HOTEL MOUNT VERNON ST.MARTIN

This is a memory that is worth holding onto. This was our fourth trip to the Caribbean and also our last trip. The photo's are of the hotel Mount Vernon St. Martin in the FWI.  This island is half French owned and half Dutch owned. The French side is just a hair bigger. We choose to stay on the French side of the island as it is less commercialized than the Dutch side. It is more remote and laid back. Most everyone involved in tourism at the hotels and eateries on the french side speaks French but some English also. The food was French and island fare. 
What we loved about this hotel was the view from our room. We overlooked a huge crescent of sugary white sand beach.  We had a easterly view so no sunsets for us but we got up early one morning to view one of the most amazing sunrises we have ever seen. In the evening the sky was purple tinged, the ocean dark with pink edged foam. 
Many afternoon into early evening we sat on our secluded deck and looked out at the crescent beach while sailboats and yachts sailed right past us. We would grab the binoculars and check out those aboard. Most of the boats were privately owned and they were huge. We are talking millions for these sailing vessels. 


Our routine was usually this( we were there for 16 days so we had a opportunity to actually have a routine). Up in the morning early and down to the main breakfast room to have breakfast. This was part of our package and one of the best parts of our day. The room was bright we were enclosed in windows all the way around even the ceiling was glass. Palm trees and exoctic plants adorned every corner and walkway. The breakfast food was amazing. Every type of french pastry you could ever dream of, waffles, crepes, sauces, fresh fruits of every variety succulent and juicy. Thick sliced bacon and sausages, eggs of every style, potatoes in many forms or make your own breakfast sandwich. The coffee was the best I have ever tasted, with real cream dispensed hot. A juice bar that never ended and on and on. We never tired of going for breakfast in the morning.
We would then go back to our huge room. A room with a enormous sitting area with full windows and sliders out to the patio. A king bed and a small semi kitchen, fridge, micro, and storage. A large tiled shower with a skylight was the highlight of the bathroom. We had a corner room so it was very private and we were on the top floor of a three story hotel(see photo). So the accomodations were wonderful
Anyhow back to the story. After breakfast we would get ready for a day on the beach. We took a day pack and little cooler each day with us. I would slip the pack on and hubby carried the cooler. We would start wandering down this long beach. Each little beach bar would have music and chairs and a umbrella you could rent by the hour or half day. So we would stop at a few favorite places each day. We actually wound up going only to one beach bar toward the end of the trip as we had become friends with the owner Glen and his best little waitress Lyndsee. Lyndsee was  from France working for college money. Anyhow they somehow become our friends. At the end of our trip Lyndsee took us to a eatery in Grand Case a small island town on the french side where her boy friend worked as a waiter. This was a four star restaurant and it was excellent. Grand Case is known on the island for it's culinary delights. Each eatery looked more wonderful than the last. We ate there a few times while on our vacation.
So once again I have gotten distracted. After a day on the beach of eating, drinking, swiming, jet skiing, snorkling we were beat. So back to the room for some rest, showers and perhaps a nap. After we were refreshed we sometimes drove our little rental car to an eatery for dinner or up to Frenchies store for a fresh $2 bagautte and a $2 bottle of red wine this wine was amazing, we still talk about it.  We would also pick up cured meats, cheeses, olives etc and have a little meal on our patio. As the day turned to night we would sometimes throw on some clean clothes and head down to the bar at the hotel. The entertainers were French singing french songs.  Folks were dancing and having drinks. We loved dancing to these songs with the trilling beautiful words in french which we did not understand however it did not matter we danced and danced.
So our days went.
Of course there were variations. There were times when we spent the afternoon at the double pools at our hotel.  Sometimes we wandered over to the Dutch side called St. Marteen. We once stopped by this famous resort for a drink. I had taken my camera but we got stopped shortly after we left our car. Cindy Crawford was staying at the resort and no cameras were allowed. We went into the cozy bar that overlooked the pool and sea but Cindy was not in sight. Poor hubby was disappointed hoping for a glimpse. 


We took two sailing trips while there.  One crusie went to the island of Anguilla. What a enchanting island and one of the beaches Shoal Bay beach is constantly voted best beach in the world. It was incredieble. Sands so white they practially blinded you, soft underfoot, all the umbrella's were bright blue and white stripped. All was neat and perfect just like a photo. We toured the island with one other couple the four us shared a cab(van). We saw local culture the shcool children with their green and white uniforms all the same playing in the school yard. They were a happy bunch hollering hello to the Americans. There were very old catholic churches some in dire need of repair. Our cab driver would give us a bit of history as we drove about the island.


The second sail we took was to the island of Prickly Pear. This is an uninhabited island. There was a large tent set up on the island and we had lunch there.Choices were a whole grilled snapper or grilled jerk chicken. The food was great. The island was deserted. We got to spend about three hours there exploring. Hubby and I went off our own and wandered about a mile along one of the shore lines. Next to the water the sand was littered with corral most of it broken into bits so the beach was white and pink with broken coral. All was soft underfoot as the corral had been washed and sifted by the seas for years.  We nested behind some tall sea grass and laid down on our beach towels in the soft white sand and talked about living on this island. Never to see a soul in this gorgeous place with water the color of turquoise and pink and white beaches. The pure azure sly above and the trade winds smelling like flowers. It was truly a piece of heaven. I have went to that place many times in my meditations.


It is so fun to sail if you have never done it. We could not belive how fast the sailboats go. On the first boat I laid right in the middle of the front deck and looked up at all those white billowed white sails agasint the deep blue skies the only noise I heard was the wind in the sails and the clanking of the gear. 


The first boat we sailed on was a beautiful large catamaran the music played was international. The crew was French. I loved it. In the bottom of mid deck a hatch door lifted and stairs went down into the ocean. It was a large swimming pool in the sea. Quite something. 
The next sail to Prickly Pear Island was on a smaller sail boat still good size though. It was green and white called the Heineken boat. It was not elegant like the catamaran as it was more of a party boat. The crew was made up of Yugoslavians.  It was quite a fun time and got quite wild at times. Everyone on this boat was out for a good time. We raced another sail boat on the way back to our island and we won. It was quite exhilarating.
On both cruises we got acquainted with an other couples. The first couple on the French boat were from Seattle. Randy and Sharon. They were going home the next day. We surely we wished we would have met them sooner in the trip. We were all very compatible.  On the Heineken boat we met Liz and Mike. They were a crazy fun couple from Florida, we did met up with them a couple more times as they were staying on our same beach but in a different hotel.


The food was amazing everywhere we ate. The beaches were gorgeous everywhere we went, the people were gracious everywhere we where. 
There are so many stories I could write about this trip but this is just a recap of our time on this island.




So if possible go and enjoy. We did and we are thankful for our trips to the tropic's. Each trip was different as each island is different. Though we do not make those sorts of trips now all I need to do is close my eyes and let my mind go there. Once again I smell the flowers and feel the moist warm air settling into my skin.......heaven.