OK, so this is really late. First, I have a life. Second, I tried so hard to write up to the standard set by some of the best of you. I still remember laughing at jonjoslin’s trip report a couple of years ago. I wanted mine to be good, complete, funny, profound, etc. Then I realized I’m fairly literate but not a great writer, so here goes…

This was our fourth stay on St. Martin since 2006. A couple of cruise ship visits introduced us to the island before that.

DISCLAIMER: This report is full of opinions. Some of them (all of them, actually) are based on our personal experience, often based on a single meal or visit. Sometimes a server was having a bad day, sometimes the weather didn’t cooperate and sometimes I was just not in a good mood. Some of our opinions are counter to what some of you “regulars” hold dear. Flame-retardant suit on. Take it for what it’s worth. Your mileage may vary.

Seriously, I tried not to slam a restaurant, vendor, etc. if our experience wasn’t great. I agree with those who have said it’s not fair to complain loudly and publicly without giving management a chance to correct things. I might not rave about you but I won’t trash you unless you really asked for it.

Flights
I’d been thinking about a return trip for some time but when Travelocity FareWatcher alerted me to airfares under $300 I knew I had to get serious. A couple of emails to Jim Ruos and I was in full trip planning mode. We paid less than $400 each with all taxes and fees. We were happy with that and managed to ignore the relatively small fare reductions that came later. We are fortunate to live near CLT so it’s a 4-hour non-stop. We can be in the immigration line at PJIA 7 hours after I leave my driveway. Using CLT also means we have little choice but to fly USAirways; we’ve had very few problems with them and the ff miles are accumulating.

The CLT-SXM flight was on-time. The plane wasn’t nearly full. As soon as that fact became evident, people started to grab seats in empty rows. The flight attendant told us “When the music stops, everybody take a seat”. There were a number of soon-to-be medical students sitting near us and it was fun to listen to their excitement as they began their adventure.

The immigration lines were long and slow but that just meant we didn’t have to wait as long for our luggage. Who cares, anyway? Island time, island time…

The SXM-CLT flight left early, maybe 20 minutes unless I got my times wrong. That flight wasn’t quite full, but almost (a Saturday flight). Smooth and uneventful. Landing 30 minutes early is nice but if they don’t have a gate ready for you it doesn’t help much. We de-planed right on-time.

Our luggage was delayed more in CLT than SXM. Not a big problem for us but those with connections were getting concerned. For some reason we were selected for a brief interview with the customs folks. They wanted to know exactly how much liquor we had purchased (I declared it all on their form). Four liters of MaDouDou, a couple bottles of Jager for my sons. I imagine it was one of those “more than the duty-free allowance but not worth the paperwork” things. Then it was “Thank you, welcome home”. Did we look guilty or something?

Car Rental
I tried several times between January and April to reserve a car from our usual agent. I didn’t get any response to several emails or via the web site until after I had made other arrangements. I know, I could have tried their toll-free number and called him directly but to be honest, I have trouble understanding him face-to-face and didn’t want to try to do this over the phone. In this day, you have to answer your emails if you want to stay in business.

My inquiry to Lesley Bruce at Kenny’s, on the other hand, was answered almost immediately. I don’t really know if the price we got was the absolute lowest available but reputation is worth something and we weren’t disappointed.

Lesley was off-island so we met his brother-in-law in the parking lot. About 15 minutes of paperwork and we were on our way (about 45 minutes after landing). We got a white (surprise!) Nissan. It was a bit banged up, not in perfect cosmetic condition but functional and it didn’t give us a bit of trouble. We had Lesley’s phone number but never needed to use it. I don’t know what kind of gas mileage we got, I don’t remember how much the gas cost, I just remember that I stopped a couple of times to get $20 worth or so. A minor expense.

Lesley was apparently busy with arriving passengers when we left so we couldn’t find him. We had been advised this might happen. I was somewhat reluctant to leave the car in the airport parking lot but that’s what we had been told to do. When I later emailed Lesley he apologized so I guess the car is OK.

We never did get to meet Lesley but we’ll use Kenny’s again.

Accommodations
We’ve always stayed on Orient. We like the “foreignness” of the French side and we love Orient Beach. Besides, we can’t keep up with the nightlife anymore (never really could, if you must know) so that fact that there’s not as much to do after dark isn’t an issue for us. In the past we’ve stayed at L’Hoste and Alamanda. Both were great but we wanted to try something different this time and we were hoping another couple would join us. The main requirement is we want to be no more than a few steps from the beach. I’m sure the villas up the hill are great but I can’t stand the thought of having to drive to the beach every morning or, worse, hiking up the hill at the end of the day. In the heat of the afternoon, when I’ve had enough sun, I’m ready to cool off, NOW.

Caribbean Riviera No. 4 was available and fit our requirements nicely. As it turned out, none of our friends could make the trip this time. As a result we paid the one-bedroom rate, which came to less than $200 per night.

When we arrived at Orient Village we went to the Cap Caraibes office and were greeted by Magoli. She was expecting us and in a just few minutes we were led, by Stephane, to our temporary home. He gave us a quick tour and we settled in. They were both very pleasant and the best news is we had no need to call them during our stay.

The Caribbean Riviera complex is just to the south of Alamanda. For those familiar with the area, a few feet from our parking spot was the Alamanda parking area. The basic layout is similar to that at Alamanda: a group of townhouse–type units with a central pool. It looks like a couple of the condos are rentals and the rest may be occupied by longer-term guests or owners.

Although we signed up for the one-bedroom rate, all three bedrooms were unlocked. (I had expected the other two to be locked out.) With all the space downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs we had much more room than we needed. It’s a very comfortable unit, well cared for and nicely furnished. The pool is just OK but with the beach so close, who cares?

Inside, we had Dish Network TV and decent wifi. The laundry room was put to good use although there were enough towels (bath and beach) that, along with the twice weekly cleaning we didn’t really have to wash if we didn’t want to. We used the electrically operated roll-down type hurricane shutters on both upstairs and downstairs patio doors when we were gone and at night (for security and to keep the sun out).

We will definitely stay there again, especially if another couple or two joins us. PM me if you have questions about Caribbean Riviera.

Beaches
We spent most of our time at Orient. Although the condo came with complimentary chairs at La Playa, we never did get there. We wanted to try some other places. One day at KokoMarina, one at Le String and the rest at Kon Tiki. We were happy to pay the extra at Kon Tiki ($21 for two chairs in the front row) for the elbow room. Many of the others (at the Pedro’s end) are just too crowded for us. While relaxing in our chairs we would watch folks walking by and the beach guys trying to talk them into choosing their chairs. So many would pass by, looking to save a buck or two. I think it’s the Wal-Mart effect. For a lot of Americans, it seems, unless we are getting the absolute lowest price we feel cheated. To me, it’s not worth the hassle. I’m on vacation, time to live a little.

After a couple of days we got to know the bartender at the beach bar at Kon Tiki. Fabricio was a blast, made great drinks and some say he is easy on the eyes. I don’t see it, myself… We spent many days and evenings there.

Part of my routine was an early morning walk. Lots of nude walkers on all parts of the beach, not being hassled.

One of my plans (and there were many – more on that later) was to spend a day trying the Club Orient scene. Sue loves to be topless and I like the early AM nude walk so I thought we’d give it a try one day. Sue didn’t seem excited but was willing to give it a shot. Well, it never did happen. There always seemed to be something else to do and by the end of the vacation, I decided I didn’t care. To be honest, I don’t like the beach at that end as much. There’s more seagrass in the water and on the beach, and it isn’t as pretty, with the boats anchored near the beach at the far end. If nude sunbathing is important I’m sure those things can be overlooked but for us, it just isn’t worth it. Maybe someday we’ll feel differently…

Several days were pretty windy so one day we drove to Baie Rouge. We’ve been there before, mostly for the same reason, and enjoyed it. The sand there is coarser and, this time, there was a drop-off to the water and again just off the beach, so access to the water was difficult. Still, we like it as a change of routine.

Having tried several beaches (including others during other visits) we’ve decided Orient is the best for us, most days. I guess some people need solitude and quiet to relax, but we like a bit of activity. Watersports available, a choice of bars/restaurants, people to watch (all kinds: cruisers, naturists, locals, etc.), a reasonably gentle slope to the beach, adequate length to walk. We’ve found a home.

Dining
We’re not foodies so this isn’t about the fine dining in Grand Case. There are places I’d like to try but it just didn’t happen this time. Good food and decent service are important but put me in a great setting and I think I’d enjoy some medium-rare shoe leather with a nice sauce.

Breakfast, when we ate it, was fresh baguette with butter, coffee and juice from Tap Five, eaten on the balcony.

Lunch
Lunch was usually at a beach bar/restaurant. KokoMarina shines, as always. There it’s not just the setting but the service, the food and the presentation. Delightful in every way.

On shopping day in Philipsburg we walked to The Greenhouse while DK was working on Sue’s jewelry. Lunch was just OK.

Karakter at Simpson Bay has gotten quite a bit of good word-of-mouth lately. It too is a very pleasant setting and the food was great. Service very friendly and efficient. We didn’t care much for the beach, though.

Our home base, if we had one, was Kon Tiki. We ate lunch there once or twice and spent a lot of time at the bar. Sue’s sushi in particular was very good and the service/setting was great.

Chez Raymonds is the place to be at Baie Rouge (it didn’t look like Gus’ was even open). We usually get a ribs plate and it didn’t disappoint us. We enjoyed eating with our feet in the sand and chatting with some other couples. Hearing their stories made me glad we don’t have to fly from Tucson or Seattle! Eighteen hours??? I’d find someplace closer to home to vacation but I’m glad they enjoy it.

Lunch at Baywatch was pretty good, too, although I chose a sandwich that I didn’t care much for. We’ve had very good food there before so I give them a pass. As usual, the service (Cheryl) was very friendly. As much as we enjoy Baywatch, I just don’t get why they have to add a 15% service charge, scribbled illegibly on the bottom of the bill. I guess as long as you know the prices on the menu will be increased by 15% it’s OK, but I don’t see anyone else playing that game so why do they?

Dinner
Once or twice we skipped dinner altogether, having eaten too much at lunch and/or gotten too much sun.

More often than not we ate in Orient Village. Many times it was because we were just too tired to do anything else. (Now do you see why we don’t miss the nightlife on the Dutch side?) There are several very good options available and we like the atmosphere, with families strolling, kids playing, young people (mostly French) drinking, socializing and (usually) smoking. We enjoyed Le Piment, Safari Grill, Tai Chi and Le Cadre. As others have mentioned, La Chapelle appears to be closed.

Ric’s was rumored to have TVs tuned to the NHL playoffs so we drove there on Friday. Our food was pretty good, we met nice people (Dave and Jen) and watched the game. Unfortunately, the ‘Canes lost that night.

Probably the best dinner we had was at Peg Leg Pub. Delicious steaks, very good service, musical entertainment (Cover-to-Cover). We enjoyed that evening even though that was the start of the rain that we encountered for several days.

Abu Ghazi Shawarma in the Simpson Bay area, next to one of the casinos, was excellent also, and very reasonable. What’s the difference between shawarma and a gyro? I’m still not sure but I like them both.

Activities
Saturday we chose as shopping day. We drove to Philipsburg and got there by 10AM. No trouble parking in the pay lot near the courthouse. We walked to DK Gems for our annual visit with Deepti. She wasn’t there but her brother took good care of us. It seems that every year Sue says she doesn’t really need anything but we always spend a bunch. They took her old engagement ring and made it into a necklace with the stone suspended in the center of the ring. Needless to say she then needed a new ring. Luckily, they had some available! While they were working on the jewelry we walked around the town a bit. Sue needed some medications (that would require a prescription in the States) so we went to a pharmacy. She was able to get what she needed for $2.35 without questions, when I guarantee you Walgreen’s would have charged $40 back home. Nothing major but a pleasant surprise. There were no cruise ships in port so Philipsburg was almost a ghost town until later in the day. Not too many places were closed down (although some were) but very few people on the street. A little sad, actually.

On Sunday we finally got around to visiting the Butterfly Farm. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The tour guide was very informative and of course the butterflies were beautiful. Thanks to those who have suggested an early morning visit; it worked well for us.

Several times during the week, if we had nothing else to do or when the weather wasn’t great, we went to a casino. Sue was particularly lucky at the Princess Casino. One night she won $1,500 playing a quarter machine! I don’t think she’s ever won that much on small bets, even in all the visits to Las Vegas. A small crowd watched her get paid off and I got a little nervous. I guess I would have worried a little bit in Vegas, too, but there $1,500 is pocket change so it probably wouldn’t have drawn as much attention. I went to get the car while Sue stood next to the security guards at the door. We drove directly to Orient (via Marigot and through a heavy rainstorm!) and put the cash in the safe. Maybe we’re paranoid? Or prudent? Another day, at Casino Royale, it struck me how different the experiences can be on SXM: one the one hand, nicely dressed, almost preppy (is there still such a thing?) young people who are obviously staying at a resort, playing blackjack, some of whom cannot seriously think they can walk on the roadside in those heels. They seemed so isolated from the rest of the island. On the other hand, very casually dressed (or non-dressed) people at a beach bar or a “locals” restaurant. SXM has it all and we can pretend we belong to either group if the mood strikes. Something for everybody.

For the first time we took a side trip. On Tuesday we got up early and drove through rush hour traffic to Marigot to catch the ferry to Anguilla. It took every bit of 45 minutes to get from Orient to Marigot by 8:15. The trip over was smooth and pleasant. We got a taxi to Shoal Bay East. I had called the day before and made an appointment for a couple’s massage at Malakh Day Spa, next door to Gwen’s. I guess arriving at 9:30 or so was too early, since the area was deserted. Nobody at the spa, nobody at Gwen’s. We walked the beach a while and relaxed. The spa folks arrived in time for our 10:30 appointment and we both enjoyed the experience. Not the best massage I’ve ever had but the best atmosphere, on the beach. Afterward we had lunch at Gwen’s: ribs, chicken, etc. It was pretty good but nothing special. We chatted with a couple who were on their honeymoon. They were staying at Cuisinart and, while it was great, they were bored to tears, in her words. On their honeymoon! I could understand why they felt that way. As I said earlier, some people like or need isolation and quiet to relax. We need a little more action I guess. Anguilla, at least the parts we saw, is OK but way too quiet for us. The guy from Gwen’s called the taxi driver for us (our cell phone didn’t work on Anguilla) and we left early. It’s just as well that we did, as clouds were brought in by strong winds and rain threatened. The ferry trip back was rougher but tolerable. Two days later the honeymoon couple showed up on Orient Beach! We had suggested they try St. Martin and sure enough, they had a blast for a couple of hours, until they needed to catch the last ferry back.

Miscellaneous Impressions
I wore my TTOL cap almost everywhere. On more than one occasion it was recognized and it sometimes broke the ice. I didn't wear a watch or shoes or socks for over a week. Now, that's a vacation!

Traffic wasn’t a big problem for us. I think, aside from Marigot, it’s not as bad on the French side as it is on the Dutch side. Mostly, though, I think it’s a matter of attitude. For the most part we are not in a big hurry so it’s not a big deal.

I’ve mentioned our concerns about safety after Sue won some money at the casino and several people seemed more than casually interested. That was the only time we had any real issue with safety, and that was mostly in my head, as it turns out. We did use the hurricane shutters at night and felt perfectly safe. We saw more police and security than in the past and that was reassuring.

Following the TTOL discussion earlier in the year, I considered buying a “netbook” for travel. Sue has a 13” MacBook we really like but while traveling I just want a computer for web browsing, email and photo backup. Someone (I don’t know who, I think they were unregistered) posted a message about a website called “woot.com” that sells one item each day at a really good price, and that day they were selling an ASUS netbook for $150. I decided to take a chance. It’s not much, tiny with a basic processor and not much memory but it served me well. Contrary to the opinion of the skeptics (Peconic, I believe) you can get by with a 4gb solid state “hard drive” and Linux! I certainly wouldn’t try to edit video on the thing but it gets me to Google and from there, I’m good to go. Now, if I can only find a Linux program that will resize photos so I can send them via email to my co-workers while I’m on-island, I will be ready to cause some serious jealousy. So much better (and faster) than a postcard. I also used Evernote.com to keep notes for this report. There were a couple of days that we didn’t have internet access, apparently island-wide for some reason, and that drove me crazy. How quickly we become addicted to instant access to the entire world…

At nine days, this was our longest visit yet. For the first time, Sue admitted she wasn’t ready to go home. Ordinarily we’re ready to get home from a trip within 5 or 6 days so this is a breakthrough. Next time, two weeks?

One reason we want to get back: the long list of things we still want to do. Restaurants yet to try: one or more of the really good ones in Grand Case or French Cul de Sac, Hilma’s, Captain Oliver’s, Poulet d’Orleans, Calmos Café, so many others. We never did get on a day sail or snorkeling trip such as Tiko Tiko or one of the many others. I snorkeled only off the beach at Orient; next time I’ll check out Green Cay, and maybe Baie Rouge if it isn’t too rough. I’d like to snuba again. For me, the trouble of scuba certification when I will only use it a couple of days a year isn’t worth it. Saba sounds like fun but how to get there?? Sue is prone to motion sickness and afraid of small planes and neither of us swims that well. So much to do but the sand gravity is so strong…


2009 photos