First Timer questions

Happy New Year!

We are planning our first trip to St Martin at the end of February 2015. These forums have been wonderfully helpful. I still have a few questions to fine tune our visit and would appreciate any feedback from more seasoned visitors.

Place to stay: we are focusing on self catering in the area of Orient Beach. Have found a nice condo in the Mt Vernon complex - Guadalupe building. Does anyone have any experience there that can weigh in on if it's a good spot. FYI, we plan to rent a car and head over to Grand Case for dinner a few nights during our stay.

Day trip: I like the idea of visiting St Barth's as it is so close. Any recommendations on what to do there for a day trip?

Thank you

Enjoy your first trip to paradise!

To answer your questions before throwing in my personal observations:

- the Mount Vernon complex is at the FAR northwest end of Orient Beach...about as far away from everything else as you can get. We would recommend staying in Orient Village to be within walking distance of more of everything. Ideas include Cap Caribes, Townhouses Menorca, Alamanda, and many many others... I am sure other long time visitors will chime in with their favorites!

Your choice to get a rental car is very wise! Grand Case is the "gourmet capital of the Caribbean"' and you have to work very hard to find a bad meal amongst all that excellence. Park in the well-lighted free lot at the east end of town and stroll up the main drag reading the chaulk board menus outside each restaurant until something catches your eyes.

We have never gone over to St. Barth's but from years of posts here on TTOL it appears that the short flight out of Grand Case airport on a Twin Otter is much prefered to the VERY ROUGH boat ride.

A good St. Martin vacation is the exact opposite of an "If this is Tuesday, this must be Belgium" type frenzy. Relax, do not plan out a "must do this today" schedule, but just relax and enjoy each day as it unfolds....

If you would like to try out the nude beach at Club Orient you will be most welcomed. Just walk Southeast down Orient Beach past Pedro's, go past the Club O billboard sign, and into the sea of yellow umbrellas. Find a pair of lounge chairs with no personal items on them and no colored plastic "wrist bands" afixed to the chair frames. These are the ones available. Spread out your beach towels on the chairs (good nudist ettiquete is to always sit on your own piece of cloth) and relax. The Club O beach guys will eventually swing by and collect $20 for the use of those two chairs and one umbrella for the rest of the day...and put colored wrist bands signifying such on the frames of what are now YOUR chairs for that entire day.

When you are relaxed and comfortable, take off your suits and go skinny dipping in that crystal clear, 80*F water like carefree little kids.

Say hi to the people on the chairs around you. They will keep an eye on your "stuff" while you are in the water. Nudists are the friendliest...and most honest...people in the world we have found over the years we have stayed in Orient Beach.

Enjoy your vacation!

Consider a day trip to Anguilla. It's much easier to get to than St Barts. Ferry goes back and forth every day. Great beaches and restaurants.

My wife and I stayed at Mont Vernon in November 2013, and are returning in March. We enjoyed it very much. Keep in mind that Mont Vernon is not really a hotel, so there is no front desk staff, no daily housekeeper (unless you want to pay extra for it), and the only restaurant on the property is a small pizza place. The rooms are beautiful, well-furnished, and spacious. Our only real issue was with parking. We had to park in a lot near the tennis courts that turned into quite a mud pit after a hard rain. It was also quite a hike from the parking lot to our room. That said, the rates at Mont Vernon are considerable less than other places along the beach.

My wife and I also stay at Mont Vernon each year. We actually stay in the Guadalupe Building also. The views are spectacular. The Mont Vernon Complex is a nice location but please keep in mind that it is very "Caribbean". The buildings (exteriors) are not perfect like a hotel but everything is still very nice. The last couple times we have been there they have been painting and fixing on things. Like I said we always enjoy our visit very much. The beach and pool have always been very quiet for us (even in high season). There is a 24 hour security so we have always felt very safe too. Here is a link for a map of the complex so you can see the Guadalupe Building location. I think that it is one best on the complex for location and views.

http://www.st-martin-vacation.com/Maps/MontVernondrawn-map.html

There is a nice little store on the complex that you can pick up a few basic needs. There is also a small pizzeria that is open in the evenings. The store will have fresh Baggett’s that are prepared every morning available for your purchase (although don’t wait too long to go there or they may be gone depending on the crowds. If you decide not head into Grand Case for the evening there is a wonderful little restaurant called “Villa Pizza” not far from Mont Vernon (As you are exiting the road from Mont Vernon turn right (left would take you to Grand Case) and the restaurant will be on your right before you get to Cul de Sac. We usually eat at least a couple meals there every year. They have much more than just pizza too.

Hope you enjoy your vacation. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

Can you use the pool in the evening? How is the water temperature? Any other tips or suggestions about the Mont Vernon property? Thanks.

I think the pool is always open. The security will sit around it quite a bit very late in the evenings. I have never seen any rules stating the times the pool is open, so I assume you can use it 24/7 as long as you are respectful of everyone close by (not to noisy) although I am not 100% sure about this. The pool is unheated but the weather is always nice so the water is comfortable. I have never seen many people actually swimming in the pool although it is a very beautiful pool area. You will find some people who sit around the pool the loungers in the sun. The loungers are 1st come 1st serve. I believe that you have to get them out of the pool house and put them back when you are done. We never had a time when there was not a lounger available if we wanted one.

The beach in front of Mont Vernon is nice and very quiet. There are not any places to rent chairs so you need to have your own. Many of the condos come with chairs and an umbrella. You may want to check with the person you rented from if the condo has any available. If not I believe they can be rented from somebody on the island. I don't know who but I have seen it posted on this site before. I'm sure somebody around here has that information.

The Mont Vernon property is usually very quiet. We have met many nice people there. We have never had any problems with anybody yet. Probably the only down fall of Mont Vernon that I can think of is the parking. Nothing is close to the condos. I think it is easiest to park in the lower lot (gravel by the tennis court) and walk to you condo. As long as you are capable of walking up and down step and inclines you will be fine. There are some parking spots in the upper lots but they are pretty crowded and hard to maneuver around in.

As far as any other advice goes I will say one more thing. Please keep in mind that this is not a resort and does not have any staff to service you other than the security to keep you safe. Although we have never even come close to needing the security or ever felt like we were not 100% safe, even walking around after dark. This property is an old resort which was converted to condos so it is up to the individual condo owners to maintain and service there unit. If you have any other questions let me know. If I think of anything else I will let you know. Hope you have a great vacation.

Thanks all for your very helpful responses. I didn't realize Anguilla was so close as well. Stevemac, any recs on which beaches there are best for a day trip?

I would try Shoal Bay West. We tried that about a year ago and enjoyed our visit. We left from Marigot and it took about 20 minutes to get there. Regardless of whether you go to St. Barts or Angilla, you will need your passport. You could also take a trip to Saba which is only about a 45 minute boat ride. Enjoy your trip.

We used to stay there when it was still a resort hotel, but not since. You should beware that wherever you walk around the complex there are stairs to climb or inclined walkways to traverse. (It may only be in my imagination, but after a few days it seems they go only uphill, not down :-).)That even is true in the case of the Guadalupe building, which is closest to the pool area.

As bad as the parking situation was when it was a resort, it seems that it is much, much worse now. If you decide to stay there, be sure to bring a small flashlight with you as it is very likely you will have to park near the tennis courts and the way back into the heart of the complex is not well-lighted.

It is just under two miles from the pool area there down to the end of the beach at Club Orient. We used to walk it both ways every morning before breakfast. It's a great way to start the day.

Some "do's-don't's"
Do have a great time!!!
Don't over pack, most dinning is somewhat casual.
Don't carry a lot of cash!! One CC and some euros when dinning on the French side. Best exchange IMHO is at the airport.
DON'T leave anything in the car!! NEVER!! Have someone of you stay with it when running in "for a few things"!!!
Do bring high number sunscreens!!! The breeze is really nice and the sun is a LOT hotter then you think!! If this is the first time that the privet parts are getting exposed more higher the number the better!!!
Beach venders can be pushie, Take a ride one day for those things at http://www.rimasxm.com/default.asp in Philipsburg.
We have stayed at Bruno's http://www.oparadis-sxm.com/gb/. It's located right behind Coco and http://www.waikikibeachsxm.com/.
Chair rentals, Most beach front will offer free chairs and umbrella for the day when dining for lunch!!!
Do go and have a great lunch NY-NJ style at Cheryl and Andy's. On Orient beach south end next to Club O. Although Andy has passed away his life will continue for ever in our hearts and in his food!! You'll love this place!!!
Do book your next trip now for next year!!!!

David--unfortunately, Rima is closed. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />

I preferred St. Bart's over Anguilla and would recommend taking a cataraman day trip, visiting Gustavia & Shell Beach close-by. Flying into Saba is an experience in itself & I don't believe the island has changed much in 50 years. Wonderful fairyland place to spend some time & listen to nothing but nature & the laughter of children.