TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin French Side Questions

Hello Folks! After dozens of stays on the Dutch Side, we will be mixing it up by staying on the French Side this upcoming January. Great and informative forum! I have a few questions:

Electrical Converter vs. Adapter: We only need to charge our iPhones and Laptops. Do we need to bring a converter or just an adapter for these types of devices? Do accommodations typically provide, or should we bring one from the States?

Sushi: We are sushi addicts. What are some of the best sushi spots on the French Side?

Gourmet Dining: We are big foodies and love some of the places in Grand Case....Spiga, Ocean 82, Auberge, etc. Is this anything new and exciting that we must try?

Thanks in advance folks and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

We just bring the plug adapter . It depends on where you are staying if they provide one. In addition to the restaurants you listed, but not new, our favorites are Bistrot Caraibes, La Villa and Le Cottage. Nice was also very good. Haven't eaten there yet, but Le Pressoir gets excellent reviews.

L'Atelier Restaurant in Orient Village if you are looking for a place for steak

Le Pressoir is highly recommended as our first choice followed by Les Galets located opposite the main entrance of Orient.

You can find les galets weekly menu (Friday - Sunday) on their facebook front page

Both offer a prix fix as well as ala carte.

If you are looking for more Michelin style food, La Villa Hibiscus is worth a try although very expensive

In all honestly I find most other restaurants offer similar menus of traditional French food preparations

A few others we always enjoy include Le Cottage and yes their lobster prix fix is recommended even though you are from Maine and Astrolab.

For a more formal lunch, Bacchus is excellent (very fairly priced caviar)

For a low key true French lunch Le Cool Heure just south of Grand Case main road exit was awesome

Although always closed for vacation while we visit, L' Atelier in Orient would be my choice for premium meat and fresh seafood

D, check the charger on your laptop - it will say what voltages it will accept, most, but not all, will accept anything between 100 to 240 volts and 50 to 60 hz for input - and so you only need an adapter not a converter. I have owned laptops that only accept 120 volts - they need a converter.

Agree with pony as to La Villa

Downeaster--I don't eat sushi myself, but LaPlaya supposedly has excellent sushi.

Thanks everybody. Great info and I have heard from others about the sushi at La Playa. This is on Orient Beach correct?

So excited for our return! No better island in my opinion. We have tried many many others but always return to SXM for the food choices and gorgeous beaches!

We like Calmos Cafe in Grand Case, Le taitu on Mont Vernon road, bistro de la mer in marigot. La playa is on Orient beach.

Sao in Orient Village has sushi. There are some mixed reviews on it, but my wife likes it.

Yes, La Playa is on Orient.

As 20 year plus visitors to Orient Bay we don't disagree with any of the advice above. We will be in Orient Bay after the 20th of December if you need an up to date opinion of the local fare.

We just spent two nights at La Playa on Orient, and their rooms had USB ports for charging phones and tablets; good thing, because I totally forgot an adapter. And yes,the sushi there is excellent.

maybe a sushi snob but tried the sushi at SAO in orient and was not very good
we were recommended the restaurant from our island food guy who is always spot off, but maybe it is for the non sushi part of the menu

while we dine every year at La Villa (love all the staff), the food is not the reason we return

THEEE best sushi is at LaPlaya beach and restaurant!!! Ask for Alexandra!!! Converters. It was my experience with those that our blow-dryer didn't work up to full power. I was able to buy a professional dryer set up with the two prong plug at 220!! MUCH better!!! Here is the link, but you would need to call the office as the dryer is not listed . $150.00 apx. but it will last a lifetime and Turbo Power will repair at any time!! I know, I did hundreds of international shows for them!!! Good luck!!! https://turbopowerinc.com/collections/all

SAO in Orient Village is known for their Sushi. I'm not a big Sushi fan, but love their Wahoo. Always ask for Sarah! She will make your dining experience awesome!

Kontiki also has delicious sushi - on orient - though last year when we ordered sushi I had an issue with esophageal spasms (unrelated to the food - it was delicious) - got choked and could not eat any of it…. Makes me look forward to this year even more

Java in Grand Case is excellent with a nice ambience - on the water. I had the best duck ever at Le Bistro Nu down an alley across from the stadium in Marigot. And a relatively new wonderful beach bar on Orient is Jao, between Orange Fever and Aloha.