HEL P ! Aruba or St. Marteen whats better?
 

Help!! Can't decide which one to go to. want to go in late October or November no kids.

Can you give us an idea of what you like to do? Then it would be easier to answer your questions? Weather may be better in Aruba as it would be the very end of hurricane season and Aruba is out of the Hurricane belt.Karen

Thanks Karen We like the beach, casino's and water activities plus my wife like to shop.

Went to aruba for 7 days last april and loved it. :-) Only to St. Maarten twice for the day off a cruise ship.

I've been to Aruba twice and St.Martin this past March. My husband and I are returning this October.<BR><BR>Without the children we choose St. Maarten (Dutch side) has everything Aruba has, casino's, beaches but more nightlife, better restaurants and the ability to travel to Saba, St. Barts or Anguilla for the day. These trips can be booked through any of the hotels on the island through a tour or some by just taking a ferry over. <BR><BR>St. Martin has more variety in beaches and dining and less children. Visit www.visitaruba.com(click on bulletin board) http://www.traveltalkonline.com/wwwt.../wwwthreads.pl. <BR><BR>Both message/bulletin boards are very busy, the 2nd being St.Martin's. You'll get very detailed information about both islands; both boards are very active.

I'd choose St.Martin but stay on the French side; it's much more continental. You really feel that you are in France sitting in a cafe on the Riviera. For hotels try: Hotel Beach Plaza, Nettle Bay Beach Club, Mercure Simson, or some of the hotels on Orient Beach like L'Hoste, St.Tropez. Great restaurants, beaches, shopping and nightlife. We've been going to StMartin for 20 years.

Been to both several times.The Dutch side of St Martin especially Maho are very similiar to Aruba.St Martin will give you more variety and much better beaches and easy access to St Barts and Anguilla.Bad points are island has some slummy spots and november is huricane season.Aruba has better casinos resteraunts and weather is almost always hot and dry.Safe place little crime and no grubbers but its not picturesque.

You can't be serious that Aruba has better restaurants? St. Martin is known for their restaurants. Grand Case has one great rest. after another. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, there are many lolos throughout the island that served delicious local and bbq dishes at excellent prices. The Dutch side also has many good restaurants at reasonable prices. Turtle Pier, Banana's, Boathouse, Lee's Roadside, Bliss to name a few. <BR><BR>There are many more independent bars that serve good food like Sunset Beach Bar, Cherie's, Mr. Busby's. Most of the bars that had crowds in Aruba where associated with the hotels so drinks and food were expensive and not worth the price.

Hi James: If you are looking to stay put at a resort and beach it with the occasional snorkling, shopping trip then Aruba is for you. Beautiful Palm Beach has all kinds of hotels, with a wonderful boardwalk that connects all the hotels and bars with watersport activities right at your doorstep. In town the shopping is very good and the restaurants are also very good. We went to Chez Mathilde for one of the best dining experiences ever. Also the restaurant at the Casino in town is very good. If you like to try different beaches, rent a car for the week and find secluded spots in St. Martin, Cupecoy and Baie Longue are very nice. Also very easy to go to other islands from St. Martin. We were in St. Martin in 1993 and 1999 and really noticed that the roads were getting in rough shape especially on the Dutch side and that Phillipsburg was getting dirty. Marigot is cleaner and better shopping. If I had to make a choice I would choose Aruba some of the friendlist people I have ever meet and Palm beach is one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. We walked back from the casino after midnight and took nice long walks on the beach in the evening and daytime always feeling safe. Hope you have a great trip.Karen

I have been to both St. Martin (3 times in the past 8 years, both on the Dutch and French side) and the French Riviera (2 weeks in July of this past summer). Believe me, sitting in a cafe anywhere in St. Martin is absolutely nothing like the French Riviera experience. If you want the French Riviera experience and scenery you must go there - it is wonderful! St. Martin cannot compare in my opinion.

To explain - the above reply was in response to Linda's comments. I have also been to Aruba and would suggest going there for its overall cleanliness. It is not a naturally beautiful island as St. Martin is, but St. Martin was in a run down state when we were there last which was about 3 years ago.

In comparing St.Martin to the Fr.Riviera I did not mean that they were EXACTLY alike, but rather that the French share with you their "joie de vivre". As my husband and I sit enjoying our dinner with the warm breezes, palm trees and the sound of French around us we compare our time there to vacations on the Riviera. Of course Marigot is not Cannes or Monaco or St.Tropez but the similarities are there and while we can't afford money or time-wise to visit the Riviera every year we do make it to St.Martin a couple of times.

I agree with Annie. St. Martin is a dump to put it mildly. The people were very friendly, but the island was very unclean & too many casinos. I did not like St. Martin much, French or Dutch side. I stayed on the French side-Orient Beach. One thing I liked about St. Martin is that it is a good hub spot to go island hopping to other nearby islands. I have been to Aruba as well and in my opinion Aruba has a better beach and definitely cleaner than St. Martin. I just returned from St. Martin this summer. Also, St. Martin's french side is nothing like the french riviera, is does not have the ambiance of France, but I will give the french side thumbs up for the food in Grand Case. I have visited Anguilla, Nevis, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Barts, but St. Martin is the only island in that area that I didn't care for.

In spite of the negatives others have stated about holidaying in St.Martin my husband, son and I love the island and have never had anything less than a wonderful time. In fact, we are already booked for both Christmas and March Break holidays again this year. There are other islands more pristine ie:St.Barths, larger, smaller or with more to do so it's hard to explain that we just feel "at home" there. One time, '95 I think, we were the first tourists to arrive following a devastating hurricane and due to labour problems our suitcases didn't arrive for a day...the hotel manager offered to loan us clothes, toiletries, cash, anything we needed. One store owner, Martine, has become a friend and insisted that we stay at her home in Cannes. Yes, it does sometimes appear a bit "shabby", but it's a constant struggle to clean up after a hurricane and get going again. Visitors today to Orient Beach would have a hard time believing that just a few years ago a hurricane completely wiped out the restaurants and much of a hotel there. What can I say...we love the island!!!

Linda,<BR><BR>DITTO

We were in St. Martin this summer and are planning to go to Aruba in January. We have been to both islands many times. It all depends on what you want. St. Martin is more 'lush' and lively, with more variety due to the fact that it is half-Dutch/half-French (we much prefer the French side). Aruba looks a bit more 'sterile', dry and arid, and 'Americanized'. The reason we are going to Aruba in January is the climate - more stable in winter I think, because it is closer to the equator. We love the stiff breeze of Aruba, also the beach (esp. Eagle Beach near the Bucuti Resort where we hope to be staying) is wonderful. Hope this helps!

Thank you Chris, thank you Sally for saying something positive about St.Martin. It's been really bothering me when I read things like parts of the island are a bit "shabby". As if we don't ever have "shabby" in N.America. I live in a large Canadian city and we have plenty of "shabby" here too. But thankfully, due to my upbringing, education, and where I live I've had so many opportunities in my life. When I travel I don't expect perfection and I don't want everything to be just like home. Yes, the Dutch side of St.Maarten is more "Americanized", and due to a different political structure has been slower to respond in cleanup efforts after each hurricane. The French side received aid from France almost immediately so they could begin cleanup and start rebuilding. I guess it's a good thing that there are so many islands to choose from and we don't all end up on the same one.

Linda,<BR><BR>You are right that it was '95. The storm was Luis, the strongest hurricane to hit the island in a decade. Yesterday marked it's anniversary. We saw the destruction occurring, as we on the island during the storm. You could only cry seeing what Mother Nature had done. One reason we feel like SXM is a second home is the unity of people that followed the storm. Everyone was equal. Secondly, the people of St. Martin took very good care of us; making sure we were safe during and after the storm. <BR>I respect the people of the island for what then endured and having seen their progress over the years. It may not be fast enough for some, but then again, they are on island time.

Message:Chris<BR>

Message:Chris <BR> Thank you, thank you, my sentiments exactly. I get so tired of being on the beach and walking through Marigot and hearing tourists complain, "Do you think the food's safe?"; "Why doesn't everyone speak English?"; "Be sure you ask for bottled water, just in case."; "Why are they speaking French when we're around?" And this is all said within earshot of the people who live there. They sit in the cafes, annoyed because they had to wait 15 min. for their table for a party of 8, then they order gargantuan meals, eating only half, and then sit blowing smoke from their huge cigars. Yes, tourism is the no.1 industry on the island but these are still real people living real lives and they deserve to be treated with respect. We were the first plane to arrive after Luis; a work slowdown delayed our luggage. A maid told us they went 2 weeks with no running water or electricity, we saw the damage done to Nettle Bay Beach Club...the whole ocean side was missing, Orient Beach lost most of the restaurants...and yet, we were welcomed and had a wonderful vacation, marvelling at the resilience of the people. The couple who set up a little table on Orient with a BBQ, etc. We have had nothing but wonderful times there and are always greeted with the "cheek Kissing" and by name. So those who think there are a few "sluumy" or "shabby" spots...please go elsewhere.