pijeta

My husband and I are considering a trip to St. Maarten this February, but are unsure if it's really what we are looking for.

We'd like:
- beautiful beaches and water
- snorkeling
- some nightlife (mostly just dinner/drinks/live music, not late partying)
- clean and reasonable accommodations
- safety
- Caribbean vibe, not too Americanized

How easily can we get to Anguilla and St. Barts? Should we base ourselves in one of those locations instead even though we'd fly into St. Maarten?

Also, if we do stay on St. Maarten, where is the best location?

If not St. Maarten, we've also considered St. Kitts/Nevis... any thoughts on going there instead?

I'll probably have more questions later, but this should give me a better start.

Thanks in advance!

doug_stallings

The Dutch side of St. Maarten is quite Americanized. Snorkeling on the island is just so-so for me. It's very easy to get to Anguilla, a little less easy to get to St. Barths (the ferry can be rough and flights are expensive). Crime has been on an upward trend there and actually in many places in the Caribbean (including Anguilla), but I would hardly call the island unsafe.

The French side would probably suit you best based on your interests. Perhaps you should look at a place near Grand Case.

However, I really like St. Maarten despite its drawbacks. It's a beautiful island and has good restaurants and decent nightlife (plus casinos if you like those).

St. Kitts might give you a slightly more authentic experience, depending on where you stay, but the most lovely places on both St. Kitts and Nevis are former plantation homes that have been turned into elegant B&Bs. These are not cheap, but they are lovely, and most are not on the beach but rather have private beach clubs, particularly on Nevis.

RoamsAround

Both St. Kitts and Nevis will give you more of an "Old World Caribbean" feel than St. Martin. The beaches on those islands are nice but nowhere near as nice as the ones you'll find on Anguilla or St. Martin. That's because those island are volcanic in nature and the sand has a darkish tint. This gives the surrounding waters a dark steel blue hue rather than the bright torquoise you might be seeking.

Snorkling around St. Kitts and Nevis is only fair to average, at best. (FYI - the best snorkeling around those two islands is accessible only by boat).

Neither island has a lot of nightlife but, on occasion, you can find some restaurants/beach bars that will have live music one or two nights a week.

Both SKB and NEV are considered safe islands (perhaps moreso than St. Martin) but wherever you decide to go don't think that because there are lots of palm trees, and sandy beaches you can leave your common sense at home. Take normal precautions and you'll be just fine.

Anguillagirl

I think you would be best suited to base yourself in Anguilla. I don't like to slam any Caribbean island, but we just don't care for St. Martin. It's a very busy island. It just doesn't give us that Caribbean feel. Anguilla on the other hand definately does. It has in my estimation the most beautiful beaches you will ever find, and some fabulous restaurants. I'd check out the hotel KU. It's a reasonablly priced hotel on a great beach.

semiramis

"We'd like:
- beautiful beaches and water
- snorkeling
- some nightlife (mostly just dinner/drinks/live music, not late partying)
- clean and reasonable accommodations
- safety
- Caribbean vibe, not too Americanized"

OK - based on the above criteria and my personal experiences on SXM (which BTW I quite enjoyed but I don't think is for everyone).

1. Beautiful Beaches and water - SXM has those. I especially like Orient beach

2. Snorkeling - as others have said -fair to average

3. Some nightlife - SXM definitely has this including some very good dining

4. Clean and reasonable accomodations - I think SXM has this

5. Safety - some issues but using common sense will usually prevent any unpleasantness. We have NEVER had a problem but we take any advice from locals and experienced SXM travellers. We don't wander
around deserted areas at night. We don't wear flashy expensive jewels and we NEVER leave anything valuable in a rented car and cashwise we only carry around what we need that day.

6. caribbean vibe - personally I would say that SXM has a carib-euro vibe - especially on the French side. The Dutch side is a bit more americanized. If you go I would recommend the French side over the Dutch side.

Is it what you are looking for - hard to say. Anguilla has better beaches and St Kitt's is more "caribbean". I loved St Kitt's but it is pretty quiet in terms of nightlife. I found the snorkeling there about equal to that on SXM - maybe a little better.

Where to stay on SXM - French side. I like Orient Beach because
1. the beach is quite long and walkable and the water and beach are clean
2. the euro-carib vibe is interesting

I also like Grand Case:
1. the beach is not as continuous and pleasant as Orient beach but the Petit Plage part is lovely and clean
2. Lots of good food selections
3. More authentic caribe feel in the town

Personally of the two I would choose Orient but that's just me.

St Bart's - frankly - wonderful with great beaches and food and a euro-caribe vibe BUT ruinuously EXPENSIVE. If you can afford it go there.

St. Kitt's - great caribbean vibe, decent food and some nightlife. Some good beaches with good snorkeling but the beaches are not as nice as SXM, St Bart's or Anguilla or Nevis. I loved it there - but it is quiet.

Nevis - lovely beaches, not much snorkeling - BEYOND quiet - so if you want a real escape - it's the place to go. Very Caribbean.

Frankly I think that you could have a nice vacation on any of these islands.
In summary:
Most "developed" - SXM
Least "developed" - Nevis

Easiest to get to other islands - SXM (very easy to get to Anguilla and pretty easy to get to St Bart's and even Saba is possible)

Best Food - SXM

Best overall (beaches, ambiance, food,etc) - St Bart's

Most expensive - by a long shot - St. Bart's
Least Expensive - SXM and St Kitt's are about the same price-wise

Have a great time - whatever you choose!

Barbara1

anguillagirl, with all due respect you do usually slam st maarten.

I don't disagree with what you feel about anguilla but you can still find a Caribbean feel in st maarten .
and it does have a carib-euro vibe as stated.. makes it unique.

Anguilla's beaches are superb but it is a sleepy little island without much to do. I love Anguilla for that reason..it is really so relaxing.
yes, st maarten is busier but there are many out of the way quiet areas.
The grand case area is an excellent suggestion I think.
it is a quiet little town lined with restaurants.
there is plenty of night life on st maarten.
snorkeling, as already stated, is so so.

I don't know how long the OP is thinking of visiting, but maybe a combination of a few nights on st maarten and a few nights on anguilla would be nice..lots of people do that.
whatever you decide, enjoy!

deec

I've been to St.Martin several times and have never been disappointed.
There are many different places to stay, and depending on your budget and taste, that should determine which side to choose. Just bear in mind that you can pretty much get anywhere on the island in short order, and I've found that it just costs less to stay on the Dutch side. Granted, it's much more Americanized as the others have said. So, you'll need to determine if that is important to you.

I, too, love the French side better. Mostly because of the "feel", much more Euro-chic. Yes, Grand Case is a great place (French side)especially for the FOOD but while on the island you can literally go to an AWESOME beach every single day of your vacation!

Orient is ok - definitely a favorite of most people I know, but extremely busy, and, if you are so inclined, has a clothing optional section - but I am especially fond of Baie Rouge (much more quiet) and Friar's Bay Beach. Either way, I don't think you'd be disappointed with a trip to St.Maarten/St. Martin.

Like anywhere else you go, its all what you make of it.

I actually brought my teenage daughter with me last time I went (in April) and she enjoyed relaxing, shopping, the food, the beaches and all of the locals that we met.

As everyone else said, definitely use good ole fashion common sense - and safety shouldn't be an issue.

Getting to the other islands from here is easy enough, but can be costly. Depending on how, when and where you go.

Everyone else's posts on the snorkeling were pretty much acurate.

Once again - if you've never been to St.Martin, I think it's worth going to - Enjoy

clairej04

BM for march

kellybeaches

deec,
Hi! You said Friars Bay is one of your favorites-can you tell me more about it? Also, did you go to Happy Bay, a short walk from there? We're renting a villa in May on Happy Bay (actually the villa is called Happy Bay!!). We've been to St. Martin before but had rented a villa on Baie Rouge (La Mission) so this will be our first time on Happy Bay. We're very excited. Is it easily accessible to Friar's Bay? How's the food/atmosphere at the beach bar on Friars? Are these beaches good for little ones? From my research it looks like there is a footpath between the 2, and you can even drive up to Friars. thanks!

pijeta, I do think St. Martin is a good fit for you or St. John would be good too for your criteria, although St. John isn't nearly as built up or has as much nightlife. I would say it's beaches are overall better though and you can do lots of island hopping as well from there. Are you looking to rent a villa or stay in a hotel? It's very easy to get to Anguilla from St. Martin-they have ferries that run all day. Saba, St. Barths, and even St. Kitts/Nevis you can do too by day trip, although each get longer and longer travel wise respectively. LMK if you want some day trip links for those. We're chartering a 52' power cat for a day over to Anguilla through Captain Allan. Also, the food on St. Maartin is delicious. Lots of great French food-actually that's one of the main things that is drawing us back to this island! Gotta love watching everyone walking around with freshly baked baguettes!
good luck!

Caribheart

We stayed at L'Hoste in St. Martin which is on the french side...we really enjoyed the incredible french flavour on that side. Seemingly authentic french pizza's...make sense? The Orient Bay village area is great for accessing stores adn restaurants in the evening without much concern for safety. Plus Orient beach has many restaurants and hotels lined up along the beach. It is a white sand beach and very large...but at the same time it was BUSY!!!

We enjoyed lots of fine dining in St. Martin and when you can find that old St. Martin charm it is fabulous HOWEVER as I returned a couple of years ago after being away for almost 10 years I was SHOCKED at the increase in tourist activity and general overall busyness. We chose not to stay on the Dutch side as we find it VERY Americanized....which isn't bad if that is what you are looking for but we are not. We really enjoy a genuine Caribbean / West Indian feel without any significant safety concerns.

With all of that being sad...I consistently recommend St. Kitts because we found that there is little negative delineation between tourist and locals....we enjoyed the authentic Caribbean vibe there the absense of Americanization although all islands are influened by Westernization. There is a lot to do on the island for example Ziplining, triping to Nevis, rainforest / volcano hikes, low end snorkeling etc...also on the beach in Frigate bay...there is a beach full of beach bars that are safe to persuse well into the morning hours and you will find locals and people from all over the world at these spots any time of year enjoying music beverages and fun food!

If you do go to St. Martin - Anquilla is a short but beautiful Catamaran trip across and a great island to add to your list of adventures. We also on one of our recent trips treked across to Saba which is TOTAL old world Caribbean charm with NO beaches but a brilliant unique experience....and shorter trip than St. Barths.

travellover22

Definitely the French side of St Martin... we think it still has an authentic caribbean feel to it. Stay in grand case and it will feel VERY caribbean.
Le Petit Hotel or L'esplanade are the best...
Great beaches on french side too (Happy Bay, Lowland Beaches...)
Nightlife better on Dutch side, but still soem stuff going on on French side (La Noche, Le Shore...)
We always feel pretty safe.
Check out this guide for more help and vouchers:
http://www.st-martin-maarten.com