TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin 7/12-7/19

We've been to SXM many times. Usually we go in October, this was a spur of the moment Travelocity decision and we're glad we went.

Stayed at Mary's Boon, upgraded to an ocean front room. A very lovely property. The room was perfect and the view was gorgeous. The beach was lovely without a hint of seaweed.

Flew out of MYR through ATL without an issue. Rented a car from Leslie Bruce as always, it wasn't the cheapest price, but as always the service was great..

We made a quick trip to a supermarket outside of Maho for the needed booze, cheeses and other noshes. We normally stay on the French side but this was perfect. First night we went to Rancho for lobster, unfortunately their tank was broken so we "settled" for two delicious plates of beef and tuna carpaccio and a few glasses of wine. The place was empty, (as was every place we went).

Went to Skipjacks the second night and had a perfectly grilled Saba lobster. Thursday we headed to Orient and went to Cocoa beach and took a walk to the Perch to say hello to Willie. There was a moderate amount of seaweed up and down the beach, especially towards the Mt. Vernon side. Orient just seemed kind of tired and played out to me. The new buildings were cute and definitely a better deal than Cocoa Beach as far as deals on chairs and drinks. Then sand gravity kicked in.

We went to Temptations and had a nice light meal. Friday was Spiga and it was wonderful, their gnocchi was a delight. Everything was perfect. Saturday night we ate at Moulin Fous where we overdosed on Fois Grase and Sushi. Sunday night was Buccaneer Beach Bar which didn't impress me at all. Our final meal at Mario Bistrot was the highlight of the week. Worth every penny. We squeezed a side trip to Nettle beach to visit Dreams, the restaurant seemed nice but we were unimpressed by the beach, it was noon and totally empty..

All in all another lovely trip to paradise.

Hi. Thanks for the report! I added some returns to make the report easier to read.

Dreams' beach is not great. The attraction is the food..

Thanks for sharing some info about your recent trip.

If only Bruno would/could open something on Anse Marcel. It would truly be heaven on earth.

Not to mention crowded. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

While variety is definitely the spice of life, Linda, this way we have not one but two delightful venues to enjoy and in two totally different parts of the island. I'm a firm believer in "if it ain't broke......" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Pat, I couldn't agree more! The beach, or lack thereof, at Dreams doesn't really bother me in the least. Of course, we don't get in the water much, so I know I'm not the norm. I love finding great sea glass there, and really appreciate the comfort of the lounges, great beach and bar service, and of course, the fabulous food.

I know that Bruno actually hunted for someplace on Orient Beach for quite a while. That would have been truly lovely. I am kind of like Georgia though, I really don't get in the water much, regardless of the venue, so the beach at Dreams doesn't bother me.

Sounds like a lovely trip. I love Dreams. We don't go for the beach, but the food and ambiance and view are stunning. Going to Mario's is like going to Frank's in Pawley's...always a delight.