St. Maarten/St. Martin: Orient Bay Beach & Temptation Restaurant

Happy Birthday to me! I am officially 30 and this was the view I woke up to. 

30. 

30 years old. 

No longer in my 20's. 

And you know what? It doesn't feel any differently. 


On our last, full day of our St. Maarten/St. Martin vacation we celebrated my birthday by going to Orient Bay Beach and having a nice dinner at Temptations restaurant. Orient Bay Beach is on the French side of the island and is one of the most developed beaches because there are so many restaurants and bars right on the beach. It's also pretty popular because there is a special 'nude' portion of the beach where you can run free in the skin God gave you. Though on the non-nude side, there are plenty of ladies going topless. Hey, it's a good way to avoid tan lans. 

Now... getting to Orient Beach was a little challenging. All of the signs driving to Orient Bay Beach let you know that you're headed the right way, but once you are there there are no signs saying which road leads you to the beach. A 30 min trip look a lot longer and might have lead to my first 30-year-old temper tantrum when I got upset because I was so frustrated. (Let's be real, I was also probably having a inner meltdown of turning 30.) 

ONCE we found the beach we found a little lunch stop called Bikini Beach. 

Because I am a 30-year-old woman I decided to get the most mature lunch I could. 

Chicken nuggets and french fries.

 

Rich went a little more mature with duck. 

After a delicious lunch, it was beach time! 

Orient Beach in St. Martin is BEAUTIFUL! 

It's probably one of the prettiest beaches we visited. Absolutely gorgeous. 

This is my, 'Hello, I am 30 and this is my life." photo. 

It was a great afternoon of literally this: 

Once we decided we needed to head back, we took a little detour to Guano Bay because I read online they have really pretty views... 

After we got back from our long day it was time to get ready and head to dinner. 

I had read about Temptation from SO many reviews. online Facebook travel groups and from friends who had been there. So when it came to the 30th birthday, I wanted to really enjoy it. Even Anthony Bourdain has endorsed it. 

After a delicious dinner of spicy tuna, filet steak, and short rib we wobbled over to the local casino. 

I even ended up turning $1 into $10 on the digital roulette table - once I was up, I took my money and left. 

The next morning, when I was 30 years old and one day, we went back to Marigot on the French side for one last lunch at Sarafina's. I was craving a burger and I will say, theirs was REALLY good. 

Rich got a cappuccino which he said was really good... but I don't like coffee so I'll never know. 

After we packed our bags and loaded the car, it was time to say goodbye to St. Maarten. 

Hope to see you soon, St. Maarten/St. Martin! 

Catch up: 
St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 1
St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 2
St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 3
St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 4

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St. Maarten/St. Martin: Philipsburg & Mullet Bay Beach

Day 4! Honestly, I'm so sad this trip is going by so quickly. It's been an absolute dream except for a nervous breakdown I had yesterday when we were driving and I made Rich pull over. Besides that an absolute dream. 

They say you need to travel with someone before you decide to spend your life with them, and maybe they're right, but traveling with Rich is a lot of fun. Ok. Enough mushy. 

Day 4 started out with a rooster crowing wake up call. Do roosters crow? Whatever sound they make that's what I heard waking up this morning. 

We got up, got our stuff together and headed to Philipsburg. It's the tourist area for sure - where all the cruise ships stop for the day or so, but it was also very nice to saw I've seen it and visit. 

We walked around on the Front Street a bit - where there are SO MANY jewelry stores offering major discounts. And then on the boardwalk side where we had lunch at the Lazy Lizard. The owner Nick came up to us and told us a little about his story and why he opened up the restaurant. 

This was the view from our table at the Lazy Lizard. It was such a nice place. We shared the coconut shrimp and the chicken & ribs. So much food, but all soo good. 

After lunch, we strolled along a little bit longer. I found a store that sold replica watched - Chanel, Cartier, Rolex and was so tempted to buy a fake Chanel. Not for the fact that it was fake as much as the watch was so pretty. But for $125 for a fake Chanel, and knowing my friends know me, no one would even believe it. 

I skipped the watch and saved $125.

Next, it was to Mullet Bay Beach! 

I LOVED this beach! It was so clean, everyone was nice, very safe environment and you could watch planes fly over. 

Just gorgeous! Does a view get any better?

Since it was my last day as a 29-year-old, I had to capture the moment of leaving my 20's... 

It's a little hard to tell in this picture, but I am really happy in this moment. 20's you were wonderful, on to a new chapter! 

We left the beach around 5 and headed back to the house go shower and find a place to eat. It's so nice to sit on the top balcony of the house to watch the sunset and relax. 

Since we wanted something a little different for dinner we went to an Italian place. Even I was a little skeptical, but it was really good! The one thing off was the lighting - it made everything look really orange. 

I know the food doesn't look very appetizing (because it's orange) but I promise you it was delicious. 

My last meal in my 20's was spaghetti and meatballs. It's one of my favorite foods anyway to it seemed appropriate. 

After dinner, we came back to end the night on the hammock. 

What better way to spend the last night of your 20's? 

Cheers to a new era! 

Catch up: 

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 1

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 2

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 3

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 4

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 5

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St. Maarten/St. Martin: Scuba Diving & Snorkeling, Fireballs on the Beach &dinner at the Green House

It's day 3 of St. Maarten and I want to cancel my flight back to Little Rock and stay an extra week. It's just so beautiful here. 

Thursday we traveled to the French side of the island to Margiot for brunch. I read about Sarafina's and they are known for their coffees, pastries, and desserts. 

I skipped all of that - because I don't drink coffee or sweets in the morning and went with a panini. In my defense, it was a REALLY good panini. 

After a little breakfast - Rich had a croissant and cappuccino, we walked around Margiot for a bit. 

If people had been throwing beads, their streets would have looked almost identical to New Orleans. The French ascetic is very strong. 

Next, we drove to Grand Case - again on the French side to go scuba diving and snorkeling at Octopus Diving. It was the only company on the island that I found would let people do both activities on the same trip. Since Rich dives and I do not, I wanted us to both have a little fun. 

Octopus Diving has incredible customer service. From booking the trip online to emailing with questions, to the setup once we got there everything was a breeze. 

Our boat captain was Mike and he couldn't have been any cooler or nicer. He moved from Canada to St. Maarten to work and live the way that made him happy. Outdoors, by the ocean and having fun. 

Our first stop was Creole Rock and some people say they see a sleeping man in the rock. I don't see it. The snorkeling here had so many pretty fish - and a ton of school fish. What fish don't know is that even if they are tiny I will stop what I am doing to let them pass. 

Next stop was Turtle Bay. I didn't snorkel as much in this area because I kept getting so sick from the waves, but Rich said he saw a massive turtle on his dive. After this trip, I think I want to get certified to dive. ... Think being the key word. 

Once we got done we headed back to Simpson Bay to shower and head to dinner. 

On Friday nights the Buccanear bar down the street had Fireballs! This is just a steel ball with fire inside and it's so fun to me. I made Rich sit around and wait for what it felt like forever for them to light one. 

For a later dinner we headed to the Green House right beside the Bucceneer Bar. It was delish! They were out of the half jerk chicken so I had the jerk chicken wrap instead... But it was still good. 

Sorry for the less than appealing photo but it was dark and I had already attacked my baked potato by the time I remembered to take a picture. 

We ended the night laying on the hammock watching planes come in. Perfect ending to an eventful day. 

Day 4 coming up! 

Catch up: 

Catch up: 

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 1

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 2

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 3

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 4

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 5

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St. Maarten/St. Martin: Maho Beach, Little Bay Beach & Dinner at Karakter

Good morning from St. Maarten! 

Waking up Thursday day morning was a dream. You could see boats, planes coming in, and just so pretty. 

It was a late wake up from having such a long travel day Wednesday. After being a little lazy, we got up to hit Maho Beach. But first... (Because I become hangry when I don't eat) we had lunch at the popular tourist spot Sunset Beach Bar. 

It was actually a really cool place. 

You can watch planes fly in and take off while eating lunch... 

Which brings me to the food - I had their Cuban sandwich which the server recommended and IT WAS SO GOOD. 

Honestly wish I could have shared this first bite with everyone but it was too good to share. R had the Mahi Mahi sandwich and it was also very good (though I think mine was better.)

After lunch we sat and watched planes fly over and over us. 

After Maho Beach we went on a little adventure to Little Bay Beach. 

It's not far from where we are staying but it was up the hill around some corners until we came to a secluded part of the beach. When you arrive you can go to the tourist part of have an area to yourselves. We had the entire beach to ourselves for the most time - a few locals dropped in here and there.

The water was so pretty and the waves were perfect to jump around in - or have one take you out like it did me. I lost a good pony tail from that wave. 

After our beach trip we went back to the house to clean up and head to dinner at Karakter. It's a LOLO (locally owned locally operated) and was such a good place. I LOVED the vibe there - laid back, friendly and just a great atmosphere. 

The bar is made out of an old bus, and the entire scene is so easy and laid back. 

Dinner was a little bit of everything for me - tuna bruschetta, goat cheese salad, and fried plantains. All delicious and left me feeling happy and tired after a full day. 

From our table at dinner we could even see Simpson Bay where we are staying. After we found a local bar that had on the Golden State basketball game and watched and had a couple of drinks before calling it a night. All around great day in St. Maarten. 

Day 3 is coming up! 

Catch up: 

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 1

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 2

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 3

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 4

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 5

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Traveling to Sint Maarten/St. Martin

Hello from Sint Maarten! 

That's right. Right now I am in St. Maarten, which is the Dutch side of the island. After leaving Wednesday morning at 6 am from Little Rock, we had one quick stop and landed in St. Maarten after 1 p.m. After we grabbed our luggage and went through customs, it was on to get our rental car... 

It's a red Jeep! Honestly, I don't know why red Jeeps are so exciting to me, but I love them. 

We are renting a house from my good college friend Casey and her husband Dan. If you know them, then you know this house was featured on HGTV International House Hunters. Their driveway is super steep (why it's important to rent a jeep). 

This is the master bedroom - lovely, right? (I'll do a house tour later. You will be jealous. Want to be here. And die. All in one post with how incredible it is.)

This is the view from the bed. In love. 

After we dropped out stuff off we went to get very important necessities. Cocktails. I.E. We went to the local market to grab goods to make drinks and sit on the balcony to watch planes fly in. 

After a couple of drinks, showers, and a little rest, it was on to dinner at a local place called Skip Jack's. They're well known for their massive sized lobsters which just look terrifying to me. 

Though dinner was great - and I went a little on the "lighter" side... A tomato and mozzarella salad with tuna carpaccio. A glass of champagne and I was finished. 

After dinner, we came back to the house and sat on the rooftop deck to watch the lights and planes fly over us. It was a long travel day and we needed rest for the next couple of days. (I needed sleep and quick!) 

Stay tuned! Day two coming up! 

Catch up: 

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 1

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 2

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 3

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 4

St. Maarten/St. Martin: Day 5

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