Although we’ve traveled extensively in the Caribbean, we had somehow managed to miss, until now, the little bit of paradise known as St. Martin. We arrived May 19 and departed June 2, 2001 which included a one-day excursion to the neighboring island of St. Barths. It was a wonderful vacation and we feel rather certain we shall be returning again in the not too distant future (tomorrow would be fine!).

We stayed at a fabulous hotel in Grand Case, L’Esplanade, and would highly, highly recommend it. The beaches on St. Martin are beautiful and each seems to have its own character, but we particularly fell in love with Orient – especially the section from Pedro’s to Papagayo. The white, soft sand on that section easily rivals what can be found at Grand Cayman, Cancun and the legendary 7 mile beach in Negril, Jamaica.

As we drew nearer to May 19 we were becoming increasingly concerned about reports of crime on St. Martin and were beginning to have serious doubts about the wisdom of our choice for a Caribbean escape. We are pleased to say we saw and heard of none while there, but were indeed sorry to read upon our return about a violent mugging incident that occurred during our visit very close to our favorite nightcap spot in Grand Case. We found the police to be highly and frequently visible, particularly on the French side, and their presence was most appreciated. Also in Grand Case in the evenings and nights there were special security personnel wearing orange vests and it appeared to us they indeed were being conscientious in patrolling the main street and the buildings lining it. We never felt uncomfortable anywhere or at any time during our stay, with the possible exception of Back Street in Philipsburg.

The people we met on St. Martin were consistently friendly and genuinely helpful except for a very few annoying French staff in bars. Those few could most definitely use an attitude adjustment and then would probably earn meaningful tips from Americans. However, to keep the matter in perspective, we would like to emphasize those few were truly the exception and the overwhelming majority of the French people we encountered were nothing less than charming and hospitable.

The following is a more detailed account of some of our various experiences. As you read on, be prepared for a little tongue in cheek humor along the way (hope you can find it) and lots of serious opinions!

The flights were non-stop Charlotte/St. Martin and were on time in both directions. Doing First Class allowed us to stretch out a bit and not feel quite so claustrophobic when the people in front of us reclined their seats (absolutely hate that on any flight – wish they would weld all the seats into an upright, non-reclining position!). The cabin service was excellent and the flights were smooth. En route the chicken entrée was decent but the swordfish was chalky and basically inedible (yes, that was First Class). On the return flight we both opted for the chicken which was prepared in a Tex-Mex style and was actually quite good.

It really is amazing how brazen some people can be. When we boarded the plane in Charlotte we found another couple sitting in our seats. As we stood there looking at them they finally said "We liked these seats better and wanted to sit across from our friends. We’re certain you don’t mind."  Well, damn it, we did mind – more because of their presumptive attitude than anything else.  But, being in a vacation spirit, we let the matter pass.

Don’t you just love them?!  Actually, Charlotte is a nice facility, at least as far as departing is concerned. We have consistently found the return through Immigration and particularly Customs there to be pure hell – slow luggage, not enough staff, frustrating waits, etc. This trip was no exception. Unfortunately, from the time we deplaned until we finally were able to leave the terminal it took over 1 hour – absolutely ridiculous – and we were among the first through both Immigration and Customs. Pity the poor people backed up behind us.

We should make the point that we’re both heavy smokers and were about to "lose it" after a 4 hour flight and another hour getting out of the airport terminal. The chaos at the initial Customs’ luggage carrousel with a long wait there was almost unbearable. We know smokers are the most wretched form of life, but you would think an airport would be considerate enough to have a smoking room available for quick nicotine replenishment before having to endure the stressful absurdities and rigors of Immigration and Customs (Hmmm, wonder how many cases of airport rage involve stressed out smokers?). Anyway, it didn’t help matters that we were a good bit over our duty free allowance and had declared so. That took a fair amount of time, but we were pleased to discover that the original artwork we purchased on St. Martin seemed to receive special consideration and consequently the overall duty was less than anticipated.

The proceedings at Juliana upon arrival were very quick and the luggage (lots and lots of it) arrived promptly. That was very nice. Departure wasn’t quite as much fun (apart from the general regret of having to leave St. Martin). Check in, even for First Class, was a bit too slow. Remember all those warnings about don’t lose the Immigration card you received when you arrived and you probably didn’t take seriously? Of course we remembered, but another couple didn’t and found themselves "parked" over to the side where they were told to wait. It looked like they were going to have a very long, miserable wait until the St. Maarten Immigration gods dealt with them – not a nice way to end a vacation. Very glad it wasn’t us.

After dealing with the luggage and tickets, there was a long, slow line to pay the departure tax. This in turn was followed by another very long, very slow line for Immigration control and Security before reaching the plane-boarding lounge. None of the areas outside of the departure gates is air conditioned and it’s like being in a sweltering sauna. We understand there are plans to improve this situation.

As we exited the terminal our driver, Rowland, was there with a neatly lettered, discreetly held sign showing our name. He was very professional and did a superb job of somehow stowing all our luggage in the trunk and still being able to close the lid. He chatted and made us feel very welcome while we took a few minutes to replenish our nicotine levels before beginning the drive to Grand Case. Along the way he gladly met our request to stop for a case of Coors Lite and retrieved it for us (beer is amazingly inexpensive on St. Martin compared to other islands we’ve visited – a welcome change). The drive to Grand Case was very pleasant and Rowland provided good commentary along the way.

Arrangements also had been made beforehand to have the Towncar collect us the morning of our departure. After deciding that even allowing for "island time" the car was not coming as planned, Kristin managed to contact the owner of Tropical Weddings, Lucie Davis. Apparently there was some confusion because we had not reconfirmed our return trip. That shouldn’t have been necessary since all of the original arrangements were in writing and we had commented to Rowland about collecting us the morning of June 2. In short order the car arrived being driven by Lucie herself. She was most apologetic and totally redeemed herself in our eyes when she adamantly refused to accept any payment for the trip. The only real consequence of the delay we experienced getting to the airport was our inability to make a final, planned visit to SunSet Beach Bar – you know, check in at the airport then go to SSBB until you see your plane arrive. Oh well, stuff happens!

We had prearranged via the internet for Hertz to deliver a Daihatsu Terios to us upon our arrival at L’Esplanade. We had previously used a Terios from Hertz in Aruba and had been pleased with that experience. As soon as we were checked in at the hotel we gave them a call and the car was delivered less than 5 minutes later. The vehicle seemed to be in excellent shape with low mileage and thankfully was not white, but a nice silver gray color. The only thing unusual (at least to us) was the security system which would not allow the car to start until a special little device – which became affectionately known as the security whatsit – on the key ring was touched to a small receptacle under the dash. We cannot recollect how many times we tried to start the car unsuccessfully before remembering we needed to do the security whatsit thing. It really was simple, but just difficult to remember.

The Terios served us well until one day the engine warning light came on. After consulting the manual, we decided it best to visit the Hertz "office" a short distance away at the Esperance Airport (the remote office is actually set up in a van in the parking lot). We met Pierre Richard there who was unbelievably helpful and even cheerful in quickly arranging another Terios for us. The paperwork and exchange were accomplished with great speed. Very impressive.

The morning of our departure Pierre rang our doorbell at L’Esplanade precisely at the minute scheduled to retrieve the car. Again, the formalities were quickly and efficiently handled – it took only a couple of minutes. Based on our experience, we definitely recommend Hertz. Hopefully, Hertz recognizes the wonderful professionalism and genuine friendliness of their agent, Pierre Richard. We can’t compliment him enough.

In the introductory paragraphs we mentioned that some of our expectations were off the mark. The experience of driving on St. Martin was one of them. The roads, at least the main ones, were not nearly as bad as we had been led to believe (now the climb to the top of Pic Paradise is another matter). And quite frankly, apart from the traffic jams here and there, and one totally insane local driver in a white Jeep Wrangler, the whole affair wasn’t too bad. If you want to see maniac driving on a grand scale, go to Puerto Playa in the Dominican Republic. The only traffic rule they have there is that you mustn’t kill anyone – they do frown on that.

We definitely didn’t like the road signage or rather the lack thereof. Also, the transition from our large-scale map of the island to the more detailed one for Philipsburg left a lot to be desired. We seemed constantly disoriented and somewhat lost coming into Philipsburg from either end. We normally have a very good sense of direction, well at least Ed does, and consequently don’t really understand why we stayed so challenged. Marigot also presented some interesting navigation opportunities particularly going from the Grand Case side toward either Philipsburg or Sandy Ground. We orbited the maze of one way streets more than a few times.

However, there’s no doubt a rental car is the only way to go on St. Martin.

We had one of the "deluxe oversized lofts" which has a beautiful king-size bed draped with exquisite white netting (purely for effect – no insects) on the upper level. Also on the upper level, which overlooks the room below, are a sitting area, a good size enclosed closet and a reasonably spacious bathroom. The main level is comprised of a large living and dining area, a small fully equipped kitchen with good cabinet storage space and a half bath. There’s also nice enclosed storage just right for empty suitcases and such under the staircase to the upper level. Everything is tastefully decorated and the dark wood ceilings, staircase and banisters are handsomely elegant. On both the lower and upper levels there are outside balconies affording a spectacular view across the grounds to Grand Case below. We particularly enjoyed sitting on the large lower balcony first thing in the mornings and having coffee while watching the ships come and go, and the small planes landing and taking off at Esperance Airport. Very relaxing, very peaceful.

While there, we did take a look at the one bedroom suite configuration which is all on one level (same price as the deluxe oversized loft). We’ll probably select it for our next visit because Ed could be a little noisier in the mornings without concern about waking sleeping beauty. The balcony is especially attractive with doors leading to it from both the sitting area and the bedroom. The only small downside appeared to be a single, but large bathroom rather than the one and a half baths in the loft units.

The grounds at L’Esplanade are magnificently landscaped with the variety of flowers, shrubs and trees almost overwhelming. The double pool is on a lower terrace and is totally beautiful in its setting. Gardeners seemed to be constantly at work around the grounds and Kristin’s husband, Marc - a very fine young man, told us of their plans for continuing improvements which we could see in progress.

The entire complex is extremely well maintained and the daily maid service was impeccable.

We’ve stayed at many fine hotels in the Caribbean and in comparison give L’Esplanade our highest rating. It’s a truly splendid place.

Our general expectations were way too high!  Perhaps in some fantasy concocted in our minds and fed by the glowing comments on the St. Martin bulletin boards we imagined gourmet heaven, particularly in Grand Case. Not!

Imagine, if you can, our dumbfounded amazement when we entered the building and discovered a very fine and beautifully decorated interior. The ambiance was exceptional and indeed it was extremely romantic. Our table was at one of the semi-balconies waterside with a wonderful view of the illuminated ocean and the lights on the island of Anguilla in the distance.

The meal was begun with the presentation of an "Amuse Gueule" which very roughly translated means "palate teaser." It consisted primarily of fresh lobster and cucumber. For an appetizer we ordered the pan fried foie gras with apples and sweet almonds, glazed with old port wine. Simply wonderful! For the entrée we had Le Chateaubriand with ground pepper flambé with old armagnac, baked sliced potatoes with cream and a bernaise sauce. The chateaubriand was presented tableside resting on a wagon type cart which appeared to be made entirely of bread. The entrée was fabulous and especially a treat since really tender, tasteful beef is so hard to find in the Caribbean. Having already gorged ourselves with this splendid food, we decided to press on and do further damage to the waistlines with dessert. Ed had the poached pears which were presented with a covering that looked like a thin woven bonnet and was made of fine strands of sugar. To this was added a liqueur that was ignited and produced a sparkling display as the sugar melted and covered the pears with a glazed finish. Very tasty. But even better was the soufflé for Sandra. It was huge – hardly what we needed at that stage. The waiter very carefully pierced a small opening in the top of the soufflé and poured in the Grand Marnier sauce. Totally exquisite. The meal was well complemented with a superb bottle of Nuits St. Georges.

The service provided by the staff was, without exaggeration, perfectly flawless – a very rare treat. Clearly they had received skilled, detailed instruction in every aspect of service from how to approach the table to how to properly hold the serving cloth draped across the arm at the appropriate moments. Very, very well done.

Afterwards we expressed our appreciation to the headwaiter, the most competent and suave Samuel Audoux and heartily congratulated the Chef de Cuisine, Marc Daniel, who was formerly head chef at Lasserre in Paris. It really was a memorable culinary experience.

An interesting anecdote is that a few days later we saw Samuel and Marc walking near the SunSet Beach Bar, hailed them and invited them over for a Carib. We very much enjoyed chatting with them and gaining a few additional insights to the preparation of the wonderful food we so much appreciated at Le Santal.

We had read very few comments about this establishment beforehand, but put it on our "to do list" when it was recommended by Kristin at L’Esplanade. And we were glad we did! The food and service were excellent and the table reserved for us on the front porch had a very nice view. The entire restaurant is very tastefully decorated.

For an appetizer we both had salad of avocado, crabmeat, cucumber and wasabi sauce. For an entree Sandra had open ravioli with lobster medallions, spinach, basil and saffron cream sauce. Ed had lamb shoulder (cooked for 7 hours) with cumin and rosemary, and served with saffroned vegetables. Everything was exceptional with the lamb being especially notable – probably the best we’ve ever had. Also noteworthy was the bread served with the meal. It was the best we had at any of the restaurants we tried on St. Martin. For dessert - over doing it again – we shared a crème brulee which was excellent. The caramelization was just right with no "sugar sand" as Sandra puts it. We enjoyed a nice bottle of lightly chilled Pouilly Fuisse. Afterwards we tried the local Old Man coffee rum and passion fruit rum. We’ll pass on the passion fruit variety going forward. The evening was topped off with a glass of Remy Martin which was just right.

Sandra particularly enjoyed visiting their small enclosed wine and cigar room. Was it because of the delightful selections of wine and the aroma of fine Cuban tobacco? No – it was because it was air conditioned!

As at Le Santal, we were first presented an Amuse Gueule but our palates were not in the least amused. There were two or three green peas, a few slivers of carrot and one or two other unmemorable ingredients sitting in a puddle of wine sauce. Not good! Sandra had our perennial favorite appetizer, foie gras. There was a generous portion served but it was severely undercooked and the bed of artichokes was much too salty. Ed had Caribbean lobster medallions with salad of young vegetables and cilantro tempura. The lobster slices were fresh and firm, and later determined to be the best part of the whole meal. For an entrée Sandra had roasted boneless quail stuffed with goose liver on a bed of shallots. Also included were glazed turnips flavored with Sechuan pepper. The quail had no bone as advertised and it also had no taste. The goose liver was, shall we say, runny. Ed had roasted suckling lamb slices garnished with marinated vegetables. It was very disappointing with the lamb being surprisingly tough and veined with gristle.

The service throughout was unpolished, slipshod and at times downright clumsy. The people at Le Santal made these folk look like rank, untrained amateurs. At the conclusion of our meal, a lot of which was left, our primary server asked if we enjoyed it. In a nice but clear manner we said "No." She looked at us for a moment and said "Oh" and that was the end of it. Not another word from her or any of the other restaurant staff or management.

The only enjoyable aspect of our visit to La Samanna was the bar after dinner where the excellent and convivial bartender, Richard, plied us with copious amounts of very good pina coladas and raspberry daiquiris as we attempted to numb our palates from the disappointing experience in the restaurant.

Mario’s does not in any way represent itself as providing haute cuisine. The term "casual family restaurant" comes to mind as being most descriptive. The service is very relaxed and friendly, and the portions of food are generous and good value.

Sandra had the brie with taco (that’s not a typo – it was brie with taco) and Ed the warm duck salad. The brie was good, but the duck was ground and fried (rather like hamburger being prepared for a spaghetti sauce) and way too greasy. There was a very tasty but also spicy chutney served with the duck. For entrees Sandra had penne pasta with shrimp (a huge serving) which was OK and Ed the scallops with lemon grass (that Thai influence thing). The taste of the latter entrée was just too pungent for our palates. For dessert Sandra had "chocolate cake with melting center" and Ed, of course, crème brulee. The crème brulee was definitely the most enjoyed part of the meal. The bottles of Pouilly Fume and St. Emilion were very good and reasonably priced.

In addition to the great company Kristin and Marc provided, we especially enjoyed watching the fish in the waterway below. These were not small scavengers but very large fish including some remarkable tarpon that would flash a brilliant silver when they turned at just the right angle to the spotlights.

The problem with the restaurant, quite simply put, is the food. We only had entrees because of a heavy breakfast that day at Zee Best (must have been an "off" day because we didn’t enjoy that either). Ed had the filet mignon with mushroom sauce and escalloped potatoes. The meat was surprisingly tender but completely devoid of any taste. Thank goodness for the mushroom sauce because it added some flavor. Sandra did the duck breast filets with mango and small roasted potatoes. At best this latter entrée was on the low side of mediocre and the duck was much too rare – barely cooked at all.

The following are, believe it or not, brief comments about our dining experiences other than the more significant evening meals. For a little variety, we’ll change our rating symbols (you guess what they mean) and go from worst to best. We thought it would be good to end our food commentary on a positive note.

No rating system here per se – just comments.

SunSet Beach Bar – We visited this renowned landmark twice and had the pleasure of meeting the legendary Neil Rooney and a number of the resident barflies. In our pre-trip research we thoroughly studied and contemplated the many comments about the severe sand gravity effect on St. Martin and had mentally conditioned ourselves to overcome this unusual force of nature so that we might at least undertake a few of our planned activities. But nothing prepared us for the intense attraction on human beings emanating from the SSBB barstools. After hours of struggling to break free, we discovered the counter balancing action that was needed – buy lots of T-shirts, caps and other paraphernalia emblazoned with the SSBB logo. Then and only then were we released from the captive forces.

We must say we do feel very sorry for those viewers of the SSBB webcam on the day of our first visit. It was only after we had been there glued to our barstools for quite some time that we suddenly realized we had inadvertently plopped ourselves down right in front of the camera. Pretty boring fare for the viewers!

We enjoyed meeting Fiona and Heidi who took exceptionally good care of us (large tips don't hurt!). And thanks to Neil for the freebies, even though Sandra declined Neil’s repeated requests, made with a big devilish grin, to "bare ‘em and plop ‘em on the bar." On our second visit there was a very wrinkled old lady who we thought was about to oblige Neil’s admonitions which were ostensibly directed at Sandra. Several of us around the bar quickly decided to buy her all she could drink, if she would spare us the permanent retinal damage that might otherwise ensue if she flashed them, not to mention obliteration of the webcam.

If we were to live forever and gain all the wisdom the world has to offer, we would probably still never understand the idiocy of those few patrons who would rush out onto the center section of the beach as a jet prepared to take off so they could enjoy the thrill(?) of being sand blasted. In a few extreme cases we were somewhat surprised to see them return with their skin still in tact, more or less.

Although we didn’t really appreciate it beforehand, we do have to admit that seeing and photographing the planes landing on the runway is a lot of fun.

Clearly, we thoroughly enjoyed our times at SunSet Beach Bar and send a sincere "thank you" to Neil Rooney.

L’Amandier, Grand Case – As previously mentioned, we visited for a nightcap many evenings after dinner and always found it very pleasant to end the day. We just hope they will find someone as considerate and entertaining as Samir to tend the bar when he bids St. Martin adieu.

Pedro’s, Orient Beach – Apart from the great ribs, we particularly enjoyed one afternoon when they had "Flash" and a small band entertaining. It was good enough that we bought his CD which he autographed for us. At times we found a distraction we could have done without at Pedro’s – the boat people. Perhaps mildly annoying would be the best description and, of course, not all boat people are a problem – just those who arrive in hordes in the taxi mini vans and act like they suddenly own the place and that they are in the midst of some great adventure, i.e. "We have arrived and conquered another island." Give us a break!

Boo Boo Jam, Orient Beach – Fun place with a good party atmosphere. The bartender was a handsome fellow (well, at least Sandra thought so) who gave excellent service. We were amused when, in a very nice way, he asked a freshly arrived English patron if he really understood what he was ordering (a drink with about 7 different types of liquor in it). The English chap said "No" but insisted on having it anyway. A short while later he was well on his way to experiencing St. Martin’s sand gravity up close and personal – face down.

Papagayo, Club Orient – Enjoyed chatting with Willie who was usually very busy, but always took time to give a big smile and exchange a little banter across the bar. She was very helpful in pointing out we could run a tab with a credit card even for multiple days, although we weren’t guests at Club O. It was very nice parking ourselves on the patio, with feet on the low wall, soaking up immense rays and watching the world go by. Met lots of nice people there.

Kon Tiki, Orient Beach – Visited a different day from the dinner and there was not a mosquito in sight. Visually very interesting and good service, but Sandra wasn’t particularly pleased with the sometimes long lines for the lady’s room.

The Perch, Club Orient – Very amusing bartender who said his nom du jour was "Elvis" – probably had lots of funny aliases. Since most of the time we found it convenient to park at Pedro’s when visiting the Club O beach (actually a longer walk from Club O’s parking lot), we would stop both going and returning at The Perch. Noticed it was also a favorite resting spot or perhaps just a good vantage point for the Club O security folk.

Everyting Cool, Philipsburg – A decent place to stop for a bit of refreshment (skip the conch chowder) when seeking relief from the rigors of shopping. We did receive a most unwelcome present while sitting in the shade of a large tree enjoying the great view – a bird pooped on our bag. Maybe it didn’t approve of our purchases.

Bikini Beach Bar, Orient Beach – 666 – Ooops, those little rating symbols slipped in there!  We visited only once and certainly would not return. Why? Because the two French bartenders had attitudes that totally sucked – just no other way to put it. The service was absolutely lousy – like deliberately ignoring us when we wanted to order drinks, even though they were doing nothing else. After finally getting a couple of beers and drinking about half of them, we stepped literally a few feet away from the bar to make a photograph and guess what – they disposed of our drinks. How do you say "No tip" in French?

Street front bar across from the Superette, Grand Case – Must be staffed by first cousins of the bartenders at Bikini Beach Bar. Ed was verging on losing his temper because the service was so flagrantly and deliberately bad. Don’t waste your time patronizing this seedy establishment, unless of course you’re French.

California, Grand Case – This is predominantly a restaurant with a small bar. We stopped in for a quickie after wandering the main street of Grand Case following dinner at Rainbow. We found it to be unbearably hot at the bar. The few staff were clearly overworked and service was slow. We could see dishes of various foods being given final assembly for delivery to the tables which ensured we would never consider eating there. Hygiene was definitely not one of their strong points. We left unfinished drinks and escaped to L’Amandier for a much more pleasant atmosphere.

We really did more than just eat and drink (and take short naps practically every afternoon)!

Shopping in Philipsburg – After a number of wrong turns we finally arrived at the municipal parking lot and then proceeded to drive around it a few times. This was not because we find it especially enjoyable to circumnavigate parking lots. Of the several alleged entrances, only one was really open. We duly noted the warnings on the parking stub – something on the order of "you will die if you lose this" – and then made our way past the market stalls to Front Street.

Interestingly and in somewhat stark contrast, Trident Jewelers across the street is owned by the same family. It’s small, hot and dimly lit. Now why would anyone buy jewelry in a dimly lit store? Most curious.

On our shopping expedition we were generally surprised at the lack of high quality T-shirts to be found. Most were, quite frankly, trash. Someone would do well to open a nice shop offering heavy duty, pre-shrunk, quality embroidered T-shirts with interesting St. Martin logos and designs. Perhaps such items are there, but we just didn’t find them.

A very enjoyable experience was visiting the Guavaberry Emporium. It took only a tiny sample of the guavaberry colada to know we wanted more!  Excellent, excellent drinks and most refreshing after such arduous shopping.  After obtaining large versions of the sample, we parked ourselves on nearby benches and relaxed. We did buy a bottle of the Old Man liqueur and look forward to attempting to replicate those wonderful coladas at home. That should trigger some nice flashbacks.

Having refreshed ourselves, we ventured the short distance to that end of Front Street and looped around to Back Street. Whoa, wait a minute – had we somehow suddenly been teleported to another world? Talk about junk stores and junk products including lots of knock offs of name brands!  As we walked further along, particularly past the intersection with the market stalls, the environment seemed to deteriorate even more and we were becoming decidedly uncomfortable. We could see almost a marked change in the attitudes and appearance of the people frequenting this area which generally appeared somewhat threatening. Needless to say, we trusted our instincts and quickly made our way back to the more pleasant surroundings of Front Street.

After collecting Sandra’s newest trinket from Shiva’s, we wandered a bit more, did more photographs and then made our way back to the parking area. We were delighted to find our little parking stub still in the car and were able to offer it along with $4 to the municipal parking gods and thus avoided whatever horrible fate might otherwise have ensued.

Shopping in Grand Case – On various days and evenings after dinner we visited the few shops along the Boulevard de Grand Case. We seemed to keep returning to Sexy Fruits (there’s one air conditioned spot about half way into the store on the left side of the central counters – Ed seemed to browse there a lot). Sandra bought several pareos, a large silver necklace and silver earrings. We particularly enjoyed "Britta," the German girl who managed the shop at the time and who is now working at L'Esplanade Hotel.

We also bought a number of very pleasant watercolor prints from Bruyer’s studio where they are produced.

Marigot and the Marina – A few mornings after breakfast in the vicinity of the Royal Marina, we walked around taking in the sights and doing a bit of window shopping. It’s very attractive and interesting, and we regretted it was too early for the shops to be open. Our one unpleasant experience in Marigot, other than dreadful eggs benedict at Zee Best, was when a disgusting looking character clearly followed us through our various twists and turns as we walked, until Ed finally turned around and squarely confronted him, staring him in the eyes. He disappeared after that, much to our relief.

We understand there are a couple of very good restaurants in the Marina area and regretted not having sufficient time to patronize those for dinner.

Match Supermarket, Howell Center, Marigot – The strangest things sometimes fascinate us, like visiting a French supermarket. It was large, very clean and very well laid out. Unfortunately, we didn't have the right French coin with us to "rent" a wheeled grocery cart. Maybe that was a good thing since we probably would have bought more. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing and Ed’s high school French was only marginally helpful in trying to decipher signs and labels. We must have easily spent 10 minutes at the butter display trying to determine which was the best quality – if in doubt, go with price! Another fun experience was trying to explain to the attendant at the cheese counter that we only wanted ¼ of the huge ball of Edam. It’s amazing what you can eventually accomplish through judicious use of hand gestures.

We were particularly intrigued when we noticed the fresh milk we purchased there was produced in Canada. How do they do that – that is, keep it cool and have it shipped in a timely manner? Are there 747 milk planes? Surely not.

As with other establishments, the Bounty keeps strange store hours by our standards – it was obvious they were missing a lot of business because of this – perhaps that doesn’t matter to them.

Superette, Grand Case – Avoid it if you can. It’s cramped, dirty and a casual inspection of some labels, particularly in the cooler section, showed expired freshness dates. Locals, it seems, like to have extended chats at the cash register even though there might be eight or nine people waiting to pay for their purchases.

Beaches – One of the things we didn’t accomplish was to spend time on a number of different beaches. Other than viewing several of them from a distance, our only direct experiences were Grand Case, Orient and Tintamarre. The beach at Grand Case is more or less OK, but nothing to write home about. It’s pretty narrow and there are a good many water worn rocks at one end. Actually, it’s quite pretty but not much for parking your lounge. Near Le Petit it slopes a noticeable bit which makes it interesting when trying to orient yourself to the sun’s position for maximum, even tanning. With the lounge other than perpendicular to the shoreline, you find yourself leaning over at a bit of an angle.

As mentioned in our introductory comments (that was a long way back, wasn’t it?!), OB is wonderful, especially toward the Club Orient end. We read a lot beforehand about the commercialization and crowds of people to expect, but this is one case in which our expectations were wrong in a nice way. No doubt because of the time of year of our visit or some fortunate coincidence, we found the entire area pleasantly uncrowded and the various establishments lining the beach not even a distraction. We have a friend who literally collects sand from beaches around the world and we obliged her request with a sample from OB.  As she ran her fingers gingerly through our little present, she commented she had never felt such a "powdery texture." So there you have it from a sand connoisseur!

The sand on Tintamarre Island, a short distance from OB, is equally nice and the main beach, framed by rocks and a cliff, is a beautiful setting. It’s definitely uncrowded, unless the boat people tour group arrives. It’s best, as we did, to avoid days the cruise ships are parked at Philipsburg.

Tiko Tiko – Having just introduced Tintamarre, this seems a good point to embark on a description of the Tiko Tiko catamaran outing. A lot has been shared on the St. Martin bulletin boards about this activity and everything you may have read about it being fun is true. We had a great time!

We were instructed to gather in front of Papagayo at 9:30am on the day we reserved and had left the hotel with abundant time to spare or so we thought. As we reached the stretch of dirt road by Kon Tiki we found two workmen busily (well, actually "casually" would be a more appropriate word) shoveling a trench across it with no way to pass.  After fuming and fretting about 15 minutes it became clear the work might not be finished in our lifetimes, so we parked at Kon Tiki and hoofed it at a pretty strong pace to our rendezvous point. We met the others taking the trip and were quite amazed that one couple had done it seven times. We thought that was quite an endorsement. After waiting a while for one of the couples that was missing, they finally appeared rather out of breath. You guessed right – same problem as we encountered.

The trip over to Tintamarre was very rough with large swells and Phillipe, the captain, was struggling to properly unfurl the sails which weren’t cooperating as they should. Fortunately, in spite of this adversity, we can report that not a single drop of rum punch was spilled. Upon arrival, the Tiko Tiko was anchored and the drink chest, umbrellas and other beach stuff were unloaded and put in place. It really is beautiful there and we spent hours lounging, swimming, floating and exploring the beach and cliff areas. At one point very heavy dark clouds surrounded us on both sides, but soon blew by without depositing a drop of rain on us.

Lunch was served on board the cat after being summoned by a horn. It was very nicely done and quite good. We had the coconut chicken, baked potato and salad followed by excellent cheesecake with mango sauce. Decent champagne, wine and cognac were served with the lunch.

Having read about the history of Tintamarre and its abandoned airport, Ed wanted to trek inland. Sandra accompanied a short distance until she could see the extent of the overgrown terrain and said "No way!" as she made a U-turn for the beach. Ed pressed on and found several long, imposing walls, but no useable pathway through the brush to the interior. Upon returning to the beach about half an hour or so later, he discovered the Martians had arrived – there was a group of green humanoid forms squealing and gesturing. Closer investigation revealed they were in fact the party people from the Tiko Tiko covered from head to toe with green mud. Yup, Sandra was right in the midst of it all.

The cruise back was smooth and Phillipe didn’t bother with the contrary sails. He said he wanted to compensate for the initial rough ride and took us on a leisurely course around Pinel Island, which we were pleased to have the opportunity to see. As we passed, it was quite fascinating to observe people walking so far out into the water on the long, barely submerged sandbar. When we were approaching the anchorage at OB we generously tipped Phillipe and his able assistant Emanuelle for the enjoyable day, but noticed others did not. Probably just didn’t occur to them.

As the dinghy was ferrying us to shore we realized some crazed idiots on the beach (we inferred they were guests at Club O) were using a large slingshot affair to hurl water balloons at us. They thought it was hilarious while we and the others failed to see the humor in it. Phillipe was quite irritated as he maneuvered away from the onslaught. The projectiles were being launched with more than enough force to seriously injure anyone wearing glasses that might be hit in the face. It’s strange how some people amuse themselves without thought of the possible consequences of their actions.

We don’t know that we would do the Tiko Tiko thing seven times, but the trip is certainly on our "to do" list for a subsequent visit to St Martin. Thanks Phillipe and Emanuelle – you were great hosts!

Butterfly Farm, between Orient and Galion Beaches – We knew what to expect because of our visit to the sister operation in Aruba this past August and weren’t disappointed. We love watching the many varieties of butterflies flitting all over the place and trying to photograph them – not a simple feat!  After our visit, anytime we saw a butterfly on St. Martin we referred to it as an "escapee."

We do suggest you call ahead and verify the Parrot Jungle will be open the day you want to visit. It took us several tries before we were able to do so. Also, when departing, exercise great care because it is necessary to back out onto the main road which has a bit of a curve at that point and no visibility for the driver. Sandra stood out by the road to signal when it was clear to back up, but the real help came from the driver of a large garbage truck who kindly blocked the road for us while we maneuvered out of the driveway. Thank you, sir.

Pic Paradise – Now this was a bit of an adventure driving to the top of the highest point on St. Martin. The paved road deteriorated the more we climbed and quickly became only a single car width with an occasional "layby" for passing. Fortunately, there was essentially no traffic and we only had to back up once to let someone pass. Then, of course, the pavement ended and the "road" was more akin to a rocky gulch. The Terios proved its worth with its ground clearance, four wheel drive and decently powered engine. For the life of us we don’t know how one of those little miniature cars made it to the top, but there it was when we arrived. No doubt its undercarriage took quite a beating.

The views were quite spectacular and well worth the time and effort. We found it interesting that a noticeably cool breeze was blowing up and over the mountain. It seemed strangely out of character for St. Martin. Needless to say, the descent was equally challenging and low gear was used a good bit to reduce speed once we reached the steep decline on the paved section of the road – rather like a roller coaster. We highly recommend this fun little adventure.

The weather was most cooperative with only occasional, very brief early morning showers, which were of no consequence. Only once during our fifteen day stay did we see light rain persist for about an hour. The daytime temperatures were in the mid 80⁰ F range and low 70⁰’s at night, and there was certainly an abundance of sunshine.

Old habits are indeed hard to change as was repeatedly reaffirmed to us when it came to dealing with light switches. We can’t count the number of times we entered a bathroom and then remembered the light switch was always outside the door. Whilst on the subject of bathrooms, less challenging, but certainly different, are the flush mechanisms on the toilets. In true European fashion there was inevitably a large "button" on top of the tank to depress rather than a handle on the side. All part of the fun of visiting different places.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our lengthy potpourri of details and observations about our visit to St. Martin, and that in some small way at least you’ve been entertained a bit, or had a nice memory brought back or perhaps gained some insight which might enhance a future trip of your own.

We welcome your thoughts and questions, and thank you for taking the time to share in our experiences. Best wishes to you.