We arrived at Juliana International Airport on the Dutch side of the Island (Sint Maarten) mid-day on Monday the 16th. Loren was pretty good, sleeping for half of the 4-hour direct flight out of JFK, and letting us read books to her for the second half. The rental car guy was there with a sign saying "Sawyer" as we exited the luggage area and he took us to get our worn, but functional Toyota Corolla at their off-airport location. With the condition of some of the roads, I don't recommend anything bigger than a Corolla, if you are looking for recommendations.
From there, we had a bit of difficulty in getting out of the Simpson Bay area and on to Marigot, the capitol of the French side (St Martin). The roads were not well-marked, and we were tired. We did eventually make our way to Marigot and on to Grand Case and our hotel, the Grand Case Beach Club. We were tired and hungry at this point, so after checking in and stowing the gear we went to the restaurant on site, the Sunset Cafe, for lunch.
Here is the view from the restaurant of Creole Rock and the small bay our room faced.
The hotel had 2 beaches, and this one was the larger one. Although all the beaches are technically public, access to the beach can be controlled - the fence and gates around our hotel complex kept the beach uncrowded. We changed into bathing suits and spent a little time on the beach Monday afternoon, but Loren got some sand and/or lotion in her right eye and was not having fun, so we were not out for too long.
On Monday nights the manager has a reception for all the guests up above the restaurant, so we went up for some drinks.
Afterwards we drove into Marigot to Match to do some shopping as our room had a nice kitchen with stove, microwave, and fridge (we needed milk for Loren, for example). We purchased some bread and cheese that we ate for dinner, topped off by the complimentary bottle of wine we received when we checked in.
NYC
1 comment:
When we stayed in St. Martin we were in the hotel right next to the airport, and you could watch as the jets would blast sand and blow people on the beach around that were foolish enough to set up directly behind the runway.
And I remember a little restaurant just down and across the street (don't remember the name), but it was an open restaurant with a covered top, and they had the absolutely best daiquiris (and really really good food too).
Too bad Ginger doesn't get free trips like that anymore.
Post a Comment