My wife and I are considering 10 days on St Martin in Nov to celebrate 40th anniversary.<BR>Chose french side (less developed and great resturants) and Orient because best beach. First was interested in la Plantation but one tour book says very noisy, etc. Also looking at l'Hoste also on the beach. Are all the "on the beach" hotels very busy or are there some that are quiter more secluded?<BR>

Orient Bay is one of the busiest beaches on St. Martin in my opinion: row upon row of umbrellas and chairs. You may want to consider a different resort area.

Tom:<BR><BR>If I were looking for peace and quiet for a romantic anniversary trip, I would look into the Grand Case area. I've stayed there for an anniversary once and it was very nice.<BR><BR>I agree with Sandy Feet that most of Orient is so built up now that it's pretty busy most of the time.<BR><BR>However, maybe someone else might have a suggestion for some place quiet father down Orient Bay since that seems to be where you want to stay.<BR><BR>Good luck.<BR>

I don't think Orient will be busy in Nov. Besides, you will want to visit some of the other nice beaches on the island.<BR><BR>Try Esmeralda, I've always found that section of beach to be nice and relatively uncrowded (though definitely not secluded). If you are really concerned about noise, check out Le Meridien.<BR>

I was amazed at how many new places had been added to Orient since our first trip there two years ago. I agree that it's one of the nicest beaches, but I also agree with Statia (again!) that Grand Case might be a quieter place to stay. And it's only a few minutes drive away from Orient.

Tom,<BR><BR>I guess one has to define very noisy. Almost anywhere on Orient you are not going to be inundated with music, night clubs and bars and such. The only noise I can imagine they are referring to is the fact that it is a built up area. La Plantation is right on the road leading down to the beach, so there would be a good bit of traffic going back and forth during the day, not at night.<BR><BR>For an anniversay, I would not choose L'Hoste. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but there is nothing special about it, except for being 5 minutes from the beach.<BR><BR>I would agree with Statia about Grand Case as a much more relaxed, quaint atmosphere. Grand Case Beach Club is a great place right on a small beach and as she says only a short drive to Orient.<BR><BR>Another choice may be Little Key Bay. They are in French Cul-de-Sac down on the water in a quiet residential area. The beach is nice for having, but not a place to spend the day. From there you can get to Pinel or a short drive to Orient. They have individual units of 2 rooms apiece so you have a more quiet atmosphere, especially toward the water for the view.<BR><BR>The last alternative is Club Orient. Clothing optional, but if you want quiet, no motorized water sports; no radios on the beach, no TV, radio or phone in the room. It doesn't get much quieter than that.<BR><BR>Also for more opinions, try WWW.TRAVELTALKONLINE.COM.