The "Villa Plage d'Elan on the island of St. Martin" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Enjoying the pool at Villa Plage d'Elan after arriving on the island of St. Martin, F.W.I. (French West Indies).  Over the last 15 years Carol and I have stayed at a variety of hotels and villas during our yearly stays in St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  If you have ever wondered why I type the name of the country the way that I do, it's because the island is part French and part Dutch.  This year we chose a new villa on the hills above our favorite beach, Orient.  It is the 5th villa that we have tried over the years.  The reason being so many is due to the price of the villa.  We found we can stay longer on the island if we chose a smaller villa with a lower cost.  The views we have from our deck and pool area are remarkable; probably the best view of any of the villas we have rented.  We travel mid-week in order to get a better airfare price and after arrival on St. Martin get a ride to the car rental place to pick up our car.  Twenty minutes later we arrived at the rental office and in no time are in the pool.  The villa we are renting this year is a 3-bedroom villa, but we only pay the price for a 1-bedroom villa.  I will take you on a visual tour of the villa and give you a look at the view that we get to experience every day of our vacation this year.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we are enjoying it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - most photos I have taken, but I have used a few from the rental site. I have included my opinion of each area of the villa with the photos.

Entrance to the Villa Plage d'Elan is from the parking area which has room for three cars.  Easy access to the villa from the street.

Looking across the pool toward Orient Bay.  The pool is very nice with easy access to the water by steps at the far end of the pool.  Plenty of seating around the pool.  There is an outdoor shower with cold water only.

This view is from the opposite end looking toward the rear of the property.  The pool is fairly private, but the home above it to the rear does have a view down to the pool.  The home above was unoccupied during our visit.

Looking from the front of the pool towards the villa's front porch.  Table with chairs for six with seating at the far end on comfortable outdoor furniture.  The chairs around the table had cushions on them that made you sit about six inches too high for the table.  Felt like you were a giant eating on a tiny table.

View from the pool looking toward the right with Orient Village in the distance in front of Orient Bay.  The view was fantastic from the villa. 

This view looks left from the pool area.  

A better view of the porch area with the furniture.

Living room with extremely comfortable leather furniture.  The kitchen to the right was very small with a cooktop that needs replacing, a fridge that has to have a piece of tape to hold the freezer closed, and a very poor selection of silverware and glassware.  Lighting in this room was minimal.  We had to bring lights from the extra bedrooms into the living area so we could see to read in the evening. 

Master bathroom which was very small.  Why anyone would design a shower with sides only four feet high is a mystery to me.  We ended up cleaning the floor after every shower to avoid slipping on the tile floor.  Very poor lighting in the bathroom.  There was another matching bathroom to be used by the other bedrooms.   That bathroom did have a window in it.

Master bedroom had Queen size bed with access to the front porch.  Wall TV with adequate storage for clothing.