St. Martin Vacation
July
7th – 21st 2002
This trip proved
to be right up there with the best we’ve had.
We have found that it is the people we meet, either for the first time
or renewing old friendships that really “make” the vacation. This year we had corresponded with about
five other couples that we knew from previous years and we arranged to be there
all at the same time. We had a great
time together socializing on the beach and going out for dinner together. It was a blast, full of laughs and good
times!! Put this together with near
perfect weather the entire two weeks we were there, and you have a truly
memorable vacation!!
We flew out of
Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Air Transat.
The flight left about 6:30 am and we had touched down at Princess
Juliana Airport by 11:00 am. The
flight was relatively smooth and uneventful, just the way we like them! We deplaned relatively close to the
terminal so we could walk directly there.
Still haven’t had to ride the bus!
There were line-ups at immigration, but they moved quickly and we were
soon through. We had decided to check
one bag, so we waited about 20 minutes for it to appear.
We took a taxi
from the airport to Club Orient. The
trip still costs $25 plus tip. The
driver was both friendly and courteous, and welcomed us back to the
island. We arrived at Club Orient
about 30-40 minutes later. It was
great to finally be back (it seemed like a long 3 months since our last
visit!!)
As soon as we
entered the office at Club O, we were recognized, greeted by name, and quickly
checked in. Guess we’re getting to be
regular customers?! We had been
assigned a Mini-Suite #144, which proved to be a very nice unit and quite
centrally located. It was great to
finally be free of clothes. Life is
good!!
We quickly visited
L’Orientique for a few essentials like beer and water, opened an account, and
then hit the beach. Almost immediately
we met up with people we knew from last year.
Some remarked that they expected to see us last week and were worried we
weren’t coming. It was true that
compared to the last two years, we were one week “late.” What a warm feeling it gives you when
people that you haven’t seen for a year, actually miss you and worry about
you. Coming back to St. Martin is
truly like coming home!!
All the couples
except one, with whom we had arranged to meet, were either already there or
were arriving the same day we did.
During the next few hours we found each other and had a great time
renewing our friendships. It’s about the only time I get to hug a naked
woman other than my wife!! Life is
good!!
Most of our days
consisted of an early morning walk down the entire length of the beach,
breakfast at our unit or at Papagayo’s or Baywatch, and then spending the bulk
of the day on the beach letting sand gravity work its magic. If you have read our reports from previous
trips you’ll notice a pattern here! We
would usually see some familiar faces on our morning walks, and at the very
least exchange a friendly smile and a “Good morning!” On at least two occasions, we were stopped by a local, who
recognized us from previous trips. They
don’t call it the Friendly Island for nothing!!
One morning early
in our stay, I was posing for a picture by that dead tree/stump in Pedro’s
parking lot, when I suddenly felt a sharp stinging sensation on one foot. Looking down I was dismayed to find a large
number of biting ants! I guess I must
have been standing on/near an anthill and I wasn’t welcome. I’m not sure if they were fire ants or not,
but it took days for the welts to finally disappear.
One of our
favourite activities, while “vegging” on the beach, is to people watch. This of course does NOT mean we gawk at
other nudists. But we do get a kick
out of watching the reactions of the non-nudists (cruisers, etc), who walk up
and down the beach. Some appear to
stare out towards the water, sneaking a quick look at the nudists
periodically. One of the funniest
things we witnessed on this trip, and it happened twice with two different
individuals, was to see a parent (I assume) walking down the beach with their
child (probably about 10-12 years old), covering the child’s eyes with their
hands in one case and a towel in the other.
I’m not sure if they thought the kid would go blind or not!! If they were that offended, what were they
doing there in the first place!!
We ate at a number
of restaurants and the following is a brief summary. We don’t eat in that much even though the units at Club O
provide all the necessary cooking facilities.
We’re on vacation after all!!
However, we did enjoy a couple of evenings in, sharing a “pot luck” type
of dinner with another couple, as well as a pizza party with all our friends.
Papagayo’s: We
had both breakfast and dinner there on a few occasions. Their menu remains the same, however we
always had fast, efficient, and friendly service. We opened an account, so
we didn’t have to carry money (no pockets!!).
The tip cannot be put on your account however, so we just waited until
the end of our stay and gave one in cash when we settled our account. We always were there for happy hour (5:30 –
6:30 pm) and enjoyed socializing. On
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights, they have music during and after
dinner. Too bad it doesn’t go later,
since many times the “party” was just starting and the music ended for the
evening.
Baywatch:
This is a beach bar operated by Andy and Cheryl, whom we’ve got to know
over the years. They are very friendly
and welcomed us with a kiss and a hug.
We highly recommend their food.
They also welcome nudists, which is nice since we hate to put any
clothes on unless we really have to.
Their Canadian flag was getting a bit tattered, so we brought them a new
one. They promised to fly it once hurricane
season was over, when they plan to replace many of the flags. Andy has also arranged to expand into the
beach bar next door (the one to the left if you’re facing the water), starting
in October. He has some great sounding
plans to stay open in the evening on Friday and Saturday nights offering an
Italian buffet and music. Can’t
wait!! Our first morning we tried to
have breakfast there, but unfortunately someone had broken the propane line
while trying to steal the tank and Andy was waiting for a repairman. However, we did see Wendell and Cheryl
there and chatted for a few minutes.
They were leaving for home that day.
Boo Boo Jams:
This is another favourite of ours for both lunch and dinner. I would highly recommend their swordfish for
dinner (I enjoyed it twice!). They
also are very generous with the alcohol in their drinks. We have gotten to know one of their
waitresses (I believe her name is Carol), and the first time we went for
dinner, she welcomed us back with a kiss and a hug. Life is good!! One Friday evening, we stayed after dinner
for a while and enjoyed the music and dancing that is held that night. It was a great time!! All of you, who have eaten dinner at
restaurants in St. Martin, know that many have a tradition of offering an after
dinner drink on the house, usually a flavoured rum of some type. Both of us agree that the one served here is
our favourite. It is sweeter and
smoother than others we have tried, with a slight flavour of cinnamon. Yum!!
Le Madras:
Their menu is limited but prices are pretty reasonable. We were welcomed back by Frederique, who
remembered us from previous trips. Life
is good!!
Le Cottonier:
It is located in the French Cul de Sac and was pretty busy the night we
were there. Both Linda and I enjoyed
their salmon, which we would recommend.
Le California:
The night we were there the place was packed, with only one waiter. He tried but I think he was overwhelmed and
as a result service was very slow. We
were a group of eight and it took close to 3 hours for dinner. We’re not usually in a hurry, but the place
was very hot, with little air movement.
The food was good and they have a very extensive menu. Their desserts, which are almost all based
on ice cream, are huge!!
Repaire du Pirate:
We had heard so many intriguing things about this place that we just had
to try it out. It’s not a fancy place
and it is rather small. But we enjoyed
the evening immensely. We each had the
red snapper. It was served in aluminum
foil and was very good. The portions
were large and we couldn’t finish them all.
After dinner the pirate hats, etc came out as well as a rum-based
concoction served in a converted coffee pot.
Take a look inside in the pot.
I’m not sure you’ll be able to identify all the “ingredients!!” We had also heard that one must visit the
washroom. It was certainly unique (see
pictures)!
Le Playa:
We enjoyed their Classic Club sandwich a couple of times for lunch. It’s located in a very nice setting on
Orient beach under palm trees. If
you’re allergic to onions be aware that this sandwich contains lots of them
(sorry Tom!!).
All too soon our
two weeks were over. We were dreading
this day! We had settled up all our
accounts the day before, since our flight was relatively early. I wanted to make sure we could savour the
last few minutes without having to rush around paying bills. We had a leisurely breakfast at Papagayo’s
that morning and we were thrilled to be joined by many of our friends, some of
whom never get up that early!! Thanks
guys!!
After our
good-byes, we were off to the airport and an uneventful flight home. We all promised to try to come again next
year in July. We’ll certainly be
looking forward to it!!
Don and Linda
(names were
omitted to protect the guilty!)
As a little plug,
we would like to thank Ed Roman of Caribbean Travel Service, who booked our
stay at Club Orient. We would highly
recommend him!! Thanks for the free
drinks!