St. Martin – Day 7 – Orient Beach

We stopped for breakfast this morning at a very charming place called Sarafina in Marigot. They have an onsite bakery and the pastries were outstanding. The staff weren’t quite as smiley as in other places, but they all wear these cute little outfits and straw hats that make them look like they should be lining up in a Madeline book. I felt like this was the best deal we’ve gotten so far on food, other than the lolos. We purchased two croissants (huge!), a pear tart of some kind, a Quiche Lorraine, two coffees and a large bottled water for $14. We made it into Marigot a bit earlier this morning so no problems with finding a parking spot. By the time we left town it was packed, cars were double-parking and traffic was very stop-and-go.

We made our way over to Orient Beach – our favorite spot when we were here 14 years ago. The island dogs continued to be amusing, saw a German Shephard by the road this time wearing a very large sleeveless T-shirt. Orient Beach was very disappointing in several ways. The beach is covered with chairs and umbrellas, and the price to rent them is a ridiculous $25/day for the set. It’s a much more crowded beach and the shoreline seems to have changed dramatically since the hurricane several years ago. You can pay to participate in any kind of water activity you choose and there are Americans everywhere. The surf is much more gentle than Baie Rouge however, and the breezes are better. The conversations going on around us are hilarious, but the beach vendors are even more annoying here. I could see Pinel off in the distance – I want to go back over there! The sand on Orient is still great, very powdery white and soft.

After lounging on a chair for the afternoon, and watching a scary cloud come very close to shore, we went back to the condo and finished off my pizza from the night before, along with the bottle of Pinot Noir we had purchased at La Gout du Vin earlier this week. The evening’s activity was the rehearsal dinner for the bride and groom, at the bride’s parents’ villa (Marine Terrace) – down a street in a gated community in Terre Basse. This was a catered event, most appetizer-y food, so I won’t go into anything here.