TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Quick Trip Report - January 21 to February 4

Sorry, no pics yet - need to get them off the iphone. Four of us left Regina, SK. Canada on January 20 and had an overnight in Toronto. Arrived via Air Canada on Saturday, January 21 at SXM. We rented a Kia from Banana Location - great service, Michael met us at the airport with a Picanto with only 200km on it, he brought a van to take our luggage, we finished the paperwork in 2 minutes in Grand Case and made our way to our rented condo in Orient. The condo was in the village and really worked well, 2 bedroom, two bathroom, full kitchen and a large deck and back yard, only 2 minute walk to the beach.

We stayed mostly at Aloha on Orient - great service there and fresh mussels on Thursdays. Went to Yellow Sub for a few drinks and pizzas. Tried the new Mediterranean Cafe in the village - very impressed, mix of Greek and French food. Also went to La Voile Blanche in the village and had a fabulous meal.

We went to the lolo's in GC a couple times - always good. Took in carnival one Tuesday - lotsa fun, including the free Heineken tent behind the museum. Also had some great gourmet meals at La Villa and Le Tastevin.

Having a car this time we did a lot of touring around, including Marigot, Phillipsburg, Maho and Simpson Bay. I'd have to say the French side is still our favorite.

We went with another couple this time and it was their first time to SXM. So we enjoyed touring them around, after a week they left and our friend and her daughter arrived for our second week, so we saw a lot of the same sights again - but I made it more interesting for myself by driving the opposite way around the island - same sights from a different angle!

Our second week we took the Bluebeard catamaran to Shoal Bay in Anguilla - always a fun time bouncing over the waves at the front of the boat.

Thanks to everyone on the forum for answering questions and being a wealth of knowledge. Can't wait to return!

Thanks for the report! What was the name of the place you stayed?

Sounds like a great time was had by all.Acting as tour guide for your friends can be a fun experience. Sometimes you can even be surprised by what you find.Thanks for sharing with us.

We stayed at a condo behind the square in Orient in the Aigrettes block. Great place, huge deck with a small back yard facing the mountain. And we had a yard iguana that kept an eye on from his perch in a tree.

The best part was seeing our friends who have only been on pebble beaches walk out onto Orient for the first time and step into the soft sand.

Where in the village is the new Mediterranean restaurant? Do you know what it took the place of?

Hi. What was the name of it, if someone wanted to search by the name?

It's called "The Mediterranean Cafe" - located in the back corner of the square. I don't know if there was ever a restaurant back there, maybe a clothing shop a couple of years ago? There is an ice cream cart in front of the cafe that has Greek ice cream. They also had some really good tapas on the menu.

I would love to see another restaurant open where the old La Chappelle used to be. It was such a cool space and great food.