to Sint Maarten. They were on time and uneventful. The Philadelphia Airport never seems to have enough available gates when you land. On the return trip, instead of making us wait interminably on the runway in Philadelphia, US Airways brought in a people-mover that took us to the international terminal. That was much appreciated.<br><br>The only disagreeable part of the flights was the wait at Princess Juliana International Airport. Our departure gate was in a section of the airport that was insufferably hot and overcrowded. [color:ff8c00] (I overheard an employee say that it is “freezing” first thing in the morning. We were there for a 4 pm flight.) </font color=ff8c00> We consoled ourselves with the thought that at least we weren’t one of those selected to have our checked baggage opened and examined. (Like most people, we tend to come back with more stuff than we brought. Closing an overstuffed suitcase is not easy, and with us it was sort of touch-and-go. We think that since PJIA is examining the contents of checked baggage, then perhaps to help vacationers re-close their suitcases, they should consider hiring a few Japanese sumo wrestlers to sit on the bags.)<br><br>[color:blue]Arrival</font color=blue><br>We reserved a Hertz car through Mr. St. Martin. A new Toyota Corolla was waiting for us (it only had about 3,000 KM on it). It served us well for the three weeks, though the security alarm system occasionally drove us nuts. [color:ff8c00] Until we got used to it seemed that it didn’t matter whether we pressed the button on the security system key tag once, twice, or three times: the alarm sent off each time we opened the door. The system seemed to finally cooperate with just one press. We heard others’ alarms occasionally too so we didn’t feel quite so inept. </font color=ff8c00><br><br>[color:blue]Club Orient</font color=blue><br>We stayed in a beach chalet at Club O. It was No. 64. This was our first time that far down the beach. The location was fine, but this particular chalet does suffer from a significant and apparently intractable ant infestation problem. (Free cans of bug spray are available at the front office, however and there is usually also one under the kitchen sink..) The two of us have somewhat divergent views of the matter. Lou takes a laissez-faire view (“if one can’t stand bugs, then perhaps one shouldn’t vacation in the Caribbean....”), whereas Peg is a tireless and relentless sprayer; the vacation was punctuated from time to time with her screams of “Oh, my God! they’re back!!” and “Look, look at where they are now!!” followed by the hiss of bug spray. Alas, by the end of the 21-day vacation, the scores was: Ants 21, Peg 0. But Peg’s loss wasn’t for lack of trying....<br><br>[color:ff8c00] At least these teeny reddish/orange weird-moving (frenetic zig-zag movement) ants don’t bite. Outside at the beach edge of the patio were normal-sized black ants that seemed to magically reappear--even the maid commented on this--when vigorously swept off with a broom. I got a couple of bites on my ankle that blistered and itched for days afterward, lasting even another week after we came home. Oddly enough, the spray worked on them. </font color=ff8c00><br><br>The policy at the club is to accept tips only in cash, even at Papagayo’s (you can’t put them on your credit card). Instead, they have a “tips” box at the bar and another “tips” box in the main office. This HAS to reduce the amount in tips that their employees receive. As others on this board have commented, it is a ridiculous policy. Is the reason that they don’t want to pay the credit card company fee on the tip’s portion of the bill? If so, then it’s a false economy as far as we’re concerned: to us, at least, it sends the message that they are indifferent to their staff. We did leave a cash tip at Papagayo’s at the end of our stay (at a naturist resort, you aren’t likely to be walking around with cash on you), and we tipped individually the staff who cleaned our rooms. [color:ff8c00] Leonora serviced us very diligently, as she has in the past. She’s a gentle soul who charms us with small vases of flowers on the coffee table. For our 6th anniversary on the 13th she made a larger arrangement (using a glass casserole since she knew we didn’t cook) and left it on the kitchen table. </font color=ff8c00><br><br> We enjoyed our stay at Club O, and we’ll certainly be back, but we do hope that the management revisits this issue. It left us with a very negative feeling.<br><br>Some highlights of the trip include:<br><br>[color:blue]The Tiko-Tiko</font color=blue><br>The famous “nude cruise” on the Tiko-Tiko was as wonderful as always. We went with three delightful couples whom we met on the Tiko-Tiko. The day on Tintemarre was great. When the Tiko-Tiko returns at 5:00 p.m., it is always great to watch the passengers disembark: they always have the most terrifically contented looks on their faces. <br><br>[color:ff8c00] As usual, there was the optional mud bath. The guys--and one fun-loving lady, who shall remain nameless--(no, it was not I) decided to show off and “scare” some textile bathers farther down the beach by going toward them as their mud dried and made them look quite “monstrous.” A few cavorted like young children and rolled in the sand to get even more texture to their skin treatment. (One early evening when we were dining I’d seen a 2 ½ yr old do the same thing--with clothes but without mud--on the Grand Case beach. He chortled with delight.) Our group’s actions so enticed these bathers that as we all swam or floated back to the Tiko Tiko to depart for the day we saw them applying their own mud packs waving happily to us. A word to the wise: Be careful where you put the mud! I wore a shirt that day when I applied the mud and naturally got some on it. Two bleaches and several washes later it is still on the shirt, although granted it is much faded. </font color=ff8c00><br> <br>[color:blue]Anna and Massages</font color=blue><br>Peg was a big fan of Ana’s massages in the Fitness Center. [color:ff8c00] She is very gentle and supremely relaxing. Wyly (Willie) at Papagayo’s bar recommended her to me and noted that she is the most relaxing of the three masseuses. I definitely agree if you want relief from everyday or even unusual stress. Book her as soon as you get there; her schedule fills up fast! She is quite gifted. She told me that her husband would soon be training as a yoga instructor but didn’t mention whether or not he would work at Club O. One of the others, Caroline, I think, gives a deep muscle massage if that is more to your liking. </font color=ff8c00><br><br>[color:blue]The Great Towel Saga</font color=blue><br>The new white bath towels for the rooms (as opposed to the yellow/tan towels for the beach) are now larger and fluffier than old ones. This means that they are heavier and probably more time-consuming to wash (heavier towels means few towels per load, we guess). The Club O management decided that to reduce the weight on the carts that the cleaning staff uses, they would reduce the number of bath towels from two per person to one per person per day. Guests complained, some rather vociferously. <br><br>[color:ff8c00] I spoke to the new housekeeping manager, a pleasant, very, very tall (I’m 5' 2") Brit, who told me that another, (rather ludicrous) reason they were cutting back on the towels was that the new ones are larger (?!?!) and they feel that 2 bath and 2 beach towels are more than adequate for a couple. He seemed eager to please, however, and relented when I told him that if we couldn’t have 2 bath mats as well--1 for the shower and 1 for stepping on after dipping our sandy feet in the outside dishpan so as not to track sand into the chalet--that one of two things could possibly occur: either we’d sue management for falling on wet slippery floors or the maids would have more work anyway cleaning up after us if we didn’t rinse our feet! </font color=ff8c00><br><br>While we don’t have strong views of the subject, we do think that it is silly customer relations to try to economize on such a thing. Most guests at a beach resort would expect that it would be pretty generous with its towels, and the cleaning staff seemed genuinely embarrassed when they reported the new policy. In addition, Club O is, after all, a naturist resort. Folks who have never vacationed in the nude may not realize that at a naturist resort towels serve another purpose beyond drying you off: for reasons that probably don’t need too much explanation, naturist etiquette requires that, before you sit down anywhere, you must (ahem) always put a towel down . . . .<br><br>In any event, management relented and the word went out that any guests who required more towels could ask for them. The crisis was over....<br><br>[color:blue]Food, Glorious Food</font color=blue><br>We guess that all comments about restaurants (including the ones below that we are offering) have to be read with the understanding that a lot depend on what kind of foods you like and what price ranges you are comfortable with. Generally speaking, when we are on vacation we look for restaurants and selections that are (1) different from what we normally eat a home and (2) show a lot of imagination. By that standard, we didn’t eat much at Papagayo’s at Club O, not because it is necessarily bad, but because it seems dull and unimaginative.<br><br>We had the best luck at the following:<br>French Cul-de-sac<br>Sol é Luna (what a magnificent and romantic setting!)<br>Le Taitu (a very pleasant owner)<br>Le Pinel <br>--a fairly new place that gave us one of our best meals of the vacation. Lou had turbot fillets wrapped around fois gras that were wonderful.<br><br>Grand Case<br>L’Alabama (very beautiful in its appetizer, entree, and dessert presentations)<br>Sebastiano (a terrific osso bucco)<br>Auberge Gourmande (wonderful, as always)<br>Rainbow Café (try their duck)<br>Il Nettuno<br>-- Frankly, we have been surprised to read some of the negative reviews that have appeared on the board the past few months. We had a good meal and good service, though we admit this is not necessarily the kind of place that we would describe as being unusually imaginative in their menus.<br><br>Marigot<br>Coté du Provence<br>-- a new restaurant on the Marigot waterfront next to La Vie en Rose. We liked this place so much that we went twice. A young couple runs it, and we hope that they make a go of it. They mentioned that because of the high rent, they may have to change their location. In any event, it is worth seeking out. It is in the spot where Marcellina’s used to be.<br><br>[color:ff8c00] The owner charmed me by substituting iced tea in a shot glass for the complimentary, customary after dinner liqueur which I had declined. He set it down with a flourish, saying, “THIS is for YOU!” We all had a good laugh. The first time we came I’d had their very tasty iced tea and the 2nd time I asked how it was brewed. Interestingly, it is an Italian bottled tea called San Benedetto. When we rose to leave at the end of the evening he graciously offered me my own bottle to take home! Quite the PR man!<br><br>The lady with him was quite anxious to please us also and did her level best to talk to us with her labored English, delivered with many sweet smiles and apologetic gestures. She couldn’t quite capture the meaning of an anniversary and wished us a “Happy Wedding Birthday!” </font color=ff8c00><br><br>Tropicana (in the Marigot Marina; a great meal, as always, and Christophe and the staff were their usual gracious, friendly selves) [color:ff8c00] We first sat alongside the dock but had to quickly move up the steps into the rain/wind-protected “indoor” restaurant. Periodically, as the sudden 15-minute downpour was beginning to dissipate, the waiters took turns poking under the awnings to allow the collected rainfall to cascade onto the walkway below. A few times they gave each other a hearty laugh as they inevitably caught some of the water onto themselves. </font color=ff8c00> <br><br>Le Chanteclair (also in the Marina: one of the most imaginative menus on the island)<br><br>Dutch side<br>Saratoga (on Simpson Bay Lagoon off of the Airport Road; another place that is truly imaginative)<br><br>We guess it is great comment on the island that you can stay there for three weeks, go out to eat almost every night, and still not exhaust all of the restaurants that are worth sampling.<br><br><br>[color:blue]The New 4-Story Mall (yup, you heard right!) at the Marigot Harbor</font color=blue><br>What a fascinating and bizarre place. Just head for the Marigot waterfront, and you’ll see it. It is designed to be an upscale shopping mall. When you get inside, go up to the top floor: it will give you a spectacular view of the Marigot harbor. Beware of the shiny marble floors: they were so slippery that it was tough walking about inside.<br><br>[color:ff8c00] It’s called West Indies Mall and it’s not all occupied but the few shops open are quite chic. A shoe display in one store had truly European styles. There was a baby boutique also and the requisite souvenir shop where we bought, of all things, grocery shopping list pads. They were not just the usual lined variety: one had Orient Beach and the other Simpson Bay pictured at the top. Now when we do our weekly shopping in Delaware’s Acme or Pathmark we’ll be able to vicariously shop in St. Martin until we return in 6/03. </font color=ff8c00> <br><br><br>[color:blue]Other pleasures</font color=blue><br>Baywatch on Orient is fun, as always, as are Cheryl and Andy. We enjoyed a few lunches there and also at Pedro’s.<br><br>During the 3 weeks we were there a significant amount of sand returned in front of Pedros. Since we did our morning walks along Orient, it was something we noticed [color:ff8c00] and I, for one, was glad for! Not having to quickly pick my way among sharp rocks when the waves receded like last year was definitely a plus. </font color=ff8c00><br><br>We got to see Carol and Eric Hill when they arrived for their short visit. (See Carol’s excellent “short trip, trip report.”)<br><br>Last year there were these enormous, killer potholes on the road that you turn onto to get to the dirt/gravel road that leads to Club O. This year, we were delighted to see that the potholes had been filled. Unfortunately, by the end of our three-week stay, many of the potholes started reappearing. Our guess is that they evidently did a half-assed job of road-repair. (By the way, we noticed that TTOL doesn’t have an icon for “half-assed”; that might be a useful addition, though we hesitate to suggest what such an icon might look like....)<br><br>[color:ff8c00] And of course we were once again amused and entertained by the “cruise shippers.” There’s inevitably the male (or female) who is mercilessly taunted to “take it off!” This year there was a cute twist: a guy’s wife--fully clothed, not even a bathing suit-- did the begging with a camera ready for when he eventually obliged. </font color=ff8c00><br><br>[color:blue]To sum up</font color=blue><br>Orient beach, particularly the section in front of Club Orient, remains a beautiful, relaxing, and friendly place to be for 3 weeks of one’s life each year. We read a bunch of books, listened on CDs to some of the world’s great music, gluttonized, chatted with the rest of the “June regulars” whom we see each year, napped, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.<br>