|
|
This is the old archived forum. You can read and search the old posts but to post new messages you'll need to go to the new Orient Beach and SXM forum. Click Here |
|
| Author: | Craig |
| E-mail: | achdrbrown@aol.com |
| Date: | 3/19/2004 2:23:56 PM |
| Subject: | Just got back...final thoughts |
| Message: | We stayed at the Alamanda on Orient Beach and just had a blast! We were on the island only 3 full days, and only one of those did we stay totally on Orient Beach. One of the days we drove to Marigot. Being a little worried about traffic, we left early and got there and parked by about 8:30. Little did we realize we had parked right next to where all the vendors set up and where the ferry leaves to go to Anguilla--a perfect place to park. The many vendors were setting up and we enjoyed looking and shopping at their booths--there must have been about 40 or more booths with clothing, jewelry, and carvings. We found they were eager to sell and eager to 'barter'. The ferry starts running early....around 8 or so and leaves for Anguilla about every 30 minutes. It's $10 per person each way. We took a backpack with some food and several containers of water which we had frozen the night before. There are plenty of taxis waiting to take you wherever you want to go on the island and as soon as you disembark from the ferry, they ask you where you want to go and THEY hail you a taxi and off you go! The taxi was $16 each way to and from Shoal Beach. This IS a beautiful beach--very white, very peaceful with a huge body of calm water to swim in. I thought the snorkeling was poor but maybe I didn't find the 'good' area. There was a bar/restaurant there and cold beer and drinks/food were easily available. The beer was surrrrrrre good. Just be sure and take $$$. Even tho it is supposed to be a non topless island, there were several topless ladies on the beach. No one seemed to care. We had told the taxi driver to pick us up at 3pm. By 3:40 he wasn't there and I went to the bar and they asked who he was. I had remembered his name and they called him directly and he arrived around 4pm. Being an impatient American I wasn't too pleased with this, but reminded myself to settle down and enjoy the beach....everything worked out. Dont allow SEEMINGLY seemingly important things to ruin your vacation or your life--keep it all in perspective......:)) Afer getting back into Marigot we did a bit more shopping and then drove back to the Alamanda and had dinner there. They had a lobster/steak/oyster special which was really good. My wife had a fish dinner, I believe, and we finished off 4 or 5 glasses of wine and split a dessert--$129--US money. I HATE spending money on food!! It goes in, it comes out, it's short lived satisfaction. But all the food in restaurants is expensive. Well, I shouldn't say 'all', because a few people know where to get good food at a lesser cost. Will all of ya'll PLEASE inform us as to where we might go for cheaper eating out??? I probably should mention tipping. I had read on this board (I think) that the prices for food on the French side of the island INCLUDED the tip. And yet EVERYWHERE we sat down to eat, a tip line item was added to the ticket--even the Alamanda, where breakfast was included in the room cost, added a line item each breakfast to include a tip. I DID leave a tip, but I wonder if I should have. Will someone PLEASE comment on whether I did the right thing or whether I just made myself poorer???? One other day trip we took was to Grand Case Beach Club. We went there because I had read that the snorkeling around Creole Rock was really good. Well, it was! There were LOTS of boats around the rock with LOTS of people looking at the marine life. Let me tell you something. If you want to snorkel there go to Grand Case Beach Club and sign up with them. The diver takes up to 5 (five!!) people with him. That's all! Some of these other boats had 15-25 people on them. WE GOT THE GOOD DEAL! Or at least I felt like we did. The recent literature I had read said it would be $25. It was $30 per person. I'm still glad we went. But we didn't make a reservation. We got there at 9:30. The first group at 10 am was full so we went with the noon group. The rest of the time we spent on THEIR lounge chairs (Grand Case Beach Club's) rightly or wrongly. I figured, heck, we're waiting for THEIR tour........lol...The beach there is pretty and I can see why it would be a good place to stay. The view, I think, Is better than that at Orient; the water pretty calm, cliffs down to the right about 150 yards, and rocks to the left at the base of the restaurant. There is the AWESOME restaruant right there by the water, about 30 feet above the water with a small swimming pool about 15 feet above the restaurant for all those fresh water people. I can see how anyone would really enjoy eating there and looking OUT over the water and DOWN onto the water--just really nice. We didn't do that and now I wish we had, but I was in too big a hurry to get back to Orient Beach. This was such a pretty area that we are thinking of splitting our time next year between Grand Case and Orient. The only drawback to me (but a plus to others) is that this beach is quiet and pretty inactive. The most activity was a pretty young mother with her 2 year old naked little boy building sand castles. Cute, but thank goodness I've been there/done that already....lol. It's tricky getting to Grand Case if you've never been there, so write me if you want some hints as to how to do it. It only took us about an extra 20 minutes and one mile of walking....lol. St Martin is an island in many ways like all other Caribbean islands. The people are poor. The nice, pretty, comfortable areas are the resorts made for you and me to enjoy and spend our money in. I went to Fiji with Habitat last year in August and it was the same way-- beautiful resorts, but when you left them, everything looked pretty dumpy. Now it's not ALL that way, but it CAN be a little unnerving when you first drive around and you see only rundown living places. As you spend more time there you being to get comfortable with the island and you soon realize that given the beauty of the green hills, the white sand, and the bare bodies on the beach.....hey.....you've got it made..... |
General Message Board -- 
Just got back...final thoughts by Craig 
at 3/19/2004 2:23:56 PM
Re: Just got back...final thoughts by No Name at 3/20/2004 7:16:28 AM Re: Just got back...final thoughts by S & C at 3/20/2004 1:12:01 PM Re: Just got back...final thoughts by Craig at 3/20/2004 11:19:07 PM Re: Just got back...final thoughts by Craig at 3/20/2004 7:51:54 AM Re: Just got back...final thoughts by Chad at 3/19/2004 3:13:10 PM Re: Just got back...final thoughts by Craig at 3/20/2004 7:54:12 AM