In an effort to keep this report short, I will hit the highlights and try to be brief. We arrived in St. Martin on March 4 and unfortunately had to leave on the 18th. It was two weeks in paradise and we are planning our next trip already . <br><br>We flew US Air out of LaGuardia (with a connection in Philly) and the flights were excellent. We did not have any problems at all. All flights were on time, baggage landed in the same country and city as us, what more could we ask for! <br><br>We rented a car from AVIS Rental. This was a pleasant experience, quick service, no hassles, car ran fine and was in great shape. We were picked up and dropped off at the airport with no complications.<br><br>La Plantation: We had a great stay here. We were within a five-minute walk to the beach. The room was spacious, clean and very private. We stayed in the studio. We had a king bed, a futon type couch, small television and dresser, dinette table, small refrigerator, and stove with all the utensils, dishes and flatware needed for cooking, if needed. Spacious shower and plenty of closet, storage space. The patio was also very large and private. It had four chairs for lounging and a small table. We did notice that the mosquito's got a bit out of control in the evening. I would suggest bring some repellant!<br><br>Orient Beach: We literally were at the beach each and every day for two weeks. The beach has receded from Kon Tiki to Pedros. We are hoping for those effected that it comes back soon. Despite having to trek through the water, we spent every day except for Mondays (because they are closed) eating our lunch at Baywatch. This is, by far, the best restaurant on the beach!!! Fabulous homemade food, attentive service and the nicest people on the island. This is a must for Lunch ( they are also open for breakfast). We tried almost everything on the menu and were always more than satisfied. Excellent ribs, lasagna, shrimp, scallops, meatball heros, chicken parm heros, salads, reubens, steak sandwich! If you are in the area - stop in and say hello- by the end of your meal you will have new friends in Cheryl, Andy and Ross! Great people, Great food!<br><br>As you will see, we really enjoy the gourmet restaurants for dinner- here is the summary, if I can remember what we ate, I'll try to specify on its merits!<br><br>L'Alabama - the food and service was fine. We had the Caesar salad, lamb dinner, something else that I forgot and the cream puff and apple tart for dessert. Dinner was fine, but the dessert was absolutely fabulous!<br><br>Fish Pot - This was a great restaurant, we went there twice. Each time we were more than pleased. Dover Sole is fabulous, the surf and turf is fine, if you enjoy Caribbean lobster, personally, nothing beats a Maine lobster. Soufflé and cream puffs for dessert were out of this world!!<br><br>The Cottage - FABULOUS!! Again, we ate here twice. Great frog legs, guinea fowl stuffed with cabbage and duck liver, Cornish fowl, onion soup, Caesar salad and of course soufflé for dessert.<br><br>Il Netunno - The food is very tasty, but the entertainment is better. A gentlemen strolls through the restaurant signing and playing the guitar. He is very friendly and often attempts to solicit audience participation. Very nice touch.<br><br>Le Sebastiano- The food and service were fine, but we felt that compared to the other restaurants we have gone to this restaurant was too pricey for the quality.<br><br>Saratoga - Excellent food, wine, service and view. We ate here twice as well. I had the salmon stuffed with spinach and mushrooms and it was fabulous!<br><br>L'Auberge Gourmande - Fabulous restaurant. We ate here twice because they had our favorite wine, 1996 Chateau Gescours, at a reasonable price. Beside the wine, dinner and dessert was incredible! <br><br>La Montmartre - This restaurant is fairly new and they seemed to need more time to get it right. While the food was okay, we found it to be too complicated. They put far too many combinations of food on the plate for our tastes. The wait staff was running ragged and a bit disorganized. <br><br>The same man owns both L'Auberge and La Mont, so considering we loved L'Auberge, perhaps we will give La Mont another try on our next visit….the jury is still out!<br><br>La Testivin - Great food, service and view. <br><br>California - Great food and service…the desserts are incredible!<br><br>The Greenhouse Restaurant - Great Lunch here, only because Baywatch was closed! Grilled Chicken sandwich and fried calamari were great!!<br><br>Although we generally were on the beach by 8:00 to take a leisurely stroll before setting out for a day of basking in the sun until 4:30, we did occasionally find time for shopping.<br><br>Marigot - This is a great place to shop as long as you find the Marina Shopping Center. This area has numerous French boutiques with everything from evening wear to designer t-shirts.<br><br>Philipsburg - Great for shopping as long as there are no cruise ships in. Otherwise, it is just far too crowded for enjoyment.<br><br>After hanging out on the beach, enjoying a gourmet dinner we hit the casinos! Although we only went to two we prefer the Dolphin over the Atlantis. Each casino had a version of our favorite game, Caribbean Stud Poker, plenty of slots, black jack, Let it Ride, Roulette, etc.<br><br>It was two weeks in paradise. We can't wait to go back. If anyone reading this ends up going to Baywatch- tell Andy, Cheryl and Ross that Gregg and Tonya a.k.a. Hewey and Dewey, say hello!<br>
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