Good morning from Mont Vernon…

The morning broke bright with sunshine, by far the best day yet. The wind is still pretty brisk, but then they always are, or so it seems, on Orient Beach.

While drinking my daily dose of morning coffee, I contemplate what it is that keeps me wanting to come back to the island. Sure, the island is beautiful, and the people friendly, but so are a lot of other places I’ve been to. What is it about Saint Martin that is so special to me?

A couple of cups of coffee later, and I still haven’t put my finger on what keeps drawing me back here. It can’t be the shopping, as I hate shopping. It can’t be the dining options; I’m a simple person, with simple taste, and besides I’m to tight-fisted with my money to spend $100+ dollars for a meal for two.

What does Saint Martin have that I haven’t found elsewhere? It has Orient Beach, and Club Orient. That one small section of the beach, on the whole island is what keeps me coming back. While I find Club O to be far too expensive and limited in its accommodations to warrant a stay there, I love the beach. This is one of the only places I’ve found, where people are just people.

The beach is the great equalizer. Everybody, on the beach is there in all their glory. All shapes, sizes, and ages. The beach draws us in, and mixes us up, and what comes out is people – not social status, or wealth, or lack of wealth – just people, enjoying life, and each other’s company.
That is what keeps me wanting to return here…

Anyway, we spent another day on the beach. I did a bit of snorkeling this afternoon off the beach. There wasn’t much to see, but I did manage a few photos.









I also managed to get a night shot from our balcony looking out across the bay.



And one of a sunrise.



Well, that’s it for this installment from Mont Vernon…