We found out that this means Plum Bay, at least when you talk to the real estate people, Plum Bay is at the end of the Terre Basse section, down an obscure road. The good news is that it is a great beach, a half mile of sand with 3 or 4 families on it. That perfect blue water you get in the Caribbean, a school of small fish for visual interest - and very small breakers.

There is a place to park just a few yards from the beach, and that is about it. No restaurant, no beach bar, nobody hanging out selling stuff.

The smart people, ther regulars brought beach umbrellas or little shelters. Not something we had in our place, but there must be a way to come up with the basics. This was a nice beach day.

Baie de Prunes

Snorkeling

The best snorkeling is at a  man-made attraction on the Dutch side near Phillipsburg.  The trick is what is underwater. It started with the debris from a big hurricaine that hit St Martin in the 90’s. The top of an historic fort ended up in the water, cannons and all. Fish followed and a destination was created.

 Some of the smart people figured that if nature could do this once every century or two, snorkel promoters could speed the process up by towing wrecks and similar underwater attractions to 30 feet or so of water. A little kayak trip and your there.

George set the pace, free diving to touch the wreck 25 or so feet down.

Underwater King

The best thing about renting a house with a good pool is that the family can hang out, swim, play cards, take pictures and play games. We had the right setup. And Anna, who is in the family tradition of gadget gurus, took the lead as the photographer. We were able to download from the digital cameras into the “family” laptop to see what we had – and free up more space for the next round of shots. Quick and easy.

Places Please. I'm taking a picture.

Mike and Michele hanging in the pool

Two Days Work Poolside

 It seems like every French speaking chef with itchy feet and a yen for warm weather has found his way to St Martin. This includes some Quebecois, a few Italians and refugees from Paris and Lyon.

Mario’s Bistro

 Our highlight was Mario’s Bistro, open for dinner only at the Sandy Ground Bridge on the outskirts of Marigot. Situated along an inlet about 200 yards from the beach, Mario’s had its own aquatic show, with a school of good sized tarpon swimming over the underwater lights and feeding on the brine shrimp that were in the water. Their menu and service was a match for the top French restaurants in Philly and (maybe) New York.  So were the prices, but it was all worth it.

We liked Marios Bistro, but there were a half dozen very good, expensive restaurants in Marigot and Grand Casse, which is about a 30 minute drive around the island from our place. Michele and I stopped in Grand Casse to check out the restaurants for lunch on Wednesday. Nice spot, with a  great looking beach, tiny hotels, not much parking and a handful of high end restaurants, some open for dinner only.

Grand Casse Beach from La Shore

February 2010 in Philly

Need Spring Break

Winter 2010 in Philly was the incentive. More snow than we had seen since we lived in upstate NY. We needed a family getaway over spring break.

House Rentals Work Well in the Islands

Michele and I had had good experiences with “extended family” house rentals over the years. Baie Rouge area in St Martin in the 80’s. Near Sandy Lane on Barbados a few years later. We found some good choices and good restaurants off season in Turks and Caicos about 10 years ago and thought about going there again.

Direct Flight to St Martin from Philly

Once we got into the details we found out that direct flights were available from Philly to St Martin, but not to Turks. And our house rental service suggested that we look at the options in the Terre Basse section on the French side of St Martin, not too far from the (very exclusive) La Samanna Hotel.

There are dozens of new, upscale houses with pools to choose from in Terre Basse. We wanted 4 bedrooms so that each of the grandkids had their own room. And a decent sized pool with space to hang out was essential. We rented a house named “Clare de Lune” ( sounds more upscale than a street number, and is not much harder to find).

A Busy Morning at the Jamaica Inn

As we get a little older, Michele and I have come to really appreciate the “Old Jamaica” style resorts. They remind us that well-to-do Brits with long vacations and a certain aristocratic style have been relaxing around Ocho Rios since the days of Errol Flynn and Ian Fleming.

A couple of winter’s ago we extended a business trip with a long December weekend at one of the Caribbean classics, The Jamaica Inn.

Built in 1950, the innovations of the last 6 decades haven’t made much of an impression. Famous guests from back in the day, say Winston Churchill or Katharine Hepburn, would still feel at home here.

It works because the fundamentals are still right. The bars and restaurants are first rate and comfortable spots to hang out in. After you have been there for a day or two you feel like a member of the club. And with only 47 rooms it’s a cosy club. We noticed a lot of repeat customers and it felt like most of the staff had worked there for years and quickly knew you.

There is a good, small private beach on probably the best stretch of real sand in this part of Jamaica. I skipped the little sailboats on the beach and explored the neighborhood in a sea kayak. That earned, to my way of thinking, a visit to the beach bar, capacity of maybe six or eight vacationers. It’s an easy place to make friends and enjoy the day; the kind of place that you think you should have a gin and tonic – or maybe two. Once the sun goes down there is surprisingly sophisticated entertainment. I’ve always liked jazz from the 50’s and 60’s and found it done well here. And it’s quiet if you want quiet. No TV’s or even clocks in the rooms.

I thought this was going to be hard to beat, but this turns out to be a very good neighborhood for classic island hotels. The place next door, The Royal Plantation, was acquired by the Sandals Resort family a few years ago and tastefully infused with whatever money needed to bring it to the top of class. Michele and I were there in April for a very relaxing week. There is a little more going on here. A great spa – I found a need for a second massage before I left. Multiple restaurant choices – all good. Another great little private sandy beach. And a new standard for relaxing on the sand – the Ten AM Mango Mimosa delivered to you on the beach. 

Somehow, there is great continuity between the classic, very colonial British feel of the Plantation Inn and the updated Royal Plantation. And it is very up to date if you need CNN or Internet access to relax. By the middle of the week I didn’t care.