SAnParis

Ok - Statia & others I need your help. We are looking for good/great dining establishments on St. Maarten. Yes we will have a car & I know Grand Case is everyones' favorite. The Tropicana is often mentioned. We are most interested in fresh seafood type places where kids (albeit well behaved kids) are welcomed. As are shorts & flip-flops. Good food is really the key. Help me narrow down an infinite number of choices.

Statia

Hi SAnParis. Some suggstions are:

Lee's Roadside Grill in Simpson Bay. Fabulous seafood, casual atmosphere, and often nightly entertainment.

I hear a lot about Bamboo Bernie's at Caravanserai Resort near Maho, but haven't been there myself yet.

Taloula Mangoes on the boardwalk in Phillipsburg in a nice casual place facing the beach.

There are a lot of good places at Port Royale Marina in Marigot. I like La Belle Epoque, but there are a lot of good ones.

Turtle Pier near the airport on Simpson Bay Lagoon might be interesting for the kids because they have any array of animals and you can even pick your own fresh lobster out of their tank.

To be honest, most restaurants on the island are very casual and you can get seafood at a great majority of them. Also, children are welcome at most places as far as I've seen in the past. I think Lee's is the best, hands down, for seafood, though.

These websites might give you some more info.

http://www.jmbcommunications.com/sxmdine.html

http://www.gobeach.com/restrant.htm

I'm sure Barbara will have some further suggetions as she has great info about St. Maarten, too.

SAnParis

Thx, I don't know that we'll venture into Phillipsburg but I will certainly check out the rest. I have to start editing what my wife thinks she is taking this weekend. That is always a good time (LOL) but I'm afraid the little Win-Air planes won't be able to get off the ground should she take everything she 'needs'. We will probably have dinner at least one night in Marigot. Thanks so much, looking forward to visiting your portion of the planet very soon.

Statia

Have a great trip! I'll look forward to hearing about it when you return.

Cheri's Cafe in Maho also has some fun nightly entertainment that the kids might like.

And, be sure to take them for a burger or other American fare at Sunset Beach Bar at the end of the runway on Maho beach between 1 and 3 p.m. sometime. You can sit there and face the ocean while the jets come in "right" over your head. A real sight!

Barbara1

SAnParis
If you are coming to SXM with kids, definitely get to the boardwalk in Phlipsburg. It is a great place for kids. you can stroll the whole length of Philipsburg along the beach and there are restaurants and water sports all along.. kids are definitely welcome at all.
Good places there to eat there are Greenhouse or Passangrahan or Oulachi's.

Statia already mentioned Lee's Grill in Simpson Bay. it is the best place for fresh seafood and it is casual and kids are not a problem.

Tropicana is great. I ate there last night as a matter of fact... It is one of my favorite restaurants. as Statia said, kids really are welcome everywhere. Tropicana has more fancy French food though..not sure what your kids eat... Tropicana is in the Marigot marina and there are several other retaurants there too to choose from.

There also is a restaurant in the Simpson Bay area just down the road from Lee's. it is called Pineapple Pete's..great food and a lively atmosphere....
another fun thing to do is go to Grand Case and eat at the lo los. very casual outdoor dining with fresh fish and chicken , ribs,etc..all done local style on the grill. very inexpensive and delicious eating.
shorts and flip flops are ok at the more casual restaurants but, in my opinion, are not really appropriate at the fancier restaurants. no one will turn you away though.. I do see people wearing dress shorts and sandals at those places.
There are so many places to eat on St. Maarten, it is hard to just name a few of them.
you will have no trouble at all finding places you enjoy and the kids enjoy.
Have a good trip!

SAnParis

Thanks for the input...My children are 11 months (just starting to eat soft 'grown-up food') & 3 1/2 & she is a big seafood lover, particularly fish. It is nice to have a 'sample' of sorts that covers the island as we've really just pinned down that we are going to rent a car there + most of our attention has been focused on Montserrat. To date, St. Maarten has merely been a stopping off point in our plans. We are meeting friends there on the 19th for dinner & then return for the following weekend. I think the Butterfly Farm will be on our agenda at some point. What about the isle off of Fench cul de sac ? Is that worth a trip ? (The name escapes me at present)Also we were thinking of visiting Orleans. Thanks in advance for any additional info/suggestions. I can't wait.

Statia

I thought of one more for seafood. The Boathouse (not far from Lee's) is also supposed to be very good and casual. Although I haven't been there in a number of years, I've heard other people say recently that it's still good.

Barbara1

you are right...the Boathouse is good too, Statia.
SAnParis... a visit to the Butterfly Farm is nice...also visit the zoo.
kids love that...
the island you are thimking of is Pinel. there is a nice calm beach there..good for children.. .and 2 restaurants to eat at too.
you mention a visit to orleans.. there really isn't much in orleans..it's just a little village... but if you are renting a car and touring the island, you will pass through there.
there are 2 very nice local restaurants there. Yvette's and le Poulet ...

SAnParis

Thx Barbara, I was wondering if there were anything of historical relevance or interest there (?). Is Pinel worth the trip ? The kids may be beached out by then (well my son maybe, my daughter won't) so I'll keep that in mind. From Cupecoy Beach how long are we talking drive time to the opposite end of the Island (about) ?

Statia

Barbara, what ever happened to Yvette's there in Simpson Bay, right at the end of the airport runway? That place was really great. Is that the same Yvette's on Pinel now?

I keep meaning to ask you (not to hijack SAnParis's thread), but do you know the van der Waag's over there by chance?

Statia

Barbara, I just re-read your post and see that you meant Yvette's in Orleans. Maybe I'm thinking of another name. It was in that white building on the corner of airport road and the road you turn on to head to Horny Toad. It was owned by a local St. Maarten family.

Barbara1

Statia
that was Lynette's!
similar names.. they went out of business a few years ago..
Sure. I know Dr. van der Waag..Albert..is that who you mean?

Statia

That's it! Lynette's. We were so sorry to see them go out of biz. Great food AND great service. And, they were close by when we would stay at the van der Waag's house.

Yes, I do mean Albert. He and Vanka are good friends of ours. Actually, Vanka's sister is my best friend here on Statia. Small world.

SAnParis

Amy more ??

SAnParis

Last chance for everyone to make sure my family & I eat well while in St. Maarten.

Barbara1

I just ate last night at Yvette's in orleans.
It was wonderful!
good resonably priced local food.. casual friendly dining.. we loved it.
note: they are closed on wednesdays.
there are several good restaurants in the marina at Marigot... Tropicana was already mentioned. for light more casual dining and great pizza, try LLe Belle Epoque.
another great place for pizza is Pizza Galley in Simpson Bay right near Lee's Place..
also go to Spinnaker's right next door and by the bridge for breakfast or lunch. and happy hour is at 5 PM.. the
bridge opens at 5:30 PM dfor the boats to come back in and it is fun to watch that. the kids would like that, I think.
Buccaneer Beach Bar by the Atrium is a fun place and has the best hamburgers on the island.
enjoy!

SAnParis

Thanks Barbara - We'll try & stick to seafood & local fare whenever possible. My daughter loves the stuff as do I, so we'll certainly take advantage whenever possible. I don't suppose you know of any eateries on Montserrat ??

Barbara1

sorry, I cna't be any help on Montserrat.
Have a good trip!

cartera

I second the suggestion of the lo los in Grand Case. The kids would also like Calmos Cafe right on the beach in Grand Case - down towards the Grand Case Beach Club. The tables are right by the water. We also liked Le Ti Coin in Grand Case - more of a local place. The owner/chef is great and really entertained us and kept bringing out things for us to try. My fav in Marigot is also Tropicana.

anntodd

I strongly agree with the last post from Cartera regarding Le Ti Coin. We have 2 daughters ages 5 & 12 and in 2 weeks we are going back to St. Martin, Grand Case Beach Club, for our third year. We meet "Chef Carl" on our first visit and we fell in love with his warmth and charm with us and our girls. His Creole style food is wonderful and very "local". He is always glad to create a dish for our girls with their picky eating habits. Very comfortable with dining inside and an outside garden patio. When the inside has couples obviously looking for more formal/romantic dining we always go out to the patio with the girls. Late in the evening you can enjoy sitting around and sharing stories (and adult beverages) with Carl and his Father, Mother and assorted family members.