I have just learned I'll be spending just shy of 24 hours in St. Martin/St. Maarten on the tail end of my honeymoon. We will have already been 4 nights in Anguilla and 5 in St. Bart's. My question is--where should we stay? We are the walk-around-quaint-village-and-eat-good-food types. We are not the party-and-go-clubbing types. Thus, from what I read, I'm thinking Grand Case area? Any other recommendations? After St. Bart's, would Grand Case be too much French? I think it would be interesting to explore the Dutch side, but I'm afraid that it might not be our style. Also, do we need to rent a car for this 24-hour jaunt? Thanks in advance!

If you are the walk-around-quaint-village-and-eat-good-food types, Grand Case is the place, though honestly, I was not all that impressed. It is not really all that quaint...it's not pretty-quaint. The French side has much better food by far. The Dutch side is very Americanized food-wise. You do need a car from the Dutch side to get to the French side, however, you can get a cab. Also, Grand Case is not all that French. I thought it was pretty diverse. Lots of restaurants to choose from...Just afraid you might be disappointed with St. Martin after being in St. Bart's, that's all.

For the atmosphere you are seeking, my suggestion would be Grand Case Beach Club. You could always take a cab into Marigot during the day and indluge in the restaurants and beach otherwise.

I agree that Grand Case is not St. Barth's, but I think you will be happier there than on the Dutch side after the previous island visitations you will have had. The Dutch side of St. Maarten is not all that "Dutch," IMO and if you are looking for more tranquility Grand Case will fit the bill.

Will it be necessary to rent a car for this stay in St. Martin? Also--Statia--someone on tripadvisor described Grand Case Beach Club as some horrible fortress behind barbed wire. Is there any truth to that?

We spent a week on St. Martin over thanksgiving 2004 and the one thing we truly hated was the horrible traffic. It takes forever to get anywhere. (we stayed at Le Meridian -- near 1 o'clock) and traveled by car everywhere...

My advice -- it's 24 hours, right? Stay near the airport. Simpson bay, maho bay, mullet bay -- find a hotel in this area. If you like, venture into Marigot if you need more french influence. As you've already seen the best beaches around (IMHO - Anguilla) why not spend the day shopping in Phillipsburg for trinkets for the family?

Our favorite restaurant on the whole island was Temptations... also not too far from the airport. (have the onion soup!)

Enjoy

gidget might have a good idea about staying near the airport at Maho or Royal Islander since you are there for such a short time, but you will have more noise and traffic in that area whereas Grand Case is quiet. On the other hand the Maho area has plenty to do without renting a car for such a short stay. You would have to take a cab to either Marigot or Phillipsburg if that interests you, and I don't advise renting a car for such a short stay unless you plan on doing a lot of driving and touring of the island.

I can also attest that the traffic in St. Maarten has really gotten awful. I was there a few weeks ago and it seems to get worse all the time, but it also depends on the time of day you are out.

I have never stayed at Grand Case Beach Club myself, but have been on the property and it is very nice. No, it is not a fortress behind barbed wire. It's location is more private, yes, but certainly doesn't have an air of being a fortress or being closed up from the rest of Grand Case, at least IMO. If you do a text search above you will find some recent trip reports from others who have stayed there and enjoyed it. Here is a link to the property as well.

http://grandcasebeachclub.com/

Might I make another suggestion since you are only there for a short time? How about staying at Royal Islander in Simpson Bay? That way you are on the Dutch side not far from the airport, but not right on it either. The resort has a private beach and nice amenities and it's in walking distance to some good restaurants. Also it isn't too far away to take a cab to Phillipsburg or Marigot for an afternoon of shopping or lunching. I prefer Marigot myself since it has more of a Mediterranean feel. Below are a couple of many websites that have info on Royal Palm. You could do a search for others.

http://gobeach.com/roypalm.htm

http://www.condobreak.com/suntera_royal_plam_beach.htm

Hate to be a poop, but we were in Anguilla and decided to go to Marigot for the day. I told my husband how my mother took the "girls" for a trip 7 years earlier. Boy had it changed. We couldn't have been more disappointed. As soon as we stepped foot off the ferry, we just wanted to turn around and go back to Anguilla. I recommend staying the extra night in either Anguilla or St. Barts.