Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "Caribbean Princess A-2" Story

The Caribbean Princess buildings are those with the green roofs.
The unit we were staying in is far right second building back.

It was an ordinary day. Trying to watch TV while sitting on a 3" thick foam cushion on a wicker sofa that is about a foot off the floor. The only nice thing about the entire experience is that we are on vacation and we get to spend the majority of the day lounging on a much more comfortable beach chair along beautiful Orient Bay in St. Martin. After last year's vacation to St. Martin we decided that we wanted to be able to stay in paradise a few extra days so we gave up our beautiful villa on the hill overlooking one of the best beaches in the world. We found a less expensive second floor condo that happened to be about 100 yards from the beach.

The view from the balcony looking toward the water. The
pool is below us. A tour bus can be seen leaving the beach.

Seemed too good to be true that we could cut our costs as well as get more time. We visited the Caribbean Princess A-2 unit with our realtor and decided it was what we wanted. The unit was at one time part of the Caribbean Princess Hotel, but some units were sold for independent condo units, with A-2 being one of them. The property was gated for security and there was an inviting pool beneath our balcony. Only problem was that we didn't sit on the sofa to test it for comfort. I guess we shouldn't complain since we are so fortunate to be able to travel as we do, but only a few months out from having my third back surgery, I found it was so uncomfortable that I spent much of my sitting time on the dining room chair.

Night-time shot I took showing the rest of the hotel.

A few other minor problems: (1) bathroom louvered window opened, but then the handle broke while closing it and it has never been repaired; (2) the kitchen cooktop is electric and we struggled to figure out how it worked and since it is a German product with instructions only in German, we ate out most evenings; (3) and even though we have a great view of the water, all the tour busses travel down the gravel road and throw dust on our porch. We have already made new arrangements for next year and have tested the plush leather sofa at the villa for comfort. Oh, for a sofa like that in Caribbean Princess. We did limit our TV watching time so we didn't have to use the sofa as much as we might have. We did love the closeness to the beach and nearby Orient Village and appreciated the cost of the rental, but we have found another neat villa for next year. One where we can sit to read or watch Dancing With the Stars in comfort. It was an ordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.