TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Top spot for daytime fine dining on Orient?

I am a long time annual visitor whose wife enjoys the long lunch on Orient, with food to make you scale back the dinner plans. We were Kon-Tiki people for many years, then switched to Kakao. Something seems to have happened at Kakao. We ate there at least once and maybe twice last year, and there was a very noticeable drop-off in quality. I may have posted some specifics on here, back in March. I can't recall all of them, except the Pepperidge Farm croutons are seared into my memory. Has Kakao recovered its mojo? What is Kon-Tiki like since it re-opened?

Our go-to fine dining choice on Orient is Palm Beach. As of last March they were head and shoulders better than anything else on the beach. Free chairs and umbrella if you have lunch either on the beach or in the restaurant. Off the beach, Bachuss has a wonderful lunch but that's another story.

Palm Beach as mentioned is very good and always a great place to spend the day. The newest beach restaurant is LA Playa located not far from Palm Beach. It opened recently and has received rave reviews from everyone who has dined there.

Palm Beach! Just there on the 12th for my wife's birthday (OK, she insists on Birthday lunch there every year) and both the food and service were outstanding!

We haven't been to Palm Beach for a couple of years. Many regulars had reported a loss in quality there in recent years. I am looking forward to checking out LaPlaya soon. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at Kakao in June of 2016.

Just came back from SXM, and enjoyed a few meals at la Playa and they are just great !! Good food, good service and great ambiance !

I'd recommend LaPlaya. Bruno has elevated the beach area with several dining spots, an open air dining room, individual tables with thatched roofs on the beach close to the dining room and above the bar is a dining area (our favorite) which has beautiful views of the beach as well as comfortable and chic in appearance. Food is wonderfully good. There are specials in addition to their regular menu. Service is spot on.

[img][image]http://i213.photobucket.com/...layplaya%20pillows_zpspahmbogt.jpg[/img][/image]

It appears that La Playa is the place to go as far as the food is concerned.
But I was wondering how does it compare to the Palm beach as far as the beach activity (such as loungers, beach depth, calmness of the ocean directly in front, music and atmosphere)
Thanks
Nick

In my opinion all amenities are comparable, comfort, service, facilities, music. Since they aren't very far from each other the calmness of the ocean or not is equally comparable.

Palm Beach was very nice but after awhile the food became inconsistent and we got a bit bored with the menu so went back to Waikiki. Now that LaPlaya has reopened with Bruno and business partner operating it is our Orient beach choice. There are fans of all different beach areas on Orient.

It's no secret that we're long-time Kakao fans, and remain so after our trip this past November/December. They do have a new chef, but with the exception of the vegetable preparations, I find the food there to be just as good as it was before.

That said, La Playa, since Bruno purchased it, is probably better, from a food point of view. I still love the little cabana-style tables at Kakao, though. We tend to split our Orient time between the two now.

Thanks
Are there any Cabanas for rent at La Playa or strictly lounge chairs/ umbrellas .
If so, what are the charges.
Nick

We love orange fever!!!!

My vote goes to LaPlaya too.

We also love the Palms for lunch, ate there most recently in Nov and it was very good. We will eat there many time this trip and will try Laplaya for the first time. We will be there for the month of Feb.

The Palms is a great restaurant in Simpson Bay. Palm Beach is the (also great) restaurant on Orient beach. Two completely different places.

All of the afore mentioned are good, however I always enjoy Sun Beach. Try it, you'll like it!

We just returned from SXM and I have to say since Kon Tiki reopened a few years ago I believe it sets the standard for Orient beach. Palm beach is still great but needs a little TLC, La Playa is great as Bruno and Thomas always do things top notch and Bikini is also very well done. I did extensive research on all those mentioned and was not disaapointed with any <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

Does Sun Beach fit the op's criterion for fine dining? I've never eaten there, but based on the setting, it seems more casual to me.

Thanks to all who posted. I will try to report back. We will probably only make it to one of these. There is a strong sentimental pull toward Kon-Tiki. Our first trip, a wonderful couple, no longer with us, who are the reason we found the island. That will also pull us to Lee's, even though we will not be in Royal Palm this year.

We have a strong sentimental pull to Kakao, as many years ago, maybe in 95 or so, they were doing clothing optional parties in the evening there, and we had a simply wonderful anniversary dinner there. Having a sentimental attachment to someplace can't be bad..

Regarding Lee's, I hope you're going soon, as supposedly he may be gone by around the middle of March..

It is all about memories and the anticipation that they live up to expectations. The fun part is finding new and hoping to get back to relive. Keeps us all wanting to come back.

My wife and I like Kon Tiki.
The food is excellent, lots of attentive staff, above average hygene (in kitchen and out) cigar and brandy selection... just a cut above everywhere else.

Sun Beach's atmosphere is very nice, open, airy and the decor with white curtains & chairs makes it feel like fine dining. The food is great too.

Looks beautiful! Where is La Playa located on Orient?

La Playa is just north of where Avenue des Plages (the street that Petit Casino is on) meets the beach.

Does LaPlaga serve dinner when there is entertainment or is it just the bar?
Would it be safe walking in the village after dark?
Thanks

We stayed in the Village at Blue Bay Beach apartments a few weeks ago and felt perfectly comfortable walking around the village at night. If you're there then I can't help but recommend Cote Plages in the village for dinner. That was one of my favorite restaurants on this visit. The service and food were both excellent and the night we were there there was a singer in the square for entertainment.