nycuwsapt

I have a twelve-day vacation scheduled with my mom for December. The initial plan was to spend 6 nights at L'Esplanade on the French side of St. Martin and 6 nights at the Frangipani on Anguilla. We already have flights purchased (into and out of SXM) and confirmed reservations at both hotels (no deposit at L'Esplanade, but a three-night deposit that is refundable at the Frangipani up until 30 days prior to arrival). I'm looking for a blissful vacation that involves lots of relaxing beach time, some good shopping and great eating. After a bit of research and planning, the St. Martin/Anguilla combination seemed to fit out needs nicely. However, I've been reading a lot more (both on this forum and on a few other sites) about the crime issue on St. Martin and I have to admit that I'm a bit concerned. I've travelled frequently and I've spent a good chunk of my life living in major metropolitan areas, so, I'm pretty well acquainted with using common sense when I go out and don't really scare all that easily. My mom is a very young 58, but, she hasn't travelled nearly as much and I want this trip for her to be completely relaxing and stress free.

So, since we have non-refundable plane tickets into SXM, am I worrying too much about our 6 days in St. Martin, or do you think I'm giving up to easily on our original plans? L'Esplanade looks beautiful and I've read nothing but good things about it. However, if we start to look at other options, St. Barts might be a possibility if I can find a rate comperable to what we're paying at L'Esplanade and Frangipani (The St. Martin leg is in early December, so, it's not quite high season). Are there any other islands we could easily reach from St. Martin? I think I read something about St. Kitts being close, but, I'm not too sure about that. We could also do all twelve days on Anguilla, but, I'm wondering if that could start to get boring.

I could really use a few expert opinions here, so, any suggestions you could offer would be very much appreciated. I promise that wherever we end up, I'll do a trip report after our return.

Thanks so much!

mesnorkle

Shopping isn't that great on St. Martin. Duty free doesn't mean much any more. We looked at watches there last summer, and found better deals on Amazon. DO go to the open air Market, and to the weekend Fish Market, and get fresh fish to grill. We stayed at a condo so had a grill to use. Anguilla is the new resort island for the Hollywood crowd, so it should be nice, but don't forget your passport.

Now, about your "elderly' mom. I just got back from St. Thomas/St. John on Tuesday. Went to Cayman in February, St. Martin last Summer, Culebra a year ago. I jump into my suit, put on my mask, and basically, that's my attire for a week. I get too hot, bored and sunburned sitting on the beach, and there isn't much else to do. So my family spends 3-4 hours per day in the water snorkling several miles. Get your mom in shape, and into the water, it's great. I'm 56.

iw

I'm torn and probably am not the best one to chime in. Having said that, I have been to the french side of St. Martin 3 times. We have always been smart and lucky in our travels. I would think that Anguilla, or any island, would get boring for 12 days. We usually split our time b/n 2-3 islands for that length of time.
St. Kitts is great! We have also been there 3 times. You have the option of going to Nevis for a day trip. The islands are beautiful and the people are so friendly.
St. Barts was wonderful, but I'm not sure if I would do that now with the Euro vs $. The shopping is fabulous. We stayed at the Emeraude Plage Hotel. Not the most upscale place, but not a dump. I'm not sure how that compares to your hotel in SXM. There was an outdoor kitchen there that we made use of for lunch which made the stay more economical.
I have no desire to return to St. Martin, but that is my own opinion. We have had great times on Orient Beach and there are lots of fantastic restaurants there and in Grand Case.
Too much traffic and the crime rate is very high. Shopping is ok. If you visit traveltalkonline.com, you will find a lot of SXM fans. We saw a lot of changes on our last trip. We also met people who would dispute my remarks, so it is a personal preference.
SXM is a pretty island and if you are careful, you should be fine. We always took taxis and it is nice to limit your flights and flight time to maximize your trip.

caribtraveler

I like your mix of 2 islands for a 12-day vacation. I personally don't think I could do 12 days on Anguilla (and we really liked the island) but I also know many people who could.

I also read about the crime stories before our March trip to St. Martin. Was I concerned? Not really. I've also lived/worked in big cities and don't scare easily.. but to be honest, I was traveling to St. Martin with my husband who is a big guy. I know that doesn't mean nothing can happen, but I do think it means there's less chance of something happening than if I were by myself or with another woman. The reality is that we're viewed as easier targets.

We stayed at L'Esplanade which we just loved. A gem! We walked to restaurants every night. Again, no uncomfortable feelings at those times. Were we aware of our surroundings? You bet. Would I have been uncomfortable walking by myself? On a little stretch of that walk, yes... because it was usually empty. And that's the only time in our entire trip that I would have felt uncomfortable as a solo woman traveler. If you're renting a car, you can always drive to restaurant row. Parking will suck though if you eat late.

We took a day to St. Barthelemy and we really liked the island. Granted a day trip doesn't give one the full flavor of the island. It's very pretty, but busier than I thought it would be. We had considered staying there instead of St. Martin and looked at Hotel Baie des Anges as a lodging option.

I'm not going to tell you don't go and that your feelings aren't valid. You feel the way you do. You have to do what feels right for you. All I can do is share my experience of the island.

Please post a trip report when you're back. We love to read them around here. Good luck!

iowamom

I would like to ditto almost everything that caribtravler said - my husband and I stayed at L'Esplanade in early April (after the rates went down!) for a week and loved it! (My trip report is still a work in progress.) And we enjoyed the diversity of activities on St. Martin.

I was a bit apprehensive about the crime issues I had read about as well - but the only thing we experienced was a guy trying to walk off with a bottle of soda from a small breakfast place - which he returned when confronted by the owner. In general, we were careful, like we would be anywhere.

We took a day trip to Anguilla (try to find out when the largest boat goes and you will have a much more comfortable ride) and the beach was incredibly beautiful - but we aren't beach people and I can't imagine being there for more than a night or two.

posha

We just returned from our first trip to St. Martin and Anguilla. We did a 3/4 split, spending the first three nights in Anguilla at the CuisinArt and the last four nights in Grand Case at Hotel L'Esplanade. Like you, I became apprehensive after reading reports of escalating crime in St. Martin. As the ferry pulled away from Anguilla after our stay there I was convinced that we had made a horrible mistake. Turns out the mistake would have been missing out on St. Martin. Hotel L'Esplanade lived up to every bit of its advanced billing. Its proximity to Orient Beach, Grand Case Beach, and the restaurants of Grand Case is ideal. We walked to Grand Case for dinner three of the four nights we were there. There is one short stretch that is a bit sketchy, and on the second night the street lights were out on that stretch, but that was the only time I ever felt uncomfortable on the island. The hotel has a security officer posted at the top and bottom of the footpath in the evening as well as at the entrance to the main lobby. We rented a car and toured the whole island and at no time did we feel as though our safety was compromised. Common sense was our guide and thankfully we didn't encounter any problems.

You will get a variety of opinions on Anguilla vs. St. Martin. There are passionate people on both sides who either favor one island to the exlusion of the other because the islands are so different. For us, doing a split made sense because we wanted to experience both ends of the spectrum. Although the beaches in Anguilla are splendid (the color of the water at Shoal Bay East defies description) and we enjoyed the island, we didn't feel like we missed out on anything having stayed only three days. We preferred the variety in St. Martin.

Ultimately you have the make the deicision that's right for you, but if it's any consolation you really can't go wrong.

nycuwsapt

Thanks so much for your insightful comments. I certainly have a lot to think about and I really appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Pappy

Just another idea to consider, but you could look into the USVI or the BVI. You could still do the Anguilla portion of your trip, then catch a puddle jumper over to Beef Island and stay on Tortola or take the ferry over to Virgin Gorda and stay at Little Dix. Or, fly into STT, and take the ferry over to STJ and stay at Caneel Bay. The VIs are not that far from STX.

GoAway

We also have been to St Martin several times, most recently last December. We have always stayed at L'Esplanade.

We've never had any problem with crime on the island. In fact, on our last day there, we discovered that we hadn't actually been locking the car completely (the driver and passenger doors were locked, but the trunk apparently locked some other way and I'm not sure the back doors were locked either), and never had any problems. Other than the hotel at night, we had the car parked (for most of the day) at Orient Beach, and one day in Marigot.

The stretch of street from L'Esplanade to Restaurant Row seems a little sketchy, but we have also frequently seen gendarmes on the street keeping an eye out. The only reason that is seems sketchy at all is because it's residential not commercial. And really, because of the guests at L'Esplanade and those at Grand Case Beach Club (at the end of this street), they probably do keep it well patrolled.

I wouldn't skip St. Martin.

nycuwsapt

Thanks again for all the comments. I'm usually very decisive, but, I'm really struggling about what to do here. I'm weighing all of the wonderful things I've read about L'Esplanade against some of the horrible news accounts I've seen on the Travel Talk Online and Trip Advisor forums. One that struck particularly close to home was a woman and her mother who were attacked and robbed after leaving a Grand Case restaurant in March.

I'm currently considering a special rate I saw on Luxury Link for 5 nights at Ottley's Plantation on St. Kitts. I realize that St. Kitts and St. Martin are two very different islands, but, I think we could be happy with this choice as well. My mom would really appreciate the lushness of the island and the opportunity to stay at such a historical plantation, even if it is a bit of a trek to the beach.

I keep on going back to the L'Esplanade web site though and it is so beautiful. However, how can you fully relax on a vacation when you feel like you are constantly looking over your shoulder?

I haven't brought any of this up with my mom yet, since I really don't want to scare her, but, I think it's probably time to figure things out together.