Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

I've booked a trip to St Marting for the beginning of March for 5 days and 4 nights. I'll be going with my boyfriend and we're both in our early 30's. I've already booked our hotel at the Divi Little Bay Beach Resort. Yes, it's on the Dutch side and I heard it's a bit commercial -- but it's not my honeymoon and we were trying to be a bit frugal (not too much though!).

So...I'm asking all of you for any and all suggestions:
(1) Any good restaurants on either side? Both casual and nice and romatic?
(2) Beaches that you would recommend (either side)
(3) Besides the butterfly farm and the zip-line through the rain forest...any other suggestion of activites that you'd highly recommend?
(4) Do you recommend us renting a car or getting a taxi to take us around?

Thanks...and any other information that you might think might be helpful for first-time St Martin(ers) would be much appreciated.

Thanks again!
Kerry

Hi, Kerry. My husband and I (now retired) took a vacation back in May 2001 to Sint Maarten; however, at the time we were bareboat-chartering a 37-foot sailboat. During part of our week-long adventure, we sailed south over 30 miles of blue water to the small island country of Saba (pronounced "SAY-ba"), a Dutch protectorate, where we anchored overnight. With the sea swell, though, we were not able to take our dinghy into the only port to tour the island. It was such a beautiful place, though, that we decided to fly back over from Sint Maarten for a day trip during the few remaining days we had planned to tour Sint Maarten after our charter.

Having said that, I would highly recommend this day trip for your vacation as well. It is a lovely little island, and very enjoyable to hike. The flight is 25 minutes from Sint Maarten [currently $112 round-trip on WinAir (www.fly-winair.com) which can be booked online], and well worth it IMHO (well, not just my opinion…. it won an award from Travel and Leisure Magazine in 2006).

A little about Saba… it is the smallest of the Netherlands Antilles (5 sq miles), about 1500 in population, dating back to the 1700s. There are four villages (The Bottom, Windwardside, Hell's Gate, and St. Johns) and we walked to all of them. English is spoken by everyone on the island. Although the guilder is Saba's official currency, the U.S. dollar is accepted everywhere. The island is home to an off-shore medical school, has wonderful arts and crafts (lace, glassblowing, etc.), and is world-renowned for its scuba diving sites. I'll attach a photo from our trip, and a second photo in a subsequent post.

For more information, here's a website (http://www.sabatourism.com/index.html) and here's a map.


Something to consider….

Pat

Kerry, as promised, here is another photo from our hiking the villages of Saba. Pat

Kerry,

We have a timeshare in St. Martin (Dutch side), though we don't go every year. We've probably been there at least 10 times. So ask away.

I don't think the Divi is any more commercial than most of the places on the island. I hesitate to be too negative up front, but I thought I should try to be as frank as possible. The island is small, and in recent years, it has become grossly over-developed. There is really only one road that circumnavigates both sides of the island, and it can get awfully congested. Traffic is a problem.

You MUST rent a car, though. I can provide some good suggestions - not the majors. (We usually use Unity. Michael is terrific. Jeff Berger prefers Tropical/Tropicana ) NEVER, NEVER, EVER leave anything of value in your car, even in your trunk.

That said, you can have a wonderful time on the island. The restaurants are great, and the beaches are superb. Which of the latter you like depends on your preferences. We choose quieter, more family oriented beaches (even for just the two of us - but we're old), such as Friar's Bay above Marigot, or Le Gallion, on the Atlantic side. (See this Mr. St. Martin site, as well as Jeff Berger's (below) for the best descriptions of the various beaches. As for other tastes, the government on the French side has started cracking down on nudity on Orient Beach, except for one section (see Jeff's comments). Also, access to another popular beach, Cupecoy, has been hampered by a big development. (What else is new?)

What I'd really recommend is that you visit Jeff Berger's Everything St. Martin Website. It is annoyingly complex, but I think Jeff provides the best advice and ideas about all aspects of the island. One thing he constantly urges is to get SkyMed insurance before you go. I agree it's worth it. He also has lots of restaurant reviews and other suggestions (if you can find them), including very good and helpful information about beaches and shopping.

L'Alabama, our favorite restaurant (and his), which is in Grand Case, on the French side - the "Gourmet Capital of the Caribbean" - has just changed ownership and chefs, so I - and he - don't know what it is like now. But there are lots of others. Depending on when you arrive, you might want to start your visit on the first night with one of his and our other recommendations, which is much more casual -- Turtle Pier in Simpson Bay. If you do, try the coconut shrimp and/or conch fritters, unless you want to opt for lobster. (Gosh! I'm making myself hungry!)

And incidentally, we've been to Saba twice, once on a day trip and once for several days. It's a different and interesting place. If you like to dive, it's a must. Otherwise, it's pleasant and quiet with not too much to do, though it's a good escape from the traffic on SXM. Be aware, though, that the only real beach is composed of volcanic ash, not sand.

Be in touch!

Ann

I've been to St. Martin several times - both sides of the island.
I really like the restaurants in Grand Case and at the marina on the French side in Marigot.
A new Westin resort has opened up in the Dawn Beach area.
As others have said rent a car and try not to get out there during work rush hours.
I use to go to a site called travel talk and find out alot on St. Martin.
Took the ferry from Le Meridien/Domaine resort to St. Barts for the day. Great day trip.

quote:

Took the ferry from Le Meridien/Domaine resort to St. Barts for the day. Great day trip.

Le Meridien, as such, no longer exists in Anse Marcel, though Le Domaine de Longvilliers does. However, a new high speed ferry, the Rapid Explorer, departs from its own facility at the new Chesterfield Marina in Point Blanche at the far end of Philipsburg. You can also get to St.Barts from Marigot and perhaps, still, from the Pelican Marina, but I'm not sure about that.

In addition to St. Barts and Saba, another nice day trip which we've taken is to Anguilla. I'd like to go back. Anguilla has some lovely beaches, and it is a short (20-30 minute) ferry trip from the port at Marigot.

Ann