I keep telling Jill I want to go to St. Maarten also.. I have a pretty short bucket list and watching the jets land right over my bald head while hanging at the beach is something I want to do pretty bad. Having a 747 come roaring at you and pass just a few feet above your head has got to be a rush. Merry Christmas! Jeff n Jill
St. Martin is fun. Seems as though the crime rate has jumped in the past few years. Then they also just got hit by a hurricane on the Orient Beach side..... We stayed at Club Orient, a clothing optional resort and beach. Nightlife is very limited in the Orient Beach area. Better nightlife on the Dutch side, but still not nearly like Cancun. If you are going, I would follow and do your research from this forum : Traveltalkonline: Viewing forum: St. Maarten - St. Martin
ok ... do not ...under any circumstances rent a car on that island ...wow! (three hours to go around the island...plus the streets function as two way...with only one lane ...your rental agency marks all the scratched and dents...and after you drive you realize why! Orient beach is fun... well except for the vanloads of tourists off the cruiseships walking the beach and taking pictures like we are zoo animals EXPENSIVE did I say expensive yet? Tons of jewelry stores ...as in HUNDREDS beach ok...but better elsewhere .. food is fantastic..but get used to sticker shock ...all in all ... do some research... or simply drop in off a cruise ship and see if its worth all the trouble
Stayed for a week on Maho Beach as hubby LOVES planes and the 2nd week in Simpson Bay where there were a few bars to visit at night (it was during a Regatta so there were loads of people around!). We first fell in love with St. Maarten during a cruise where we took local transit to Maho Beach to see the planes land. We LOVED it there and did not need a car. We took a tour bus from our hotel to Orient Beach for a very reasonable price and loved that too. Great people and the most amazing place. We will be back! BTW, we rented someone's timeshare $1000k Canadian for a week.
We have been to St martin twice and both times rented a car. No problems whatsoever. Most people who visit the island (not cruise ship people) rent a car. If we go back, which we may, we will definitely rent a car. It is a 36 square mile island. Very easy to get around, it is an island, a circle. Kind of hard to get lost. There are times of traffic, but the freedom to hop in a car at any time is a great luxury. Cars rent for between $20-40/day depending on season. We found restaurant prices similar to any other Caribbean Destination we have visited.
We have stayed for a week twice and visited 2x on a cruise stop. It is a fantastic island. We luv the place philipsburg is flooded evryday from the multiple cruiseships. (Seen as many as 8 ships in a day) it can feel like a sardine can. mostly stores and shopping and casinos. not much happens after the last cruiseship departs. they have a cool tourist attraction if you like sailing. It is a mini America's Cup experience. You crew on a sailboat and race against other boats. It is fun and is a bit of a party with the right people. Marigot is lovely with great restaurants and bistros. Very laid back. Some cool bars and jazz places at night. Very Parisian. We always rent a scooter for a week or a day and get over to french side. Hundreds of beaches around the island from lively jam packed to deserted unspoiled. One of our trips was during annual Heinken Regatta and it was a party every night. If you go during an event or festival there is a nightlife. But generally it is quiet. A few bars and casinos. Maho Sonesta Resort ( next to airport) has a fun beach due to the planes flying overhead. But you can sit at the bar at end of runway and experience the same. Never heard of any Adult Only resorts that I recall. There tons of options for lodging including bed and breakfasts. The Island is different due ti European Influence. It is shared ownership between Holland and France. The locals are chic and demamding. It is a gateway to surronding islands such as Saba, Anguilla ( pink sand beaches) and St Barts. AND U REALLY SHOULD VISIT ST BARTS MISTER. Anguilla is where the really rich and famous go for privacy. The resorts over there are extravagant and stupid expensive but you can get tours of most of them. The Cuisinart Resort ( ya the kitchen appliance maker) is intersting to tour. All these outlying islands have easy ferry access from various points on St Marteen. simpson Bay area is our favourite area for lodging based on location. Easy island to navigate and many nooks and cranies to explore. you absolutely have to spend some time on Orient Beach. No trip is complete without crepes Suzette on Orient Beach. Great place for a long weekend or a week.....but overall not cheap. We can talk more about it when we see you 2 next week
We only have the weekend, so kind of limited on how much we can see or do. I will talk to you about some of our options next week.
