Dining in Grand Case: La Villa, Sunset Cafe, Spiga

We continue our gastronomic tour of Grand Case, Saint Martin, with dinners at La Villa, Sunset Cafe, and Spiga.  At La Villa, we start with pan-seared duck foie gras, caesar salad, and homemade lobster bisque.  We follow these with seared wahoo medallions and roasted branzino.  And, to finish up, profiteroles!

Foie gras, lobster bisque

Wahoo, branzino

Profiteroles

The next day at Sunset Cafe, located in our hotel, the Grand Case Beach Club, we start with escargot and hummus, followed by sea bass for all.  And, to finish, more chocolate.

Escargot and hummus

Sea bass for all

Desert

Later in the week, we go for fabulous Italian fare at Spiga.  We start with paccheri ai tre pomodori (paccheri pasta with three types of tomatoes, topped with confit tomatoes and stracciatella cheese) and tartare di tonno (fresh caught tuna hand chopped and topped with capers, diced apples, pickled onions and confit cherry tomatoes).  We follow this with spaghetti alle vongole (clams, white wine sauce, garlic crumbs, and fresh parsley), ravioli di aragosta (handmade ravioli stuffed with lobster and mascarpone cheese with lobster bisque), and risotto ai frutti di mare (acquarello risotto cooked in a seafood bisque served with calamari, clams, and shrimp).

Starters

Spaghetti alle vongole

Ravioli di aragosta

Risotto ai frutti di mare

What a trio of great meals!

Dining in Grand Case: Bistrot Caraïbes, Ocean 82

Grand Case, Saint Martin, is known as the gastronomic capital of the Caribbean, with a number of fabulous restaurants offering a delicious fusion of Creole flavors and the great traditions of French cuisine.  All served in a beautiful environment overlooking the beach, the Anguilla Channel, and the lights of Anguilla across the water.

One of our favorite restaurants is Bistrot Caraïbes, where we always have at least one lobster.  We pick our lobster from a tank in the front of the restaurant and enjoy our starters of tuna tataki and endive salad as the lobster is prepared.

Pick a lobster

Tuna, endive

The lobster emerges from the kitchen along with a sea bass for the non-lobster part of our group.  And, to finish up:  profiteroles.

Lobster, sea bass

Profiteroles

Across the street from Bistrot Caraïbes is another favorite, Ocean 82.  We start with seared foie gras and octopus three ways (Caribbean, Indonesian, breaded/fried), followed by salt-crusted whole sea bass (flambéed at the table) and risotto with scallops and seared foie gras.

Starters

Salt-crusted sea bass

Flambéed at the table

Served

Risotto

On our way out, we walk past a tank of lobsters in the front of the restaurant, many of whom will be dinner soon.

 

Lobster tank

Two great meals!

Philipsburg and Isla Pinel, Saint Martin

We head over to Philipsburg on the Dutch side of Saint Martin for a lazy day on the beach.  There are no cruise ships in port today and we pretty much have the beach to ourselves.

Beach all to ourselves

Looking out over the water

We swim, walk the beach, enjoy lunch and, after a few hours, head back to our hotel on the French side of the island.  We do pass one note on the rebuilding after the devastating hurricane of September 6, 2017: 200 mph (322 kmh) winds, 400 miles (644 km) wide.

Hurricane note

A few days later, we visit Isla Pinel (Pinel Island), a small island a 10 minute boat ride from Saint Martin, facing Cul-de-Sac Bay.  A large parking lot at the end of the road is located next to the pier where shuttle boats leave every half hour or so.  We pay 10 euros each at the shuttle boat for the round trip, ride over to the island, and settle in on the sheltered sandy beach.

Shuttle to the island

Arriving at Isla Pinel

Shallow beach

A little wine

Relaxing on the beach

And in the water

Two relaxing days on two very different beaches at opposite ends of Saint Martin

Scoobi to Eastern Beaches of Anguilla

We hop on Scoobi for another cruise over to Anguilla.  The plan is to go to Prickly Pear Cays, two small uninhabited islands located six miles from the Anguilla mainland.  However, the winds and waves are too high, preventing us from passing through the channel between the islands and our captain instead takes us to the western side of Anguilla (the same thing happened last year, although that time the captain diverted to eastern Anguilla).

Anguilla features thirty-three gorgeous white-sand beaches along its coast.  The island is a British Overseas Territory is the northernmost of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles chain.  First settled around 3,500 years ago the island was claimed by Britain in 1650.

Leaving Saint Martin in stormy weather

Houses on the Anguilla coast

Four Seasons Anguilla

Our first stop is Little Bay, Anguilla, one of Anguilla's most remote beaches, accessible only from the water.  To get there, we travel up the western coast of Anguilla, past other beaches, resorts, and ships.

Along the coast

Ships at anchor

Little Bay

We swim to the small beach, return to Scoobi for lunch, and then head south along the coast to Road Bay.

Passing small islands off the coast

Road Bay is Anguilla's main port and harbor, with the small village of Sandy Ground and a wide beach lined with colorful bar shacks and restaurants.  We anchor, swim ashore, and stroll the beach (in a heavy surf that actually knocks us over as we walk along the beach on the edge of the water).

Road Bay

After more fun on the beach and in the water, we pull up the anchor and head back to Saint Martin.  A storm comes up as we depart Road Bay, with rain and blowing water invading all parts of the deck.  But, it quickly passes and a rainbow comes out as we cross the Anguilla Channel.

Storm developing

Channel crossing

Another great day on Scoobi!  We'll have to come back next year and hope the channel at Prickly Pear is passable.