We have returned from a wonderful 11 night vacation on the beautiful island of St.Maarten/St.Martin. Our report follows. I hope it builds excitement for the experience this “portion of heaven in the Caribbean” brings for first time or return visitors.
This “report” is very long but I’ve tried to draw the reader into our experiences rather than simply report them.
A little bit about us to give you an idea of whom you’re reading about. My wife and I were married when we were both 19 and have been together for 36 years. This trip was a continued celebration of that anniversary. We are younger looking 55 year olds and have 5 grand children. We’re often mistaken as their parents when we have them with us in restaurants, the mall and other places. We love the Caribbean, cruises and St. Martin. This experience has hooked us and I don’t think we’re ever going to be the same as far as where we want to go for vacation.
Expectations
I begin a full 14 days before we leave. Anticipation, expectation, impatience….all fit my temperament as we await the day of our departure. Could this be like Christmas? Eagerness leading up to that happy day is almost as much fun as its arrival. In this case I think not, but the dreaming and mounting excitement are pleasurable. The island, from all we hear, holds so much more for us than these days of expectancy.
Photographs, reports, posts are much appreciated and beneficial and have seasoned my thoughts as I imagine the thrill of waking from two hours of restless sleep that morning…driving to the airport, home brewed Starbucks in hand…boarding the plane after an hour delay (hey, I’ve flown USAir before)…listening to my iPod rip out the Doobies and Beatles throughout the 4 hour flight… and then that first view of the sapphire waters of the deep Caribbean and the turquoise green of the sea kissing the beaches of Simpson Bay, Long Beach and Great Bay. (We love the Caribbean. Two years ago I gave my wife a sapphire ring on our anniversary and she gave me an Australian opal ring during a cruise. She says her ring mirrors the deep blue Caribbean Sea while my ring, with its turquoise highlights, reflects the clear shallow waters lapping closer to the shores.)
I now realize the initial lapping waters we’ll see at close range are those of Maho beach as we lower toward the runway. What will my thoughts be as I get my first glimpse of Sunset Beach Bar? The Caribs, the burgers, the girls who drink for free? Knowing myself as I do…thoughts will be turned toward a, hopefully, well experienced pilot who is adept at reverse thrusters and braking (I also purchased the Winair DVD…some scary stuff there!).
My pre-trip thoughts could go on and on, but I’ll end here remembering the wisdom of many TTOL posters…”pack light, limit the planning, don’t forget the passports or deet”….only to add a bit of my own insight….”and turn off the washing machine faucets before leaving” (the hose exploded one night the day we returned from another vacation….I couldn’t imagine the chaos we’d come home to if it had happened a week earlier on the night we left…word to the wise!).
Of Airports and Car Rentals
Check-in was a breeze. We discovered it really does pay to be USAir Dividend Miles members. I was able to print off boarding passes on-line for our Frequent Flyer points travel, but upon arrival found out they were not accepted for international flights. The USAir employee could not figure out how I was able to print the passes. “How did you get these?” “I pushed the button and they came out of my printer.” “They don’t allow these for international flights.” I responded with a smile, “Go figure!”. She then checked with another official and found out they only began to accept online boarding passes for international flights the day before. When she found out I was a Dividend Mile Member she told us to go over to the first class line, only 2 people deep, to check in. Of course the girl there said we could go directly to the gate since we only had carry-on. At any rate, we avoided a quite formidable line that had developed in the regular check in area. Security was swift and we found ourselves in the concourse with an hour and a half to spare. I gazed out at our 757 hoping this would not be another day when our flight was cancelled for mechanical reasons.
As it turned out, our USAir flight down was uneventful, except for a bit of turbulence, and only 20 minutes late arriving. The plane descended through a broken blanket of puffy white clouds until St. Martin finally peeked through with her deep green hills and the blues of the surrounding ocean. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the plane to see Sunset Beach Bar as we landed but the landing is spectacular whether you watch from the ground at SSBB or on board the plane.
I did not realize we had to take a shuttle from the plane to the airport. It was a short trip, but potentially hazardous as most stand for the very brief ride. I was able to save a small child from tumbling to the floor when the driver suddenly applied the brake. St. Martin driving experiences begin soon upon arrival! However, none of our encounters were memorable! Animals we mostly behind fences or tied up to posts; the myriad of motorbikes weaving a suicidal path through traffic were more entertainment than bother; and the roads we traveled were in good repair, except for one pothole I managed to hit every time. For those wanting to avoid it, the bugger lies as you ascend the hill driving south just as you approach that breath taking view of Marigot cradled among the hills and the sea glimmering all around.
Carry-on luggage makes the airport scene so much easier than check-in luggage. We stayed for eleven days and only brought a carry-on bag each and another bag we stuffed under our seats. Even with a substantially scaled down wardrobe we still didn’t wear all the clothes we brought. I packed way too many shorts and shirts. My wife did say she wished she had brought a few more shorts but that was mainly a “variety” issue than a “need” issue…but I guess with women “variety” and “need” are the same thing.
We were able to go immediately to the immigration lines. I thought the airport process so far was painless until I saw the lines that seemed to be stuck on “pause”. Well, at lease we’re here and it’s only about 25 yards to paradise. While standing there waiting I reflected upon the reality that at home I seem to always get stuck in the slowest lane when there is a traffic jam. Cars all around moving forward however slow…my lane is parked. So I said, “Let’s go to this line and see what happens. It ‘seems’ to be moving a bit.” WORD TO THE WISE – get into the line farthest to the right. This is the side where they have the Dutch Citizen check in station (at least on our trip). There is a sign at the front that indicates citizens can immediately move forward to that station to check in. The rub is that there are hardly any Dutch Citizens coming in compared to tourists. So the line we were in moved ahead faster than the others. Just before we went forward to the immigration official station to show our passports I looked back at the crowd waiting and could see the consternation on the faces of those still stuck in “pause” mode. I lucked out; finally I’m in the right lane!
When we got outside I immediately looked for a Unity Rental sign with our name on it. None! “Oh no! Every report I read said they are there waiting with your name on a sign.” By the time we exited the airport we were an hour later than we indicated to Unity. “What’s that mean now, what are we going to do?” Those thoughts, however, were swimming upstream against an inner chant that echoed the reality that we had finally arrived on this Caribbean island after an almost six month wait…”Don’t worry, be happy!” The island attitude won out. We calmly looked around the parking lot for about five minutes; I went back to where we originally came out and finally found our man and our name on his sign! He was a very friendly guy, albeit late, whose name passes me right now; he shuttled us over to Unity’s lot with island music playing on the radio. I was glad our choice of rental companies was highly praised and recommended for when we arrived at the lot we were surprised at the first impression the location gave us. The lot is set back off the main road and essentially a dirt and gravel area with, when we arrived, very few cars. This should tell you something about not sizing things up based upon looks. Business was very good for Michael at Unity. There was only one white car left…a Nissan Sentra. Larger vehicle than most of the cars he carries, I assumed, for when he saw us Michaels said “guess I saved the right car”. We’re both tall comparatively.
Mary’s Boon Plantation
We found Mary’s Boon very easily as it was just down the main street from Unity. You do have to wind your way back through a residential area to the plantation but there are Mary’s Boon signs helping you to navigate the way. We grabbed our bags, walked through the gates into a courtyard filled with tropical plants, trees and flowers. A small pool sits to the left and just ahead was the main building area housing the restaurant, self serve bar and check in. A tall, beautiful Swedish girl named Cecily greeted us and after going through the registration procedure took us to our room. Her smile was warm and she seemed truly interested in who we were and where we called home.
As you enter the courtyard, the rooms sit on two stories to the left, above and to the right. Ours was suite 205 to the right on the second floor. It was a corner room with an abundance of windows. I am always intrigued by the atmosphere of the Caribbean. Colors seem brighter and the light whiter. We had plenty of windows to enjoy the glow of the day with a great view of Simpson Bay and the beach below. The room is very pretty with a four post king size bed and a kitchen area. It has a cathedral ceiling and was very clean and well kept. There is a large shower (no bath) and easy access to the beach. The smell of the sea air coming through the door to the balcony we enjoyed running along the outside of the building reminded us constantly of where we were.
We were at Mary’s Boon for only two days. We spent most of our time on the beach either lying in the sun, swimming in the waves, walking or jogging the length of the beach to the west. Now you need to know that the hotel does sit right next to the airport runway. This is a mixed blessing. Very close (you get to your hotel quickly) but…very close (to the planes). I enjoyed watching the planes as they took off behind us and then came into sight passing over head. The larger jets are pretty much gone by 5pm while other planes continue take offs and landings but not into the late hours of the night. However, we had a built in alarm clock! At seven each morning Winair begins their departures. It really wasn’t too much of a bother for us but something to note for those who might not like the idea of the noise and the activity.
We were going to eat dinner at the plantation on Friday evening, Lobster Creole, but decided against it and went to Bamboo Bernies instead. More on that later. What we did do for food while at M’sB was a bit of grocery shopping at a food market (located just as the airport road turns right toward the Lowlands or left toward Maho Beach). We picked up cheese, salami, grapes, yogurt, bottled water and a bottle of wine. Our breakfast on Friday morning was a mix of the cheese, grapes and yogurt. We purchased a pot of coffee from the restaurant and were all set. We never drank the wine while there but it didn’t last long at Green Cay. Mary’s Boon also supplied a bottle of champagne which we took with us for later in the week.
Sunset Beach Bar
Before hitting the grocery store, we stopped at the Sunset Beach Bar. It was a blast to be there finally, after checking out the web cam from time to time. We had a couple Caribes and ordered a quick and simple lunch…hot dogs and fries. Several smaller planes came in that day and we watched a couple larger jets take off. We were too late for the big jet arrivals. If you arrive around 1pm you will see several of them land including the Air France, American Airlines, USAir. They are all a sight to see and one can’t help walk out on the beach to get a closer high.
The gal tending bar was always friendly and really earns her paycheck. You order food at the bar and then take the receipt over to the grill which sits a few yards away. The guy who grills ribs, burgers, hot dogs, wings, Teriyaki chicken sandwiches (to die for) has a standard mantra when you hand him the slip with your order written on it….”come back in ten minutes”. We stopped at SSBB about four times while in St. Maarten. The food was always good, the fries being particularly yummy. On our last day there I over heard a conversation with the owner and two local officials who were inspecting the place. Evidently, he is selling SSBB within the month and must make several improvements to the premises. He did not seem particularly happy at the prospect of having to do that with less than a month left before he is “out of here”.
Bamboo Bernies
On our first evening we stopped at Bamboo Bernies for dinner. They advertise live music and a $15 per person all you can eat rib dinner on Thursday evenings. We were not particularly hungry having eaten so late at SSBB. We more wanted to take in the scene, so we skipped the rib buffet as the band did not begin until later that evening. We ordered the dry rub ribs and shared the order. They were very spicy and good though the sides of beans and slaw were not to our liking. My wife had a majito and I had a margarita. The setting is great as it is right next to the water where you can see and listen to the waves gently hitting the volcanic rock below the deck and watch the occasional plane land at the airport.
Bliss
We wanted some wine following dinner so we walked over to Bliss and what a wonderful experience we had there. Later in the evening it is evidently one of “the”” places to go for dancing and night life, but at 9pm it is very much low keyed. Diners sit at tables along an area of the restaurant that opens to the water. An eclectic mix of music plays in the back ground over an outdoor sound system of some substance. It was at a volume very appropriate for dining but I imagined, by the size and number of speakers, that it could really crank out if needed. I didn’t recognize many of the songs, they were French or instrumentals played with a variety of exotic electronic instruments, but the music was very listenable and really added to the ambience of the evening.
There is a deck that rises off the dining room and parallels the dance floor which sits between the dining room and the bar. The whole area is completely open to the stars, lit with red strips of tube lights that are wrapped around palm trees and posts and provide a captivating ambience. My wife and I sat there on a cushioned love seat, just the two of us enjoying a glass of Chardonnay with the ocean sounds below and the full moon peaking through the blades of a palm that rose above us. We also enjoyed a very good glass of Merlot that evening (every order of wine “by the glass” we had on the island was very good by the way, compared to the States). We don’t know what it was…our first night in St. Martin, the full moon, the torch lights along the deck railing, the stars or the wine…but we fell in love, with each other again and with SXM, on this first night. At one point I saw a shooting star, something that my wife usually misses. Within a minute, gazing up toward the sky above my shoulder, she said “I just saw one too!” We acknowledged that this island will do for “paradise” until the real thing comes.
We enjoyed our evening so much that we decided to return the following night for dinner. For whatever reason, they were playing a different mix of music on the outdoor sound system, more like disco and it wasn’t to our liking as much as the previous evening. The food was very good though. We sat at a table right at the edge of the dining area with a great view of the water below. My wife had fish and I had a steak as we enjoyed each other’s company and a nice bottle of Bordeaux. I also liked watching the planes arrive with their landing lights twinkling in the distance and growing larger as they approach the runway that was just within our range of view.
On Saturday morning I awoke early at Mary’s Boon, before WinAir on this morning, and decided to go for a jog along the beach. One of the things we noticed about St. Martin was the abundance of stray, but friendly dogs that seemed as much a part of the beach scene as the sea gulls. The beach along Mary’s Boon is no exception but we never encountered a dog that was really a bother. Two watched me as I jogged by and I wondered if they would follow. No, they were in beach gravity mode I guess.
As I jogged down I noticed that there was nothing between Mary’s Boon and another group of buildings in the distance but open beach and the fence up to the right along the perimeter of the airport runway. A person, too far away to know gender, came out of one of the buildings wrapped in a white garment and what seemed like another segment of the same material held above the head. As I approached closer I could see that it was a woman who was quite thin but it was hard to tell her age, though I think she was at least in her 40s. It turned out that this was her exercise of choice. The cloth she held above her head was used to stretch while she did every sort of cal esthetic in a kind of dancing motion. She was up toward the fence as I passed, now had an audience of the two dogs passed earlier, and as I reached the end of the beach and turned back toward Mary’s Boon she had disrobed and only held the cloth above her head twisting this way and then that and dancing about in the sand and beach grass. “OK”, I thought. Clothing optional aerobisize….or possibly disrobesize!
We, my wife and I, enjoyed some cheese, French bread, grapes and coffee on our balcony watching a lone jogger make her way up the beach below. The bay is very beautiful with that turquoise green water so much a part of a Caribbean setting. I found it invigorating to jog on the beaches of Simpson Bay and Orient Beach in the early morning, running through the sand and occasionally the water when the waves break, the azure sky and billowing clouds over head, the fresh salt sea air in my lungs. This experience called to me each morning though, depending on how late our evening went the night before, there were those mornings I simply turned over in bed, drew the covers up over my head and responded to that call with “yeah, yeah, whatever”!
Green Cay Villas and Baywatch
It was Saturday and time to travel over to the French side to our intended residence of length on St. Martin, Green Cay Villas. We would be there for nine days and could not wait until we arrived. Green Cay sits on a hill and is a collection of 20 villas most of which have three bedrooms, a central family room area, private deck with pool and a full kitchen. We had villa #18 all to ourselves. It was more expensive than sharing with two other couples but privacy has its price. We booked through Jim Ruos of Caribbean Island Travel Service and intend to use Jim again for our vacations on St. Martin as he was very helpful and we felt we received the best deal we could through him.
We stopped at Match in Marigot for groceries. The parking lot was quite crowded but we arrived just as someone else was leaving and promptly edged our Sentra into the space. The store is much like any you’d find in the States only it has a very well stocked wine section with wines that would cost much more at home. We purchased a rotisserie chicken, pasta, French bread, cheese, water, pasta sauce (it’s a sin to buy pasta sauce out of a jar back home as my wife prepares my grandmothers recipe for “gravy”, which she learned from my great grandmother) grapes, apples, chocolate, a pint of Hagen Daze strawberry ice cream and I picked up a bottle of Bordeaux which was from the Paulliac region vintage 1994 – very good!
We arrived at Green Cay around noon, which I knew was a bit early to check in, and found no one to be in the office. I tried the phone to the right of the door with a sign “to call office” but no one answered. “Don’t worry, be happy” began to play in my mind, but it was hot in the mid-day sun and we wanted to get into our private pool. Soon a maid came by, saw our dilemma, and summoned the owner who said there must have been a glitch in the phone system as he was suppose to get the call on his cell but never received any. He was very friendly and said the room would not be ready until 3pm but suggested we bring our luggage into the office and ride down to Orient for lunch while we waited. We brought our luggage into the air conditioned office where we confirmed it would be quite safe and off to Orient Beach we went.
I have to admit we felt kind of out of place walking the sand down to Baywatch for lunch. I imagine that even though we were not in the clothing optional section there must have been some on the beach who looked at us in our shirts, shorts and sandals wondering if we had just got off…not the ship, but the bus. Give us a day, we’ll show ya! At Baywatch we met Cheryl who was so welcoming and friendly and makes a point to talk to everyone when they arrive. I told her we came on recommendation of TTOL. She raved about how enjoyable it was to serve the friendly people from TTOL. My wife had a fish sandwich, which she said was out of this world and I had the buffalo wings…of course with a side of fries and a couple of Caribes. We needed to order another round of Caribes by the time our food arrived but decided two each were enough in the heat and these clothes and opted for diet cokes to wash down the dessert of choice at Baywatch – Dove Bars. I’m embarrassed to even write about it…but hey, don’t worry be fatty…er, happy. The smart eating habits we adopted in 2004 must have been confiscated by security in the airport because they sure weren’t around to help us make wise decisions that day. I decided that I wasn’t going to sweat what we ate on the island and we did manage to eat light on occasion and with the jogging only gained 3 pounds each over our trip.
We sat at Baywatch watching the ocean waves and the people walking by on the sand. Out in the bay there was a mix of folks on jet skis, windsurfing or just enjoying an ocean swim. Two couples came in on the other side of the eating area, him nude and her topless wearing a wrap around her waist. It seemed strangely very much in place only I felt like in comparison we were dressed for a blizzard. We would find out that week what the whole clothing optional thing was all about though we never did make the leap from the beach to Baywatch without accompanying textiles.
We finished lunch but found that it was only 2pm. So we took a gamble that our room might be ready. It wasn’t but our host said we could go up as the maid had finished our bedroom at that time. When you arrive at villa #18 there is an automatic gate that opens when you push the button on the keychain, you then drive down to an area that would park three, maybe four cars as the gate mechanically closes behind you. Ours was the only car as villa #20 seemed to be unoccupied. It remained so until the day before our departure. Our maid was still cleaning parts of the villa but we were able to take our luggage to the air conditioned bedroom that had a very pleasant and clean fragrance to it. Just to the right as you enter is a beautiful bathroom with tub and hand held shower. There is a regular shower in another part of the villa as you come in the front door which was my bathing location of choice. We had a king size bed, safe, closet for clothes, dresser across the room with a 12” television set. The TV was about 18 feet away so watching from bed was like viewing an animated postage stamp. There is not much variety on air anyway so this was not a problem: CNN International if you want to know the financial situation in Europe or the weather in East Africa and China, a station that carried French speaking movies with Spanish sub-titles…(yeah, we got a lot out of those) and I think HBO, and a Turner station that did have movies in English and a few more stations that never got more than a 1 second pause as I commandeered the remote before going off to sleep each night.
We spent the rest of the day swimming in the pool and relaxing on our private deck…without suits (did I mention it was private?). It is quite the experience for a first timer to stroll around in the sun and swim without a stitch of clothing on. The deck at villa #18 is quite private, did I mention that, as it is on the highest point of the hill upon which Green Cay Villas sit and is surrounded by thick green tropical plants and bushes all around. You can still see over the greenery down onto the hill below if you stand by the deck railing but it does give you a sense of security and shielding. So I felt confident as I walked out of the pool to one of the lounges on the deck and placed my towel down to dry off and soak in the sun. I laid there happy as a hog in a mud pit and lazily glanced over to the one area of the deck that did not have foliage along the railing but a clear view of a hill in the distance that turned out to be A LOOK OUT VANTAGE POINT FOR TAKING PHOTOS OF THE ORIENT BAY AREA!….aaahhhhhhh…telephoto lenses…I don’t want to wind up in the National Enquire Magazine. But that gentle beat and melody began to play again….”don’t worry, mun, be happy”. It never was a worry for the duration of the week so if you pick up a National Enquire and see someone lying on a lounge in the all together…eh, it’s not me!
That evening we decided to eat “at home” and prepared the rotisserie chicken, French bread, cheese, salad and wine for dinner. The villas have an enclosed walkway area for dining which sits just above and looks out over the pool and invites the view and breeze coming in off the ocean. It so happened that for the first part of our week we enjoyed a full moon. My wife asked, “Did you plan it this way”…to which I replied, “Yeah, sure, that’s the ticket, figured you’d like it this way”. She knows better. We had just lucked out. It was a wonderful meal. The glow of the moon beaming off the ocean gave us a view of a shimmering horizon. The candle light on our table sparked through burgundy wine glasses. I hooked an iPod up to the stereo in the family room so Enya could provide our background music for the evening. Following our meal we cleaned the table and while my wife waited, gazing at the sea and the sky, I dished us out just enough strawberry Hagen Daze to cap off the meal on a sweet note. On a subsequent evening with dinner at the villa, my wife prepared a hot topping for our dessert with the chocolate we purchased and some cream…sooo good!
Privacy has its benefits. Following our last glass of wine left over from our meal, we moved to our deck and had one of the most romantic encounters in our 36 year marriage. I’ll never forget how the moon light glistened off her body as it subsequently faded and then gleamed brightly again as the clouds made their journey across the night sky. Love under the full moon was a sensual luxury we enjoyed together for several nights that week and highly recommended if you can “luck it out”….the full moon that is.
Love, however, is often filled with pain, or at least, itching irritation. I woke up covered with mosquito bites. We had brought an OFF mosquito lamp from home with us that works quite well but its range is only 15 feet. We were at least 25 feet away and the lamp was up on the dining area above the pool. Details you aren’t thinking about when passion is ignited. I have to say the mosquitoes were the only down side of our villa experience. After a couple nights of figuring out that the breeze in the evenings was substantial enough to dissipate the effectiveness of the OFF lamp while we ate dinner; and that I have enough Italian in my DNA that leans me toward the emotional, rather than, rational side in circumstances filled with amore, I realized I had to move to plan “B”….Deep Woods Off. My wife figured I had enough on me to cover her if I was in close proximity, which I remained for the greater portion of our evenings together. I asked, “Does it make you think of the guy in the tent in the Deep Woods Off commercial?” She responded emphatically, “Po-lease”. The Deep Woods worked very well, when I remembered to apply it. Which I unfortunately did not do all the time for the genealogical reasons mentioned earlier. When we went shopping in Phillipsburg one day I came across a t-shirt that was embroidered with: St. Maarten, three mosquitoes, and the words “bite me”. I came real close to getting it but it did not really reflect how we felt about our week on SXM, so I passed.
We awoke on Sunday morning to another day of perfect weather. For the duration of our trip the weather went this way. Except for one day when a tropical system flowed past to the south of the island and we had an abundance of clouds and rain for a period of several hours while on an excursion (see Random Wind below). I remember it raining on one other day while we were there and that lasted so briefly as to be insignificant. Each morning at Green Cay our maid prepared a continental breakfast for us of French bread, croissants, orange juice, bottled water and coffee. We added to it some sharp Gouda and grapes. Following breakfast we went into our pool. My wife laid back and drifted around on a float that happened to be in the pool when we arrived as I just swam around a bit enjoying the view. Did I mention I’m part Italian? I’m also very much in love with my wife. She said it felt like being weightless floating on clouds. I have that effect on her…”oh, you mean the raft honey”. The next day I purchased another raft so I could go cloud floating too and we would float together on our rafts, looking up into the blue sky and white drifting clouds, joined by just a couple entwined fingers until the sun grew too hot upon our bodies. We spent only an hour or so this morning in the pool and decided it was time to head down to….
Orient Beach
It is only a few minute drive down the hill, through Orient village to the beach. We parked our car and walked out onto the sand. I was surprised at how few people were on the beach compared to the other times we were there. Of course, those occasions were always a stop over on a cruise when the beach is at its highest population. I think fewer people on our first day played into our willingness to try the clothing optional side for the first time. We walked toward Baywatch and Pedros through the rocks, the path was sand rather than sea as the beach was still full at this juncture, and down to where the beach umbrellas are yellow. There was ample beach furniture available so we claimed two lounges and dragged them under one of the golden umbrellas. This luxury set us back $18 a day. A security guy on the beach walks around and collects from those not laying on the tell tale yellow towels. As we went through the week we felt the fee very much worth the experience.
To my surprise, my wife was out of her clothes and onto the toweled lounge first. “That’s my girl.” I followed and we lay there commenting upon “what was the big deal anyway?” This was freeing and invigorating. It is, in my opinion, very a-sexual (meaning without sexual content). You really adjust to everyone being in the buff very quickly as long as you don’t think about it too much. Then, after a day or two, you don’t think about it too much and just enjoy the experience. I have to say my wife did set up some parameters for comfort. She did not wear her contacts because of swimming but this also made things such that she could not see distance clearly, which made her feel comfortable. Interestingly, she always was able to find me in the surf as she made her way out for a swim. She also made it clear in a humorous way that she did not want to get “social” with anyone. A conversation with a nude stranger was not something she could fathom just yet. However, within a few days we were striking up brief conversations with those around us. “Isn’t this weather great? Say, where’d you get that nipple ring”. Only kidding. I did ask on fellow who went snorkeling if he had seen anything of mention while out there. He said “no”. He and his female companion, wife or girl friend I do not know, were an attractive couple in their twenties who parked themselves on the lounges beside ours one day. As I watched him stroll out to the water to snorkel, nude, with flippers and wearing the snorkel mask and gear, I wanted to lean over to his girl and say, “You know, as attractive a guy as he is, you have to say a person still looks like a dork walking nude wearing snorkel gear and flippers into the water”. But I saved that thought for my wife who got a kick out of it. Better her getting the kick than me from the guy’s girl.
We loved swimming in the nude and would often stroll out to the clear, warm water to cool off together. A couple times I muttered to myself as I watched my wife make her way to the surf, “I can’t believe she’s doing this”. I said that about myself on occasion too. But that also passed as we just looked forward to our days on the beach.
I’ve read comments about the difficulty some have when they encounter a nude person they feel unattractive. I was not the least bit put off by the sight of some but did have some issue with the behavior of some. For instance there were a couple of guys, probably in their late 50s or early 60s, who walked back and forth in a parading kind of fashion as if they were on a runway in a fashion show. I wanted to say, “sit down, you’re not all that”. One morning as I walked with my wife on the beach, in our suits, we decided to head down past Baywatch and as we got to the rocks there were four guys, again in their 60s maybe even 70s, just standing around. One was perched up to the right on top of the rocks, another out more toward the surf, two right on the sand where you pass. There stood there with their elbows jutting behind, hands on their hips glancing this way and that like penguins robbed of their tuxedos. As we approached they stared at us as we walked by. We both felt a bit uncomfortable. “What was that all about?” We saw this on a few occasions and my wife began to refer to them as “the rock guys”. It was more comical than troublesome.
Another guy was just too obvious in his wanderings and would gander at the women as he meandered through the umbrellas and lounges nodding and smiling as he walked by. Once is fine, twice…ok, but he must have done this at least ten times during the day for a period of four or five days. One time he was so palpable that I said, “take a photograph why don’t you”. I felt like I wanted to protect our new found experience from those who give it a bad name. Please note that these only represent a very small percentage of our encounters during our days on Orient Beach and as in all of society, you’re going to find people like this. You just have to ignore these types as best you can remembering that they are so few and far between that it doesn’t distract you from having a wonderful time.
One of the many pleasant things we encountered was on two of our beach days we happened to lounge near a family with children who reminded us of our grandkids. They seemed to have another family of friends with them who also had kids and they all pitched in over a period of several days building this huge sand castle. Another confidence builder was the confrontation one of the security men had with someone who wandered into the area with a video camera. They argued together for a bit and the security guy won out and the guy headed back up toward the other end of the beach camera in hand. I called the security guy over and thanked him. He spoke broken English but we had a short conversation together about “the idiots that wander in from time to time knowing full well their intentions but denying it to the end”. He seemed to appreciate my thanks and walked away smiling. We only saw this one incident and I never saw anyone with a camera while on the beach.
We thoroughly enjoyed our days on Orient without suits, swimming nude, and just enjoyed our music (iPods) and each other’s company. Most people on the beach around us seemed to do what we did, lay there on the lounge under an umbrella reading or listening to music watching the sea, the clouds, and the people stroll by. People watching even becomes a non-event after a day or two. We’re now talking about how difficult it’s going to be wearing swim suits again when we swim.
On a couple of days I brought down six Presidentes packed in plastic shopping bags with ice and stored in our beach bag. These were great! Nothing like sand gravity and a Presidente. One day, however, I packed this portable mini-bar and when it came time to bring out the first round I realized I had left the can opener back at the villa…”doh!” “I’ll be right back!” And off I went, suit and keys in hand until I reached the rocks at Pedros, put my suit on and made my way to our car, drove up to the villa, grabbed the opener then headed back to the beach. Next time we’ll bring some kind of cooler and an extra can open that will stay with it.
Each morning I would wake early, around 6am, and make my way to the beach for a morning jog while my wife slept in. I decided I wanted to see if I could jog the whole length of Orient. So I parked in the lot next to Bikini Beach Club and made a left down the beach walking past Bikini, La Playa and Waikiki all the way down to the rocks just below Mount Vernon. I touched the rocks with my foot and off I went jogging back through sand and the intermittent wave that broke around my feet. I passed Boo Boo Jam and worked my way down to Kakao and Kon Tiki, Baywatch and Pedros toward Club Orient. The first part of the week I was able to continue stride across the rocky area at Pedros but on our last day I had to stop and walk through the water that had by this time encroached upon the sand. As I jogged several folks walked by for their morning nude walk; I wore a suit feeling it was more appropriate for someone who was running. As I passed we would greet each other, “morning”, as if we were passing in Central Park…well, maybe that’s a stretch, who greets each other in Central Park?
I finally reached Papagayo and the little building at the very end of the beach that advertises the nude Catamaran cruises. I made it! I felt energized and yet needing a dip in the ocean so I shed my suit and placed it on an abandon lounge with my keys and took a refreshing morning swim. I walked back along the beach in the all together until I got to the rocks (the official “textile shedding and re-appropriating” location for us during our stay). I understand that the entire beach is about a mile long so with walking and jogging I put in a mile jogging and another walking.
By the time I got back to the villa the maid was either preparing our breakfast table or had by then finished. Each day while at Green Cay we would usually eat breakfast, my wife would take a brief “float” in the pool (sometimes I’d join her or read the paper and enjoy the view); then we’d pack our bag and make our way down to the beach. We would spend most of our day there from 10am through 3pm, come back and take a nap and then decide what we wanted to do for dinner.
Gastronomically Speaking
On several of our evenings we decided to stay at the Villa and prepare our own meals. You can do this very easily if you plan it through a bit. Each morning the continental breakfast included a loaf of French bread. There was always enough left over for another meal, you just had to heat it a very little bit in the micro wave to bring it back to life. One afternoon we made cheese and salami sandwiches out of a loaf for lunch. It made for a very nice meal with a Presidente.
Two of our dinners at the villa were actually a high light of our week. We prepared pasta with pieces of sharp Gouda cheese, salami and the jar of spaghetti sauce I mentioned earlier. It turned out to be very tasty, but I think that was in part due to my wife’s ability to take olive oil, garlic and heat it in a pan and concoct that aroma that drives me nuts! I think you could cook dirt in olive oil and garlic and it would be palatable. She then tossed the salami into the pan with the sauce and saved the cheese for the very last before pouring it over our penne pasta. Wine, French bread, sparkling water, a salad (we purchased pre-packaged salad greens in a bag, very handy) and our eyes to stare into under the light of the full moon gave us memories we talk about even after being home for a week.
We ventured out one evening to Marigot and walked along the Marina Port La Royale. It was a Monday evening and several of the restaurants were closed. We walked along taking in the yachts, catamarans and speed boats that offered excursions during the day but now sat tied to the dock in the harbor. The sun was setting and the clouds began to blossom in hues of pink, orange, purple and blue. Stars eased their way into the blackening sky and the lights of the restaurants around the harbor reflected cheerfully upon the surface of the water as we strolled by hand in hand. “Good evening, monsieur, mademoiselle!” A petite young woman with a French accent greeted us as we walked along. “May I show you our menu?” She proceeded to talk us through the specials for the evening in a very inviting way. “I have the honeymoon table for you right here and can prepare it for you, yes?” “Thank you, we’re going to walk along for a bit and see what’s down the way.” “Ok, I miss you then.” And with her cute smile she said as we parted “Don’t be too long as there is not much open tonight. I wait for you” We walked down past a few remaining restaurants that were open but we felt compelled to go back to where the young girl, Maude, greeted us at La Main a la Pate. She was so friendly it was as if we were being drawn in by a force we could not resist. She prepared a table for us right along the boardwalk in front of the restaurant and we had the most wonderful view of the harbor, the sky and the many people as they walked by.
We sat there, not being very hungry as we had a late lunch at Baywatch earlier that day, and simply ordered a glass of Chardonnay and a dish of Calamari. The wine was excellent and the squid was very tasty. We also had a bottle of the best sparkling water I’ve ever tasted. We drank and ate slowly wanting to savor the experience. We watched Maude through the evening and though there were several restaurants open within view of our table they had very few patrons that evening. La Main, on the other hand, was packed. Maude is very good at what she does but she does it with a winsomeness and charm that just seems to allure people into the restaurant.
We ate there on three different occasions. We tend to be people who when we find something we like will frequent it again and again. Everything we had was very good. I would say that folks who have exquisite taste in food might prefer some place else, but we enjoyed dishes there that equaled the most exquisite restaurants we’ve had the pleasure to visit on occasion. I think what attracted us to La Main was the location, which we preferred over Grand Case, the people watching factor and the wait staff became our friends as they recognized us each evening and joked with us as they worked and we ate.
On night several folks came by and were looking at the menu that sat just to the left of our table and were trying to make the decision on whether to eat there or not. We gave it a thumbs up and said the escargot was the best we’ve ever had. He said, “great! There’s twenty of us and on your recommendation we’ll eat here.” It was a bit comical watching the staff go into high gear setting up tables for 20 new customers. It did cause a bit of a slow down for some to be served, but those who stayed in island mode seemed not to be bothered by the delay. By the time we left that evening, most were eating their dinners and the twenty folks sitting together were lifting wine glasses, laughing and enjoying their escargot.
We ate at Le Village at the Marina just for a little variety one evening. We did not enjoy our meal very well and decided we would return to La Main when we came back. I would not base eating there on our experience as others have stated it’s a fun place to eat with very good food. When we went back to Le Main we had pizza one evening, which was excellent, lobster salad, fish, steak to name a few other dishes we enjoyed over the times we were there. On two occasions we had their warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream topping. To die for! Our waiter came back, saw our whistle clean plate, threw his arms into the air, rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, I knew you wouldn’t like it!” We had that dessert twice sharing it each time. I would recommend La Main a la Pate for very good to excellent, food with an ambience that is captivating and a lot of fun.
We decided we should go to Grand Case one evening and so we dressed up more than usual and chose Il Nuttuno. The staff was friendly and gave us a seat out on the deck in the back along the railing. The view was nice, but we decided we enjoyed the Marina view better. The food was very good. I ordered a veal dish with pasta and my wife chose fish which she said was very good. Wine complimented our meal and we decided against dessert and opted for Hagen Daze strawberry ice cream when we got back to the villa. My wife made the chocolate topping mentioned earlier.
We also slept in one afternoon later than we had planned and woke up around 8pm. The cupboard was bare at the villa so we needed to find a restaurant that was open nearby. We arrived at the Plantation Cafe which is located right near Orient Village. It is a beautifully decorated establishment that felt very Caribbean to us with the choice of furniture, lighting, table cloths and drapery. We were greeted by a friendly young woman who welcomed us and seated us at our table. I asked how late they serve and she said 9:30pm. It was 9:15pm so we just made it. There was a table behind me with about 10 people who were waiting for dessert and seemed to be celebrating a birthday. My wife had a fish dish again and I had the Creole special of stuffed crab with sausages. It was spicy if you choose to use the accompanying sauce. The crab was more fill than meat and I ate half of one sausage because the consistency was very pasty and I began to think too much on “what parts of what animal am I eating here”. My wife said her fish dish was the best she had so far. She wanted to go back and I agreed but would choose a different meal. We never made it because we ran out of evenings, but I would recommend the Plantation Café on the basis of the atmosphere of the restaurant and my wife’s meal.
Random Wind Excursion
We got up on Wednesday morning and noticed the sky had more grey in it than we had seen all week. A haze masked the distant island of St. Barts which we usually could see very well from our breakfast vantage point. Today we would drive down to Simpson Bay for a day on the Random Wind which is a fifty-four foot schooner upon which the skipper never books more than 12-14 passengers. The Random Wind sails out of the bay with a crew of three and heads up the west coast of St. Martin to a destination on the French side. Locations along the coast for the activities of the day, including snorkeling and swimming, depend on the weather, the swells and the discretion of the captain.
We drove out of Orient, through Grand Case, up the hill to Marigot and on to Simpson Bay. We never encountered very much traffic on our trips from the French to Dutch side of the island except on the day of our departure, which I will detail later. The gathering place for the excursion is in front of the Buccaneer Beach Bar and Marten, the ships owner, was there waiting to collect our payment and greet us with a warm smile. There were thirteen of us, mostly couples, and as he took “attendance” and our payment Marten told us of a tropical depression that had come close but drifted south of the island. He said it was a good thing since a direct hit would have ruin vacations for a few days. Though the depression would not hit us directly it still provided enough adventure for the day with 6-8' swells, rain and wind.
Marten was a very friendly fellow, I think from the Netherlands, who remembered our email exchanges when I contacted him several months earlier to book the excursion. He immediately deducted $5 a piece from the $75 per person costs which we thought very nice. He would not skipper the boat today but turned that duty over to a younger man, also with blonde hair, who I believe was from Holland. A group of six of us was followed by another group of seven as we loaded onto a small dingy that our captain piloted from the schooner to the beach and then back again. As I climbed in the dingy I looked around and said to the captain, “I thought the boat was going to be larger than this”, which brought a smile to his face as we worked our way to the schooner.
As we came alongside the Random Wind the other ship mates, two attractive women who would be our hosts serving drinks and food, instructed us to pass up our sandals, sneakers and bags so they could stow them away below. Then we climbed aboard steadying ourselves against the slight rolling motion of the dingy against the schooner. My wife and I made our way toward the front of the boat and found a nice padded bench that became our stay throughout the trip. The sun was shining through the clouds and a breeze was keeping us cool, but we knew it was time to apply sun screen lest the pinkish glow of our tanned bodies turn bright red for lack of protection. We kept t-shirts on but made sure our arms and, particularly our legs we’re well covered with SP-30.
Once everyone was onboard there were a few instructions designed to prevent us from becoming lost at sea if we failed to hold onto various railings making our way around the ship. The captain then started the ships motor and made his way from the mooring out into the bay. At a certain point out he handed the ship’s wheel to one of the female crew and hoisted the sail and we were on our way. The swell of the sea increased as we drew further out and my wife and I began to enjoy the rocking and swaying of the ship. We have taken many cruises over the years and never get sea sick. Only one girl grew slightly queasy on this excursion but the rest of those onboard had a great time as we rolled about in the Caribbean Ocean making our way up past long beach to an unknown destination. We watched as Cupecoy beach drifted past us and then Longbeach. Various villas and resorts peppered the coastline; smoke drifted into the sky from an unknown source and we could see that the billowing clouds were growing darker as they blew in from the east.
The seas became very substantial, comparative to the size of the boat, but my wife and I loved it. The front would rise up at a steep angle and then down into the canyon of water formed by the rolling swells. There was a station out on the bow which extended beyond the front of the ship; you had to climb on the mast to get to, and then you could sit there with arms resting upon a railing built, no doubt, to keep one from plummeting into the deep below. One of the passengers went out solo and we watched him laughed out loud as the sea tossed him up and then down again as if on a carnival ride. Of course, all this was accompanied by the spray of the waves coming up over the bow splashing against us as we sailed forward. One of the men just behind me would moan, “awwl”, each time he was splashed. It became amusing to my wife and me. A bit of a wave streaked up and back, “awwl”; another “awwl”. I said to my wife, “Someone needs to tell him we’re on a boat! There is the chance you’ll get wet”. After 50 or so choruses of “awwl” it began to become irritating. “What is up with this guy?” On the other hand, we loved the cool water cascading over us from time to time, wetting our t-shirts and hair, the saline taste as the sea would sneak into our mouths.
The face of the ocean was quite rough as we sailed along to the French side and the waves tossed up over the bow with the continued splashing, “awwling” and cooling effects. “Look, something just jumped up from the water onto the deck!” my wife exclaimed. It was a small squid, translucent with gills rippling rapidly as it lay upon the sun bleached deck. I wondered if I should get up from my bench and rescue the little guy. I wondered if squid bite. I wondered if squid sting. I wonder if squid squirt, ruining my nice white t-shirt with black ink? We watched as the translucence turned opaque and then became the same color as the deck in an obvious attempt at camouflage. If he had known my timid state of mind he could have save himself the trouble! As we watched our uninvited calamari, a buoy that was tied to the deck used to buffer the ship against a pier, unfortunately rolled over the little guy when things tilted portside…and remained there on top of him for several minutes. Taps began to play in my head. The buoy finally rolled starboard revealing that our nautical friend had obviously perished. A bit later after we anchored to do some snorkeling, one of the women crew members made a fuss over him. I guess dead squid are cute. She pronounced his next contribution to our trip…”bate!”
Due to rough seas our first intended stop was bypassed so we moved on up and set anchor off Friars Beach. Many of the passengers donned the snorkel gear including my wife and I. The water was warm but the snorkeling left a lot to be desired. I saw a plate a plastic cup and a flip flop lying on the bottom. To be fair, I did see one fish. Others said it was a little better if you swam toward shore to what seemed to be an outcrop of rocks, but we decided to stay near the boat, tossed our gear onboard and floated on noodles with a rum punch that was eagerly passed down to us by one of the crew. We floated there passing the time and about three rum punches with another couple who had beat us to the punch, so to speak. We talked, laughed and had a wonderful time while others searched for snorkel targets that had obviously decided upon a different beach location that day than Friars.
Suddenly, our captain said everyone must come back to the ship as the weather was turning on us. Clouds became thicker and greyer; the wind started to pick up and even the water that was calm when we anchored began to churn a bit. The rain began to fall, first gently then growing in volume until it was coming down in sheets. Floating there on my noodle with a third rum punch in hand I told my drifting friends, “That’s it, I’m not getting wet!” and climb back on board after helping my wife on before me. I decided though that, this was fun! However the rain, which was a bit cooler than the air and the sea, brought a slight chill to my body as my t-shirt clung to my chest and back.
Several had gathered, including my wife, in an area covered with canvas just before you go down into the galley. They had pity on me and slid over to make room. A voice called out of the galley, “Rum punch?” “Ya got any hot chocolate down there?” Rum punch it was, along with the lunch provided as part of the excursion which consisted of a very good Caribbean quiche dish, French bread, cheese and either the rum punch or beer. As the wind blew and the torrent of rain continued I asked if anyone had seen The Perfect Storm. “Ah, but did you read the book?” asked the captain. Indeed I had, way before the movie came out. We talked about the detailed account in the book of what it was like to drown. Facts obviously gleaned from unfortunate sailors who “almost” drowned. We all laughed and as the storm began to settle a bit the captain said it was time to move ahead to our next destination to anchor again for a swim.
We sailed back down along the coast, south to another point along the shore which I did not recognize. The captain and crew set anchor and announced that we would be here for about 45 minutes. My wife and I were deciding whether to “get wet” once more when suddenly this body flashed by in front of us diving into the water, it was the captain. “You’re on your own” he yelled as he swam off a bit away from the boat. Into the water with our noodles my wife and I jumped. We decided against any more rum punch and just floated with the couple I mentioned earlier who had also decided against a floating bar experience.
The sail back to Philipsburg onboard the Random Wind is one of the high lights of my trip. I ventured to the bow of the ship and found the seat at the very tip of the mast. Most who made their way out sat facing back toward the ship. This is an entertaining view point as the sea behind and along side the schooner seems to move all about while the boat itself is deceivingly “stable” against this feigned sense of motion. In a stroke of genius, I decided to brave a turn on my seat and face forward as we continued our journey back to Simpson Bay. It proved to be a rewarding choice of fortune as there was still ample height to the waves and the wind was forceful against my face and hair as we sailed southward. I watched as waves grew near and created canyons into which the bow of the ship dropped forcefully, at times lifting me out of my seat. My legs and feet dangled in the air below and though I felt it too rough to let go of the railing and throw my arms into the air, I proclaimed loud enough for any who would hear….“I’m the king of the world!” Well, maybe prince; I would not let go the railing. My position gave me the ride of my life. I was able to estimate when I’d be lifted out of my seat by the motion of a wave just by the way it looked as it grew closer to the ships bow. Another squaw, milder than before, blew in and soaked and pelted me as I shouted “yes!” I was having a lot of fun. My wife said at one point as she watched me she could tell that I was having a lot of fun and wanted to climb out to join me, but felt it too dangerous. I was glad she didn’t because at one point I felt I should go back to be with her but decided against it for safety reasons.
We finally reached our destination, soaked, fed, quenched and entertained by a very friendly crew aboard the Random Wind. A highly recommended experience and my vote would be for a ride on the bow if you dare. We were shuttled back to the beach area, said our “thank you” and gave a generous tip to the crew. We walked to our car, parked down a bit from the Buccaneer Beach Bar, and made our way back to Green Cay villas where we enjoyed one of our home cooked pasta meals after a nice nap.
Homeward Bound
We have taken at least 15 cruises over the years and had felt we discovered our vacation experience of choice. Though we love a cruise, both of us had such a wonderful and enjoyable experience on St.Martaan/St.Martin that we are telling friends it was the best vacation we have ever taken. Throughout the week I would say to my wife things like, “this is our first night”, “we still have eight days to go”, “it’s only Thursday, four more days”. On the evening of the day before we were to fly back home we were a bit sad but felt like we were still having such a great time and were not ready to leave. On a cruise, we invariably are “ready to come home”. Not so on St. Martin and the transition home was a most difficult one to say the least. It took about a week before we felt like we were back to “normal” again and could function with any sense of effectiveness at our jobs. One of our carry-ons did not get unpacked for three days, which tells you something about our state of mind. We had thoroughly relaxed on this vacation, had too many good memories for any to be “the best” from our trip, and are now hooked on St. Martin vacations for life. Yes, we will probably take a cruise from time to time, but most likely only those that stop at St. Martin.
The morning of our departure we enjoyed one final continental breakfast of French bread, cheese, grapes, croissants, water and coffee. We took our last float in the pool together, packed our clothes and headed over to close our bill at Green Cay Villas. We were leaving around noon for a 4:30 pm departure but had plans to stop at SSBB before dropping off the car and heading to the airport. As it turned out, it was a good thing we left early. By the time we got into Marigot the traffic was horrendous. An 18 wheeler was broken down right in the middle of a downtown side street which is part of the easiest thoroughfare through town driving south. Another tractor trailer was stuck behind it not able to get around. Fortunately, cars were, albeit slowly, able to maneuver around the trucks but the situation made for quite a traffic jam through the town. As we broke free and headed south we saw at least a mile jam up of vehicles coming back into the town from Philipsburg. We got to Philipsburg and the traffic was pretty bad there too. It was the only day we had any “traffic” to speak of.
In spite of all of that we got to SSBB around 1:15pm and enjoyed a Caribe together. I got the Teriyaki chicken sandwich and my wife had the ribs. We decided against another beer and had a diet coke instead. We waited for a few planes to come in before we headed over to Unity. Michael handed us our receipt, we thanked him and said we’d be back and they used our same vehicle to shuttle us back to the air port. Our driver was the same guy who met us 9 days ago. We commented on how great the weather had been and he said it would probably turn very humid for a duration as the tropical systems, even though not passing near, draw the moisture into the atmosphere in the region. We tipped our driver upon arriving at the airport, checked in and got our boarding passes, paid our departure tax, had our departure tax receipts stamped and waited in the airport for almost two and a half hours before our plane left, on time, and got us home without incident.
Our island memories are still fresh and beckon us to return. So we are already looking into doing that, probably in February, somewhere in the Orient Beach area. I’ve contacted Jim Ruos with that intent and we just need to work some other plans out before booking.
We hope this wasn’t too tedious a read. As I said my intent was to draw you into our experiences of SXM.
BobMar
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