On May 17 we arrived on St. Maarten / St. Martin and departed a few hours later for Anguilla where we remained until May 20. We then retraced our route to St. Martin where we stayed through June 1. A separate travelogue will be devoted to our experiences on Anguilla and in particular the CuisinArt resort.
By way of a brief editorial explanation, we tend to use the term "St. Martin" generically to reference the island, including both the Dutch and French sides. It's not a matter of partiality, but rather it's a little less awkward than constantly showing both names or using the rather sterile sounding SXM designation for Juliana Airport. Our accommodations have always been on the French side although we certainly spend a good bit of time doing St. Maarten based activities. We do enjoy both and rarely, if ever, think of the island as being home to two different countries.
This was our third visit, all of which have occurred in the May - June timeframe. We enjoyed the first two visits immensely and this latest one was no exception! Each trip we discover and learn more about this wonderful Caribbean destination and each visit simply seems to do nothing but build our anticipation for the next one. St. Martin does indeed have a great deal to offer.
The weather for the most part was quite cooperative and thus enjoyable, though, apart from the normally occurring, brief showers, there were a few fairly strong storms. The island was exceptionally green and plants everywhere were growing vigorously in response to the recent rain. It looked very lush.
One of the many highlights of a visit to St.
Martin is the enjoyment of the considerable culinary delights that are
available. Yes, we over indulged, which is quite easy to do. We
found our selection of restaurants this year to provide the best overall dining experiences
we've had on the island, though we were crestfallen to have a mediocre, at best,
dinner at the one establishment we've rated the highest in the past and
frequently recommended to others. Things do change.
The routine into which we quickly fall is for Ed to arise early, drink large quantities of coffee while making notes in our travel journal (to be edited later by Sandra), and contemplate the magnificently beautiful view from the hotel where we stay. Sleeping beauty is usually roused from her slumber no later than noon and off we go for the day's adventures. One of the imperative ingredients in our routine is the early evening nap prior to undertaking the night's activities. Perhaps that explains why we often have that blank look about us when others say "Wasn't the sunset this evening just wonderful?"
Speaking of our travel journal, we might explain that not only does it help us keep track of both the important and not so important details, all of which seem to fade too quickly from our minds, but it allows us to further savor and reinforce the moments as we write about them. Perhaps many of our readers would find such an endeavor to be a pain, but we regard it as a pleasure and it does greatly facilitate the subsequent creation of our lengthy, in-depth travelogues, such as this one. We must say in this vein that for those of you who prefer only a short, "give it to me quickly version" you'll not find it here - this might be a good place to stop reading, because we're not known for our brevity.
Contents
Something new we have created for this report is a table of contents identifying all the primary topics and subsets of those. This will allow you, if you so choose, to click on a subject of particular interest and move directly to that section. We hope you will find this useful. Also, as you move through the report, please keep in mind all the photos you will see are "clickable" to view larger versions of them.
Click on Table of Contents which will open a separate window for reference and direct access to the subjects.
As usual, we flew USAirways First Class between Charlotte Douglas (CLT) and Juliana (SXM). After dropping Sandra and the luggage at the terminal, Ed parked the car, returned and found her well along with the check-in process at the USAirways counter. She was trying to engage the attendant in friendly banter, but to little avail. We both looked at each other in disbelief when the attendant announced our previously reserved seats were 4D and 4F, and that we were fortunate the middle seat between us was not taken. Ed looked at her and said "You are joking, aren't you?" We could tell she wasn't. Then apparently her brain became more fully engaged and she said "Oh, wait a minute - you're in First Class - that's why there's no middle seat assigned." Duh!
We could say she had the last laugh when she charged us $160 for the two extra bags we were checking. We really didn't mind the surcharge and more or less expected it because we had agreed to pack what was needed for the Anguilla and St. Martin components of the trip completely separate and not to overstuff the luggage. Retrospectively, that was a very good decision.
From her window seat on the plane, Sandra could see our luggage being loaded which always gives one a comfortable feeling. Then we waited and waited as the clock ticked past our scheduled departure time. The delay we learned was because the flight was overbooked and they had secured volunteers, already on board, to be bumped. The baggage for the deplaning passengers had to be found in the cargo bay and unloaded. We took off about 30 minutes late.
Lunch was
served early - about 11:30am. We had a very plain, but nice, fresh salad
served with whole 
wheat rolls, followed by a vegetable lasagna entree for Sandra
and chicken with rice for Ed. The chicken had a very curious, somewhat
stringent chutney sauce applied and the rice was stodgy. Sandra's lasagna
was "tolerable." Overall we would say it was a mediocre to poor
lunch. Does anyone remember when First Class really meant "first
class?" You know, with real silver flatware, crystal
glasses, china dishes, linen serviettes and good quality food, not to mention
efficient, attentive and attractive stewards and stewardesses? Our
memories of such certainly have faded.
Our stewardess was pleasant enough and did a superb job of plying us with vodka and orange - perhaps it was intended to make those memories of real first class years ago fade away completely. But, we must say, at times she seemed far too engrossed in reading her novel instead of paying attention to her wards. As we were getting very close to the landing at Juliana, Ed went forward and suggested she might want to consider dispensing the Immigration forms to which she responded "You're right - I forgot to do it!" Duh.
The return flight started on the wrong foot when an obnoxious young couple shoved themselves in front of us at the boarding gate. Very rude and inconsiderate, but maybe they thought they were the only First Class passengers on that particular flight. After they were seated on the plane, the girl leaned into the aisle and constantly glared back at the folk loading in coach as if they were inconveniencing her trip. If looks could kill, there would have been massive casualties. They continued to irritate us with their stupid "attitudes" the entire flight. The even greater irritant was that we had the only two "recliners" in the entire cabin seated in front of us. As we have said in prior write-ups, we wish they would weld every damn seat on airplanes into the upright position! Nothing is more annoying and claustrophobic than having a seatback positioned a short distance from your face, not to mention the difficulty of accessing the aisle.
For the meal, Sandra wisely asked for a salad only while Ed proceeded to sample the mystery chicken. He abandoned that and begged for cashews to sate his hunger. Again, the vodka and orange flowed generously. The movie we elected to watch this time did help to while away the hours. When the plane taxied to and stopped at the gate, Ed moved swiftly to block the aisle for fear the obnoxious couple would trample Sandra in their self-centered disregard for others. The strategy worked, however it was not without the female of the two huffing and puffing, casting her eyes upward and all but saying "How could anyone dare to get in our way?" Some people....
After helping to fund USAirways' balance sheet with our luggage surcharges at the Charlotte check-in, we moved along to the TSA screening area. The lady at the "x-ray" machine kept examining one of our bags while we were collecting our other things that had passed through, and were talking with another agent at the end of the line. Then we heard the x-ray lady exclaim in our direction "That bag is full of hundreds of tubes!!!", which of course got us more attention than we cared to have. As several agents moved closer to us, one of them retrieved the bag and gingerly began inspecting it. They seemed somewhat relieved and very good natured when they determined the "tubes" were canisters of film.
From there we made our way to "Cheers" in the Food Court where we had our first vacation toast followed by a good breakfast. A few more toasts subsequently were done in the small bar across from our departure gate in Concourse D and the last cigarettes for too many hours were enjoyed.
Upon exiting the plane at Juliana, we were required to use the waiting shuttle bus which transported us to the terminal. At most, it moved us 200 feet - it would have been much faster and easier to have walked. Guess they need to justify the shuttles and give the drivers something to do.
The Immigration procedure at Juliana was downright pleasant for a change - the lady officer actually smiled at us and wished us a good visit. Retrieving our luggage was an altogether different matter. We waited about 45 minutes along with what appeared to be all the other passengers with checked luggage on the USAirways flight. We could see through the carrousel flaps to the outside where the luggage handlers were sitting on their duffs. Eventually, one of them crawled through that space and announced all luggage had been unloaded, including that from our flight, and there would be no more. To say Ed spoke rather firmly to this person would be an understatement (far too much time had passed since his last cigarette and the stress was showing). Ed made several points including that the luggage for the hundreds of people on our flight who were there waiting must have been jettisoned over the ocean since we had seen it loaded in Charlotte. This fellow then used his radio, climbed back through the opening and a short while later the tardy luggage began appearing.
For the return flight at 2:55pm on June 1, we checked in about 10:00am and found no other passengers at the USAirways counter. We were thinking how nice that was until the Security staff, who had nothing else to do, intercepted us. They were thoroughly entertained (no, we're not being cynical - they really were having fun) going through our considerable amount of luggage. Oh well, it gave them something to do, we appreciated the intended purpose of the effort, and they certainly had some good laughs as they joked with us about the contents.
With regard to luggage it might be worth sharing a tip at this point (other than avoid traveling with as much as we do). Under the TSA guidelines, bags should not be locked because if they feel an inspection is needed, they will break the locks to gain entry. Consequently, before the trip we acquired plastic tie straps to use in place of locks. We also purchased a small wire cutter to sever the plastic ties and a small leather zipper case, such as is used for a Palm Pilot. The wire cutter and Sandra's Swiss Army knife were placed in the leather case and then that was packed in an outside pocket of one of the bags to be checked. In the case of Charlotte, the plastic ties were applied before depositing the luggage at the USAirways counter since screening would occur later, and at Juliana the ties were put in place after the hand searches were completed. It worked very well and, indeed, we found one of our bags had been opened by the TSA in Charlotte and re-secured with one of their plastic ties. Inside we found a form explaining what had occurred. We can't imagine what attracted their attention - there was absolutely nothing but clothing in that particular bag.
After clearing the jovial Security
folk at Juliana and securing the bags, we proceeded to the USAirways counter -
still no other passengers. This time we had to pay only $80 for one extra
bag since we were able to consolidate things we had taken with us to Anguilla.
It was then on to the departure tax area where we found only one other person
ahead of us. A nice young agent in the office saw us and, amazingly,
opened another window so we wouldn't have to wait. That was very
considerate.
At that point our plan was working well because we now had time to go elsewhere for a few hours and avoid the crowds and hassle closer to flight time. We returned to the airport about an hour before the flight and went to the restaurant / lounge, which has great air conditioning. Later we headed to the Immigration and boarding Security area only to find a long line. Hmmm, looks like we need to further refine our strategy for future departures. But all went fairly expeditiously, especially after they opened more Immigration lines. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised at the friendliness and a smile from the Immigration officer. Big difference from prior trips!
Our other flights during the trip involved privately chartered planes based at Esperance Airport in Grand Case. The Immigration control and Security we observed there ranged from essentially non-existent to extreme for passengers on regular airline flights. For the latter we observed careful checks and the presence of heavily armed French troops wearing camouflage fatigues (sub-machine guns count as "heavily armed," don't they?). The only security applied in our case was the pilots swiping a card reader at locked doors and no travel documents were examined.
Hotel L'Esplanade http://www.lesplanade.com/lesplanade.php
We'll first discuss the accommodations and then spend a bit of time talking about the people who make it such a special place.
The Hotel and Grounds - This was our third stay at L'Esplanade and we must say we are disappointed - that is disappointed with our inability to find sufficiently appropriate superlatives to convey adequately our deep enjoyment of and affection for this very fine hotel. Sandra expressed our sentiments well and very simply as we entered the grounds after returning from Anguilla. Ed saw this big smile emerge on her face and heard her softly say to no one in particular "We're home."
L'Esplanade
is not a place of marble, gold plated fixtures, heavy period reproduction
furniture and full 24x7 staff, but rather one of lovely architecture, a
landscape with verdantly flowering shrubs, unusually spacious accommodations,
magnificent views, and a management and office staff completely devoted 
to pleasing their guests. Some might find the location on a lovely
hillside rather than a beach and the absence of an onsite restaurant to be
distractions. Indeed, we wondered prior to our first visit if that would
be the case, but that has proven not to be a concern at all.
Retrospectively, we wouldn't think of sacrificing for a beachfront location the
wonderful view and breezes the hotel affords, and also we've found we like to
explore and enjoy the many fine beaches St. Martin has to offer, each with its
own distinctive character. With regard to the absence of an on premise
restaurant, our view is it would be gilding the lily rather considerably to
have one because of all the varied, wonderful dining establishments of Grand
Case which are only a short walk or quick ride away (about a
1½ minute drive
to the center of Grand Case, for those of you so inclined). A continental
breakfast can be arranged for delivery to your room in the mornings.
Another
feature we immensely enjoy for those lazy days when we aren't inclined to move
about too much is the pool area on the lower terrace. There are actually
two pools, shower and restroom facilities, a swim-up bar made of teak and
sporting a dark blue tile roof, a beautifully done barbecue grill, and a 
covered
patio all of which is nestled among incredibly gorgeous landscaping. This
is nothing like the typical resort pool setup with rows of lounges stretched
around the perimeter and foliage and buildings in the background. It has
more the feel of what one might expect to find on the estates of the
mega-wealthy. Even the lounges convey that sense. They're top-of-the-line
sturdy teak with brass fittings, wheels and extremely nice pads. We'll
share a little secret with you - among "those in the know" the pool area at
L'Esplanade is a highly regarded place to hold weddings and receptions.
Sandra's smile seemed to grow larger, if that were possible, as we pulled into the parking area and saw the office staff standing out front, with keys to our suite in hand, waiting to greet us. We were delighted we had the same one bedroom suite as last year, #16, and upon entering Sandra found a beautiful floral display Ed had arranged beforehand. A very thoughtful touch on the part of the hotel was to make sure there was a separate spray of orchids just for Sandra to wear in her hair. After getting a bit teary reading the message from Ed on the note accompanying the flowers and composing herself, she immediately went to the balcony to revel in that glorious view.
Also waiting in the suite were neatly stored wheeled luggage pieces and hung garment bags that we had dropped at the office while en route to Anguilla days before. Scattered about, it seemed on every table top and counter, were freshly cut Bougainvillea which was lovely. The stereo tuner was brought to life and the sound of island radio, along with a few Caribs, made the task of unpacking no problem at all.
We mentioned earlier how unusually spacious we find the accommodations at L'Esplanade. One morning, as a matter of curiosity and as a way of passing a little time while Sandra slept, Ed decided to determine the actual dimensions. He was able to do so by measuring one floor tile and then counting the number of tiles in each direction. If we've done our math properly, the room housing the kitchen, dining space and sitting area is approximately 37' x 13'; the separate bedroom is 15' x 13' with an adjoining 10' x 4.5' walk-in closet that has nice shelves and drawers; and the bathroom, including the entrance foyer is 8.5' x 8'. Continuing with the description of our suite, a wall of mahogany framed glass with sliding doors to the huge balcony is found in both the living room area and the bedroom. The kitchen is full size and partitioned from the rest of the large room by a serving bar with wine racks above. The appliances include a full size 3-door refrigerator (never have understood the purpose of the middle section - must be a French thing), a full size oven and 4-burner range, coffee maker and toaster. A complete complement of food preparation and dining necessities is provided. The dining area contains a good size table that can comfortably accommodate six. The lounge or living area is very pleasant and is equipped with a TV that provides good reception for 46 channels (that's not a typo - it really does have 46 channels - unusual for a hotel on St. Martin - and many of them are U.S. broadcasts). For all of you who just cannot live without the internet, high speed access ports are being installed in all the rooms at the hotel over the next few months - they expect to have it completed before the high season begins.
One
of our favorite activities at L'Esplanade is sitting on the balcony with all of
Grand Case in view. The yellow Allamanda peaks through the heavy banisters and from the trellis overhead there's a constant light shower of
lavender Bougainvillea petals softly falling. It's an almost surreal
setting. Sandra always makes a point to keep the little feeder, hung by the
edge of the balcony, well stocked with grapes. Her efforts are rewarded by
the constant visits of the brilliant yellow and black sugarbirds flitting about,
further adding to the beauty of the setting.
We were especially appreciative of the very excellent and accommodating housekeepers. They were always happily flexible about when we wanted their service (well after adjoining rooms had been done, because of Sandra's late snoozes). They did a great job of cleaning, including washing the dishes, kept the place tidy and organized, and without fail provided an abundant supply of fresh towels and wash cloths each day. On the subject of towels, ones for the beach and pool use are stacked in the reception area on an etergeé and there's a large wicker basket for those that have been used. L'Esplanade trusts and respects its guests because there's no monitoring of the beach towel usage and they're never in short supply. Also available each morning in the reception area are complementary current editions of the local Daily Herald and The Miami Herald.
Another matter for which we give L'Esplanade exceedingly high marks is their exceptional maintenance program. As we have said in earlier reports, in some respects the hotel is better than new. We were particularly pleased when the owners sought our opinion of possible materials to use as they move toward updating ceramic tile and cabinets in the kitchens and bathrooms in the future. We have no doubt they will continue to keep the facility in top flight condition.
Very obviously, we greatly enjoy enthusing about Hotel L'Esplanade - it's a real treasure. And it's becoming apparent that more and more people are discovering and returning to this delightful place - their occupancy rate, even in low season, would be the envy of any hotel on the island.
Marc and Kristin Petrelluzzi info@lesplanade.com - You could not wish to meet a more outstanding and truly wonderful couple - they make Hotel L'Esplanade what it is. Marc's father built L'Esplanade and Le Petit in Grand Case, in addition to other hotels, and Marc is now the Managing Director of the corporation which owns these properties. Kristin, who originally is from the Boston area, is the General Manager and is nothing short of intense in her compulsive desire to attend to their guests' requirements. Marc's casual, laid back, unassuming charm along with his handsome features and always ready smile are enough to melt any female's heart, but all of that belies his good business sense and savvy. When we think of Kristin, the images are always of those dark sparkling eyes and her boundless energy and enthusiasm - definitely a major "people person."
We can't thank them enough for the many, many things they invariably do for us both in preparation for and during our actual visits. Most hoteliers probably would become weary of our special requests, but Marc and Kristin seem to thrive on them.
We are especially appreciative of the incredible assistance Marc provided in arranging and negotiating the private charter planes to transport us to and from Anguilla, and later to do aerial photography over St. Martin. Among other things, he personally interviewed the principals of the charter company, including the pilots, and inspected the planes to be certain we would be satisfied with what they had to offer. He truly was an exceptional intermediary and agent on our behalf as he worked to answer and resolve our various inquiries. And this is the same fellow who always insists Ed mind his back and makes sure he is there personally to lift and move the luggage when needed - thoughtful and considerate, indeed, for a Managing Director.
Kristin, as usual, was a wealth of information, and quite happily and enthusiastically researched many things for us on different occasions. One indication of Kristin's superlative customer service orientation was the morning after we arrived when Ed remarked to her how strongly the foliage in the landscape was growing in response to the recent rains and though the flowers bordering the balcony were beautiful, they were beginning to obstruct the view a bit. Within 15 minutes one of the staff was at our balcony carefully trimming away the encroaching flowers and then proceeded to attend to other shrubs and trees further down the terrace that he felt might in any way impede our view. That's service!
Also, we want to acknowledge the very fine staff Marc and Kristin have assembled for their hotels - the office personnel, the gardeners, the housekeepers and the quality security service personnel they retain for continuous onsite patrols.
We could go on quite a bit more describing how terrific Marc and Kristin are and the services they provide, but you've got our point by now.
Rental Car - For this trip we decided to try a local firm, St. Louis Car Rental, which is owned by Marius Andrew. We always prefer a 4 wheel drive vehicle even though one is not normally needed on St. Martin. We arranged for a Nissan Xterra, but with a little trepidation about its larger size than most rentals and most commonly encountered vehicles on the island. Just as a side note, we must say we were amazed to see two different Hummers being driven there. Would hate to see the results of a collision between one of those and the tiny Hyundai Atos boxes on wheels that appear to be becoming more popular on the island.
Marius
was perfectly punctual in delivering the Xterra to our hotel and we were pleased
to discover it was in exceptionally good condition and was a handsome dark blue
color. We learned during our conversation that it was, more or less,
Marius's personal use vehicle and he seldom rents it. Considering the
excellent condition of the SUV, that made perfect sense. The various
formalities and the dispensation of good, practical advice to us about what to
do if there were any problems encountered were handled efficiently.
We found that we were very pleased with our selection of the Xterra. Comparatively speaking, it was unusually comfortable for a rental vehicle on St. Martin, had excellent air conditioning, a good stereo and more than enough power to briskly pass lumbering trucks and lines of cars going uphill. And its larger size really wasn't a problem, though on a very few occasions we thought it wise to decline tight parking spots for fear of having Marius's nice paint scuffed by others' car doors. In fact, there were a few situations you will read about shortly when we were very happy that we had the superior road armor.
Originally, probably more out of habit than anything else, we had arranged for the vehicle to be collected at the hotel the morning of our departure. But once we had the car we realized it would accommodate, perhaps just barely, all of our luggage and we would not need some oversized van or limo to take us to the airport. Consequently, we gave Marius a call (he was easy to reach on his cell phone) about the change in plans to which he responded "No problem, mon!" That actually worked exceedingly well, though if there had been one more piece of luggage, Sandra would have been sitting on it for the ride to the airport. Doing it that way allowed us to do the early check-in and still have convenient transportation during the intervening time before our departure.
After doing the SunSet Beach Bar thing we journeyed back to the airport to return the car at the planned time. We pulled into a spot immediately in front of the terminal and began looking about for Marius, but he was nowhere to be seen. Then a lady in a straw hat we thought to be one of those pesky timeshare promoters walked up to Ed's side and began saying something. Ed responded by saying "We're not interested." and quickly raising the power window. But this woman would not leave us alone. Eventually we heard her say something about a car and saw she was holding familiar looking paperwork in her hand. Oh my god - it was Arleen Illidge from St. Louis there to collect the rental car! Talk about embarrassment of the worst kind. We just couldn't apologize enough. Arleen took it well, but probably and rightly so thought to herself "Dumb tourists!" She quickly, but thoroughly, inspected the car, pronounced it in good shape, gave us some paperwork and was on her way. Sorry, Arleen.
Taxis - We needed to use a taxi on two occasions. The first was for our dash from Juliana upon arrival to Hotel L'Esplanade to drop our excess luggage and then on to Esperance Airport where our chartered plane and pilot were waiting patiently for our flight to Anguilla. Kristin at L'Esplanade had arranged for Marcus, her trusted taxi driver, to collect us with a vehicle large enough to ferry us and our luggage in comfort. As we mentioned earlier, the USAirways flight was late and the luggage arrival much later. Poor Marcus had been waiting with a sign welcoming us on behalf of Hotel L'Esplanade for about two hours. He had been there early just in case our plane arrived ahead of schedule (fat chance!). Of course, we gave him a very sizeable tip which seemed to please him greatly and make the trouble well worthwhile. As he hurriedly drove toward Grand Case he was giving updates on our progress to the people at L'Esplanade who in turn were relaying information to the waiting pilot. As things would have it, while in transit the weather turned dismal, to put it mildly, and consequently the USAirways flight and considerable baggage delays caused us to miss a clean takeoff opportunity.
The second need for a taxi was upon our return to Esperance Airport from Anguilla four days later. The good people at L'Esplanade had wanted to be there to meet us and take us to the hotel, but we had declined knowing that we were uncertain whether we would take time to do some photography during that flight. In all of our prior trips to and from Esperance there had always been taxis waiting there for fares, but not in this instance. Even stopping in the airport lounge for a Carib failed to magically make a taxi appear. So after awhile, the pilot called L'Esplanade which promptly dispatched one for us. When George arrived we explained our priorities which involved a quick swing through Grand Case proper to purchase an initial supply of beer and then on to the hotel. He happily obliged.
Driving on St. Martin - For the most part, and especially compared to a lot of other Caribbean islands, the roads are in pretty decent condition. However, after numerous treks across the little bypass road connecting the roundabout on the Grand Case side of Marigot to the West Indies Mall area, Sandra decided to rename it "Rue de Bumps."
One can hardly drive on St. Martin without at least one interesting story to share as a result. Understandably, each successive time we visit we find it easier to navigate, though the traffic and manner of driving there always take an initial adjustment. However, if we were to visit every year for the rest of our lives, we don't think we would ever become comfortable with the way motorcycles are driven. Pure lunacy!
We have memories from the trip of two occasions when we were more than a little pleased we had the protection of the Xterra. One late night between Marigot and Grand Case the car in front of us was lurching violently from one side of the road to the other and actually off the road at times. This continued for several miles and we were convinced the driver would either hurl himself off a mountain or flip into a salt pond, or worse yet spin about and be headed back toward us. Much to our relief he finally turned off the road and we saw no more of him.
The second occurrence was mid-day when we had turned right onto the bypass beyond Esperance Airport. There, some distance ahead, we saw a car approaching in our direction and something seemed odd about it. We soon realized he was driving on our side of the road and obliviously looking out over the salt pond. It was one of those moments when possible options rapidly click through your brain with each being weighed with regard to a potentially successful outcome: stop, sound the horn, flash the lights, pull off the road to the right, take the left lane instead, etc. Fortunately, probably more so for the driver of the approaching small car, he seemed to snap out of his trance when he was getting altogether too close and swerved back into the appropriate lane. Never a dull moment when driving on St. Martin - well, at least not many.
Another "driving experience" was our exploration of the road to Anse Marcel. We had read numerous accounts about this road leading from Cul-de-Sac across the mountain to Le Meridien. We determined it's certainly not a road one would want to navigate in a storm and / or with too many cocktails under one's belt. Having good brakes also would be an excellent thought we might offer. The road is very narrow in places, has precipitous drop-offs alongside and acute hairpin turns. We did discover there are a couple of observation points well off the road on both sides of the mountain that afford spectacular views.
Among other discoveries we made is a new gas station between Grand Case and Orient. Actually, it's more in the Orient Bay area and is positioned close to the turnoff which leads to BooBoo Jam. The first few times we drove by we thought from its appearance that it was still under construction, but that wasn't the case as we later learned. It had been in operation about 5 months - it just doesn't look like it's open unless you happen to see cars being fueled there. We did find it very convenient and a welcome addition. No doubt, visitors to and residents of Cul-de-Sac are pleased to have it since the old Texaco station there is still not in business.
We don't remember the fuel capacity of the Xterra, but it did cost $35 for the replenishment of an empty tank.
We noted in the Introduction that we thought our evening dining experiences were exceptionally good this trip, however with one hugely dismaying exception. The restaurants we patronized were a mixture of some old favorites and new ones we wanted to try. As always, there were not enough days to do as many restaurants as we would have liked nor could our waistlines have taken further abuse.
If you have followed our previous St. Martin travelogues, you must not assume that the restaurants we re-visited this time were selected because we thought they were the very best. In some cases, the selection represented the preference of others with whom we were dining. A notable example of a restaurant we think to be among the best in Grand Case that we did not revisit is Rainbow Cafe
We must admit that as a result of our one significant disappointment, we're now somewhat reluctant to recommend restaurants for which we do not have very current experience. In that respect, if you are reading these restaurant reviews much beyond our travel dates, we would strongly encourage you to at least find recent verification of our opinions before making a selection based on what we have to share.
For those of you not familiar with our rating systems for various dining experiences, please click here for a brief explanation: Ratings.
In many cases our descriptions of the food at restaurants are pretty straightforward itemizations of what we had, often paraphrased from the menus. We would like to say that when it comes to writing about food on St. Martin the master is still Erich S. Kranz. This gentleman's reviews of dining experiences are wonderful.
OOOOO Le Gaïac, Marigot atop the West Indies Mall (telephone and fax: 590 51 97 66) - This fabulous new restaurant has earned the top spot in our rankings for 2003. Keeping in mind our expectations increase proportionately to cost, you might say we were prepared to be highly critical! But Le Gaïac was superb in essentially all respects and our very high expectations were well met. It was a delightful experience. By the way, evening access is through the guarded front main door of the mall. Directly across the atrium is a small glass enclosed elevator which will deliver you to the terrace where Le Gaïac is located.
This establishment is most attractively decorated - not in the least gaudy, just extremely tasteful. We liked the emphasis on simple, but appropriately elegant furniture and fittings.
The very, very excellent head waiter, Laurent Cartier, greeted us by name before we could say anything. We were seated at a nice table with a most splendid view across Marigot and the harbor. While perusing the wine list we listened to Laurent's recommendations and decided to try one of them, a Puligny Montrachet. We thought it was quite decent, but actually expected it to be a bit better, especially at 115 euros. To his credit, Laurent could tell we had a certain lack of enthusiasm for the wine and asked repeatedly to be allowed to replace it, but we declined. It was one of those borderline situations you encounter occasionally when you decide to press on because the wine really wasn't bad and probably preferable to introducing a different taste to the palate.
The amuse gueule we were served was a tomato with salmon - very tasty and a nice start. After finishing that, Laurent announced with a flourish they wanted to do something for us that was uncustomary and it was because we had been so highly recommended to them (not sure what that was all about). He proceeded to present a second amuse gueule (uncustomary, indeed) in a tiny covered terrine. It was a cold soup of asparagus and crab - incredibly delicious. We happily would have made an entire meal of that in a larger size.
For
an appetizer, Ed had the medallions of lobster tail served on a bed of Chinese
cabbage with a vinaigrette made of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and small cubes
of red beets. Excellent - especially liked the very savory flavor the
beets brought to the dish. Sandra selected the Les Entré Tiédes
of seared escalope of duck foie gras, served with gingerbread, a sweet vinegar
sauce and slices of mango. Our rating scale for dinner restaurants ranges
from one to five O's,
but Sandra said the foie gras was "totally off the scale." She
thought ten O's might
be appropriate for what she described as some of the finest in her dining
experiences - quite a compliment from Ms. Foie Gras.
For entrees, Sandra had the veal and Ed the tournedos. The veal was a filet that had been pan fried with French bacon and light green apple juice. It was accompanied by snow peas and carrot pearls. The Black Angus tournedos were perfectly cooked and served with a hazelnut sauce and Greek potato pancakes (mashed potatoes with currants). To use a phrase from the popular vernacular - both entrees were awesome, just totally awesome!
Ed was far too stuffed to pursue any of the wonderful selections on the dessert menu. Sandra decided to request a simple, single scoop of vanilla ice cream (12 euros - that might give you some insight to the prices at Le Gaïac). It was a very, very creamy ice cream and Sandra thought it to be the perfect ending. Even though Ed had declined dessert, he was soon presented with a mini crème brulée flavored with coffee and cloves - delightful.
We enjoyed Remy Martin and Hennessey cognac brandies for after dinner drinks.
An interesting sidelight to this truly wonderful dining experience is that Sandra implored Laurent to obtain the recipe for the foie gras dish she had so greatly loved. We observed Laurent interviewing the French chef and carefully writing the ingredients and preparation method, and then he proudly presented it to Sandra with the chef's compliments. Sorry, but we promised not to publish it.
If you want to partake of decidedly upscale dining on St. Martin with exceptional ambiance, skilled service and superbly prepared food, we would suggest you consider Le Gaïac.
OOOO½O Temptation, Atlantis Casino complex http://www.nouveaucaribbean.com/ - Our trusted restaurant connoisseur on St. Martin, Kristin Petrelluzzi at L'Esplanade, chose Temptation when we asked her to be our guest for dinner and that she make the selection. Apart from Kristin's clear preference, others also had enthused greatly to us about this restaurant. We were not disappointed - it definitely was exceptional. As we subsequently deduced, Deepti and Jeff Mohnani with DK Gems International had made it well known to the folk at Temptation that we would be dining there.
Once again, no
introduction of ourselves was necessary. Asha Jagtiani, hostess and mother
of the owner and chef, Dino, greeted us by first names and told us how very
pleased she was to have us visit Temptation. As pleasantries were being
exchanged, we couldn't help but notice and admire the stunning Versace dress
Asha was wearing. Dino quickly presented himself and indicated he had been
looking forward to meeting us and that he was honored to be able to prepare our
dinner. After that rather effusive
welcome, we were wondering what was next. The "next" was to find
ourselves escorted to a prominently positioned table where we could see all who
were dining (or, as we wondered, was it meant to be the other way around).
Regardless, we were given wonderfully attentive and gracious service all
evening.
The restaurant is very lovely and we think it entirely appropriate to say "romantic." Chef Dino, the first St. Maarten born graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, inspired us with his creations for the magnificent dinner we so much enjoyed. We both had the seared foie gras with rosemary honey-cranberry compote, balsamic caramel and "petite" arugula salad. This was followed by rosemary roasted rack of New Zealand young lamb served with spinach-cannelini bean-risotto, basil oil and balsamic vinegar reduction for Sandra. Ed chose the Nouveau Caribbean "Cassoulet" which is a grilled duck breast with Italian sausage and cannelini bean stew that was accompanied by red cabbage braised with brown sugar. All of the dishes were beautifully presented and it was exceptional fare, with the foie gras and duck cassoulet being preeminent.
Studying the wine list, Ed was surprised to find a Chateauneuf-du-Pape under the "French White" heading and as would be expected under "French Reds." Being greatly puzzled by this, he inquired if the white listing might be a misprint. The waiter wasn't sure, excused himself and then shortly thereafter returned with a bottle for Ed to inspect. It was a Chateauneuf white from the same chateau (Mont Redon) that provided the customary red. We learn something every day! We especially liked the inclusion of scores on the wine list from "Wine Spectator Magazine." That was a nice touch. Ed selected the red Chateauneuf (probably should have tried the white) for him and Kristin, and a bottle of Pouilly Fuissé for Sandra.
Soon after the initial orders were placed, Asha presented Sandra with a wrapped package. Inside she found the pendant necklace Deepti and Jeff had specially created for her - separate white and gold chains joined by a single clasp - lovely. Later, Asha told us Jeff had called during our dinner anxious to know if Sandra was pleased and were we enjoying ourselves. Needless to say, we were pleased with the necklace, surprised at the novel delivery method, and definitely enjoying ourselves.
Dinner conversation was at a scarce premium for Sandra at times, since when Ed and Kristin are together there's almost non-stop talk between the two of them, each voraciously picking the other's brain for knowledge, perceptions and ideas. But let there be no doubt, Sandra was enjoying herself and did engage in more than a little dialogue. Kristin is always extraordinarily good company.
Having savored the wonderful appetizers and entrees, we threw all reasonable restraint to the wind and focused on the dessert menu. Sandra wanted the crème brulée quartet of chocolate, coffee, banana-rum and Guadeloupe vanilla. Ed, perhaps being a bit contrary and somewhat curious about the reaction he would receive, indicated he would prefer just the vanilla brulée which was not listed by itself. Soon they arrived with a nice presentation. For Sandra's quartet there were 4 small bowls each with its own demitasse size spoon on a rectangular platter. And for Ed there was the same display, but each of the small bowls contained only vanilla brulée - well done!
While Ed and Kristin finished their wine, Sandra indulged in a small, delightful glass of Muscat. Once we were done with all that, the waiter delivered complementary frozen apple martinis that were to be eaten with a small spoon from the martini glass. It was very tart - the sort of thing that makes you say "Wow!" after every tiny bite, but they were good and made a nice ending - no Remy Martin or Hennessey needed.
We suspect Temptation will be a resounding success, even beyond that which it currently enjoys. We certainly shall be among those cheering them along. Thank you Asha and Dino.
OOOO Spiga, Grand Case http://www.spiga-sxm.com/ - One of the very pleasurable discoveries for us in terms of new restaurants was Spiga which is situated below Hotel L'Esplanade on the Esperance Road just before it intersects Boulevard de Grand Case.
One of the owners and hostess, Lara Russo, seemed to somehow recognize us and welcomed us by name. While on the subject of recognition, another couple dining at Spiga soon approached Sandra and volunteered their appreciation and compliments for our travelogues about St. Martin.
Lara suggested we might like complementary before dinner drinks of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene produced by Santo Margharita. It was a fruity, sparkling wine we enjoyed so much we ordered a full bottle to accompany the meal and were surprised at its modest price.
While
studying the fairly limited but sufficiently diverse menu, Ed was having some
difficulty settling on an appetizer. Lara asked the types of things he
particularly enjoys and then suggested he try the homemade spinach gnocchi with
black tiger shrimp, a cream sauce and white truffle olive oil as an appetizer. It was totally scrumptious -
quite exquisite! Sandra's mixed baby lettuces was comprised of an
attractively arranged assortment and she thought it was very good.
Since Lara was doing so well with her recommendations (perhaps it's just that everything they offer is wonderful), Ed requested her suggestion from the meat selections. She said it would have to be the Wisconsin beef tenderloin prepared in a Cabernet sauce (far and away the most expensive item on the menu at 32 euros). It indeed proved to be very good even though the cooking had slipped a bit beyond the requested medium rare. The Cabernet sauce was a perfect complement and Ed was sorely tempted to ask that more of it be prepared. Sandra did the lobster ravioli with cherry tomato cream and flambéed in cognac (it's also offered as an appetizer). She declared it beyond scrumptious and Ed quickly agreed when he sampled it.
During the course of dinner the neatly attired and always smiling waiter, Kent, attended to our needs and was not the least obtrusive. He really did a very nice job.
Subsequently, Lara introduced us to Chef Ciro, who is also her husband and co-owner of Spiga. We offered our sincere appreciation for his delectable creations.
Spiga provided one of the finest meals we've had in Grand Case and we would strongly recommend this new gem.
OOOO Sebastiano, Grand Case (telephone: 590 87 58) - This was our first visit to this long established, well known and acclaimed dining spot. It was selected by our guest for the evening Britta Nielson, the lovely German girl we befriended on our first visit to St. Martin. She now works at Hotel L'Esplanade. This too was Britta's first visit to Sebastiano.
This restaurant is extremely deceptive in terms of its exterior appearance. We had passed by it many times and had seen nothing which would entice us to dine there. It looks quite small and ordinary, but a huge surprise awaits inside. The interior is quite large and nicely appointed - first class. We found the view from our waterside table to be excellent with the lights of Anguilla being unusually bright and clear that evening. The head waiter, Francois, who did not know us upon our arrival (we can assure you that's most definitely not the case now - we were rowdy patrons), was wonderful. He's not only robust in stature, but as we learned over the course of the evening, even more robust in his humor and good nature. We enjoyed him immensely. He was a constant source of merriment and had us laughing so hard at times there were tears coming from our eyes. Later in the evening we met and very, very much enjoyed talking with the owner, Christine Janoī - an incredibly charming lady.
As a starter for the dinner, we both enjoyed the lobster and shrimp bisque served with garlic bread toasted with crab meat. The bisque had a stronger taste than that to which we are accustomed, but it was quite good and the serving seemed immense. Sandra joked with the staff that she must have a bottomless bowl and thought she would never be able to finish it all (she did).
For an entree Sandra had the house specialty - black ravioli stuffed with lobster in a shrimp sauce, and Ed had the jumbo shrimp and sea scallops sautéed with herbs, mustard white wine, and cream which was served over angel hair pasta flavored with olive oil and garlic. Both entrées were extraordinarily good with the freshness and tastiness of the lobster, shrimp and scallop ingredients being especially noteworthy. The bottle of Pouilly Fumé selected was the best we've had on our three trips to St. Martin. Britta had the same entree as Ed and we asked her to give us her perceptions. She kept trying to find just the right words in English and not being able to do so to her satisfaction had to settle with "Very rich and flavorful!" We think that was rather succinctly and accurately put. The service throughout by a number of waiters would be best characterized as relaxed, friendly and attentive. We also should emphasize that the menu offerings at Sebastiano are quite extensive - much more so than many restaurants on the island.
Francois inquired if he could entice us to have dessert and Ed responded only if there was an exceptionally nice crème brulée. Francois tilted his head back and with feigned indignation proclaimed "Sir, this is an Italian restaurant!" Once again, he had us in stitches, just as he had all evening - his humor and laughter were completely contagious.
As
we finished the last of the wine, Sandra asked Francois to sing for us because
Christine had mentioned earlier that he had a good voice. Much to our surprise, he produced a
wireless microphone and cued recorded background music. His first offering
was "My Way" which he did very nicely and as we prompted him for more
he obliged including "New York, New York" at which point Sandra and
Britta joined him as dancers in the performance. It was quite a show - our
own little Folies Bergere. Christine also was great fun during all
this spontaneous party. We by then had the entire restaurant to ourselves.
After indulging in generously poured Remy Martin, we generously tipped the staff for the contributions they made to such a wonderful evening. Christine dispatched us with very genuinely affectionate hugs and kisses. Yes, it was a most memorable evening.
OOO½O Peg Leg Pub and Steakhouse, Simpson Bay area http://www.peglegpub.com/ - Though we had a lot of difficulty trying to decide which restaurants to visit on this trip, there was never any question about whether Peg Leg would be among them. We had to know whether the fabulous filet mignon we had last year was just a fluke.
We arrived
without reservations and just as we began to open the door we heard this booming
voice call out from somewhere on the far side "It's Ed and Sandra!!!"
and then we saw big Shawn Buchanan hurrying toward us, arms outstretched and a huge smile
on his face. There were hugs all around and kisses for Sandra. Then
before we could hardly get "It's great to see you, Shawn." out of our
mouths he began a recitation of everything we had said about our visit to Peg
Leg in our last travelogue for St. Martin. His eyes danced, and he laughed
and laughed as he recounted our comment about him having a gold necklace
sufficient to anchor the Swaliga II. He's still wearing it. He then
quickly moved us to the same table as last year and pronounced "You must
sit here" as he positioned Sandra into the exact place she had sat
before. And without handing us the menu said "May I presume you will
be having the filet mignon, done medium rare, and accompanied by the stir fried
vegetables - and of course the béarnaise sauce?" Utterly
amazing! It soon arrived. We are hard pressed to find the right words
to describe that filet - "orgasmic" is one that comes to mind.
In response to our inquiries, Shawn explained the beef, which is obviously heavily aged, is flown from the U.S. to St. Martin specially for Peg Leg each Monday morning. As we concluded our meal Sandra asked to meet the chef and Shawn obliged by introducing Danny. We shared with him our sincere compliments for his culinary efforts. Sandra was invited to tour the kitchen and she jumped at the opportunity. She subsequently pronounced it to be compact, well designed, well equipped and exceptionally clean - high praise indeed from someone who is exceedingly critical and demanding in terms of food preparation.
We retired to the attractive bar where we met the bartender, Martin. He requested that he be allowed to make his signature drink, a special Planter's Punch, for Sandra. She relented after securing assurances he would go lightly with the rum. She enjoyed it very much.
After several drinks at the bar we found we were growing weary from the arduous day of lounging by the pool, taking naps, socializing and overeating - it does wear one out, you know. Before big Shawn escorted us to the door there was another big round of hugs and kisses shared between him and Sandra. Ed teased them by saying he couldn't tell which of them was enjoying it the most. Shawn asserted that distinction belonged to him, though Ed still thinks the matter is debatable.
We were sorry we didn't have the opportunity to meet the new owners, Jack and Linda, who were off island at the time.
In conclusion and simply stated, Peg Leg is a casual, unpretentious bar and restaurant with excellent food and drink at very reasonable prices (the stupendous 10 ounce filet mignon is only $19). It certainly will remain on our "to do" list for subsequent visits to the island.
OOO
Hot Tomatoes,
Simpson Bay area
Sandra had the shrimp served with a creamy tequila lime sauce which she thought was good, but she enjoyed even more the samples of Ed's lobster thermidor medallions which were covered in a sauce described as containing fresh cream, butter, sweet mixed peppers, onions, parmesan, rum, dijon mustard and citrus - quite a sauce. Even though we said it's not haute cuisine, the thermidor with its interesting sauce is right up there with the best we've had on St. Martin. Ed also liked the conch chowder appetizer he ordered. Judging from the comments around the table, we would say the others also found their meals enjoyable. In fact, Ed was asked to sample the "Brisket Negril" one of the others was having - it's a beef brisket infused with red wine, marinated in jerk seasonings and then slow roasted in the wood fire oven. Delicious and an imperative choice for us when we have the next opportunity to dine at Hot Tomatoes.
We met the owner, Brad Belding, and his wife Tekki, and enjoyed talking with them that evening and on subsequent occasions when our paths would cross. Our observation was that Brad is very much "hands on" in the operation of the restaurant and is working very hard to ensure it is the success it should be.
OOO Sol' é Luna, Mount Vernon http://www.solelunarestaurant.com/ - The dinner party at Sol' é Luna was a traditional reunion of sorts. We joined with our friends Chuck, Beth, John and Donna from New Jersey and Louis, Lizette and their beautiful daughter, Giselle, from Texas. We had a splendid time and it brought back many fond memories. It was indeed a nice evening of friendship and sharing.
The
staff had reserved for us, on their own initiative, the same large front porch
table we had the prior year. The setting, as always, was lovely. We
found the restaurant to be very busy and Charlotte, the owners' daughter, and
the staff were hustling the entire evening.
The "pie" of sautéed vegetables, topped with goat cheese and smoked duck that Ed had as an appetizer was outstanding - great smoked duck! Sandra's foie gras special was, shall we say, not so "special." The entrees we selected were good, though Sandra's roasted filet of duck with shitake, shallots and balsamic sauce was way overcooked. Ed's flambéed sea scallops and jumbo shrimp with risotto lobster sauce was delicious. Sandra passed on the dessert while Ed partook of the three crème brulée sampler: vanilla, coffee amaretto, and chocolate with Grand Marnier. The sampler was interesting, but not exceptional.
Most of the group made their way through two bottles of a good Pouilly Fuissé while some enjoyed glasses of various reds. We all elected to have the complementary banana vanilla rum drinks after dinner which were tasty.
We believe Sol' é Luna continues to be a very good restaurant with a romantic setting and do recommend it, but this time we did not find it to be quite at the top of its form, based on past experiences.
OO½O Bistrot Caraïbes, Grand Case http://www.bistrotcaraibes.com/ - We should say "up front" the comparatively low (though still good) rating we've assigned Bistrot Caraïbes may be partially the result of us being overly tired from very active partying that day and no naps, not paying careful attention to the menu and not asking sufficient questions. On the other hand, if we were assigning ratings based purely on crème brulée being offered, Bistrot Caraïbes would be at the top of the list!
We met the owners, Thibault and Amaury Meziere - both very charming and delightful people.
Sandra thought her endive and goat cheese with smoked salmon appetizer was very good. In contrast, Ed was horrified when he dug into the extremely stringent, essentially raw shrimp and lobster slices. He had missed the operative word in the description - "carpaccio." Told you we were tired. But he decided to press on and treat it as a new adventure. Retrospectively, he wishes he hadn't been so adventuresome.
Subsequently, Thibault insisted that Sandra, in particular, try a special foie gras appetizer we had somehow missed on the menu. The foie gras, served with a puff pastry, was exceptionally good and would probably top the list of Sandra's all time favorites, if she had not encountered that at Le Gaïac.
Ed requested the sautéed lobster with vegetable, served with a coriander and lobster sauce. Amaury brought to the table the live lobster he had selected - never a particularly joyous moment for Sandra. She chose the braised veal tenderloin with basil and vegetables, complemented with a foie gras port sauce. Ed began to wonder what he had ordered when the table was set with lobster cracking and picking instruments, and actually remarked that he expected sautéed lobster to be out of the shell. There apparently was a breakdown in communication at that point. The dish was served with all but the tail intact residing on top of the plate. Thibault provided an extra plate and explained the top bit of lobster could be lifted and placed there. Doing so revealed the lobster tail beneath, sliced into sections still in the shell. We would have never imagined sautéed lobster would be done in such a manner. Ed should have asked more questions when ordering. After struggling a bit to extract each bite it was determined the taste and texture of the lobster and accompanying sauce were somewhat mediocre.
In Sandra's case, the veal was not braised, it was burned - severely overdone. She just couldn't eat it and explained the problem to Thibault. He actually seemed pleased that she recognized it was not a proper preparation of veal. He proceeded to explain that through long, hard experience they had learned most Americans wanted their veal very well done which he found to be a travesty. He cheerfully removed the dish and announced he would be back in just a few minutes with veal done the way he thought it should be. The new serving of veal was perfect in every respect.
We did enjoy a good Meursault with the meal.
Because Bistrot Caraïbes' reputation for crème brulée was so well known, we had to try it. Thibault seemed to anticipate that would be our choice. We could use a lot of glowing prose to describe how wonderful it was, but we won't. We'll put it quite simply - it's the best, with no equal we have ever experienced.
In spite of our disappointments, we greatly enjoyed meeting the brothers Meziere, talking with them and being the beneficiaries of their considerable friendliness and hospitality. Sandra was presented as a gift the book "The 50 Best Recipes of the Restaurants of Grand Case."
OO½O Citrus, Lowlands - After being seated at Laetitia's chosen table, it became obvious she had informed the wait staff that she wanted to be our exclusive attendant for the evening and she did take extremely good care of us. The first matter of business was to decide upon a wine and an unusually nice '95 Dom Bouchard Mersault Genevrieres subsequently was selected.
The amuse gueule of mushrooms, puff pastry and salmon was disappointing because it was somewhat on the stale side and we suspected had been prepared a good bit earlier. The foie gras with mango we had enjoyed last year was not quite so good this time. It needed to be infused with a bit of the excellent mango sauce and seared just a bit more.
Sandra found the Snapper entree not to be moist. Ed detected an unannounced fish flavored ingredient in the "Nori Ravioli" which supposedly contained only shrimp, duck, spinach, pecans, shitake mushrooms and a sesame glaze. It would have been perfectly delightful if that underlying hint of fish had not been there.
A practical tip for the uninitiated at Citrus is to beware the "arty" salt and pepper dispensers. The tops twist to dispense the seasonings, but nothing is deposited until the trap door on the bottom is opened. Someone not familiar with them will tend to over-twist the tops all the while looking for the salt or pepper to fall. When the trap door is discovered and opened, by then a good amount has accumulated and it drops onto the food in greater quantities than expected.
For dessert Sandra was satisfied with a rather largish serving of Muscat wine and Ed had, of course, the crème brulée. The latter was very pleasant and had a good taste, but surprisingly it was quite warm throughout and the caramelization was thick. Sandra's impression from a sample of it was that it had been "nuked" in a microwave.
We strongly suspect because of more than subtle nuances in the preparation style of our dinner and a few things that just weren't quite right that Citrus must have a chef that is different from the one who prepared our food last year. Also, we're sure the unusually busy night didn't help matters. In spite of what may appear differently from our commentary, we enjoyed ourselves at Citrus and were especially pleased to renew our acquaintance with Laetitia. We like her spirit and good wit, and think she definitely is a credit to the restaurant, which we trust is appropriately recognized.
O Le Santal, Sandy Ground - We had dinner at Le Santal on each of our two prior trips and had found it to be exceptionally good in every respect - from top flight food to consummately impeccable service. You can imagine our considerable disappointment in feeling compelled to lower their rating from a solid 5 O's on two consecutive visits. To make matters worse we had selected Le Santal at which to dine with two new acquaintances on St. Martin, Deepti Mohnani and her brother Jeff, neither of which had been to the restaurant before. However, they knew of our particular fondness for it based on past experiences and were eager to try it with us. Deepti and Jeff were far too polite and considerate to make critical comments, so you may take all that follow as being exclusively ours.
We were graciously and warmly greeted by the owner Evelyne Cornilleau who remembered us well. She was exceptionally friendly which was slightly out of character from her somewhat aloof, and perhaps not deserved, reputation. We were indeed pleased to see her again. The table she had waiting for us by the waterside was as wonderful as ever. We were introduced to a new waiter, Sergio Sanchez, who was very pleasant, full of energy and eager to please. But we could tell immediately he lacked that unusual polish displayed by his predecessor, Samuel Audoux. An inquiry later in the evening to Evelyne revealed that Samuel has moved to St. Barths and she clearly missed what he had added to Le Santal, as indeed we did.
The amuse gueule was a scallop with sauces. We found the scallop to be dry and for the most part tasteless. Ed's appetizer, lobster ravioli prepared with scallions and Chanterelle mushrooms, was truly excellent, but Sandra was disappointed with her foie gras. These were followed by chateaubriand for the two of us done with a ground pepper flambé and aged Armagnac accompanied by fried sliced potatoes and a béarnaise sauce. We were shocked at the toughness and lack of flavor of the chateaubriand and the fact it was cold, even though the plates were quite hot. Also, the béarnaise sauce was much too thick and lumpy, and lacked any distinguishing flavor. The accompanying vegetable was quite unremarkable.
The chocolate soufflé shared by Ed, Deepti and Jeff was a complete disappointment and certainly not like the exquisite ones we had enjoyed so much on prior visits. In fact, this one had fallen - quite sad looking. Sandra's beautifully presented dessert of white and black chocolates with sauces was tasty but not particularly inspiring.
We did totally enjoy the very excellent bottles of Sancerre and Meursault (Sandra is tending to avoid reds these days).
When Evelyne inquired about our perceptions of the meal, the very genuine look of disappointment and regret on her face was immense as we gave her a synopsis without being overbearing about the matter. She was extremely apologetic and obviously quite saddened by our comments. She indicated there would be no charge for the chateaubriand and quickly provided generous servings of Remy Martin which she remembered we prefer as an after dinner drink.
Not that it influenced our perceptions of the dining experience, but a tremendous storm materialized during the early part of dinner and persisted for some time. We were pleased to see the newly installed canvas-like awnings could be automatically operated to close off the balcony openings to whatever degree is desired. That was impressive. Even so, the intensity of the storm and its driving rain were such that they eventually shifted our table away from the edge of the balcony. And as if we weren't having enough stress, one of the Nikons we had with us began to misbehave - we've had that problem before on occasion when there has been a sudden shift to very high humidity. Consequently, we weren't able to do all the photographs we would have liked.
After everyone had said their farewells for the evening, Ed took Evelyne aside and, in effect, consoled her a bit. Her expectation to provide us another wonderful dining experience had not been met and she was feeling quite badly about it. Neither Ed nor Sandra would have wanted to be in chef Aymerie Vital's shoes that night when Evelyne was through with him!
We make no apologies for Le Santal. A restaurant of that caliber and cost must earn and merit its reputation with each meal for every customer. Off nights are not acceptable.
The following are brief comments and ratings for our other, less significant dining experiences.
44444 Sun Set Cafe, Grand Case Beach Club http://www.sunset-cafe.com/ - It's debatable whether this meal should be listed here or under the category for more significant dining experiences.
One
afternoon, as we sat enjoying the view over Petit Plage and refreshing
ourselves with cold Caribs, we decided to indulge in appetizers. In fact,
we ordered three of them and each one was totally superb! These included
(1) Tomato Gaspaccio, (2) Snails cooked in fondue of Roquefort cheese and
light cream, and (3) Ravioli stuffed with "forest mushrooms" and
finished with a savory morel sauce. There were lots of "oohs"
and "aahs" as we worked our way through those delicacies.
As we were engrossed with the wonderful appetizers, we heard someone exclaim "Oh my god - it's Ed and Sandra!" and Paul and Andrea approached to introduce themselves. They quickly told us how very much they enjoy our travelogues. In fact, the considerable, detailed knowledge they demonstrated about them as they referenced excerpt after excerpt was beyond impressive. We wish our memories were so good. They were very nice, congenial people and we learned that Paul is a producer and play writer, and also teaches at a major university. Andrea is an actress and we would guess a very good one. They extended a kind invitation to attend a closed premier of their newest play which we shall try to do.
This might be a good place to say we much prefer people who recognize us (and even those who don't) to come forward and say "Hello." On quite a few occasions during this trip we had that sort of eerie, almost certain, feeling that people were recognizing us from our website but, for whatever reason, chose not to introduce themselves. We hope it's not because we give the impression of being unfriendly, because we do enjoy meeting people.
Before leaving Sun Set Cafe, we renewed our acquaintance with Pascal Narm who owns Sun Set and L'Auberge Gourmande http://www.laubergegourmande.com/ in Grand Case. He told us about the new restaurant, Le Montmartre http://www.lemontmartre.com/ - a Brasserie Parisienne, his very attractive wife, Karen, has opened at the Atlantis Casino complex. We saw it on our excursions and it looked quite nice. Sorry we didn't have time to try it.
We finished at Sun Set with excellent pina coladas - yup, we encountered the "brain freeze" thing several times while we enjoyed them.
4444 SunSet Beach Bar, End of Juliana runway - We always fondly remember the terrific hamburgers we had at SunSet Beach Bar on our first visit to St. Martin and we were determined to have them again. Our initial attempt was after doing a good bit of exploring around Friar and Cupecoy beaches. We say "attempt" because SunSet was slammed and we could barely get drinks they were so busy. Our next try on the day we were departing the island was a success. Andrew from Jamaica is still master of the grill and we were not disappointed. Ed had a wonderful cheeseburger and Sandra decided to try the large, all beef hotdog. She thought it was excellent - messy, but excellent.
4444 Delicacies from Bounty, Grand Case - Our very first priority after checking-in at Hotel L'Esplanade and receiving the rental car from St. Louis was to dash to Bounty, the gourmet food shop in Grand Case. They have wonderful prepared foods and terrific ingredients to make your own. They also have a nice selection of wines. Our only complaint is they seemed to be consistently low on their supply of Coors Lite.
On that initial trip we purchased roast beef, several cheeses of which there's always a nice quality selection, French butter rolls, French mustards, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, plums, grapes for the little sugarbirds at L'Esplanade, Président butter, and salati crackers. Of course the most imperative purchase was a good supply of foie gras pâté. We were so excited to be shopping in Bounty again we completely forgot the more mundane essentials like milk and orange juice.
We seemed to stop at Bounty with some frequency - perhaps it partially was because the very attractive blond attendant clearly remembered Ed from prior trips and was, shall we say, extremely helpful to him. Actually, all of the staff try to be helpful though spoken English is not one of their strong points. They were patient indeed when we were trying to explain the need for #2 cone coffee filters - it took a bit of walking around the shop, pointing and Ed attempting to use his woefully inadequate French (there were no #2's, but found a #4 will work quite nicely, if adjusted properly in the basket).
It seems at least one evening during each of our trips we invariably crash and have no interest in going out to dinner. This time was no exception and the splendid goodies from Bounty provided an excellent meal in our suite.
444 Domaine de L'Amandier, Grand Case - There's been a bit of change since our last visit with the creation of the New Orleans Bar A Tapas near the front entranceway. The original bar across from the restaurant area is now called the Martini Bar. One of the very nice things about the tapas bar is that it stays open and prepares food until 3:00am. Not quite that late one morning we decided we were hungry and ordered the Camenbert flambé and the Crevettes á l'ail et Tomate, both of which were specifically recommended by our friend, Samir, who works at L'Amandier (very good to see him again). They were very nice, especially the Camenbert cheese dish.
444 La Playa, Orient Beach http://www.hostehotel.com/restaurant.html - Some of our friends from New Jersey, Chuck and Beth, rented the private party spot at La Playa overlooking the beach. They had it for their friends the whole day and we suspect well into the evening (we reluctantly had to leave late afternoon for another commitment). It was a terrific "event" and we greatly enjoyed ourselves.
The
private party place is on an elevated platform surrounded by a low wall and
partially covered over the dining area which has a large table with chairs.
The beach side "balcony" area has a bench and chairs and is good for
collecting maximum rays. On the back right corner is a well secluded,
very large jacuzzi that got more than a little use that day. There also is a small refrigerator and a stereo under the covered area that was used to pump
out nice reggae all afternoon.
A waiter (perhaps he was one of the managers at La Playa) catered to our needs and took our lunch orders from the menu. It was subsequently served on the dining table which was properly set. Sandra had the goat cheese and smoked duck while Ed did the melon with Parma ham. They were very good!
The only slight annoyance we encountered was when one of the party requested an opener for the nice Chateau des Ferrages Rosé we had brought as a gift for the others. The attendant made some snide comment to the effect of "Surely you wouldn't think of bringing food to a restaurant, would you?" But he did comply with the request. We felt he had nothing about which to complain because many, many bottles of La Playa's wine were consumed during the course of the party and the bill must have been astronomical.
444
La Vie en Rose,
Marigot - On our initial shopping expedition to Marigot we thought it best first
to fortify ourselves with food and drink. Sitting at the sidewalk table
beneath the umbrellas, Ed had a 
delicious Croque Madame and Sandra the special
of the day, a croissant with ham, cheese and mushrooms in a cream sauce.
The latter was very tasty but extremely "rich," primarily because of
the cream sauce. The servings of both were so large we couldn't finish
them. Service was very quick and efficient.
In the evenings La Vie en Rose shutters the street level section and opens a lovely dining room on the upper floor. Would like to try it sometime.
44½4 Papagayo, Club Orient – Last year we were disappointed in the service and food we had at Papagayo for dinner. Consequently, we politely declined an invitation to have dinner there on this visit, even though we would have liked to spend the time with our friends. As we have observed before, the lunches are another matter - they're quite decent and we don't understand why the difference. Very odd, indeed.
The lunch we had was actually good enough that we over indulged. Sandra had a cheeseburger with good quality meat and Ed the jerk chicken breast with fries. Service, as usual at Papagayo, was uneven. At times the waiter was prompt and attentive while at other times he would forget us and one of the party would have to go in search of assistance.
44½4 Coco Restaurant Bar, Orient Beach - One day after exploring Anse Marcel and the area where Mt. Vernon is situated, we went to Coco for lunch even though it was a terrible beach day - heavily overcast and strong winds. We were glad the plastic screens were lowered at the restaurant. Max waited on us - very friendly, nice guy. Sandra had a small pizza with cheese, tomato and pepperoni, and Ed had the shrimp tapas. Both were fine for a light lunch.
We had the pleasure of talking with the owner, Sophie. In the course of the conversation she realized we had produced the Orient Beach Panorama and she explained how helpful it had been to her. She said the numbered Esmeralda layout had been especially useful in terms of trying to find guests staying there and to give people directions. We asked if she had any knowledge about the work on the nearby abandoned building and she was surprised to learn there had been some effort undertaken. She related that at one time she had pursued acquiring the place to make a really nice beach bar / restaurant, but discovered the "papers for the building were not proper."
4 Buccaneer Beach Bar, Simpson Bay - Since Neil Rooney at one time owned an interest in SunSet Beach Bar and had been responsible for opening Peg Leg Pub, we felt certain the fare he would have to offer at the Buccaneer would be excellent. The cheeseburger we shared was greatly disappointing because it definitely did not contain the high quality meat we were expecting.
6 Concession at Bamboo Bernies' Concert Area, near the end of Juliana runway - You'll read about the concert later, but there were food concession stands for the "captive" audience. Sandra was starving, so we visited the one selling ribs. Big mistake. The ribs according to Sandra had the distinction of being the absolute worst she had ever encountered by a wide margin and she hopes never to have such an experience again.
Here we'll very briefly mention, with a few exceptions, the 21 bars and lounges that we did not primarily patronize in conjunction with a meal. You understand, of course, that all these bar visits were to do research for this travelogue.
There are no "ratings" and the establishments are listed in alphabetical order.
Baywatch, Orient Beach - Cheryl saw us go to the bar and quickly came over for hugs and kisses - charming as ever. We made a point of chatting only for a few minutes because we didn't want to detract her from her customers who were dining there. It was late in the afternoon and we were surprised, as was Cheryl, at how many people were dropping in at that time to eat. We were pleased for her. Missed Andy again.
La Belle Epoque, Marigot - This marina waterfront bar and restaurant was our rest stop several times during the strenuous shopping in Marigot. The view is great and Ed found it very handy for a cold one and a cigarette while Sandra was trying on clothes at Monica, directly across the corner from La Belle Epoque. Service was very good and unconcerned when Ed would leave the table to view Sandra standing in the doorway of the shop to display various apparel she was considering. Others there also seemed to enjoy the fashion show.
Bikini
Beach Bar, Orient Beach - Visited Bikini a couple of times and finally had the good fortune to meet
Elisa Cohen, the manager. There's a bit of a story here. On our
first trip to St. Martin we had gone to Bikini and encountered one of the very
few instances of "le attitude" from the French bartenders. Elisa
read about the incident in our trip report and contacted us by email seeking
greater detail so she could deal with the offending parties. She made it
quite clear she has no tolerance for that sort of thing. We were even more
impressed when we had a long talk with Elisa after meeting her. We think
she must be an outstanding business woman and she certainly values the patronage
of her customers. The staff in place at Bikini this visit were totally
cordial and efficient.
BooBoo Jam, Orient Beach - we visited on French Mothers' Day and the locals were there en masse. They had a good band and we enjoyed the music, albeit a little loud.
Buccaneer Beach Bar, Simpson Bay area - It still has a sense of "newness" about it and the structure certainly reminds one of SunSet Beach Bar. We want to highly compliment the parking that is available. The drinks were good and we enjoyed talking to Byron, the bartender (some of you may remember him as "Bongo Byron"). Just sorry we missed Neil Rooney for the first time in three trips.
Domaine de L'Amandier, Grand Case - In addition to having drinks at the new tapas bar several nights, we also visited the Martini Bar and had the pleasure of talking with Michael, a very nice fellow from Paris serving the libations.
Esperance Airport Lounge, - Visited here several times in conjunction with our various comings and goings on charter flights. Gave us a couple of good opportunities to study up close the French troops with heavy duty weapons who also were patronizing the place. Not exactly your normal restaurant / bar crowd.
Golden Eyes, Simpson Bay area - Well, it's not exactly a bar, but maybe it sort of fits the lounge category (there certainly was a lot of "lounging" with drinks). We had stopped at Ric's late one night and found it closed, but noticed the place upstairs seemed open. Curiosity got the better of us and we ventured forth. Interesting, to say the least. How shall we put this? We were greatly welcomed and Sandra, being the only female customer, received a lot of attention from the staff and others.
An interesting occurrence was when we saw a tall, thin and very beautiful Hungarian girl dancing and Sandra announced that the girl's eyes looked tired. So the next thing Ed knew Sandra was up to the stage tucking in an exceedingly generous tip and inviting the girl to join us, which she quickly did. She asked what we would like her to do for us and Mother Sandra said "Absolutely nothing. Just sit down here for a moment and rest your eyes." The girl was stunned and quite incredulous, but did as Sandra asked and in no time at all was hard asleep on Sandra's shoulder. After about 10 minutes she awoke, thanked us profusely and went about her business. Yes, it was an interesting evening and we might add that our "research" revealed Golden Eyes is an expensive place to drink ($5/beer), quite apart from any tips one might be inclined to give.
Hot Tomatoes, Simpson Bay area - As mentioned earlier, the bar here is quite attractive and has a nice "feel" about it. We stopped on several occasions and one of those times met Gabe, the restaurant / bar manager. He's quite a savvy guy. Sandra prompted his views on local politics which we found to be not only insightful, but rationally logical.
Juliana Airport Lounge, - Excellent air conditioning, but crowded as we whiled away our last bit of time on the island. It's the only place you can enjoy a cigarette in the airport.
Kali's
Beach Bar, Friar's Bay - Neat place which reminded us of somewhere we've been before, perhaps in Jamaica, but we can't quite put our
finger on it. Kali's certainly has a prominent reggae / Rastafarian theme
and the music was terrific. We met Kali and he was quite interested in
seeing the travelogue for this trip. One easily could spend quite a bit of
enjoyable time at this bar with its fabulous view of the beckoning white beach
and turquoise water.
Karabuni, Pinel Island - Actually, there are two bar components to Karabuni. One is the boat bar on the beach which served the loungers there and the other is the restaurant / bar proper. Nice setting and good service.
Mary's Boon, Simpson Bay area - Enjoyed having a few beers in the bar here, which is quite cozy. See the subsequent subject heading "Visit to Mary's Boon" for more information.
Le Meridien Plaza Bar, Anse Marcel - While exploring the road to Anse Marcel we decided to visit the Le Meridien complex. The grounds and hotels are attractive and as we wandered about we found the large open air central plaza bar. We soon saw Diane and Tim, two very nice people we had met at a social gathering at Hot Tomatoes, walking in our direction. They had stopped to speak earlier while we were traversing the mountain and Ed was making photos. We invited them to join us at the bar and enjoyed their company.
Open Air Bar - Howell Center, Marigot - Stopped here for two quick Presidenté after shopping in the Center. All was well until Sandra spotted the cockroach from hell (3 inches or more in length) scurrying around our feet. We hastily gathered up the shopping bags into our arms for fear he might want to hitch a ride back to the hotel. Thus encumbered it was a little challenging to finish the beers, but we managed to do so.
Papagayo, Club Orient - Had a few drinks there one afternoon and lots of them at a Saturday night party. We still think the best service is that which you provide for yourself - go to the bar to get your drinks.
We did find a certain irony in parking to go to Papagayo. During the daytime, the guard at the entrance to Club Orient insists you park in the lot there, but when we did so for the Saturday night party, he was equally insistent we not park in the lot, but instead drive to Papagayo. We're still puzzled about that.
Pedro's, Orient Beach - Totally dead - we were the only customers. Guess everyone was over at Baywatch!
La Playa, Orient Beach - On a day before the private party we had gone to La Playa for drinks. Unfortunately they don't offer our personal preference, Coors Light, and since we were in the midst of surveying the vicinity, we stayed only long enough to have a Carib.
Sand
Bar, Snoopy Island - Simpson Bay, - We
don't know who was more surprised and pleased - us or Wanda - when we saw each
other at the Sand Bar. Wanda, formerly with Peg Leg Pub, is now the
bartender at the exceptionally nice Sand Bar. She looked great and seemed
quite happy with her new job which she had held since January when the bar
opened. She made a point to tell us she kept our personal card in a
special place.
We think the Sand Bar with its clientele of yachty types, captains of upscale fishing charters and some local regulars is quite interesting. We had a great afternoon there.
SunSet Beach Bar, end of Juliana runway - It was nice to see Fiona and Heidi again, and to learn that Althea works at both Hot Tomatoes and SunSet. On our first visit when they were so busy, Althea managed to spray us both when the blender top slipped from her hand. It wasn't bad and we laughed about it, but Althea was embarrassed and quickly provided free beers.
Even when we didn't stop at the bar and were just passing by, it seemed they had a lot of customers. One Sunday evening on our way to Bamboo Bernies we noticed a huge crowd that completely packed all of the surrounding patio area and spilled over into the street. That must have been some party atmosphere! Maybe the attraction was some especially well endowed ladies having free drinks.
La Vie en Rose, Marigot - In addition to stopping for lunch, we would pop in for a beer (well, sometimes several beers) each time we began and ended shopping expeditions in Marigot. The manager, Alison Branford from Brighton, England, was a constant source of fun. It became a bit of a joke each time we arrived laden with shopping bags and Alison would come from behind the counter to take a look and say "Yes, you did well today!"
On one visit when Ed had gone with Alison to see the upstairs restaurant (very nice) he returned to find Ms. Never Met A Stranger engaged in lively conversation with another customer, Anita from Ft. Lauderdale. It was interesting to hear about the unique, niche business venture she had pursued as manager of a company that specializes in providing health benefits for crews of luxury yachts. Those benefits include the provision of medical treatment and emergency evacuation anywhere in the world. Fascinating. We were further surprised when she told us she was staying at Mary's Boon and knew Richard Green there.
We did more exploring of beaches this time which was somewhat of an adventure, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, we'll discuss those we visited with which we were already familiar.
Orient - We were hugely shocked to see firsthand the considerable erosion in the immediate vicinity of Papagayo at Club Orient. We easily could remember pleasant afternoons of days past sitting on the patio at Papagayo with feet propped on the low wall, enjoying the view of the palm trees and the wide expanse of sand leading to the water's edge. Similarly positioned now one is likely to see nothing but the water undercutting the patio. What a shame! In fact, to reach Papagayo from the beach area without getting wet, one had to be on the "land" side above the considerable drop off at the fence edge.
We don't want
to give the impression that all of Orient Beach or even all of the section at Club
Orient had deteriorated, because nothing could be further from the truth.
Let's just say Mother Nature had rearranged things somewhat. There was
still plenty of beautiful beach at Club Orient toward The Perch and the further
one went toward the Coco end of Orient the more the beach had actually grown.
We've said before with regard to past visits and we continue to believe that Orient is a wonderful beach with many things to offer. It's certainly one of our favorites in the Caribbean.
Grand Case - This beach is a continuous arc of sand in the deeply recessed Baie de Grand-Case. We did notice the Petit Plage section at Grand Case Beach Club might be a little smaller this year; however, it is still attractive and is certainly a good place for a relaxing time - replete with beach service from Sun Set Cafe (just raise your lounge flag). At the opposite end of Grand Case in the vicinity of Le Petit Hotel, the sand has increased. Two years ago we could see some flat, water worn rocks in that area, but that no longer is the case. It's quite attractive there.
Anse Marcel - The first new beach we saw on this trip was at Le Meridien. Granted the weather was pretty miserable that day, but we were not impressed. We'll give it an "OK" but nothing more. We felt it had no distinguishing attributes, especially compared to other beaches we've seen on St. Martin.
Pinel Island - We finally made it over to Pinel after meaning to do so the past two trips and never accomplishing it. The ferry ride to and from was fun, and the "captain" of the small wood boat was hilarious with his rhyming chants to summon passengers. Perhaps we were lucky, but it was not crowded at all as we understand it can be at times with cruise ship passengers. We found it to be a very pleasant and relaxing place, with a wide expanse of sand on a comparatively short beach.
We
met Eric Karabuni who owns a restaurant / bar there and enjoyed his
hospitality. We asked one of the waitresses, Valerie from Paris - a most
attractive young lady, to allow us to photograph her removing a lobster from the
holding pen about 20 feet out in the shallow water, as we had seen her do
several times for diners at the restaurant. She happily obliged and as Ed
setup the shot it suddenly dawned on a lot of people on the beach that it was a
terrific photo op and they rushed forward with their cameras. Poor Valerie
was a trooper and continued holding the monster size lobster until all the
amateur photographers had the pictures they wanted.
Mullet Bay - This is a very attractive beach. We parked along the golf course which was green and mowed (the word "manicured" as so often is seen applied to golf courses would never apply here), and walked across to the beach. There were lots of people taking advantage of the gorgeous day.
Maho Bay - Situated at one end of the Juliana runway between Maho and SunSet Beach Bar, it's not much of a beach. However, it's quite comical to see people there flipped from the beach into the water by the engine blasts of the big jets taking off.
Simpson Bay Beach at Mary's Boon - We were very surprised to find such a nice, long beach tucked away in that area. We would suspect people are generally unaware of it unless they've had the pleasure of staying at Mary's Boon. It was almost deserted the day we saw it. There's also a nice view from there of Billy Folly Hill and the point in the distance.
Friar's Bay - As we studied our maps and asked questions, we learned there were two points of access. One is near Grand Case before the Gess gas station (there are signs), but we were told it was not practical to drive all the way to the beach - it would involve a several minute walk after the unpaved road ended. We decided to forego that. The other access, which we chose, is the paved road which turns off at Cripple Gate on the Marigot side of Rambaud. This is where we found Kali's Beach Bar and a lovely small beach tucked into a cove. We thought the sand there was unusually white.
Cupecoy - This was on our absolutely "must do" list because we wanted to see the dramatic limestone cliffs that we understood lined the beach. The directions we had seen were, at best, confusing to us because we had driven the road on which it is located many times and never recognized any of the associated landmarks. We proceeded from the direction of Sandy Ground and finally stopped at Cupecoy Beach Club across from the Atlantis Casino. We had understood that the Cliffhanger Bar was in that immediate vicinity. We asked a guard there for directions and he indicated the bar was closed at that moment, but after we explained we just wanted to see the area and make photographs he was very helpful. He had us pull our vehicle under the covered entranceway to the Club and gave us good directions. We would have never found it without his help! When we reached the closed bar the view was dramatic - we can only imagine what it must be like at night. Our first glimpse of the eroded limestone cliffs was a real eye opener. There are steps that lead down to the water, but there was no beach whatsoever. It was a clear, calm day but the ocean was crashing forcefully against the face of the cliff - quite a sight.
After
finding our way back we gave the guard a tip and he informed us the next access
point was at the Ocean Club. We decided to go there and meet Bill Edwards
who we knew participates on St. Martin message boards as OCBill. We found
him in the computer room at the Ocean Club and he happily escorted us to the
wood steps leading down to that section of Cupecoy Beach. Again, a very
interesting sight, but there was no beach. Bill indicated it had been
there a few days before. We gather the beach comes and goes frequently at
that spot. He gave us directions, ones we finally understood, to the
access in the vicinity of Citrus Restaurant. Heading toward Sandy Ground
from the Ocean Club it's easy to spot, but not from the opposite direction
because of the way the road bends (a driver would be concentrating on navigating
the curve there). We parked along with many other cars just off the road
and 
made our way by the wall down to the beach. There was an unbelievable
number of butterflies in flight everywhere you looked - quite incredible.
The beautiful beach, the cliffs, the caves and the rock at the point were well
worth seeing. We saw none of the notorious "cliff boys" thank
goodness, though Sandra was approached by a couple of gregarious Canadian guys
who were hoping she was unescorted (Ed was down at the end of the beach by the
cliff waiting for just the right light to make a great photograph).
We could easily see why this section of Cupecoy is such a favorite with many people.
Yes, there was lots of it! Sandra was in perfect form this trip. We'll skip the extensive "just looking" and window shopping generalities and concentrate on the serious stuff.
DK Gems International, Philipsburg - We really were just interested in visiting Deepti and Jeff Mohnani at Deepti's shop and seeing the store. Ed had explicitly forewarned them that jewelry purchases were not on our agenda for this trip to St. Martin. That firm resolve lasted every bit of two minutes. Ed was the culprit because after we had chatted about that amount of time with Deepti and she and Sandra continued to talk, Ed was off surveying the counters. In short order thereafter he was saying "Sandra, take a look at this." And so it went. What particularly caught our attention was a stunning white and yellow gold dinner ring encrusted with a great many tiny diamonds covering the face and shoulders of the ring. It was most unusual and quite unlike any of Sandra's other treasures. That was soon paired with a matching pendant and then Deepti demonstrated her considerable artistic flair by suggesting that a white and a gold necklace be combined into one to carry the pendant. Beautiful combination.
With those big decisions out of the way, Sandra began studying earrings and narrowed her preferences to two sets of diamond ones. Since she was having a lot of difficulty choosing between the two, Ed resolved the problem by indicating she should have both. While Sandra had been wrestling with earring choices, Ed continued to study the jewelry display cases (between cigarette breaks outside) and discovered a gold bracelet that was the exact one for which we had searched so diligently two years before in Philipsburg. The design is a repeated pattern of starfish, scallop shells and sand dollars. Sandra tried it and found it too large for her wrist at which point Deepti asked that we let her have one of the bangles removed and made into a pendant for Sandra. It turned out very nicely and was a clever idea.
We
want to dwell a bit for our readers on Deepti and DK Gems because we found them
quite unusual in the context of our many jewelry shopping jaunts in the U.S. and
Caribbean. We find it remarkable that Deepti at age 21 is not only a
certified G.I.A. gemologist, but also the principal owner of this nice jewelry
store. She's very charming, straightforward, and most definitely
likes social interaction and promoting her island home. We should also add
that she is very creative and that is reflected in her own custom designed
jewelry which we found to be most tasteful and distinctive. An aspect we
liked about doing business with her and her associates was the total absence of
game playing with prices. To the customer accustomed to or expecting the
customary haggling and negotiation that occurs in most jewelry stores on both
the Dutch and French sides, it will come as a shock when the first price quoted
is the "best price." It will be patently obvious to anyone
familiar with quality and value of jewelry that this is the policy and practice
at DK Gems. We found it exceedingly refreshing.
If you want to try negotiating a lower price with them, you politely will be invited to comparison shop and they will direct you to the stores they believe most likely will have the same or similar pieces in which you're interested. Their competitors hate it! The only downside to this practice is for those people who truly enjoy playing the haggling game - they'll be disappointed. We spent quite a bit of time at DK Gems that day (as if you couldn't tell) and actually observed the practice we're describing to occur a number of times. In fact, we saw one potential customer dispatched to comparison shop, only to return later and make purchases.
Somewhat on a humorous note, "just as a matter of interest for Sandra," Deepti pulled out a ring with a 4 carat diamond center stone and fairly large surrounding diamonds. Thank god (Ed thinks), Sandra already has two rings with similar characteristics and wasn't in the least tempted. But the funny part was Deepti kept walking away to do other things leaving the ring on a tray near Sandra, who immediately felt in each instance she needed to be responsible for guarding it in case there were any less than honest types among the people crowding the store. Sandra finally insisted to Deepti that she take time to put the ring away because it was making her nervous. We learned later they sold that ring that afternoon (probably to one of those folk of whom Sandra was suspicious).
CoCo
Island, Marigot - This is a wonderful
little boutique at #14, Rue du General de Gaulle where last year we found some
fabulous French design dresses for Sandra. We were very disappointed when
we found it closed on our first shopping expedition to Marigot since it was our
number one priority. Fortunately on another day we found it open and the
owner, Coralie Canot (everyone calls her "CoCo"), minding the
shop. Coralie is originally from Paris and has been on St. Martin for 5
years. She's a delightful young woman with an extraordinary eye for
fashion and the fit of clothes. With "CoCo's" more than capable
assistance we selected two black outfits comprised of dressy pants and tops
(watch for them in the photo presentations). CoCo skillfully made a sewing
adjustment to one of the tops while we waited and all the pieces then fit
perfectly. She gave Sandra a lovely necklace she had noticed her briefly
admiring.
If you visit CoCo Island, don't be fooled by the simplicity of the racks and displays in the boutique. Take your time and look. There are some exquisite treasures there for both casual and more dressy occasions.
Monica, Marigot - Ed guided Sandra to this shop at #21, Marina Royale with hope she would find some nice linen wear he very much wanted her to have. It was a very successful effort. The "120% lino" line was fabulous and Sandra was soon outfitted with linen pants, two camisole tops, and a full shirt along with matching Marella sandals. Jean Christophe and Sandrine Doll provided exceptionally good suggestions and assistance. Of course, one thing led to another and Sandra spotted a gorgeous dress, also by Marella of Italy, which needed just a little alteration - slightly too large.
When we returned on a subsequent day to collect the dress, Ed had been thinking about the linen with which we were very pleased and insisted Sandra consider matching shorts. So she obliged and selected two pair - one in the imperative white for linen and the other a nice sable color.
Goldfinger
Jewelry, Marigot - We did imply we over
shopped, didn't we? Both of us had been noticing Ed's trusty chronograph
was getting a bit tired looking, even though it often still received
compliments. Consequently, Sandra strongly encouraged him to consider a
new watch and Goldfinger seemed just the 
place to visit. We went to the
main store at #11, Rue de la Republique and looked at their wares. The
black, all ceramic Rado really appealed to us, but Ed said he needed to think
about it a bit. By the end of that day's shopping in Marigot we returned
to Goldfinger and purchased it.
As we said earlier, one thing leads to another. Over the next few days Ed was very much enjoying the new watch and Sandra thought it most attractive, so much so Ed detected some unexpressed interest on her part in possibly having one. Consequently, he insisted we return to Goldfinger to look at one for her. She found an almost identical Rado for ladies and fell in love with it. Thus ensued the really serious negotiations - more so than for the prior purchase. It soon led to the owner of all the Goldfinger stores (3 in Marigot and 2 in Philipsburg) being directly involved. After a good bit of tough back and forth, she accepted what she knew would be our final offer.
We found Huguette Erb, though a tough negotiator, to be splendidly sophisticated and charming - we really liked her and the feeling appeared genuinely mutual. She is from Lyon, France and is quite proud of her accomplishments with the Goldfinger stores. Sandra, of course, couldn't resist the opportunity to play with Huguette's white poodle.
Anyway, we now had his and her matching Rado's over which we made many jokes, like two kids, during the remainder of the trip.
L' île aux Trésors, Marigot - We found this outstanding purveyor of cadeaux, souvenirs et décoration at #18, Rue de la Libertié last year and knew that we wanted to return. We weren't disappointed - it was still filled with many quality items. The owner who speaks little English recognized us and pointed out one of the brass porthole style clocks we had purchased on our last visit. We truly envy people with memories like that!
In short order we selected a handsomely framed map with a relief of St. Martin done in finely cut cork - very attractive and destined to become a companion to the porthole clock in Ed's bathroom. Sandra found a miniature (about 10 inches in length) buccaneer's cutlass with scabbard made in Toledo, Spain she thought would be an interesting addition to a curio at home and then we spotted the small, rigged sailboats - a perfect gift for our son.
Subsequently, the owner and his wife wanted to talk more about where our home is and produced an atlas from beneath the counter. He seemed knowledgeable about the basics of U.S. geography and we soon had our small town pinpointed, all of this being done without one another fully comprehending what was being spoken.
We're certain L' île aux Trésors will receive more visits from us in the future. Sandra's already saying "Oh, I wish I had bought..."
Lingerie Shop, Howell Center, Marigot - The translation of the name of this store Pomme Cannelle - "Apple Cinnamon" - is rather lost on us, but there's no doubt it has an excellent selection of French lingerie and the proprietor is most knowledgeable. Our quest actually was quite mundane but we needed help with the array of options. We wanted something that would be appropriate for wear beneath Sandra's newly acquired linen things - something that would avoid that all too frequently seen tacky contrast and lines of undergarments with linen. The shop owner knew exactly what would be best for that purpose and the purchases were made.
West Indies Mall, Marigot - Practically all of the available space is now outfitted with shops most of which are devoted to upscale products. Sandra was in search of nail polish remover and found what she wanted in Channel. Ed teased her about paying $11 for the small bottle and allowed as how he could buy a gallon of acetone at a hardware store for that price and it would be just as effective, if not more so.
Ma DouDou, - A return visit was made to the Ma DouDou store in Cul-de-Sac. Sandra wanted a particular one of the stacking spice bottles to add to her collection and she also wanted replacement corks for the bottles she already has. Knowing the folk at the store speak only rudimentary English, Sandra had the bright idea of asking the staff at Hotel L'Esplanade to write on a card in French her request for corks. It was a good plan, but it failed because the store was closed and we were told by a young fellow there it would be until the owners returned from vacation, which was after our departure from the island.
Ed remembered that Match carried the Ma DouDou spice bottles and on a visit there we found exactly what Sandra wanted, but we remained corkless.
Other Stuff - We added to the T-shirt, beer cozy, and ball caps for Sandra collections with purchases from SunSet Beach Bar, Buccaneer Beach Bar, Grand Case Beach Club (they have a surprisingly nice collection of quality wear) and Bikini Beach Bar. It was interesting to discover that SunSet Beach Bar has opened a "boutique" adjacent to the patio area (easy to overlook) and it has even more varied products than were being sold from the bar in earlier times. Sandra especially liked the little tank tops from SunSet and Bikini.
While we were having drinks at the bar near the Bikini gift shop, we met a beautiful young girl from Basle, Switzerland. Carmen has been on St. Martin for three years and works at Kontiki. As we chatted about clothes and such, she said she wanted to show us something she had just purchased at the Bikini shop that was a newly arrived item. So off she went and returned a few minutes later to model a unique pair of beach pants that were blousy and could be tied at the ankles - actually, it appeared they could be worn a number of different ways. We enjoyed the show and the conversation, and took care of Carmen's bar tab.
We had enjoyed doing an aerial tour and photography on our previous trip which subsequently enabled us to produce the Orient Beach Panorama http://edsandra.com/OrientPanorama.htm. Consequently, we wanted to do that again and perhaps be able to obtain material to produce a panorama for Grand Case. We thought the use of a helicopter would be best for that purpose and in conjunction with the fine people at Hotel L'Esplanade diligently searched for such a service. We could find only one company with a helicopter, which we thought was obscenely expensive, especially considering it had to be flown over from another island.
The people at L'Esplanade continued to research and investigate alternatives, and eventually determined that Transports Aériens InterCaraïbes, a private charter company based at Esperance Airport in Grand Case, would best suit our needs. Especially appealing was their six seater Cessna twin prop (push / pull) Skymaster which has a large window on the pilot's side that could be removed. It also affords excellent camera views with no struts and wings in the way. After a number of back and forths with Marc Petrelluzzi at L'Esplanade acting on our behalf (his first language is French which was very helpful), we decided to use T.A.I.'s service to fly us to and from our stay on Anguilla, and, if were not able to get the pictures we wanted of St. Martin in conjunction with those flights, to do a separate one for the aerial photography.
The delays with USAirways and baggage at Juliana eliminated any chance of us making it to Esperance Airport and lifting off before a storm began, much less being able to do any decent photos. At Esperance we met the pilot of the Skymaster, Robert Goddett, and he escorted us to their small office on the runway side of the terminal buildings. Robert is from France, but his English is quite passable and was not the problem we had feared it might be. The weather continued to deteriorate with drizzle turning to steady rain and clouds so low the mountains on either side of the airport could not be seen.
At the office we met another of the pilots, Michel Desbois, who primarily flies their Cessna 404. Also there was a friend of Robert and Michel, Frederick, who's business card showed him to be a manager of Shell Oil on the island. Wish you could have seen the expression on his face when we handed him our personal card and he took note of our surname.
After about an hour or so of passing time in the office, including sharing family photos, Robert suddenly announced "We go now." Apparently, he could tell there would be a brief interlude in the storm that would allow us to escape. Glad he could tell, because we couldn't see any difference! We boarded the Skymaster with rain still falling. Robert did a wonderful job with the takeoff and we banked out over Orient Beach on our way toward Anguilla. It was obvious from our vantage point that Orient was taking a beating from the ocean waves.
Four
days later Michel collected us at Wallblake Airport in Anguilla with the twin
engine Cessna 404 which normally is configured with 10 seats. We shouldn't
have been surprised, but we were when we boarded and saw that the center section
was empty and there were only 4 seats (glad we didn't ask if anyone wanted a
ride with us). We knew that T.A.I.'s specialty is providing medical
evacuation flights and consequently we found the 404 perfectly set up to
accommodate a large hospital stretcher, if needed. The flight back was
smooth, but it was obvious this plane was not a good one to use for photography
- too many things obstructing the field of view.
After we landed at Esperance, we secured their agreement that we watch the weather each day and on short notice would take another flight in the Skymaster to do the photography. Several days later we found everything looked just right and contacted T.A.I., but found the plane was being used for a medical transport to Guadeloupe that morning. However, we were able to schedule a 1:00pm flight.
We arrived a little
before that time and after waiting a bit (Sandra was doing a Carib in the lounge
and admiring the French soldiers), Ed roused a security officer and convinced
him to take him through the card swipe controlled doors on the way to T.A.I.'s
office. There he found Robert had just returned from Guadeloupe and was
completing some necessary paperwork. Subsequently, Ed and Robert went to
the lounge to pry Sandra away from her Carib and her fantasies, and then we all
went to the Skymaster where Robert removed the elongated, detachable window and
we boarded.
The prior year we
had flown in a much smaller Piper with one door entirely removed which was quite
an experience and therefore thought we knew what to expect. But we were
not prepared for what ensued. As we took off, the air pressure on our ears
was immense, to the extent we wondered if our eardrums might explode. The
entire plane vibrated a tremendous amount and it never stopped that the entire
flight. It was obvious the removal of the window had a very adverse effect
on the flight dynamics of the Skymaster, because earlier we had found it unusually
stable, even in a storm.
For the photography we had two Nikons with different lenses, and Sandra would always have one ready with additional film as needed while Ed was using the other. As we began making passes over Orient, Ed was wondering if the entire effort would prove to be a complete waste. The cameras couldn't be held still - they were rapidly vibrating in synch with the plane's motions and it seemed almost impossible to aim and get a focus lock. We were using our preferred high resolution Fuji Reala 100, but Ed remembered we had some Fuji Superia 400 in the bag and switched to it in hopes of increasing the speed of the shutter to at least a few thousandths of a second.
After
making several passes by Orient, we flew by way of Anse Marcel to Grand Case
which was our primary target. Using a map and pointing, Ed had Robert make
five passes adjusting the flight approach, angle and distance, each
time. From there we cut across the gap between the mountains where
Esperance is situated and flew to Dawn Beach which we circled a few times.
Initially, we had visions of circumnavigating the island, but, being doubtful we
were capturing much of value, we decided to end the flight and had Robert take
us back to Esperance Airport. The landing was smooth as ever.
In the office we insisted we be able to pay at that time for our various flights (even though we had been told beforehand we would have to pre-pay for each flight, we couldn't get them to take our money). The total was calculated, we paid them what seemed a very reasonable amount, and thought that was the end of it. A few days later the staff at L'Esplanade told us there was an envelope for us which we collected. It contained an invoice from T.A.I., approximately $100 in cash, and a letter conveying their sincere apologies that they had overcharged us. We were stunned and as Ed studied the invoice in French with amounts in euros, he began to wonder if they had made an error in the conversion to dollars and should not be making a refund. We prevailed upon Marc Petrelluzzi to telephone them and pursue the matter. Marc determined that T.A.I. had calculated correctly and definitely wanted us to have the refund. That degree of integrity made a strong impression upon us - we certainly would have never known the difference and were quite satisfied with what we paid initially. It says a lot for this company.
For those of you interested in charter flights to other islands or just a nice aerial tour over St. Martin, we highly and strongly recommend Transports Aériens InterCaraïbes. The six seat Skymaster is ideal for this purpose, if one doesn't ask that the window be removed! Their telephone is 690 61 80 64, fax 590 87 57 91 and email intercaraibes@hotmail.com . The pilots didn't know it, but Sandra has flown small planes and knows a fair amount about them. She was very impressed with Robert's and Michel's flying skills and their consistent attention to all safety protocols.
We had read and heard a fair amount about this property over the past few years, and welcomed the opportunity to visit after meeting the Marketing Director, Richard Green, at a social event. It was at our request - not his.
Let us give you our conclusions first. Mary's Boon www.marysboon.com is located at 117 Simpson Bay Road and is an older style resort that some might regard as "quaint," but we would rather say it has a lot of interesting character. It, in fact, reminds us of some of the established inns along the outer banks of North Carolina and the lowlands of South Carolina. It's very pleasant and, we suspect, rather excellent value for the money.
We must say finding this establishment was somewhat of a challenge. All of the directions we had seen were from the orientation of traveling from the Juliana Airport terminal - turn right onto the main road toward Philipsburg, watch for the Mary's Boon sign near the end of the airport fence and turn right. The only problem was we were not traveling from that direction - well, at least not initially. We did spot the large sign but didn't realize it was well past the turn when traveling toward the airport - so we zipped past it and had to reverse course. Having navigated the initial turn, we remembered the rest of the instructions - stay right along the airport fence as it loops back in the opposite direction. Easier said than done! It was very confusing though we did see one small Mary's Boon sign along the way which helped. As the street narrowed we were completely convinced we were about to enter the driveway of someone's private residence, but just beyond that point was indeed the hotel. The parking available, at least what we could find of it, left a bit to be desired. There wasn't much of it. Ed let Sandra out and then snuggled the car alongside the fence.
Inside we found Richard being his apparently normal, convivial self entertaining a group of ladies at the bar (we observed through additional contacts with Richard that he also has a very serious, contemplative and almost philosophical side when encouraged to reveal it). Also with Richard was his constant companion, Frank the dog.
The bar there is a cozy and relaxing sort of place with interesting objects de art scattered here and there. It's billed as an "honor bar" where one helps himself and keeps track of the libations consumed for later payment. However, we did notice a small video camera in place - perhaps to help ensure honesty.
The
restaurant is a good size, simply decorated and has an exceptionally nice
elevated view over the beach. Though we didn't partake, we've read that
the dinners served there, which feature specific entrees 
for each day of the
week, are quite popular with a loyal following and not just among the guests of
the resort.
We were able to inspect one of the accommodations on the second (top) level. Entry was through a compact kitchen / dining area. The principal sleeping and sitting area was a good size with a handsome four poster bed dominating attention. Another doorway led onto a narrow, common balcony overlooking the beach. As we said earlier, the accommodations we saw were quite pleasant.
Subsequently, we
walked along the pathways in the front gardens past the small pool and down to
the beach. We certainly had no concept of how attractive we found it to
be.
We thanked Richard for allowing us to visit and left wondering how on earth he could be in marketing since there was not the slightest encouragement to stay at the resort or invest in it - just friendly chatter, making us feel very welcome, and an eagerness for us to see as much or as little as we would like. Hmmm, maybe that is marketing at its finest! We liked it.
After retrieving our car and starting back the way we came, so we thought, we managed to get lost in record time. Somehow (a mystery to us) we managed to pop out immediately in front of Hot Tomatoes which was great, because that was our next intended destination.
For those of you not wishing to break the bank, but still desiring a very nice place to stay, we would suggest you give consideration to Mary's Boon.
If you like reggae, you would have loved this concert which was held in the performance area at Bamboo Bernies. When we arrived the only parking available was on the dirt road quite a distance along the wall by the Dolphin Casino. That wasn't bad at the time we arrived, but we wondered about the wisdom of our choice when we were departing late that night. However, there was no problem - we just walked quite briskly down the middle of the road in the dark.
We paid the admission, had our wrists adorned with colorful smiley face bracelets, and then were searched at the entrance to the complex. There was lots of private security all over the place and they seemed to do a good job. We were soon enjoying Red Stripes and the music from the opening bands. The singer with The Jahmovers Band from Anguilla was especially energetic and very, very good.
Late in the evening
the legendary Burning Spear http://www.burningspear.net/
made his appearance. He's quite remarkable for a man of his age and his
performance was nothing short of dynamic! The crowd, which had grown quite
large, was more than enthusiastically receptive and the concert went well beyond
its scheduled conclusion. An interesting sight was the huge bonfire that
burned beyond the seawall as the sweet sounds of reggae filled the air.
Quite an evening.
We decided it would be interesting to visit the new Snoopy Island yacht complex even though we had heard none of the truly mega yachts was currently there. We found it to be an extremely attractive facility that was very, very well done.
As we were sitting at the Sand Bar, Mike Stine, captain of the Somoya - a 43' Cabo Sportfish, arrived and we could tell something highly unusual had occurred. We joined the crowd on the dock as the Somoya pulled into place and saw on its deck a massive blue marlin. We've seen what we thought were big fish, but nothing remotely like this. We began making photos and the crew, in particular Marcus Thomson, recognized we knew what we were doing. They quickly asked us to please record the event for them using our camera and theirs, and helped clear the crowd so we could get clean shots from good angles.
A
large crane was driven onto the concrete section of the dock area and the marlin
slowly lifted from the boat. It is beyond our comprehension how they had
managed to get it on board the Somoya. Next the official weighing
equipment was attached and when all motion stopped the digital display showed
716 pounds. Too bad it wasn't landed a week or so later when a tournament
would be in progress.
Later, talking with the owner of the Somoya, the captain and crew back at the Sand Bar we learned they had not wanted to actually land the marlin and had tried for 1½ hours to revive it, including going overboard and trying to swim it - all to no avail. They seemed to feel quite badly that they had been unsuccessful in their attempts. The fish was donated to The St. Maarten Hospital to feed patients and we heard speculation it might provide in excess of 500 meals.
For those of you interested in such things, the marlin was hooked in a deep trough in an area northeast of Anguilla and St. Martin known as Marlin Boulevard. Mike Stine can be reached at his U.S. cell phone number (850) 450-2743 or messages left with The Marine Group, Orange Beach, Alabama (251) 981-9200.
As we near the conclusion of our St. Martin 2003 report, this is where we'll cover those miscellaneous tidbits that don't lend themselves to the preceding subjects.
We always meet interesting people on our trips and this one was no different from others. You've read about a few of them, but we wanted particularly to mention Dana Wish with whom we especially enjoyed becoming acquainted. Dana designs and produces the "Big Blue" line of casual wear. She lives in California and is a frequent visitor to St. Martin - so much so she recently purchased a house in Colombier. We had fun teasing Dana about producing such a modern, popular line of clothes and yet she doesn't have a cell phone or a website. Neat lady.
In this report we've provided website and email addresses, when they are available, for the various establishments and people we've mentioned. We also would like to share with you the websites we think are particularly good sources of information for St. Martin:
When we initially developed the Orient Beach Panorama http://home.carolina.rr.com/edsandra/OrientPanorama.htm we needed a lot of help from others to identify some of the specific places in the aerial photos and their help was greatly appreciated. But there was always a small, lingering worry that we might not have it perfect, particularly for the complex behind La Playa. Consequently, we were determined to resolve that matter once and for all. With printouts of the panorama in hand, we explored the entire area and photographed everything from ground level. We easily could see why there had been some differing opinions about the buildings from people who helped us identify them. It's quite a confusing area and it even took us a while to get our bearings and relate what we were seeing to the aerial view. However, we were able to confirm beyond any doubt whatsoever that everything is indeed correctly labeled on the panorama.
The same morning we were doing that
confirmation we extensively explored the new Village d'Orient complex. A
good bit of new construction had been completed since our last visit and we
could see more in progress. It's a very attractive area with shops,
restaurants, townhouses and the Hotel Alamanda. Although we didn't visit
any of the rooms at the hotel, it looked to be a nice place and certainly well
situated for guests to enjoy all that Orient has to offer. Something we
found a bit odd was that beyond the low, no more than 4' high wall, on the ocean
side of the swimming pool nothing had been done to improve or tidy the beach
access area. It was fairly messy looking and we wondered why the hotel had
not attended to this matter, even though it might be public property. It
certainly warrants some attention. We also noted that every car that
passed along the sandy beach access road kicked up a not insignificant cloud of
fine dust particles from which we had trouble shielding the cameras and we could
see it drift towards the pool area of the hotel - not very nice it appeared for
swimmers and sunbathers there. Perhaps the dust is so fine they don't
notice it.
As usual, we wandered around Grand Case one morning. We had the distinct overall impression that with some of the buildings sporting new coats of paint and the streets well cleaned, it was looking better than ever. The lolos were closed for renovation and though in the process there's the risk they may lose some of their "character" we suspect the results will be good, especially with the intended improvement in sanitation. Many visitors to St. Martin only see Grand Case in the evenings when they're partaking of the excellent restaurant fare to be found there, but it's quite interesting to stroll in the daylight and also to admire the beauty along the heavily curved shoreline.
Sometimes memories really are indelibly etched in our minds. One of those is of BooBoo Jam and the gorgeous little two year old island girl who was wandering about while the band played. She kept eyeing Sandra and finally approached, arms outstretched, eyes wide and a quizzical smile on her face. As she took Sandra's hand she began to dance and Sandra joined, slowly guiding her through intricate turns and other steps. When it was finished, the little girl clapped her hands and went her merry way. It was a precious moment.
On a final, humorous note, we suspect Robert Goddett, our pilot for the aerial photo flight, is still chuckling to himself about the method in which Sandra kept extra film, lens caps and such, handily available while her hands were occupied with the cameras - inside the front of her tank top. Ed would reach in periodically and feel around to retrieve whatever was needed, photographically speaking that is.
After three visits to St. Maarten / St. Martin comprising some 43 days, you might wonder if we feel like we know the island well. The answer would be a firm "No." There is so much available to do, if one chooses; such diversity of experiences to be had; and the inevitable changes which occur, that we're not sure any visitor could ever become completely familiar. But, that's part of the considerable appeal this island holds for us.
We find that, invariably, our time there and the enjoyment we share continue to refresh us and to reinforce our love, our partnership, our friendship and the great respect we have for each other.
We do thank you for taking the time to let us share these thoughts with you.
Very best regards,
Ed and Sandra EandS@carolina.rr.com
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