5 Page Review of Paradise
Written: May 14 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Food, Crystal Clear Water
Cons: Pricey Food
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| fperkins's Full Review: St. Martin Island |
I stayed at the Le Meridien Hotel in the NW corner of Saint Maarten, on the French side, with my beautiful, tanned-challenged wife, and our good friends Vinny and Joanne. Our vacation lasted a wonderful week between May 6-13th. Luckily for us, we arrived a week after the busy season ended. One of the waiters said that the resort had 900 people just a few weeks before. There were only about 200 people at the resort the week we visited. I have to admit that the resort did feel empty, but for us, that was great! It was like having the entire resort [and island] to ourselves. This translated to no lines, always a great spot on the beach, no traffic, you get the idea.
Let’s go through the Le Meriden by its key components.
Rooms: We stayed on the 3rd floor on the Le Domaine side of the resort. We paid an extra 150 dollars for a 3rd floor room. I highly recommend getting a 3rd floor [or higher] room. The ground floor rooms do offer a patio, but it’s open for everyone to see. Not to mention that you don’t get a view of the wonderful ocean.
Our room was very, very clean. Upon walking in, the toilet was on the left in its own room for privacy. A few closets, which included an electronic wall safe, were on the right. As you entered the bedroom-area of the room, there was a king size bed with night tables on either side. To the right was a TV with a few channels and mini bar. Past the bed and TV setup were double vanity sinks and a huge circular bathtub featuring a European showerhead [detachable]. The tub was a pleasant surprise that we were not expecting. Not exactly a Jacuzzi, but 2 could fit for romantic baths [or aquaman adventures]. The tub was facing the ocean with a huge glass window [with blinds] that allowed you to shower/bathe while looking at the crystal clear waters of the ocean. To the left of the tub were double sliding glass doors that led out onto a private balcony.
Each day our room was cleaned immaculately in the morning and then again at night. The cleaning staff, at night, pulled down the bed, provided fresh towels and left a few mints on the bed.
TIP: The showerhead tends to spray water EVERYWHERE! As my European savvy friend Vinny told me, you are supposed to hold the showerhead while you shower. Just keep some towels around the edge to soak up the water.
Pools: There are 2 pools. One pool has 2 Jacuzzis, but only one was working. Since it wasn’t crowded, it was available most of the time. The Jacuzzi also wasn’t heated, which really wasn’t a problem because the pool temperature was very warm. The 2nd pool had a swim up bar and some tables around it for getting snacks. This pool was separated into 2 sections. One that was a max depth of 2.5 feet and the other around 5 feet. Both the pools were cleaned nightly and very clean and enjoyable. Around the pools where lounge chairs and some shelters to block out the sun.
TIP: Around 4pm, the only place to get a bite to eat is by the pool that serves snacks.
Beach: Expect to find soft white sand on the beach. The beach has some small palm trees and shelters to lay in the shade. The palm trees were quite small; perhaps the last hurricane knocked out the big ones. These trees looked like they were newly planted. The water was around 80 degrees F all week long. Since it’s in a harbor/cove, there weren’t any waves. The water was calm and serene. At the end of the beach is a Water Activity station, which allows you to take out free water floats, kayaks, canoes and snorkeling equipment. You can also rent jet ski’s and boats for about 50 dollars an hour, but there is no sailing equipment available. If you want to rent a hobie or sailboard, you’ll have to drive over to Orient Beach.
TIP: Bring some bread and you can feed the fish! Throw a few pieces in the water and you’ll have a frenzy in no time. Don’t worry, they don’t bite. Hold the bread in your hand under the water and they’ll feed out of your hand.
Nudity: You can definitely tell who the Europeans are and who the Americans are. The American women are generally the ones with tops on. There were quite a few women that choose to go topless [not that I minded!]
TIP: Wear sunglasses so you don’t get caught staring ;-)
Food: There are a few restaurants at the hotel and also a couple more right outside at the Marina. For Breakfast, definitely get the buffet at La Bella France. The buffet costs about 13 dollars and includes an assortment of fresh fruit, breads, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon and pancakes. The only weird thing is that it was the exact same thing every day! It would have been nice if they featured a new thing every day. For lunch, the pizzas are really good at La Veranda. They’re thin crust and tasty. My favorite is the 3 cheese: bleu cheese, goat cheese and mozzarella. Another good place for lunch is Louisiana at the Marina. They have pretty good burgers if you want something simple. Watch out for the bitchy waitress though. For dinner, GO OUT! The prices of the dinners at the hotel are comparable to the premier places to eat on the island. It’s simply not worth it to eat at the resort.
TIP: 1) Take some extra bread from the breakfast buffet to feed the fish at the beach. 2) Buy some booze from the store at the marina and make your own drinks on the balcony! Drink prices are around 4 dollars for a frozen drink. Make your own for much less utilizing the ice machines that are provided for free. We made lime margaritas and rum and punch.
Paying: Charge everything to your room. At the end of your vacation, pay with your credit card in French Francs. You will get a better rate through your credit card than you would get through the resort. On avg. the island’s rate was 1:6.5 while the bank rate was 1:7.3
OTHER: The resort also features a pretty decent gym with nautilus equipment [which I’m proud to say that I didn’t use once!], ice machines, and sports: ping pong, archery, hiking, aerobics, pool table, and bacci ball. A side note on the ping-pong table. It’s a brand new table, but the wind will kill you. Switch sides at 11 points to make the games even. Although, it didn’t help me much since I lost 7 games to 2.
Food around the Island:
We went to a few restaurants and these are what we thought of them in the order from best to worst
Mario’s Bistro: The absolute best food on the island! I would have had no problem eating there every night, the food was THAT good. Right in Margot, it’s not a far drive from the hotel. Get a reservation to reserve a table. I had tuna topped with bleu cheese over homemade gnocchi’s in a tomato sauce. Delicious! Prices are about 15-20 dollars for entrees and about 7-10 dollars for appetizers. We had the Tulas Merlot, which was excellent. Service was great too. The waiters were very friendly and knowledgeable, enabling them to recommend appetizer and entrée choices, much to the delight of my friend Vinny.
TIP: Don’t fill up on the bread.
Captain Oliver’s: Go here for the Lobster, but be prepared to pay the price! Our table was on Plexiglas, which allowed us to look into a sea tank below! The tank held a sand shark, big turtle and some other fish. Vinny and I got 3 ½ pound lobsters that were an adventure in themselves. The “lobster tank” is actually a pit filled with the biggest lobsters you have ever seen. The waiter fishes them out with a big net and then weighs them for you. We were able to haggle him down a little. He gave us 7.5 pounds of lobster for 6.5 pounds. How much a pound? 22 bucks! I have to say, the lobster was delicious! There are 3 ways to have it prepared: grilled, boiled or sautéed. On the waiter’s recommendation, we had our’s grilled. The waiter carves it up for you, so there is very little work for you to do. The lobster was much sweeter than the New England lobsters I am used to having. One weird thing about these Caribbean lobsters is that they don’t have any front claws! Instead, they have huge antennae’s, which probably have the same amount of meat as a traditional lobster claw. The girls got Oliver’s Fish Stew, which consisted of an assortment of fish. They liked it a lot too.
TIP: Bring some mosquito repellent!
California: In Grand Case, this place was really nice. Park your car in the parking lot for 3 bucks [or on the street for free, if you can] and walk along the strip to California. We got a quick drink at a local bar, which was nice. 4 beers for only 8 bucks, possibly the biggest bargain of the trip! California is set on the ocean. We were able to get a table by the water, which was very pleasant. Although, a huge beetle and pelican scared the heck out of me [much to Vinny’s delight]. I had the special, which I pronounced “Mount New-vo”, which frazzled our very attractive waitress. It consisted of assorted fishes in a light sauce. It didn’t look like a lot of food, but it did fill me up. The best were the desserts. My sorbet was great, although I got a lot of hell for the fancy-boy umbrella.
TIP: Definitely save room for dessert. [Incidentally, the cutest waitress of the trip was here, not that I was keeping track …]
The Hand in the Dough: Set along a strip of restaurants in Margot. What pulled us in was the waiter. Vinny said he was a French version of Robin Williams. The restaurant was pretty crowded, which is always a good sign. Don’t get the Calamari, unless you enjoy your calamari frozen from a bag. I had the Lobster pasta, which was penne in a lobster sauce. I liked it a lot; sure wish I could have finished it. Overall, I would recommend going to Tropicana, which is on the same strip. We heard better things about the Tropicana.
TIP: If you’re feeling like Italian, go to Don Camillo’s which is close by and was recommended. Closed on Tuesday’s though!
Argentinean Grill House: This one was on the Dutch side of the island. It reminded me of a Sizzler meets St Maarten. For me, this was the worst place. My Sangria was red wine with fruit cocktail from a can [I’m not kidding!]. My Creole style strip steak was tasty, but for 20 bucks, too rubbery. The restaurant as a whole seemed very grungy and didn’t appear to be too clean. The worst was the horrid smell coming off of the bay. Occasional breezes brought in the sulfuric smell of the bay making us gag.
TIP: Don’t go there!
Some general observations on all the food on St Maarten. Prices were generally expensive. Clams, Mussels, and crabs were nowhere to be found, perhaps not in season. Very rich and fatty; everything is coated in goat cheese or butter! We generally drank bottled water, but not always. Nobody got sick so I guess it’s pretty safe to drink. The French don’t serve their desserts and coffee at the same time. You order dessert, eat it, and THEN order coffee.
Casinos:
Found only on the Dutch side, we went to the best called the Princess. Tell the doorman you’ll be playing the tables and he’ll provide you with some funny money. It’s a nice casino and Vinny actually came out 20-40 bucks ahead. My luck was doomed when I got scammed out of a 20-buck win on roulette because the dealer, supposedly, didn’t see my place.
TIP: If you’re lost and need directions, the locals may refer to “Kentucky”. It’s not a village or town, it’s Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Additional Tips:
Car Rental: We rented from Hertz, which was in the Marina by the hotel. They seemed to have the cheapest rates and you can’t beat getting a national brand. It seemed a lot safer than “Caribbean Rental Car Hut.” You definitely want to rent a car for your stay though. They had taxis, which were expensive, and the public bus looked like something out of a Romancing the Stone movie [cages filled with chickens, no AC, etc]. The car came out to $240 for the week, which was great because we split it between us [2 couples]. Driving on the island was easy, although the mountain that makes Le Meredian so secluded is pretty scary [the first time at least or if Vinny is driving].
Sun block: The sun is like 5 feet away. Wear plenty of sun block and don’t forget to do behind your ears, toes and other places that you may ordinarily forget.
Shopping: Front Street in Philipsburg has some great shops. Like we were told, there were plenty of places to buy diamonds and jewelry. We didn’t, however. Be sure to bring back some Guava berry liquor, which seems to be the only thing that St Maarten produces. I don’t remember the name of the shop on Front St, but they’ll give you a free shot [frozen and straight] of Guava berry to taste! Also, nearby the public parking are some women selling T-shirts [3 for 10 bucks, 7 for 20] and assorted crafts. Toni enjoyed the Cha-Chi shops, which had cheap crafts. For some reason, she was big on porcelain Dutch shoes.
Beaches: We spent one day at Orient Beach. The waves there were pretty big, nothing like the calm water by Le Meridien. If you want to sit in a chair with an umbrella, you’ll have to spend about 15 bucks per couple, which is well worth it. Lots of nudity on the beach. At the end, there is a completely nude section.
TIP: Jet ski rentals were ½ of what they were at Le Meridien
Snorkeling: We took the Scooby-Doo to Anguilla. The Scooby Doo is a catamaran that takes you from Le Meridien to Shoal Bay on Anguilla. Along the way, they provide you with assorted alcoholic beverages [get the rum punch] and island music. Once you get to Shoal Bay, you do your snorkeling. Here the water is crystal clear and there are lots of reefs to explore. They also feed you chicken, ribs, rice, and potatoes from the grill. It was very good! Although, after snorkeling around for an hour, anything would have tasted good….. but to be fair, the food was good. The price was 80 bucks a person and you can charge it to your room. It’s an all day adventure from 8am til 5pm.
TIP: Watch out for prickly bushes under the palm trees. I accidentally stepped in one and found myself, painfully, picking them out of my feet. OUCH!
If I had to do it all over, I wouldn’t change a thing. We had a great time on the island and with our friends. I highly recommend the island and the Le Meridien to everyone. If you have further questions, feel free to email me.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fperkins
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 1 member
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