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Caribbean Travel Roundup
Paul Graveline, Editor
Edition 56
July
15 1995
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ST. LUCIA: CLUB MED BY TOM ALTSTIEL
Our family spent a week at the Club Med in St. Lucia the third week of April, 1995. These are our observations on Club Med and the island in general.
The Club Med is only five minutes from Hewanorra Airport, which is at least an hour closer than other resorts on the island. The Club is located on the breezy southeast shore, facing the Atlantic. This makes it sunnier and drier than the resorts on the northwest side, but ocean swimming is more treacherous, there's no decent snorkeling and you're really isolated from the most scenic parts of the island.
The Club here is very family oriented. If you're traveling as a couple or single, this is NOT the best place for you. There were well over 150 kids there from newborns to teens.
Club Med St. Lucia is over 15 years old and shows it. They have worked very hard to repair substantial damage from last September's tropical storm, but the village will be closed for much needed renovations starting May 1. They plan to reopen in November.
Like most Club Meds, the emphasis is on activities and food, not luxurious accommodations. People who have been to many other Club Meds reported that this was the worst as far as room quality. The rooms are very small, with stucco walls, furnished with garage sale beds and dressers and truck stop bathrooms. Tap water quality was poor and the air conditioning was very hit or miss. They could really use ceiling fans. However, the grounds are attractive, the main dining room is large and airy and the pool is large enough to accommodate lots of kids, water aerobics enthusiasts and swimmers.
This Club has many activities for kids--Mini Clubs for kids up to seven, Kid's Club for eight to 12 year olds and a Teen's Club. Activities include circus. go carts. scuba, archery, roller blading, soccer, tennis, golf and many more. The staff will keep the kids busy from 9:00 AM to 10:30 PM. Some parents never see their kids all week. Children can pick and choose activities each day, but there is no pressure to do anything.
Our 10-year old twin boys found they liked to do one or two activities each morning and afternoon and spent the rest of the time at the pool or beach with us. It was a good opportunity for them to make new friends.
For adults, there's tennis, pitch-and-putt golf, circus, aerobics, weight room, roller blading, basketball, scuba, expert windsurfing, horseback riding and other sports. Like the kids, you can do as much or as little as you like.
There are several levels of SCUBA instruction, including full PADI certification. The dive staff is excellent.
On the downside, the beach at the Club is not very good--narrow, rough surf, lots of seaweed and debris. Cows often wander along the beach and leave little presents in the sand. The "windsurfing" beach is about a mile away and is much longer and wider. There is no snorkeling here--the reef is too far out and the surf stirs up sand to reduce visibility. Usually the wind is so strong that only experts can handle a board here.
All beaches on St. Lucia are public, although near the Club Med property security guards keep local higglers from harassing the guests.
Because of the strong French influence there is a good deal of toplessness at the beaches. Apparently these women have no regard for local sensibilities, the fact that this is a family resort or even laws that prohibit topless bathing. Fortunately, there was little of this at the pool where most of the people stayed.
Very aggressive mosquitoes were a problem for most guests. It was impossible to enjoy the evenings without taking a bath in bug repellent. The swarms attacked even during the day in shady areas.
As with all Club Meds, the focus is on fine dining. Guests are seated at tables for eight which usually generated interesting conversation and useful information. The odd mixing of French and American guests sometimes limited conversation. You can reserve private "adults only" dining at the Club House restaurant or private family dining at Cadi's Club restaurant. Bottles of white, rose and red wine are placed at each table. There is also a hopper for Heineken beer in the dining room.
The food is very good for buffet style but it's best to get there early since most of the food is left out for some time. We were leery of sea food, anything with mayonnaise, cream sauces and other ingredients that could go bad in the tropical heat. The bread, baked three times daily, was excellent. Each night's meal had a different theme. The variety, quality and quantity were first class. Desserts were works of art and tasted as great as they looked.
The only disappointment was breakfast. We wish they had more choices for food. Fresh omelets and fresh squeezed orange juice would have been nice. The milk was not fresh so the kids would not drink it. The breakfast fruit choices were limited to pineapple, grape fruit and bananas, which were all excellent. But it would have been nice to have more selection. Still, we never went hungry.
The Plusses
Super food, f,
Nice, large pool,
Plenty of activities for kids, adults,
Free entertainment nightly,
Close to airport ambiance,
The minuses
Poor beach, an rooms,
No local snorkeling,
No access to newspapers, TV, radio,
Very aggressive mosquitoes,
Far from other island attractions
St. Lucia impressions
: St. Lucia is a paradox. It is one of the most beautiful Caribbean islands, yet it is one of the dirtiest. Many scenic lookouts also serve as impromptu garbage dumps. Some visitors blame poverty for the pollution, but we have seen other very poor countri countries with far less litter. Since bananas contribute to so much of the economy, a plantation mentality seems to linger here. Perhaps increased emphasis on tourism will generate more concern for the environment.
We rented a four wheel drive Suzuki to drive around the island. In retrospect, we would have been better to hire a cab. For about the same price we could have spent time seeing the sights rather than watching the road. The roads from Vieux Fort to Castries via Dennery were generally good--narrow but well paved. The drive over the central mountains (Barre de Isle Ridge) was beautiful.
Castries was far more congested than we expected. There were frequent traffic jams, no parking spaces and poorly marked streets. Basically, it was a waste of time.
The roads from Castries to Soufriere offer some of the best views on the island.
Unfortunately, the road goes to hell somewhere between Anse La Raye and Canaries. Here the asphalt gives way to huge potholes and loose gravel. The narrow roads and frequent hairpin turns are made even more difficult since a large section is under repair.
Large trucks, bull dozers and workers block the path frequently. If this were not the only road on the west coast, we're sure it would have been closed. However, when this road is widened and paved, it will be a pleasure to drive.
There are great views of the Pitons just outside of town of Soufriere, which is French for "South Bronx". No one who visited this town felt comfortable with the people or the facilities here. Likewise, the "drive in the volcano" was considered to be a worthless trip by most visitors. Unless you enjoy watching a bubbling mud pit spew noxious gas, I'd skip it.
The road from Fond St. Jacques south improves considerably. The views of the southern coast around Choiseul and Laborie are beautiful. A neat little restaurant overlooks the town of Choiseul and its harbor. On a clear day you can see St. Vincent. It's a lovely place to take a break. There is a small lighthouse atop the large hill just outside the settlement of Vieux Fort, another open sewer posing as a town . From this point you can see St. Vincent 24 miles to the south and Maria Islands and Club Med to the north. The road is terrible but well worth the effort.
The rain forest tour offered by Club Med was considered by most to be a very strenuous hike. It's not an area you want to explore on your own.
A good alternative is a combination speed boat ride and snorkel trip that includes a short hike into the fringes of the rain forest. Here you'll find a waterfall heated by the nearby volcano. It gives you a good feel of the jungle without spending half a day on a tour bus to get there.
Snorkeling and scuba diving are excellent on St. Lucia. We have snorkeled at many Caribbean locations and we have never seen the variety of live corals and sponges so close to shore as we did at St. Lucia. The bay across from the Jalousie resort is a protected reserve with many great dive spots.
Located between the two Pitons, it is one the most beautiful spots on the island. The bay across from Anse Chastenet resort is also very good for snorkeling and scuba diving. If you love to snorkel or scuba try St. Lucia before the crowds destroy the reefs as they've done at other popular dive areas.
We found the people of St. Lucia to be friendly and helpful. Only in Soufriere did we encounter aggressive behavior. Although they speak an indecipherable patois to each other, they all learn English in school and have no problem communicating with visitors.
Friendly people,
Great dive sites,
Variety--rain forest, beaches, volcanoes
Minuses,
Lots of litter,
Unattractive towns,
Limited shopping,
Almost impassable roads
condo resort, your food is not included, but you have the option of sampling many of the fine local restaurants and eating where, when and with whom you want.
Bottom line: we would like to try other Club Meds--as a family and as a couple-- but one trip to Club Med St. Lucia was enough for us.
ST. MARTIN: HOTEL HOPPING BY PAUL GRAVELINE, CTR EDITOR
Last year a friend of mine Joe Canty, President of Jean's Travel in Medfield, MA offered me the opportunity to go on a mini-fam trip to Aruba. This year he was able to arrange a trip to St. Martin during travel agent month. The SXM tourist board seems to have been very aggressive in promoting this as each of the individual neighborhoods on both the French and Dutch sides of the island had large banners across the main streets welcoming travel agents. In addition to staying at two properties, we also conducted a tour of a number of others during the visit.
As it turned out, Joe happened to have to a couple who were clients staying on the island at the same time. One night he arranged with the manager of the Kon-Tiki Restaurant on Orient Beach to have a anniversary celebration for them. The manager clearly went out of his way to provide a memorable evening with specially prepared dessert etc. I haven't eaten here before, but I'd have to imagine that the service is good if they were willing to extend themselves for a small group who they hadn't met before.
The big news on SXM was the problems at The Pelican where we were staying. Many seem to feel that if this mega-time share property failed as was being suggested in the local media, many of the other similar properties might reach the same fate. Since significant numbers of visitors arrive on SXM because they own time shares, this was of great concern. The high number of tourist on SXM during the off season may be attributable to the high number of time shares available. If this market dries up, it might have major consequences for the local economy.
Here's my run down of the hotels which we toured.
CLUB ORIENT
I had seen the property from the beach many times before but never had the opportunity to stay here. The chalets near the beach are fairly spacious and less Spartan than I had anticipated although there are no phones, TV etc. The older units and, hence, some of the ones with the more desirable locations do not have a/c which might be a drawback for some although the bedrooms have good cross ventilation and both the bedrooms and the kitchen areas have ceiling fans. There is a maid each day who will clean your dishes etc. The accommodations may be described as adequate but certainly not sumptuous. Some of the new units back from the beach do have a/c but during the day they have trouble keeping up with the intense sun.
Security is very tight with frequent appearances by the guards. One guy playing a boombox very loudly was immediately accosted by the security people and told to tone it down.
Your best bet is to bring significant amount of food from home. There is a little general purpose store on the premises which does seem to have a little of something ( including CO's own wine label) but it can start to get expensive.
As is well known, the resort has a very high number of repeat clients and occupancy runs about 50% in summer which is high by local standards. One person there had been coming for 17 years. It does appear that the resort is trying to build up the infrastructure and market itself to those desiring a few more convenience. I understand that it is virtually self sufficient with its own desalinization plant and electric generators. Apparently Reit Brink, the owner, has had difficulty with the local authorities about obtaining services.
There are a lot of Brinks working at the place. Its seem like a family business to some extent and judging by the promotional scheme being advertised to lock in clients money for the next 5 or 6 years, I'm wondering if he's either thinking of selling or completely turning it over to the family members in the next few years. There is heavy promotion of it in magazines like Caribbean Travel and Life etc. and the room rates are not necessarily cheap running abut $200 per night for the beach front chalets in the off season.
Pappagayo's is the restaurant associated with the resort. I ate there a few time ordering basic food like chicken or hamburgers. The menu may seem a little pricey but the food was always of good quality and very ample proportions. So its probably a relatively good value.
Despite being cheaper, Pedro's just down the beach did not deliver the same quality as Pappagayo' s.
CO is definitely not for everyone In fact, I doubt I'd go back, but if you enjoy this kind of lifestyle then it is probably the only place in the hemisphere for you.
DAWN BEACH RESORT
Dawn Beach seems to have been improved since I lasted visited the property about 7 years ago. The beach remains one of the nicest on St. Martin and there is a relatively large pool with restaurant patio area that overlooks the beach. The pool, however, looked in some need of repair. The paint has chipped away from sections of the floor exposing the original concrete.
This is a somewhat isolated resort so even though the beach is probably considered public few non DBers frequent it. There's some small stores on the premises including a Hagan Das ice cream shop which was doing a pretty good business even though it was the off season.
Probably its most famous feature is the kamikaze road which provides access to the Philipsbugh area. This isn't a road for student drivers, people afraid of driving in a strange location or cars with poor brakes. In fact, you may be forced to shut off the a/c in order to make it up the very steep grade. Doing this road during the day requires caution and at night extreme caution.
I would not recommend DB to anyone has the slightest hesitation about driving in St. Martin. Otherwise, DB looks like an interesting semi-remote property with a nice ambiance. I did not get a tour of the property but just walked around so I can't comment on the quality of the accommodations.
GREAT BAY RESORT
Situated at the end of Great Bay on the western side of Philipsburg, it has its own small casino. Although build in the 70s it has been upgraded and offers two types of rooms, mountain view and ocean view. The mountain is nothing to look at so the preference would definitely be the ocean view. There are 285 rooms. On the pool level there is an small arcade with little shops etc. This property would appeal to those wanting a near town experience but a at full fledge resort which offers all inclusive packages.
LA FLAMBOYANT
La Flamboyant is not located on the ocean but fronts the lagoon with a fairly extensive beach area and is an interesting property. I toured three rooms at LF. Probably the most notable feature was a spiral staircase in one of the duplex units! I'd never seen this in the Caribbean before. It links the downstairs living area with one on the second floor. While unique in nature, it's very narrow and steep. I would not want to have to navigate this in the dark after a few drinks. But it is certainly different than other places. That room went for $280 in the summer but its basically two separate living quarters.
There is a pool and a more secluded Jacuzzi.
The buildings are red-roofed stucco constriction. It may host a lot of kids as there is a substantial playground area on the beach. So if you're going on vacation to avoid kids this might not be a good location. On the other had, the rooms are constructed more in a villa arrangement so they provide excellent privacy. The ones I saw had cooking facilities on the balcony overlooking the beach. There was also a fitness room. A large restaurant is covered by a tent like structure. Unfortunately, the night I ate there it turned out to be extremely hot. Possibly this was a consequence of the tent concentrating the heat.
This appeared to be an interesting property with a beach ( actually situated on the lagoon not ocean remember) and more than acceptable accommodations. The owner has an ultra light airplane tied down on the beach and you can see it flying around Orient Beach on weekends.
LA BELLE CREOLE
Well, this is clearly the best property I have seen in the Caribbean. The whole motif is of a French village replete with a beautiful central square reminiscent of those in France. The only thing missing is the guillotine! This is not a Caribbean hotel but a European hotel in a Caribbean setting.
Taken over last year by a Canadian firm, it's obvious that they are trying to improve and upgrade the LBC and they seem to be doing a good job at it.
Everywhere one turns, the ambiance of a French village is omnipresent from the decor of the rooms to the nicely coordinated architecture. The entire resort exudes an old world charm enhanced by modern conveniences.
Although there is a beach area, the rooms are either have an ocean or garden view. Some provide a view of Marigot in the distance.
This is the most impressive property which I have seen in the Caribbean. It may not have the most spectacular location which I've encountered but no where else in the Caribbean did I get the feeling of being transported to an entirely different place and age. The initial impact of the village square as you approach the resort has an stunning impact and the image and illusion is maintained throughout all of the property.
The restaurant seems to be divided in three sections. One which extends into the square giving the impression of a Paris cafe, a second which looks like a old world dining area which might be glimpsed in Monaco or other similar upscale location. Finally there is a terraced section overlooking the pool.
Now for the reality check. All of this does not come cheaply. This is clearly an upscale property and you can expect to pay a premium price for accommodations. However, having seen other similar upscale locations in the Caribbean, LBC looks like it is actually worth the price. Unlike many other places , the LBC has tried to establish some sort of motif and, in my opinion, they have succeeded very well. One final comments. Although there is a beach area it looks like it has undergone a lot of manicuring by humans so don't expect a long sweeping beach as you'd find at Orient, Great or long Bays.
LA PLANTATION
I'd stayed here a few times before but not this time. The construction begun last year seems to have been mostly completed and there are some new villas. The room rates still remain reasonable and this may still be one of the best bargains in St. Martin. There is apparently a desire to expand the restaurant facilities as more tables have been placed on the verandah. You get a continental breakfast as part of your daily rate. If I were to go back on my own, this would remain my first choice for price vs. quality.
LE PRIVILEGE
This is a small very upscale property on the hillside overlooking the harbor at La Habitation. And yes, access is by the same up and down road used to get to La Hab. Its a resort and spa and is fairly expansive for the small number of rooms. A heliport is situated at LP which might indicated the type of client its used to handling.
The whole place has sort of a mountain top ambiance and seems to be very French, in fact, the brochure which I got was totally in French. A week here would require constant tramping up and down hills to get to the spa or outdoor tennis or racquet ball courts so its not a great place for those out of shape or maybe a great place for those hoping to get into shape. Why all the spa stuff -- just have the guest walk the property on a regular basis, that would get them in shape!
My room inspection consisted of a chamber with a great view of La Hab and its marina and had what seems to be the latest rage -- remote control a/c.
Book here if you are searching for upscale luxury with strenuous physical activity. The person showing me the property said it was completely booked in July. A fair knowledge of French might be useful here although I only spoke with one of the employees.
LITTLE BAY BEACH HOTEL
I only did a visual tour of the property. Its located at the end of Great Bay and presents a nice appearance on approach. A sign said that room rates were adjusted by 15% for service and 5% tax so if you book you might check on what the total room rate will be. The property seems to have 2 separate buildings -- one totally dedicated to time sharing and the other a regular hotel complex. It is situated on a nice long beach with significant shade and while probably not private in legal terms, being so far from other properties and residential areas it is in effect a private area.
You can walk to Philipsburg from this location in about 30 minutes probably taking the beach route for a 1/2 mile or so then switching to the roads. However, if you want to do any serious traveling, you'll need a rental vehicle. In general the older building has been maintained in pretty good shape. I did not get a close look at the building dedicated to time shares.
LA SAMANNA
This is considered to be a world class resort frequented in it's time by Richard Nixon and Jackie Kennedy but to me it was somewhat of a disappointment. Although the reception and central section is not very extensive, it was very well appointed and led to a beautiful pool. The beach was really the start of Long Bay which is separated from the Cupecoy Beach area by a large peninsula jutting out in the Caribbean. However, because the beach continues all the way down Long Bay, it is not totally private as anyone can just enter Long Bay at other locations and walk towards the resort.
I was told that they had 50% occupancy and the room which I was shown was very nice and spacious with a nice decor. It looked out onto a small patch of land which formed the top of the hillside leading down to the beach. Hence the view was nice, but not spectacular -- no balcony overlooking the ocean's expanse as might have been expected.
I got the impression that this might be a property which has past its heyday. Twenty years ago the seclusion of LS maybe have been very high as St. Martin itself was virtually unknown but today I would consider one of the more recently developed properties on Anguilla if planning a retreat to such an upscale resort. However I can see why this would have been a a favorite choice of the rich and famous in the past.
One aspect of LS which is difficulty to gauge and which may endow it with its reputation is the amount of personal service which is included in the room rate. I saw a waiter carrying a beautiful layout of food to a room. This maybe where LS shines but that was impossible for me to determine from my short tour. It maybe this aspect of La Sammana that contributes to a premium price.
PELICAN RESORT AND CASINO
On my first visit to St. Martin in the mid 80s I toured the Pelican which was then under construction, It was being billed as the flagship time share property in the Caribbean. Something went wrong. The week I visited there were numerous stories in the local papers and on the radio about the problems of the property. The new owners were asking time share owners to cough up 25% of what they owed to keep the place afloat. There seemed to be mass confusion about the situation and the employees feared for losing their jobs.
It is a large complex on the Dutch side in a relatively congested area of the island although it is somewhat isolated by an access road.
In a few words, the Pelican is an operation which appears not to have been maintained over the years. We had trouble with the elevator and the sink in our room ( Flamingo Building 7514) had no way to retain the water so we had to use towels as stoppers. The facade of the section facing the marina needed a good scrubbing. The TV had certainly seen better days as the writing on the controls had worn away. The room was spacious and did have a balcony overlooking the ocean. However, I would not have wanted to have shelled out $10,000 to use it for one week a year. It wasn't a bad hotel room but as a time share, forget it.
There was, interestingly enough, a large sales office under the casino and people were in there constantly listening to the pitch even though back in the states the media apparently were carrying news about the demise of the property.
The beach accompanying the Pelican is clearly man made. In fact, it looks like they were able to get the land cheaply and then told an architect to do the best possible with the area.
At the marina area there is an Italian Connection restaurant. It provided good food at a reasonable price. However, the Reef Club next door was quite pricey but the food was fairly good. If you tire of the food here, you can amble down the access road and feast yourself on culinary delights from Burger King and Taco Bell.
SUNRISE HOTEL
Another property which I toured was Sunrise Hotel overlooking Pinel Island on the French Side. This property is expanding from 10 to 20 units with the original ones bi-level but single level units for the new ones. All the units are divided into a sleeping area which is, of course, enclosed and then a mostly covered balcony section which houses the efficiency . Hence you do you cooking outside on a large 70% enclosed verandah. The new units have been constructed to appear similar to the existing section with 9/95 the target date for opening them.
I spoke with the owner Christian Jaunas who was very enthusiastic about the addition and upcoming travel season. He's produced an beautiful full color brochure about St. Martin and the Hotel. Its clearly one of the best I've seen in the Caribbean region.
He apparently lives here with his wife and child and I'm sure that it you are looking for accommodation with a personal touch this might be the place for you. Small, personal yet more than adequate accommodations are available at Sunrise Hotel. I think he stated that a continental breakfast is included in the prices which were very reasonable on a weekly basis.
The only downside to the property which I could see was that although the rooms all have views of Pinel Island, the view right across the street was anything but picturesque. The rooms front the street and the neighbor's house is less than scenic. This appears to be a good selection if you want to stay at a place with personal service at a competitive price but not requiring a beachfront. You'll probably need a rental car to get make the most of this property's advantages.
ST. MARTIN VICINITY: SAILING BY BILL RENO
My family and another (four adults and two young teenagers) chartered a Privilege 39' catamaran from Trade Wind Yachts to sail in the St. Martin area. The boat and two weeks in the area could not have been more fun. The boat was well maintained and well equipped: Trimble GPS, full NKE instruments at the chart table with repeaters at the helm, Autohelm 7000 autopilot, and electric windlass. I have a monohull sailboat in Seattle and this was our first experience with "flat sailing."
For the sailors reading this, imagine being on a beam reach with 15 kts of wind, placing a glass of wine on the cockpit table, AND HAVING IT STAY THERE! That never failed to amaze me. That and the amount of room inside the cat (four double cabins, two heads) and the expansive cockpit. Deck space was enormous.
Sailing in the St. Martin-Anguilla-St. Barts-Saba area was wonderful! You could always count on 10-15 kts of wind from the northeast and we had 20-25 kts more than once. There aren't many mooring buoys in the area, but all the anchorages had good holding ground. By the way, if nudity bothers you, don't go to this sailing area. After awhile though, it becomes totally normal and even the two teenagers in our party (one girl, one boy) who initially were less than discreet seemed to stop noticing. Me too.
Once, after we had just anchored in Anse de Columbier, St. Barts another sailboat glided up while I was on the bow and a woman called over speaking French. After I shrugged and said "English only" she began a pantomime. In a few moments I realized she wanted to know the depth; maybe their sounder was broken. I gave her the depth in meters and they moved off a little to anchor. Only then did I fully realize I'd just had a "conversation" with a woman dressed only in deck shoes and sailing gloves. And she was probably only that dressed because she was about to handle the anchor chain. Given an air temperature of 90 and the humidity, little or no clothing makes sense. Water temperature was about 80.
Anyway, some of the places we visited: In St. Martin we did our own provisioning and don't regret it. The place to go is the Food Center which is a warehouse membership sized store that has almost anything you might buy here or in France. And the prices were quite good. Liquor in this duty-free island is dirt cheap compared to Seattle; we came back with a lot of inexpensive, but excellent French wines. Of course, some items are more expensive. With the recent drop of the dollar, we probably spent 10% to 20% more at the Food Center than we would have at home. The Food Center accepts cash, traveler's checks or credit cards. However, we're happy we didn't cook every night or even close to it. The French food, especially the breads was excellent in St. Martin and St. Barts!
Grand Case was a fun place. There are plenty of cheap or expensive restaurants, and on a Sunday night, there were local bands on the streets playing soca music. We were there on two different nights. One night, several of us had barbequed lobster in a shack run by locals near the dinghy dock. The price for a lobster dinner: $15.00. The second night we were there, at the end of the trip, the kids were craving American food. We found a place called Surf Club South owned by Americans serving excellent barbecued burgers and onion rings. Definitely get the onion rings; they fill a platter themselves.
Surf Club South is essentially one large deck built over the beach and around trees that were there before the deck. Later in the night, a band plays and the place gets a little rowdy in a fun sort of way. You may also notice a collection of undergarments tacked to upper tree branches. No need to worry about it getting too rowdy, our waiter/bouncer (he must have been a part-owner) didn't let it get too out of hand. He was built like an offensive lineman with a facial expression that said "save yourself, don't even try." I'm 6'4" and I think he could have shot-putted me into the bay. He made sure nothing interfered with the free flow of commerce while being a polite, attentive waiter.
One last thing about Grand Case--don't miss Sylvie! In the late afternoon, she comes out to all the boats in the anchorage by dinghy to take your bread order that will be delivered to your boat in the morning. Each time in Grand Case we ordered plenty of croissants and baguettes that she delivered still warm. It was heaven.
Orient Beach on the opposite (east) side of St. Martin was also just about opposite in demeanor. Other than a few jet skis and parasailing, it's fairly laid back. Orient Beach is quite long, but a little too developed for me. However, it is relaxing and the bay is excellent for windsurfing. The southern end of the beach is meant to be fully nude, but no one seems to mind if you stroll through wearing something If you're hungry and don't want cook on the boat, try Kon Tiki. It's an open air restaurant right on the beach serving excellent food. If you order lobster, the waitress nets one from their saltwater tank and brings it to your table for approval as you're charged by the gram. Dinner was plentiful and quite reasonably priced. After dessert, the hard part was getting in the dink to go back to the boat.
When you approach Orient Bay, double check your charts as there are plenty of rocks and reefs in this area. Enter about 75 yards off the north side of Green Cay and there is a channel about 35' to 40' deep. If you're approaching Orient Bay from the south, don't try to skirt under Green Cay even though it looks open. One charterer tried while we were there and that charter came to an abrupt halt on a reef.
Philipsburg is the capital of the Dutch side of the island. It didn't do anything for me, but for the shoppers in your group, it is THE place, especially for jewelry. I spent some quiet time on the boat reading while everyone else went ashore to check out the stores. When my wife returned, she tried to explain that the jewelry prices there meant we were somehow earning money with every purchase. I never quite followed the rationale, and I'm still waiting to see a check from her "hard labor." But, after seeing what she purchased, I reluctantly agreed she got some bargains.
St. Barts
After only a two and a half hour sail from St. Martin, we arrived in St. Barts. In Gustavia, you either anchor in the outer harbor area with a lot of boats or moor stern-to on the quay. When we arrived, there was space along the quay so I made my first attempt at Mediterranean style docking. A crosswind that seems to continually blow through the harbor channel doesn't help. Since I needed two shots at it, I felt a little dispirited. Until I saw the maneuvering of some other charter boats. That's a source of entertainment among the boats and pedestrians along the quay. One Moorings boat got everyone's attention as he clipped an unoccupied boat, got a line around his propeller, and started to drift. The customs people were not happy.
My main problem in docking there was not using enough speed in reverse to counter the crosswind. My hand was a little light on the throttles seeing I was backing up to concrete while thinking of my damage deposit. I'm glad we did dock on the quay. Water is available to fill your tanks and you're virtually in the center of town. Simply step off the transom to take a walk among the shops and fine restaurants. Customs is quick and the moorage was cheap.
Anse de Columbier, St. Barts is a very nice, quiet anchorage except for the sounds made by a few peacocks in the hills. No development here. There is a very nice beach and you can go hiking on trails in the hills where you'll see fantastic views.
From Anse de Columbier, we decided to make a midnight run to Saba about 38 miles away. Sailing to Saba under a full moon and clear skies with 20-25 kts of breeze was the highlight of the trip for me. After awhile, everyone else on the boat got either tired or slightly queasy from the 4-6 ft swell and I was left alone at the wheel. It was great! Having the autopilot was nice when it was time to jibe and trim the sails.
Saba
We rounded Diamond Rock (NW side of the island) before dawn and I was relieved, and surprised, to find all four mooring buoys available in Ladder Bay. After grabbing one, the surprise ended; it was like being tethered to a roller coaster. After some hard-fought sleep, we decided to try the other of the only two anchorages in Saba, Fort Bay. It was definitely better, but make sure you have two anchors and plenty of rode as the water gets deep not far from shore. There's no beach. To get some protection from the swell, I took advantage of the shallow draft of the cat and anchored close in, set another anchor off the stern, and I used all our rode. Standing in the cockpit and seeing this rocky, steep-sided island that rose out of the water to kiss the clouds, I began to wonder if it was worth the trip. It was more than worth it!
In Saba, we found the most genuinely friendly people I've ever come across, and magnificent views from atop the island and below the water. Saba's reputation as one of the best dive sites in the world is well deserved. If you've got time during your charter, go there. If not, take an inexpensive trip from St. Martin at the end of your charter. You won't be disappointed.
In Fort Bay, I found the customs official in a restaurant above a dive shop. He invited me to a cup of coffee and a muffin while he glanced over our passports and boat papers, then called a taxi to meet us at Pops' on the waterfront. Back in his office, he stamped the passports saying there was no need to clear with him when we decided to leave, and suggested the kids have ice cream at Pops'. By the time everyone got off the boat (always a production) and over to Pops', Joseph, our taxi driver was waiting. I apologized for his waiting and we told the kids to their disappointment there wasn't time for ice cream. Joseph insisted we had plenty of time saying he was ready when we were. While having ice cream, Pops (real nice guy) proudly showed us pictures of his son in the States. Joseph is an older gentleman, expertly driving a late-model van up and down the steep, narrow, winding roads of the island. He will give you the entire history of the island and identify virtually every tree, plant, and fruit while you're in his taxi. When we got out to look around or take a hike, Joseph would either wait or meet us at a certain place later. No charge for waiting. There are probably equally nice and friendly (everyone was that way) taxi drivers on the island, but ask for Joseph if you go. If you've got about three hours and a little stamina, climb the 1064 steps from near Windwardside that takes you to the top of Mt. Scenery. It's a reasonably well-maintained path through a lush rain forest to the top of an aptly named mountain. The views are simply incredible! Leaving Saba, we would have sailed directly for Anguilla, but two minor problems developed with the boat so I contacted the base in Marigot arranging to meet at a certain time in Marigot Bay. To make the appointed time, I thought we might have to use engines, but with the wind direction and speed, we made the 30-mile trip on a beam reach in slightly less than four hours without having to tack once. Within 45 minutes, Francois from Trade Wind's base and another mechanic fixed the problems and we were off.
Anguilla
Just before Road Bay (customs) is a really nice spot, Sandy Beach Island. This is the kind of tiny island everyone dreams of when thinking of the Caribbean. It's maybe all of five acres raising about 20 feet out of pale turquoise water and the entire island is white sand with a few palm trees in the center shading a small, open-air restaurant/bar. Offering surprisingly good food and drinks reasonably priced, the place is run by locals who arrive in the morning and close up when business gets slow in the afternoon. This is a place to be lazy. Great beach! I didn't count the number of mooring buoys, but there was at least ten or a few more. On one stop at Sandy Beach, maybe a dozen boats were there. However, we came back when leaving Anguilla and shared the island in the afternoon with just four people from one other boat; the locals had left early. When the others left, we had the entire island to ourselves!
In Road Bay (not much there), I'll give you a piece of advice and warning about clearing customs. Be kind to your wallet by checking your attitude, if you have one, at the door. You'll fill out forms in quadruplicate (they have carbon paper, so it's only two sets of one-page forms) and the two customs ladies you'll meet apparently charge fees based on their mood and your disposition. When I arrived, two guys were ahead of me. The one further along in the process was just finishing up with Lady #2 (she set the fees) and she charged him 20 something dollars. Meanwhile, the guy just ahead of me was arguing with Lady #1 saying he thought it ridiculous they wouldn't accept his photocopied crew sheets in lieu of their forms. He got to Lady #2 and she nailed him for $91.00 and when he argued, she cut him short informing him he would pay and also wait in the office for a third customs officer arriving later. Mustering my manners to the fore, Lady #2, in a voice Jerk #1 could hear, charged me nothing and wished me a happy remainder of my time in Anguilla.
At the dinghy dock, a crewed-yacht skipper asked what the ladies were charging that day. When I told him about the guy with an attitude, he laughed and said the third customs official he was waiting for would give him a very long, very detailed, very slow lecture concerning what he could and couldn't do while in Anguilla. And if he argued with him, the jerk might have his boat searched, be ordered to leave Anguilla immediately, or worse. Save yourself some money and grief, use common courtesy and the whole process will only take 15 to 20 minutes.
Our time was running short and we weren't able to see all of Anguilla, but this island seems to have the best white-sand beaches in the area. Cove Bay was a nice place to anchor and has a perfect beach. The night we were there, only two other boats shared the bay with us. Well that's it.
Virginia and I arrived on April 21. we were able to get an earlier connecting flight out of Miami and called Summer Set to let them know. They were waiting for us outside the terminal. Before checking in we had to drop off several cans of frozen limeade to friends who got there two weeks earlier. For some reason this product is not available on the island.
We then checked in at the Nettle Bay Beach Club. We got a beach front Villa at a very attractive price using our Entertainment Club Card. The staff was friendly and helpful and our Villa was nicely done and had a great view of Marigot across the bay. The complex of rooms and villas is a work in progress. While our villa was pleasant and nice, many were boarded up and not in use. Still all in all it was a great value.
On Saturday we headed to Orient Beach. By taking the road to La Gallion beach and going beyond the "no parking beyond this sign" notice we crossed a crude concrete bride took a left and eventually were able to park about 50 yards from the Water Sports building at the end of Orient Beach. There were between 3 to 5 cars parked in this spot almost everyday. The beach seemed much bigger without the dunes. After cleaning up from our beach outing we had dinner with friends who rent a two bedroom villa near Baie Rouge. Krueger is a great grill cook. I do not think we could have had a better meal on the island.
Sunday found us back at the beach on Orient. We both enjoy walking on the beach and at least once a day walked it entire length to the new sign at Mount Vernon. There were several nude people along the beach beyond the Club Orient rocks in front of Pedro's. One of the more interesting places we saw other nude beach goers was by the sign at Mount Vernon. The new sign shows a nude couple from the rear inside a red circle with and x over it. It appeared that people staying a Mount Vernon pulled their lounge chairs to this sign and took off their clothes. On other occasions, people were laying on towels by the sign. Along the beach between Pedro's and Mount Vernon we encountered no signs concerning dress. Perhaps 10% of the people along this section of the beach were nude. Occasionally cruise boat gawkers would attempt to take pictures.
Most mornings we stop for croissants on our trip to the beach. For plain croissants we preferred La Croissantier. For chocolate, La Mastradana was best. La Croissantier also had excellent crepes.
On Sunday we checked out Baie Rouge and Cupecoy. That was enough to convince us that Orient is still the best. One of the things we noticed at Cupecoy is that someone has begun charging $2 a car for parking on the road. We were able to park free in the lot by the Ocean Club. A subsequent trip to the lo-lo's in Grand Case revealed the Gendarmes preventing street parking, forcing patrons to pay $2 parking at lots evidently controlled by the more pricey restaurants. If you ate at one of these places the parking was deducted from your bill. Obviously there was no such deduction at lo-lo's. The underground parking in Maho is also $2. Is there a trend here?
There was one negative about our villa's kitchen, I failed to mention earlier. Although it had been described as a "full" kitchen. there was no oven and only two burners for the stove. However, I enjoy cooking and rose to the challenge without too much difficulty. One of the items we brought with us was a small grill which we used on the porch overlooking the beach.
Shopping on the Island continues to be an adventure. We went to the Food Center on the Dutch side on the Friday we arrived. While we bring several basic items we filled in with some fresh produce etc. The selection was disappointing. Apparently shipments arrive on Tuesday and by Friday the selections were picked over. We got other grocery items as needed from Souligua in the Sandy Ground area.
T-shirts are next to jewelry in sales on this island. There is no need to drive in to Philipsburg to get them either. "The Mall" shops near Pedro's had a big selection and the prices and selections were competitive with those available in town. In fact, the Carnival 95 T shirts were only $8 there as opposed to prices as high as $15 in town. One disappointment in this area is the very limited selection of "golf" style shirts with collars. As a whole the creativity of the current batch of shirts is not up to past years standards.
Jewelry is probably the islands largest gross volume retail business. Since there is no duty on jewelry sold in the U.S. it is curious that prices seem so attractive on SXM. In the past I have found the best deals in the shops in Maho near Cheri's. This continued to be true this time. Because of recommendations on this board I did go to Touch of Gold and some other stores in Philipsburg. Theses stores did not live up to my expectations. At Touch of Gold, in particular we were subjected to "hard sell" tactics. We went to both locations and found the prices to be higher than we were offered at the Maho locations. A cruise ship was in port at the time we were shopping there and this may have affected price and attitude. Heru was busy with a customer at her location and indeed it was hard to get waited on. The prices we were quoted did not appear to be much better than those available in Houston. We headed back to Maho were we were offered a cold soda, nice service and made our purchase. Virginia found a watch, diamond ring, and two gold chains she liked. One additional point on jewelry. There are only two jewelers on the whole island and they are very busy. If you need a ring resized you are probably better off getting done when you get home.
The adult beverage business on the island is still a great bargain. Liquor prices continue to be far below those available in the U.S. The prices at the Food Center were good enough that we did not bother trying to find better deals elsewhere. When GATT is fully implemented this situation may change.
One of the surprise bargains we found was on expensive imported makeup. Virginia is a big fan of La Prarie products imported from Switzerland. We were able to get several items at Little Switzerland in Marigot at a savings of 33% over the prices in Houston. As an aside, we found shopping in Marigot much more pleasant than Philipsburg this time. I have never seen the French side friendlier.
Other items that we found to be no bargain included Montblanc writing instruments and designer purses. The Monblanc's cost more than they do at Office Depot in Houston. Designer bags were actually 25% more than department store prices in Houston.
One new discovery worth mentioning is "Vic's" in Marigot. They sell nothing but imported frozen foods. They are gourmet quality, usually from France, and they are wonderful. They are on the left on the road from the Dutch side, Holland Ave. I think, just past the strip of shops you pass after Rue de President Kennedy.
Reflections on the French side. In the past I have enjoyed both sides of the island. This most recent trip I was struck by how much nicer the French side was compared to past trips. The change appears to be one of attitude on the part of the French. I have never seen them more friendly or helpful.
Starting on the day we arrived, the Hotel staff could not have been nicer. When I got to my room, I realized that I needed and adapter plug for my power converter. A call to the front desk resulted in the adapter being delivered to the room. My next dealings were the daily exchange of beach towels. I was always greeted with a smile and a wish for a good day.
When our room was burglarized I reported it to the front desk and for the first time was met with a staff member that did not speak English. However, one of the French guest at the hotel was able to translate and get the report to security. This conversation would have made an interesting movie scene with my attempts to understand his English. I was totally perplexed to learn that the desk clerk was going to report to the "Tee Ma Naug Wer." I soon learned that he was talking about the Team Manager.
The next day I had to file a report with the Gendarmes. My experience as an attorney did come in handy at this point. Before going I wrote down my name, address, phone number, hotel, and a list of the items taken with a description. This greatly facilitated the report filled in by a very slow typing French policeman. The gendarmes were very friendly and did not mind communicating in English. They did seem surprised that it was my villa and not my rent car that had been broken into. I do not think they realized this until they understood that "entry was made by cutting the screen on the door and unlocking it," referred to the villa. While I was at the station to natives came to report similar burglaries. Obviously the thieves are not just picking on the tourist.
For the most part the non-French natives were as friendly as ever. I did notice that there seemed to be a small minority that had a permanent glower and suspicious look on their faces. This is something I have not seen before. When I asked about it, I was told that the people with this "look" were not from SXM but were probably from Dominica. I was not able to verify this, but I did learn that there is a lot of immigration to SXM by job seekers from other islands including Haiti and others.
I the past I have not particularly enjoyed shopping in Marigot. However, on this trip it was a very pleasant experience, and again with one exception, people could not have been nicer. Perhaps the more relaxed atmosphere, compared with the hustle of Philipsburg made it more enjoyable. I do believe that the French recognize they are in a competitive situation with the Dutch. The one exception was a place called "lipstick." Here we were the only customers in the store, but were ignored by a staff of about six people for several minutes before we walked out. Even then no one spoke. It seems a strange way to conduct a retail business.
We are already talking about what we want to do on our next trip, but one thing for certain, we will spend even more time in Marigot and the French side.
ST. MARTIN: GOLDEN-TULIP BEACH RESORT BY CAROLYN MESKELL
The four-star Golden Tulip Beach Resort, opened in January 1994, sits on the bay opposite Ile Pinel. The lobby overlooks the main pool, and beyond that, the turquoise bay and the islands with their deep green foliage. The hotel's cottages are spread along its private beach and a little ways up the hill. At check in, we were greeted with complimentary tropical cocktails, delivered fresh from the bar.
The rooms are two or three to a cottage. Our half-cottage room was a "Superior Double" at a (Dec. 94) rate of $110 per night (plus 5% tax, service included), for which we had: a large, high-ceilinged, ocean-view bedroom with cool cream tile floor, king bed, wicker sofa and two large wicker chairs covered in a pleasant tropical print, coffee table, bureau, desk, TV, two closets, wet bar with coffee maker, small refrigerator, large white-tiled bathroom with tub/shower and hair dryer, and a small separate WC. There was both air conditioning and a ceiling fan, and clever louvered windows. Sliding glass doors (which can only be opened from the inside) opened to a covered porch on the ocean-view side, with four chairs and a table.
The hotel should congratulate its architects; it is thoughtfully designed and well laid out. It suffers from no Hyatt-like architectural pretensions. Hotel facilities include: bar, restaurant, gift shop, small conference facilities, watersports dock which rents snorkel masks and fins, kayaks, paddle boats, and floats. The hotel has five pools spread throughout the property; the main pool and small dip pools. The main pool is not heated but was pleasantly cool. The hotel does not have a hot spa tub.
Our cottage was about 60 steps from the hotel's beach, which was supplied with white lounge chairs and umbrellas (no additional charges). The beach is narrow and the sand not powder white, but it was fine for sunbathing and the occasional swim. Because it's on a cove, there are no waves. Just across the bay from the hotel is Ile Pinel, one of the better snorkeling areas around St. Martin. The day I went over to Ile Pinel was pretty busy because a tour group from one of the cruise ships had just showed up to snorkel there! Ile Pinel also has gorgeous aqua water and a fabulous sand beach. The burger huts on the Ile will rent you a chair if you want one, but nobody pays any attention if you don't. Boat ride to and from Ile Pinel was only $5. You can go when you like, and stay a few hours or all day.
The food in the hotel, except for the mixed fruit salad of mango and papaya at breakfast, which I could have eaten buckets of, is okay but not exceptional, but it's easy to try out the island's other beaches and St. Martin's wealth of restaurants. The hotel is not really within walking distance of much else, so you will need a car, but Orient Beach and Grand Case are both very short drives from the Golden Tulip. Philipsburg and the airport are each about 30 to 45 minutes from the hotel.
ST. MARTIN: A HONEYMOON TRIP REPORT BY WILLIAM LACHANCE
The week we were there seemed to be a good time to visit the island. The off-season rates at most hotels begin April 15 so it was quite a bit less expensive. Also, it did not feel all that crowded on the island. The weather was perfect: sunshine, high eighties every day.
We rented a car from Budget which was the least expensive of the big car rental companies ($26/day) but their selection of cars left something to be desired. We ended up with a beat up Hyundai that had many dents and a broken odometer/speedometer. The car made it through the week so it worked out OK but next time I'd probably rent somewhere that had a better selection of newer cars. Hertz seemed to have a lot of good condition cars on their lot. The folks at Budget did treat us very well. They readily confirmed that if you rent using an American Express card you are covered for CDW (which I had double checked with AMEX before I left Minneapolis).
I did not find driving to a problem at all on St. Martin. Maybe I was expecting the worst after all I had read but I thought the roads were in good shape and the other drivers on the road to be pretty good, all things considered. I would just recommend trying to keep the driving to a minimum at night given the poor lighting on unfamiliar roads especially after a couple of wines with dinner.
Hotel
We stayed at a small hotel in Grand Case called Hotel L'Esplanade Caraibes, which worked out great. I read about it in one of the files I downloaded and would like to thank the folks who suggested it. The off-season rate for our studio was $110. This hotel also has rooms with lofts that can easily accommodate 4 people. There are about 25 rooms in all, each one having a terrace with a great view of the ocean. The view is to the northwest so you get the sunset and you can also see across to Anguilla. The hotel is situated on the hill above the Grand Case Beach Club on the northern edge of town. It is about a five minute walk down the hill to the beach and about a ten minute walk into town to the restaurants and lolo's. It is a nice peaceful spot, perfect for a honeymoon or if you just want to avoid the crowds.
The hotel also had a pool which I believe they have put it in the last year or so. I think the entire hotel is only about three years old. The pool had a swim up bar but it was closed since it was the off season. The grounds are beautifully landscaped which makes the property stand out since it is on a rather barren hill. The rooms are spacious and include A/C, cable TV (Headline News and Discovery), a safe, and a full kitchen. We stocked up on groceries at the Match grocery (on the main road just north of Marigot) and had our breakfasts on our terrace.
My final point about the hotel is that I thought the location in Grand Case was ideal. There was a thread I read with a debate about whether it was better to stay at the Grand Case Beach Club or at the Esmeralda on Orient beach. I believe the final consensus was that it would be better to stay at Orient but I disagree. Personally, I would prefer to drive during the day to the beach than at night coming home from the restaurant/bar. Orient is hopping during the day but pretty much shuts down at night as everyone heads into Grand Case or Marigot for dinner (or over to the Dutch side). The drive to Marigot is somewhat shorter from Grand Case than from Orient and if you decide to dine in Grand Case than you can just walk back to your hotel.
The other spot I might consider staying, especially if trying to be more budget conscious, is Baie Nettle. This area is not the most scenic on the island but the motels of Baie Nettle appear to offer a good value and are conveniently located. The marina in Marigot with its shops and restaurants is only five minutes away. The beach at Orient would be about twenty minutes away and the restaurants of Grand Case about fifteen minutes. This area is also convenient to the lowlands beaches (Baie Rouge, Baie Longue etc.) and the casinos in the Mullet/Maho area. One hotel which I've heard good things about is the Marine Hotel Simson Beach.
Beaches
We visited four beaches on St. Martin. Our first day there we walked down the hill to the beach in front of the Grand Case Beach Club and rented a couple of chairs from them (the going rate for beach chairs on St. Martin is $5/day each with another $5 for the umbrella). This is a relatively small quiet beach that I would say was 60% American and 40% French (i.e. topless).
Next, we visited the famous Orient beach (and returned two more times). Orient beach is anything but quiet. Personally, I like a lot of activity when I am at the beach, especially people watching, and I doubt there are many beaches around that offer more interesting people watching than Orient. We rented beach chairs and an umbrella from the folks at Club Orient and I quickly joined the au naturel crowd (which was my first time). My wife went topless most of the time on the beach, but periodically shed her bottom as well. There were a fair amount of American gawkers there but it did not seem out of hand. We did some snorkeling along the reef which is about 30 yards offshore. That was my first time snorkeling so I don't have anything to compare against, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
On our last day we spent the morning at beaches on the other side of the island. We took a stroll along Baie Longue which is a gorgeous beach. It was almost empty. Probably no more than fifteen people on its entire length until you get to La Sammana. This is the place to go if you really want to avoid the crowds. We then spent some time at Cupecoy, which is another clothing optional beach. I liked this beach. It is a good place to go if you want to sun au natural, but want to avoid the crowds at Orient.
Restaurants
I picked most of the restaurants we ate at based on recommendations in the files I downloaded. We were not disappointed. The cost I've listed is the combined cost for the two of us and we usually had a glass of wine each as well as dessert. Unfortunately, I don't remember what we ate all the nights. The restaurants we had dinner at were:
Talk of the Town Lolo - Grand Case - The night we arrived we wanted something cheap and easy and this place fit the bill. Dinner for two of barbecue chicken and ribs along with a couple of Heinekens and a bottle of water was a whopping $14. You don't go to the lolo's for the atmosphere, but the prices are sure hard to beat.
La Chanteelais - On the marina in Marigot - This was the one place we stumbled on ourselves. The woman who owns the place approaches anyone who stops to read her menu and gives a pitch that one can select an appetizer, entree and dessert for $19. We decided to try it and were quite pleased. Cost $55.
small French village. This place is also one of the night spots in Grand Case. Again, we were pleased with the food and ambiance. Cost $50.
La Brasserie De La Gare - On the marina in Marigot - This is a popular bistro which specializes in pastas and pizzas. Dollar for the dollar we thought this was the best place we ate at. We split a pizza and a salad and were very pleased. We also enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. The waiters are quite entertaining. Cost $40.
Mark's Place - French Cul de Sac (this restaurant is on the road to Anse Marcel) - This is a very popular restaurant specializing in Creole cooking and fresh lobster. If I remember correctly we had the Creole chicken and Creole shrimp and again were not disappointed. Cost $60.
La Tastevin - Grand Case - This was on our last night and was the o < expensive place we ate at. This restaurant overlooks the ocean in Grand Case and is very romantic. The food was excellent but you pay for it. I had the tuna and Gretchen had the sole. Of course, the beautiful setting and first rate service are worth something. Cost $100.
Excursions
On the Thursday of the week we were there we flew over to St. Barts for the day on Air Guadeloupe from Grand Case. The flight cost $89 round trip and takes about 10 minutes once airborne. The landing in St. Barts was somewhat unnerving but not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. It is over very quickly. For those not familiar, planes landing on St. Barts must clear a rather steep hill and then make a quick descent onto a small airstrip. All in all, I would recommend spending the extra $30 and fly to St. Barts. It was nice at the end of the day to zip on by the catamaran making its way back to St. Martin. (I believe the ferry takes about 1 hour 45 minutes to make the crossing on some relatively rough seas.) Flying also gives you some time to explore Gustavia in relative peace before the crowds from the ferries and cruise ships arrive.
On St. Barts we rented a Moke to explore the island. The rental was $35 for the day and was a lot of fun to drive. We started with a stroll along the beach at St. Jean and then headed into Gustavia for some shopping and lunch. We ate at Bar de l'Oubli which is right across from Le Select in the heart of town. It was a good meal but not exactly cheap.
We then decided to take the back way from Gustavia to Grand Saline beach. This put us on roads that were far steeper than any I have driven on before. If the brakes had given out on that Moke we'd have been finished. Saline was easily the most beautiful beach we went to. It was rather secluded with about forty people there. I'd say about a third of the people there were nude. Most of the other women there were topless. This is definitely a beach where the beautiful people hang out.
We then took the road that cuts across the island to St. Jean. This road wasn't nearly as hilly. We had a couple of drinks at one of the cafe's on the beach and then it was off to the airport to catch our plane back to St. Martin.
Part of the reason we went to St. Barts was to see if this is a place we'd would like to visit in the future for a week long stay. It is a beautiful island with no apparent social problems of any kind but I think its probably too quiet and a bit too snooty for our tastes. It is also very expensive. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our day there and can definitely recommend it as a day trip option from St. Martin.
There was one other excursion we planned to take on Friday but changed our minds because we were pretty worn out and decided to take it easy the last couple of days. But it sounded like a lot of fun. There is a little island off Anguilla called Gorgeous Scilly Cay near Island Harbor. There is a restaurant on that Cay that has an all afternoon reggae party on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The restaurant is known for its grilled lobster and chicken. We had planned to take the ferry to Anguilla which costs $9 each way and then catch a cab to Island Harbor. Island Harbor is also near Shoal Bay beach which is supposed to be one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. We'll try to get there next time.
Final Observations
We never did make it to any of the casinos but did spend a morning shopping in Philipsburg. One thing I noticed was that there seemed to be more opportunity for the locals in the tourist trade in Philipsburg than in Marigot. Philipsburg shops seemed to be owned by either natives of the West Indies or by Middle Easterners with locals working for them. The merchants and restaurateurs in Marigot seemed to be nearly all French nationals.
All in all however, we both liked the French side better. The pace is a lot more relaxed and it has much more of a European feel to it. In my opinion, the French side of St. Martin offers a taste of French culture but in an environment that caters to Americans.
In summary, we had a great time on our visit to St. Martin and will definitely try to plan another visit there sometime.