TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Coffee Shops in Orient Bay Area?

Hello all! I'll be heading to SXM on May 2 with a big group of friends. We've rented a villa in the Orient Beach area. I'm not an alcohol drinker, but I am a bit of a coffee connoisseur. At home, I have an espresso machine and have 3-4 cappuccinos a day. Is anyone aware of a spot in the Orient area that serves capps/lattes? If so, do they open early? I'm seriously considering bringing along my espresso machine. I have a coffee problem! Thanks for any info you SXM experts can supply!

The Good Morning Cafe near the village has very good coffee and pastries/breakfast. I'm not sure what you consider early, but I believe that they are open by 7:00am (maybe someone else could verify that). It's our favorite spot for a coffee and a bite before going to the beach!

Yellow sub opens at I believe 6:15 with coffee, pastries, fresh juices as well as other breakfast items. We didn't have the coffee but the pastries are excellent. There is also a cafe in that same area that opens around 7-7:30 I have seen many locals stopping there for an espresso on their way to work. I can't remember the name of it.

I would also second the Yellow Sub for morning coffee.

I nominate Yellow Sub for the fresh squeezed juices. Fruit and veggie.

Thanks, everyone. It's such a silly question, I know, but it's a big deal for me! Our villa only supplies a "regular" coffee machine, so I need to know I can get a latte / espresso elsewhere, or the machine is coming with me! Sounds like there are definitely options. "Early" for me is 7am. I'm usually up by 6:30.

The only thing to know is that most places on Orient Beach now use the espresso machines that are automated, so unlike what you get at American coffee houses, they're not totally hand made. Apologies to any vendor there that makes them entirely by hand, but we haven't found them.

That makes a huge difference. I think "gas station" when I hear automated espresso / coffee / hot chocolate machines. Apples and oranges! I think I'll just pack the machine unless someone knows for sure of a place that opens fairly early that makes real espresso drinks. Thanks for the info, everyone!

Prepare to be shocked by not only what is available but the island time it is! but you will get used to it and go with the flow.

http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac111/Hexrod/espresso%20close%20up_zpsfbuyikdo.jpg
Actually, those little Lavazza espresso makers (as is at Yellow Sub - see above) are kinda cool: They push the button, you hear the beans being ground, then dumped into a cup, the steam fires up and the espresso bubbles out into your tazza. Maybe a little watery for my taste, but good flavor.
The only place in Orient village that may have true hand-drawn espresso has to be that little cafe to the left of Petit Casino - I said I was going to stop there this last trip, but never got it done. FWIW, the only people I've ever seen drinking coffee there are locals or Europeans.. That should tell you something..

If you take your own machine and it's electric, you'll want a hot-shot transformer capable of passing through the wattage required, I would think. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

As joyfully (aka hubby) said, these machines are more like semi-automated equipment. Not gas station level quality! We had a friend that moved her expensive 220 espresso machine back to the U.S. when she moved from the U.K. She had it rewired to accept 110 but it never had the same umph as before it was "demasculated" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> I wouldn't want to try to use a good machine on different voltage even with a transformer.

Shoot, I didn't think of the voltage! Grrr. I have a Nespresso machine, definitely not cheap. Does anyone recall what time Yellow Sub opens in the morning?

P&P above say 6:15... I can't verify that, but by 7-ish they're up and running. Good Morning was usually open by then as well, and I think the local cafe is going by around then too.

Yes, I definitely would NOT advise bringing an expensive machine like that to SXM. Even if you get a converter that actually works, there are power surges all the time in SXM..

You may want to check to see if your villa is equipped with a Nespresso machine. Every villa I have rented in Orient has had one.

Yep, I checked. Our villa only has a regular coffee pot machine, no espresso drinks. Well, my dad is an electrical engineer, so he's sending me with the correct transformer, and I'll unplug the machine when it's not being used. I think it's the best thing I can come up with for my espresso dilemma!

I don't know a lot about the Nespresso machines (I have a Jura) but don't Nespressos use pre-ground coffee pods? I can't imagine your not being satisfied with the espresso and cappuccino made by the Illy machines that most of the restaurants in the Orient area use. Those machines grind fresh beans for each cup, and press and brew a nice espresso or cappuccino to order. Not "gas station" coffee in any way.

Good morning cafe in the Orient village has cappuccinos, they were very good along with Quiche Lorraine and there croissants, they open at 7:00. We went there almost every morning. If you have a car Paridise View is a short drive away and have cappuccinos as well and a very good breakfast. You can see I'm a coffee junky as well.