teachertraveler

Anyone have an opinion on how we should divide our 7 night trip between Anguilla and St. Martin? We're thinking 3 Anguill and 4 St. Martin. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks!

bluefan

I just returned from 5 nights on Anguilla and 3 nights on St Martin. In future trips, I would prefer to do 7 nts on Anguilla and zero time on St Martin. My extended family enjoyed the shopping in Philipsburg and the dining at Grand Case and Marigot, but I would gladly give those up for more precious time on Anguilla.

I travel many miles (from LA) to the Caribbean to experience bliss...white-sand beaches and tranquil turquoise waters, which Anguilla provides in spades. My blood pressure and anxiety level only shoot up sky high when I land (by boat or plane) on St Martin, with all that traffic, commercialism, congestion, development and now growing crime. Despite the current developments on Anguilla, its still very much a peaceful destination in contrast to its neighboring island.

Callaloo

It really depends on what you are looking for, as the islands are quite different. Like bluefan, in March I spent 5 nights on Anguilla and 3 nights in St. Martin (Grand Case), and for me the mix was perfect.

We left Anguilla at the point where I'd had enough of Anguilla (beaches, quiet), and found its foil in St. Martin (dining, shopping). I'd been to both islands before, and knew what to expect; if you're a newbie, a 4/3 or 3/4 split will probably be fine, as it will give you time to taste what each island has to offer. Just remember to factor in the time you will spend in transit.

RoamsAround

This is a no-brainer - stay on Anguilla for the full 7 days. If (and once on Anguilla that can be a big "IF&quot you feel the urge for "shopping & action" take the ferry for the 20 minute ride to St. Martin for a daytrip. A few hours on St. Martin is enough to convince anybody that they should go back to Anguilla as quickly as possible.

sharkmom

bluefan,
I am thinking of a trip to Anguilla/St Martin in November. I also live in LA. What's your suggestion for best travel fare and schedule? I have some FF miles with AA but the schedule looks awful.

RoamsAround

Getting to the Caribbean from the East Coast and mid-continent is getting more difficult with each passing day. I can only imagine how much more difficult it is from the West Coast. Airlines have been cutting back flights left and right. Islands that traditionally have been reachable in one day now often require a stop-over either on the way down or way back or both. Also, with fuel costs rising airfares are increasing to record levels. We travel often to the Caribbean and we've seen airfares from our city go from around $600 r/t to over $1,000 r/t at certain times of the year.

In case you hadn't heard American Eagle has drastically cut back on flights to the smaller islands from San Juan making travel even more difficult.

They only suggestion I can make is for you to check schedules and fares on a frequent basis and when you see a fare that looks good to you grab it as it may be gone tomorrow. Sign up for fare alerts with your airline or airlines of choice, whatch for fare sales, be flexible with your travel dates, check travel websites like kyack, yapta, etc. that tract fares. Do your homework and be ready to take advantage of a good fare when you see it.

sharkmom

RoamsAround, You are sooo right. I am having a very difficult time finding a schedule that works and has a reasonable fare. Ugggh

bluefan

Hi sharkmom,

The good thing about AA is you CAN find saver FF awards. Unfortunately, most of them require two stopovers in 1 day...uuuggghhh. I was able to get 3 saver awards to SXM and opted for the single stopover at JFK, but had to overnight it there...uuuggghhh.

But most other domestic carriers (UA, DL, US, CO, AS) will also get you to SXM from LAX with only 1 stopover, except maybe CO (2)

AA though usually has the best fares and it looks like the lowest coach fares are just under $700. I would snatch up tickets at those prices and consider it fair, in light of the increased fuel costs.

And believe me, Anguilla will be the worth the cost and flight time!

sharkmom

I am nothing if not persistent. After many, many hours I have been able to reserve flights using my AA FF at only 25,000 per person! That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that I will have to stayover 1 night in JFK going and on return in MIA. However, given the fact that the tickets will only cost $130 in taxes as compare to almost $2,000 purchasing them for the dates I want to travel, I am not complaining. Now comes the fun part of picking a hotel. Any suggestions?

MaryD

There are 3 large-ish resorts (Cap Juluca, CuisinArt & Malliouhana) and a number of smaller resorts (Ku, Shoal Bay Villas, Carimar, Frangipani, Turtles Nest, Serenity, Anguilla Great House & Allamanda, to name a few). There are about 80 restaurants and 33 beaches so you don't need to pick a resort based solely on the beach & you wouldn't want a meal plan (no AI in Anguilla). What did you have in mind?

bluefan

That's terrific sharkmom! I got FF multi-city tickets for 30K miles, which was a bargain too considering I shelled out $900+ for paid tickets. Whenever I can do better than $0.03 per mile on redemption value, I'm quite pleased. You did a whole lot better than that, so consider yourself fortunate!

As for hotels, MaryD provided you a great list. Share with us what's most important to you for the trip, and we can maybe help narrow down some choices for you.

Happy planning!

sharkmom

I have been comparing prices and it looks to me like Frangiapani might be the best option for me. The rooms are a lot less expesive than the other resorts. Is the beach there as wonderful? I can get a first floor ocean room for less than $300/night. That compares very favorably. Any thoughts?

bluefan

Mead's Bay, where Frangipani is located, is wonderful. Although you may not have views of St Martin like the resorts facing south (eg Cap Juluca, Cuisinart, Baccarat, RBV, AGH), you will have wonderful sunsets to enjoy.

And you'll have some terrific dining options within walking distance from the resort: Blanchard's, Bananas by the Sea, Mahi Mahi at Serena and Michel Rostang at Malliouhana.

Have a great trip!

rebekah10

MY FAMILY AND I ARE STAYING NEAR ORIENT BEACH AND I WOULD LIKE SUGGESTIONS ON KID FRIENDLY BEACHES NEARBY.
THANKS.

bluefan

Le Galion
http://www.sint-maarten.net/St-Maart.../LeGalion.html

and Ilet Pinel (Pinel Island)
http://www.visitpinel.com/

if you want kid-friendly beaches near Orient Beach, St Martin