St. John vs St. Maarten
May 19th, 2008, 03:22 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
St. John vs St. Maarten
Trying to decide on a vacation to St. John or St. Maarten. Planning to stay at the Westin. So, looking for pros and cons of each island and feedback on the Westin St. John vs Westin St. Maarten. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
May 19th, 2008, 03:41 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 528
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well it really depends on what you're looking for in your trip as the islands are very different from each other. Can you give us a list of your priorities and what would make a great trip and I'll give you my thoughts.
May 20th, 2008, 03:15 PM
#5
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
St. Martin has no snorkeling tp speak of while St. John is one of the last remaing snorkel paradises in the Caribbean. St. John is relatively lush while St. Martin is basically arid. The Westin is in our opinion a 3+ star but Caneel is twice the price for a 4+ star resort. We went to St. Martin twice in 1994 and 2001 and it really was boring. St, John at least at Caneel has what avid snorkelers want, lovely grounds and good but not excellent food but pricey but it has us coming back 7 or 8 times over the years. But, the stakk haslost it's customer focus since RockResorts left managing it 12+ years ago.
May 20th, 2008, 06:08 PM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 528
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the clarification. Here are my thoughts on the 2 regarding what you’re looking for:
Beach: The beaches in St. John get my vote hands down for the clear blue water and practically no waves. St. Maarten’s beaches are more golden than white (except for Orient beach which is white, but is a MUCH more crowded beach with hotels, beach bars and rows and rows of chairs lined up-this may or may not be what you’re looking for-note that the far end is a nude beach-not sure how much you’d want your kids on that). St. John beaches are pretty much secluded and low key. Bring your own beach chair, snorkel gear, and relax. You do have to drive to get to any of them from the Westin, although the Westin has a small beach. St. Maarten’s sand is coarser than St. John, but if your kids like playing in the waves, they may like St. Maarten’s beaches better.
Snorkeling: St. John has some great snorkeling (Hawsknest beach was our favorite-if you’re beginners, you may like Trunk Bay’s underwater trail that has signs below the water telling you what’s what). We did some snorkeling off the beach in St. Maarten but it wasn’t as great, and the waves made it tough.
Restaurants: Both have good restaurants, but I’d give St. Maarten the edge. The french flare really made all of our eating experiences there great –and you’ve gotta love that everyone walks around eating freshly baked baguettes all the time.
Westin: haven’t stayed at either, but my boss just got back from the Westin St. John for a family vaca (kids 6,9, and 13) and they loved it. He said the pool was never packed w/people, they had tons of kids activities for all ages, and the beach in front of the hotel has a rock climbing wall float that you swim out to which his kids liked. We rented villas in both places so I can’t speak personally to the hotels.
You’ll need to rent a car in either place to explore. You can do day trips from both islands to neighboring islands –St. Maarten to Anguilla (also check out St. Martin while there too-Sunset Beach Bar is fun for watching the jets fly in) and can check out the BVI’s or St. Thomas from St. John.
Both islands offer horseback riding, although we didn’t ride on either. Both islands have cute towns with shopping to walk around. People on both islands were very friendly. We personally preferred St. John over St. Maarten (although we did like both), but then again our idea of a good vaca is less people the better, and St. John is less developed.
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see our pictures. Good luck!
Beach: The beaches in St. John get my vote hands down for the clear blue water and practically no waves. St. Maarten’s beaches are more golden than white (except for Orient beach which is white, but is a MUCH more crowded beach with hotels, beach bars and rows and rows of chairs lined up-this may or may not be what you’re looking for-note that the far end is a nude beach-not sure how much you’d want your kids on that). St. John beaches are pretty much secluded and low key. Bring your own beach chair, snorkel gear, and relax. You do have to drive to get to any of them from the Westin, although the Westin has a small beach. St. Maarten’s sand is coarser than St. John, but if your kids like playing in the waves, they may like St. Maarten’s beaches better.
Snorkeling: St. John has some great snorkeling (Hawsknest beach was our favorite-if you’re beginners, you may like Trunk Bay’s underwater trail that has signs below the water telling you what’s what). We did some snorkeling off the beach in St. Maarten but it wasn’t as great, and the waves made it tough.
Restaurants: Both have good restaurants, but I’d give St. Maarten the edge. The french flare really made all of our eating experiences there great –and you’ve gotta love that everyone walks around eating freshly baked baguettes all the time.
Westin: haven’t stayed at either, but my boss just got back from the Westin St. John for a family vaca (kids 6,9, and 13) and they loved it. He said the pool was never packed w/people, they had tons of kids activities for all ages, and the beach in front of the hotel has a rock climbing wall float that you swim out to which his kids liked. We rented villas in both places so I can’t speak personally to the hotels.
You’ll need to rent a car in either place to explore. You can do day trips from both islands to neighboring islands –St. Maarten to Anguilla (also check out St. Martin while there too-Sunset Beach Bar is fun for watching the jets fly in) and can check out the BVI’s or St. Thomas from St. John.
Both islands offer horseback riding, although we didn’t ride on either. Both islands have cute towns with shopping to walk around. People on both islands were very friendly. We personally preferred St. John over St. Maarten (although we did like both), but then again our idea of a good vaca is less people the better, and St. John is less developed.
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see our pictures. Good luck!
May 21st, 2008, 02:45 AM
#7
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 371
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kelly & I are on the same wavelength! We love St. John the most. It's beaches and snorkeling are much better than St. Maarten's, especially if you want solitude. If it's people watching your after with snorkeling second then St. Maarten is better. I do give St. Maarten the edge for food though. Some of the best meals I've ever had were there. We've been to Chateaux Bourdeaux, Asolare, Stone Terrace & Zozo's on St. John and all were good but pricey. Of course our favorites places to eat on St. John are Uncle Joe's, Cafe Roma, Woody's for bar food & Vie's Snack Shack.
We used to own two villas at the Westin St. John but recently sold the 2 bedroom. Unlike Kelly's boss' expercience we found the pools were way too crowded. We've come to love the peace & quiet that comes with renting your own villa/house. It's also nice to be able to cook dinner at home if you want.
I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter where you go. It's like comparing apples to oranges. Some people prefer oranges & some prefer apples.
If it helps we've been to St. Maarten once, that was enough for us, & St. John 13 times, #14 in August
, and it's still not enough.
We used to own two villas at the Westin St. John but recently sold the 2 bedroom. Unlike Kelly's boss' expercience we found the pools were way too crowded. We've come to love the peace & quiet that comes with renting your own villa/house. It's also nice to be able to cook dinner at home if you want.
I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter where you go. It's like comparing apples to oranges. Some people prefer oranges & some prefer apples.
If it helps we've been to St. Maarten once, that was enough for us, & St. John 13 times, #14 in August
, and it's still not enough.
May 22nd, 2008, 10:47 AM
#8
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
While at the Westin you mihjy want to take a snorkel boat outing for 1/2 a day, best in AM for seeimg more fish. The hotter it gets the fish tend to go deeper. One caution if you go is select a power (30-48ft.) or sail boat (32-42ft) that takes a maximum of 16 people if boat is near the higher length I am suggestion. It will cost probably $10-$15/adult and maybe $5/child to 8-10 but with the extra space you will really enjoy it a lot more.
