rgjunck

Hello there - my hubby and I will be taking a trip (mid Oct) to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We recently became enamored with staying at a villa as opposed to a resort (hubby likes the idea of a private pool). I have found one that looks really nice on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, but I don't know much about the island. We are looking for good beach, snorkeling, possibility of renting sailboat or hobiecat, and good restaurants. I know St. Maarten is more built up, but I have been told by the owner of the villa that Oct is low season so nothing should be crowded. Any thoughts? Thank you!

Laby

You won't find much snorkeling in St. Maarten. If that's an important consideration, you may want to rethink St. Maarten as a destination.

Snubes

You will have to rent a car to get to the beaches or restaurants. And St Martin have plenty of nice beaches and very good restaurants in every price range. Snorkeling is not that good, but there are a lot of fun day trips on boats to the near by islands with good snorkeling, lunch and drinks included. They are really a lot of fun. Plenty of other water activities. Check out www.traveltalkonline.com to learn more about St Martin/St Maarten, October is one of the slower months.

MIM04

It will not have a lot of tourists in Oct. however, the traffic in st martin is horrible. I was just there most recently a few months ago. Getting from one side of the island to the other takes forever.
I don't think I would rent a villa there only because of the drive.
I would ask the villa agent what is close to the villa in terms of shops, restaurants and beaches to make sure it is somewhere you can live with.
Yes St Maarten is very built up. Lots of hotels / casinos / shopping / restaurants.
If you like all of that you will love St Maarten. If you want something a little more low-key maybe try St Barths. There are literally tons of villas for rent there. You would just fly to SXM and take a short flight or ferry to St Barths.
That being said, this post sounds like I don't like SXM, however that really is not true. I have been there many times, but I much prefer the French side of the island. It is less built up, quieter, tons of great restaurants, no casinos, etc. Grand Case area is where most of the really good restaurants on the island are and I have had many fantastic meals there.
Renting a villa is what I normally do when on vacation. I don't like being cramped in a hotel room when I can have a whole house and a private pool. That is the best way I can think to spend a vacation. Go to the beach and then come home and take a dip in your own pool. It is also nice to be able to have food and beverages right there instead of having to go find something every time.
I hope you have a wonderful anniversary wherever you end up

lisaandcharlie

hi- you will love staying at a villa. i've been going to st martin every year for 20 yrs now and for the past 5 have been renting villas. there are some new beautiful places at dawn beach that are much less expensive than basse terres but there is also construction to deal with at dawn beach now. it kind of kills the ambiance. st martin is a great island; have fun where ever you stay!