Is St. Martin really terrible?
 

I've just booked an 11-day stay in February at L'Esplanade in Grand Case. Never been to St. Martin.<BR>I was very excited about the trip, but after reading some awful reviews of the island I wonder if I've made a mistake. Is St. Martin a dirty, crime-ridden island with rude people? Has anyone got any suggestions to make the trip safe and enjoyable? Any info on L'Esplanade? Thanks so much for your input.

I've been to St. Martin and I don't think I'll return. while it wasn't awful, there are much better islands to visit.<BR><BR>

Yes Janna, I have one suggestion. Next time, read reviews and research your trip carefully BEFORE booking!

My husband and I have just returned a week ago from St.Martin; we love it there and have been going for 20 years. We stay on the French side; never all-inclusive as there are too many good places to eat. Dirty? We both thought the island looked much cleaner than some years in the past; it's difficult when you get a horrendous hurricane, clean up and get hit again. Crime-ridden? There is some crime as on any island but we have never felt threatened or unsafe ever. Rude people? We've encountered very few over all the years we've gone; and most of those were demanding tourists. I know where L'Esplanade is and have commented on its attractiveness but have never personally been there. Grand Case is wonderful for dining: try Le Pressoir and don't pass up the &quot;lolos&quot;or rib shacks right in the middle of the town; try &quot;Talk of the Town&quot; (right beside the road) it's our favourite: ribs, potato salad, cole slaw and a johnny cake washed down with your favourite beverage will cost you about $10 ($US). Our favourite beach is Orient (clothing optional side - no music, cameras, etc) We take a fold down cooler to the beach packed with cold drinks, ham, cheese, fruit and a baguette; we're there from 9:30 - 3:30. There are a couple of supermarches in Grand Case or a bigger one in Marigot called Match. Other good but inexpensive places for dinner are Le Bar de La Mer on the waterfront and Le Plongeoir (new one) also on the waterfront just along from the new West Indies shopping mall. I even like the shops better on the French side unless you really want to check out jewellery. There are chic clothes, shoes, L'Occitane (soaps) and my favourite &quot;Hip Up&quot; where I always get a bathing suit and beach pants. I can't say the previous posters are wrong because I'm not them but we LOVE the island and can't wait until March when we go back again.

We haven't been back to St. Martin for 3 or 4 years now. Last time we went it had taken a very hard blow from several hurricanes in a row and didn't seem to recover. <BR><BR>You will read both good, bad and very ugly on this web site about St. Martin. So you will have to take it all in and make a decision for yourself. Go read some current articles in travel books or magazines or on travel websites. I do think that 11 days is a long time there. It is not a big island. Maybe go there and then take a day or two trip to a neighboring island. <BR><BR>Although we didn't stay at L'Esplanade, we did go take a look. It is a pretty hotel with a nice hilltop location and great views. Beach would be a walk down the hill. Grand Case has lots of restaurants to choose from. <BR><BR>Janna, let us all know what you decide to do.<BR><BR>

Hi Janna,<BR><BR>I live near SXM and people seem to either love it or hate it. Yes, there are poverty looking areas and there is crime (which does seem to be getting somewhat worse over the years), but isn't that something we encounter in just about any major city? And, SXM is like the &quot;major city&quot; for all the nearby gateway islands, which are quieter and more crime-free.<BR><BR>SXM is what you make it. There is great shopping, great beaches, great dining and a lot to do. Personally, I prefer the calm and quite that Grand Case has to offer. Grand Case is my favorite beach, as well. The water is so clear and calm and the area is very relaxing. Make a day of it at Orient, as well, if you want to liven things up. The nice thing with SXM is that you can make it as quiet or lively as you want, depending on where you go.<BR><BR>I don't care to spend time in SXM myself, only because it usually means an errand running marathon for me, and no relaxation. But, it's different for vacationers.<BR><BR>Since you are staying on the French side (which most people I know prefer), I think you will have a nice time. You might also want to think about taking a day trip by ferry to Anguilla and maybe St. Barth's, as well. That way you can experience some of the other islands, too.<BR><BR>Hope you have a fabulous trip. Remember that a vacation can be as good or as bad as you make it. I don't think that you will necessarily &quot;regret&quot; your decision, but then again, I don't know what you are expecting.<BR><BR><BR>

Hi Janna,<BR><BR>I and two friends go to St. Martin every Thanksgiving and have a wonderful time. Of course we stay on the French side which is so much, much better. We stay on Orient Beach, eat in Grand Case and shop in Marigot.<BR><BR>Are there problems? Probably however we never experienced any during our stay. Is the island a &quot;mess&quot;? Frankly, many sections of the island are not &quot;postcards&quot;, however I leave my American expectations at home, travel to St. Martin and have a wonderful time.<BR>Alan

Have been to St. Martin several times, and have been to many other islands....St. Martin is myleast favorite. Not a pretty island....only great thing on St. Martin is the town of Grand Case and all the restaurants.

My husband and I went to St Martin and loved it. It's our favorite island. The beaches are fabulous and the restaurants are incredible (especially on the French side). Make sure to go to the Rainbow in Grand Case. Very romantic. It's expensive but worth it. It's an island that is easy to get around on and we felt very safe. We would go back in a heartbeat.<BR>Enjoy!

I was curious to see what advice other posters would give. I hope you decide to go and I hope you have as wonderful a vacation as we have always had. We don't go expecting pristine perfection; we do go for the fabulous beaches, great food, shopping, proximity to other islands, to see the friends we've made and of course for the sunshine and warmth. I can honestly say we have never had a bad time, nor a bad meal. It's easy to travel to St.Barths, Anguilla, Saba or Statia. I disagree with the person who says 11 days is too long; even with 14 we could stay longer. As soon as my husband retires, we plan to rent there for at least a month.

Janna - I about to make my 22 trip to St. Maarten in 20 years, so needless to say I love the place, no its not a drop dead gorgeous island, but its really what you make of it. I never thought I would suggest this, but take a look at traveltalkonline.com and do a search for L'Esplanade, there is a couple, Ed and Sandra that had a wonderful review of the island and that resort. If you are adventurous, you will love the island, if your more into resorts that you never leave, you will probably not like it. The island did get nailed with hurricanes in 1995 and I think 1998, there is political issues on the Dutch side that I have been trying to follow and just don't get. But I'm leaving thursday for 4 nights in the sun and then again in april for 2 weeks. Another website is Gobeach.com, I like that one the best and you can do a search on it for any of your questions.

Forgot to add: to the poster who advises SXM is expensive; it can be as reasonable or as expensive as you wish. For our last week there I took 500 Euros in AMEX travellers' cheques plus 100 Euros in cash. This paid for all food, gas, beach chairs, some shopping, incidentals...and I brought 30 Euros home. We pick up fruit, cheese, bread, ham, pastries, etc: eat breakfast and lunch when we feel like it at the beach and then go out for dinner each night. Our dinners ranged from 23 Euros - 84 Euros (New Years) for 2, with the usual being 40-50 Euros/night for the 2 of us. Of course if you add bottles of wine, fancy desserts, etc the price goes up. We do have a drink with dinner and occasionally dessert, but we're usually too full. In case you're American, they were quoting dollars and euros at par.

Janna,<BR><BR>One thing to keep in mind about anyplace. Throw out all extreme posts (you know like they are supposed to do in figure skating). This eliminates the fanatics on both ends.<BR><BR>Then read the reviews in the middle carefully. One thing I have found is that people who pan a place, any place, most of the times don't provide specifics. Can you base a decision on that?<BR><BR>Yes, I've been there and like it. Perfect, probably not. It's not dirty, those are mostly old reviews of when it was 2-3 years ago. Are they rude, not when you talk with them. Most people love to talk. Crime, yes but not a great concern either.<BR><BR>Also try the WWW.GOBEACH.COM board for more information.

Chas, Linda and some of the others really said it all - St. Martin/Maarten is really nice but no, it's not perfect, it's not Disneyland so to speak. We like it a lot, (have come to prefer the French side) have been there at least 6 times and are going back next year. Last year we went to St. Martin first for 1 week and then to Anguilla for 2 weeks. Two very different islands, but we liked both. Anyway, don't be discouraged by all the negative posts about crime etc. We've never had anything bad happen to us yet (knock wood!). I think your chances of something happening are a lot higher in New York City or in other big towns in the US (or in Europe for that matter). Anyway, have fun and good luck!

I went to St. Martin 3 years ago with my wife and 2 kids (ages 6 and 9). While it is true that the island is lacking in some respects (not as lush and tropical as we expected, lots of poverty in some areas), we still had a great time and found the people to be very friendly. The island had been battered by hurricanes not long before our trip - maybe things have improved since then. We thoroughly enjoyed Marigot (sp?) (lots of good restaurants, shopping), a very quaint city with a nice marina. We spent most of our time on the French side, particularly on the northern part of Orient Beach. If has great beach-front restaurants/bars and a nice tropical atmosphere. Grand Case had many restaurants and we spend our evenings there, but the beach was narrow from the storms and looked a little beat up. We don't gamble, but there are many casinos on the Dutch side if thats your thing. Don't worry about the negative posts; you would have to work pretty hard not to have a great time in St. Martin. BTW, we stayed at the Anse Marcell up north. Very tropical, beautiful beach, etc. Can't comment on the hotel you booked.<BR><BR>Feel free to email me if you have more questions.<BR><BR>Dave

While you're there get a reservation for lunch or dinner at Tropicana in Marina Royale, Marigot. Very french cafe-style and the food is formidable! Extremely popular and with good reason.

I have stayed at L'Esplanade twice. It is a simply gorgeous hotel, with a great view of Grand Case bay and Anguilla in the distance. If you've seen the pictures on the web site, it really is a nice as they make it look. The staff is great, and the rooms were great. It is on the side of the hill, so you can walk down to the village to the restaurants and beach pretty easily (it is a well marked, landscaped footpath). Of course, you have to walk back up again. . . The only drawback to the place is that it overlooks the small airport, so you may wake up to the sound of small prop planes and jets taking off. I actually appreciated that, or I would have slept all day.<BR><BR>I don't ever remember meeting any rude people. Sometimes the timeshare people from the Dutch side get a little pushy with their sales pitches, but just tell them that you were there yesterday. I also felt very safe walking from the village back up the hill to the hotel after dinner.<BR><BR>By the way, what Linda said about Talk of the Town's meal for $10 -- if you can eat all of the food they serve for that price, you won't need to eat again that day!!

I don't discourage folks from going there; we prefer the French side also, and from there like to take a speed boat over to Anguilla too.<BR><BR>Where you are planning on staying is nice, so please don't feel you will need to change your plans.<BR><BR>I'm in the NYC area, and so we exercise the same caution for certain areas of the Island as we would around where we live. Phillipsburg on the Dutch side is not a great place to visit, but there's a BBQ restaurant near there (forgot the name...sorry) that had the best BBQ. Spartico's is high-end and pricey for their food.<BR><BR>There's some great duty free shopping for designer things (Gucci, etc.) and beauty products (i.e., Clarins); that takes about 1/2 day, tho.<BR><BR>The best thing about going was we were with friends who, unhappily, the wife died 4 years ago from a brain tumor. I remember all the fun things we did down there, and it's kinda bittersweet, cause I would go back except that it would be hard, remembering our trip.<BR><BR>Have a great time, and please post on how your trip was.

GM: Are you thinking of Texas Pit Barbecue? If so, yes, it's great.

Thank you all for your responses. Feel much encouraged about the trip. My husband and I have decided to go. Haven't been away since September 11th, we live in NYC, and looking forward to this break. Your suggestions and good wishes are greatly appreciated.<BR>I will be happy to let everyone know about our experiences once we get back.<BR>Janna

Glad you've decided to go; wish I could get on a plane tomorrow, I live near Toronto and it's FREEZING here and expected to be the same for the whole week. But, someone at the gym commented on my tanned legs...and in 6 weeks I'll be going back again. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Janna--<BR><BR>You will have a WONDERFUL time. If you hadn't already planned to, rent a car. Stop at Zee Best in Marigot and pick up some pastries, and at the small store in Grand Case for cheese, wine and whatever other supplies suit your fancy. L'Esplanade is absolutely wonderful. Our days consisted of having a leisurely breakfast on the balcony, driving 10 minutes to the beach (Orient and Baie Rouge were our favorites), sunning, having a great lunch at Kon-Tiki at Orient or the lolo on Bair Rouge (Chez Raymond's, I think), a little more sun, back to L'Esplanade for a drink at the pool and then a short nap, then a 5-minute stroll into town to pick among at least a dozen top-tier restaurants for an amazing meal. Then back up the hill for a late-night dip. We did not meet a single rude person, nor did we ever feel threatened in the least by crime. If you are looking for Disneyland (a made-up place where nothing is ever out of place and everyone paints on a smile), you have made a bad choice. But if you are looking for a place where real people actually live and work, but do so on island-time on a lovely island with great beaches and top-notch restaurants, you will have an absolutely great time.

I'm an avid scuba diver and have been to just about every Caribbean destination. Yes, SXM is quite the dump, and I won't return. My rental car was robbed (and trashed), but fortunately I only lost snorkeling gear, sunglasses etc (from the trunk). For some reason the thief or thieves found it necessary to urinate in my rental car! Gross! With so many great places in the Caribbean, I'm not sure why anyone would want to go to St. Martin/Maarten.

I really hate to see posts like this; I sympathize but these things can happen anywhere. Don't let the actions of a few colour your impressions of the whole island and its people. I could tell a story of how we got a flat tire and a gentleman came to our rescue, getting a jack, changing the tire, getting filthy in the process...and refused all offers of money. Or the time we arrived but our luggage didn't and the hotel manager offered a change of clothes and/or cash to buy what we needed. You know, last year in Paris I had a man come up and for no reason punch me hard in the side of the face. Does it make me dislike Paris, Parisians or never want to return? Of course not because his behaviour is not indicative of all French...and I look forward to returning in June. Yes, nasty things happen to good people, but I've had nothing but wonderful times on SXM and look forward to a return trip in March.

spend the extra cash and hop a plane to st. barts. affordable accomodations can be found. magnificnt quiet beaches, beauty galore. dutch st martin is for the birds

You are so right Linda. We had our Palm pilot stolen from a hotel room in New York, we've been pick pocketed in Spain, does that mean we will never return to Spain or to New York? Of course, we will!! Those are just some unfortunate things - shit happens!! And it happens everywhere and everyday!! So I think it is ludicrous to write off a destination because of a little bad luck happening to us. Try and put things in perspective is what these people who criticise St Marteen and other places need to do. Or at least if you have no intention of returning, there is no need to bad mouth the place on a public forum like this. Geez!!

I just came to this site looking for a car rental on St. Maarten. I felt I had to respond to Is St Maarten terrible? My husband and I love the island so much that we purchased 2 weeks time share there about 7-8 years ago and then another week 2 years ago. We have been to many islands and we generally like them all, but the two we really love are St. Maarten and St. Croix. I guess you can find crime on all of them. We were robbed in Puerto Rico (where, for the record, we feel is the dirtiest island we have ever been to.) The great thing about St. Maarten is the fact that you have two destinations--French and Dutch. The food at the stands in Grand Case is just wonderful. There is even a beach shack/bar where you can get a table and chairs right on the beach and your lunch and drinks are delivered to you. We are going for two weeks in March and can't wait.

We have vacationed in St. Martin several times at Orient Beach. I personally would not stay in Grand Case, we would not feel comfortable after touring the area. Orient Beach was just ranked as one of the ten best beaches in the Caribbean by Caribbean Travel &amp; Life Magazine. <BR>It's true that some people on the island are not overly friendly like in Aruba but we still always have a very nice vacation. <BR>There are larger properties at Orient Beach such as Esmeralda resort where we have stayed or more intimate hotels like L'Hoste, and villas such as Green Cay on the hill.<BR>Please use common sense when on this island and you will have a good vacation. <BR>Some of the best dining is on the French side of the island, our favorites were Le Pressoir and Rainbow Club in Grand Case, and the Mini Club (Weds &amp; Sat. only-buffet) in Marigot. Match is a nice market in Marigot for snacks, food items.<BR>There are five beach bars at Orient Beach with numerous watersports and activities. A short drive to Grand Case and Marigot for fantastic dining. <BR>If you can change your reservation, please do so and you won't regret this decision.

hi-- enjoyed the responses...stick with the middle of the road ones..been to St.Martin--enjoyed it, esp. the open air Sat. market on French side..Be sure to visit Anguilla and see all the beaches there...quite magnificent...also take a day/lunch trip to a tiny island where they cook fresh spiny lobsters, serve great drinks and you spend the day under thatched umbrellas...just remembered the name ---Scilly Cay --it's on the north side of Anguilla...ENJOY!!

Scilly Cay is the closest one comes to a tourist trap on Anguilla right behind the dolphin swim. It's expensive and you can get as good if not better at some of the local spots like Smitty's with a view of Scilly. It is a &quot;must&quot; for some but for others it is a very expensive day with lunch upwards of $50 a person. Sunday and Wednesday they do have music and make a day of it.

Reading these posts have been insightful and interesting. I have a &quot;special&quot; occasion coming up in May and decided to stay in St. Martin. I did the research and wondered if I'd made a mistake. Decided to go with an open mind and try to relax. I'm staying at La Samana. Read good/bad post about that place also. What the heck. Life is short. Wish me luck. BTW. Has anyone been to the Butterfly farm there? I'd like to make it a part of my visit. Thanks

Butterfly Farm was really interesting and informative when I went, but it's been a few years. I know it got pretty wiped out during &quot;Lenny,&quot; but I'm sure it's recovered well by now. I'd say make a go of it.<BR>

My husband and I visited last year and loved it! And that was despite getting our luggage stolen (see post regarding car rentals and don't do what we did). Everyone has their opinions; I wouldn't get too worked up about the negative ones.<BR><BR>We thought the beaches were gorgeous; food was wonderful (especially on the French side); shopping was fun. It's easy to get around and there's plenty to do. Only thing I was disappointed in was the snorkeling, but we only checked a couple of spots. Oh, and other than the desk clerk at our hotel, the people weren't rude at all.

St. Martin is one of our favorite islands. I think you would be in for a real treat if you could spent part of your time on the island of Anguilla, but if you don't, then at least take the ferry over for a day. It's not as lively as St. Martin, but it's absolutely gorgeous and the people are all very friendly. Hope you have a great trip!

Anguilla &quot;a real treat?&quot; &quot;Absolutely gorgeous?&quot; NO, I don't think so!! NEVER in a million years!!!