The report is a little late but hopefully I'll get caught up before we leave. My wife and I arrived Tuesday but there wasn't anything to really report as has become the norm for our first day of travel. Flew out of Atlanta on a mostly packed Delta flight, landed on time and got through immigration quickly since we were the only plane on the ground. Found the always smiling Mr. Lesley Bruce from Kenny's Car Rental quickly and we were off to our rental in Orient Bay. Traffic was pretty light with the expected slow down going through and exiting Marigot but not bad at all.
We're in a two bedroom townhome on the beach behind Kontiki Beach Bar. Great location with easy walk to restaurants in the Village and our favorite beach hangout at Orange Fever. A couple of adult beverages with a pizza from Bo's and Day 1 is in the books. We got a pepperoni and mushroom pizza from Bo's and wasn't disappointed but prefer Pappa Dan's. I think it was probably the fact that Bo's wasn't quite cooked as long as I like and wasn't as charred as I expected with a thin crust pizza. Sauce, cheese balance and flavors were excellent! I didn't try the famous hot sauce but maybe next time.
Wednesday started off raining so we headed to Philipsburg for a early shopping day. Unfortunately, Gulmohar's was closed and parking wasn't easily found due to our late start. Decided to head to Marigot as a back-up plan since I needed a few cigars to smoke during our stay. We went to La Casa del Habanos where I picked up a supply of cigars to get me through the first part of our trip. The shop owner, Carol, gave a great recommendation for lunch that was right next door. Tropicana faces the water and looks out over the marina which makes for a very casual and relaxing setting. I had the tuna/snapper/lobster tartar with a glass of cote de rhone and couldn't have been happier.
Dinner was a short stroll from our place to Orient Village and Le Telegraphe. I had the grilled tuna served over wasabi mashed potatoes and was really impressed! The tuna was cooked perfectly and the potatoes had a nice wasabi flavor rather than being overwhelming. The dessert that followed was also amazing! I had the chocolate brownie with banana foam and peanut ice cream that was just plain stupid good. I could have eaten 3 or 4 of them but thankfully I had only ordered one and didn't make a pig of myself.
No beach time either day due to rain and work related issues. We were able to get a few hours of deck time at our place so probably a benefit since we avoided the over exposure we normally get in the first couple of days.
Thanks for the report and the pictures. Carol at La Casa del Habano is the best. I have known her for years and she always has good recommendations.
Tropicana has always had good food. The marina used to be one of my favorite places to grab lunch and try different restaurants but over the years the place got a little run down yet Tropicana survived.
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