I need help. I don't know where to stay. Can anyone offer a suggestion. I have Plane tickets to St Maarten on Feb 20th, coming back the 27th. Rooms are limited since it's Presidents week and kids are off. I have 2 options. I can stay at a time share in St Maarten at the Princess Port de Pleasance or Anguilla at either KU or Allamanda Beach Club. And by reading posts KU scares me. I have an 8 year old and I'm not sure St. Maarten is right for him. I heard the Port De Pleasance is nice (And the price is right because a friend hooked me up for $150/nite and $$ unfortunately is an issue)but has no beach so I have to drive everyday but the location is good. In Anguilla I'm right on the beach which I like. This is probably going to be my only vacation of 2006 and I'm trying not to make a mistake. Shopping and Partying is not for us since it's just the three of us (Me, my wife and son). Any suggestions?!

Ku is working out the kinks but is on a beautiful beach that is perfect for kids (calm, gentle slope) and the water is just a few feet from your doorstep. Lots of restaurant options & there will be other kids the same age (if you go, look into Junior's glass bottom boat right there on Shoal Bay; he's just fabulous with kids!). I think it's still a good deal -- there are 2 new reports on the Anguilla TripAdvisor forum -- both positive. I think some of the complaints have been minor (& some not) but I saw the management team in action there in November & they appear to be working at getting it going (my opinion -- opened before they were ready & have been playing catch-up ever since).

Allamanda and KU will probably cost you a bit more than your St. Maarten time share. However, you won't have to rent a car if you stay at either Allamanda or KU since there are restaurants at these hotels and others along Shoal Bay East (although you may still want to if you wish to explore some of the other Anguillan beaches and restaurants) and Allamanda, at least, has full kitchens in the suites which can save you additional money. I haven't seen the new KU Resort but Allamanda is a well maintained and clean hotel (not fancy or luxurious) on one of Anguilla's best beaches.

Hi MAry,
I have a very dear friend that lives on Anguilla, his wife is a manager at Cap Juluca/KU so I definitely have an in but some of the posts were ugly and I didn't want to embarass my friend if the place was a misery. Everyone has a different opinion I guess. I found out about Allamanda a post on this forum and they have 2 queen beds in a suite available for my dates! They emailed me yesterday.But then 2 of my friends called me today and said St MAarten was great, the hotel was a steal this time of year, etc etc I can take a boat from MArigot which is 2 miles up the road. So I'm confused but thanks for the post. I'm leaning towards Anguilla.My friends wife is going to call me tomorrow.
Laby, my friend will lend me his car, so that's no problem. Reason I bought these tickets in the first place is that my friend in Anguilla says I need a rest, I'm too stressed in NY He's an island guy, mellow, relaxed, I know him through business, he buys engineering software from me. We became friends via business. The time share @ $150/night sounds attractive, yet the hustle and bustle of St Maarten has me worried, Cruise ships coming in, a million people, I got that here in NY, shopping and partying is in my backyard. I'm thinking maybe St MAarten is like a Cancun which is great but better for couples without kids. That's what I wish I could find out. Can I go to St Maarten and have serenity or is it all hustle bustle.

We always split our vacation between the two! It is certainly possibly to find serenity of St. Martin, in our experience. First of all, I would avoid the Dutch side - too commercial and built-up. A couple of years ago we stayed at Esmeralda on Orient Beach; the hotel is certainly still recommended but Orient Beach has become too busy for us (loathe the jetskis!!!).
Anyway, this year we stayed at Grand Case Beach Club and it was great. Very quiet, low-key, on a not-too-large but nice and quiet beach, no motorized watersports (no jetskis!). The only problem is that it might already be full, the place is quite popular. Another recommendation might be l'Esplanade, up on a hill but very close to Grand Case and the beach. Slightly more expensive, and more luxurious. But also very quiet. Grand Case is great because it has a lot of excellent French-style restaurants, as well as cheaper local food (the so-called 'Lolo's') overlooking the ocean.
Could tell you more (also about Anguilla) but this post would become too long! If you want more information just let me know and I will e-mail you directly.

The main hassle if you choose Anguilla will be taking the ferry from St. Martin to Anguilla - and that's not really much of a hassle. I'm not familiar with Princess Port de Pleasance so I can't comment on that but I can tell you that Shoal Bay East is a relaxing beautiful beach and that you won't feel like you're in Cancun or on a cruise ship even on the busiest days.

If it was me, I wouldn't do a two island vacation because of the time involved in packing and moving. I'd hate to waste a day with that. If you're comfortable about the quality of the time share and it's not that difficult to drive to a relatively quiet and low key beach (presumably your friend can advise you on that), I'd be tempted to take advantage of his offer. It's hard to beat that price in February and with the money you've saved, you can spend more freely on restaurants and shopping. That, to me, would be an ideal vacation.

Sorry, I'm having trouble with my computer tonight. The internet keeps going in and out

Laby, Carola, and Mary- Thank you so much for your replies. I went ahead with the St Maarten time share at the Port De Pleasance from Feb 20-27th. But on February 23rd, my friend's wife gave me a free hotel Night at KU. So what I will do and Laby I'm with you about travelling too much,that day of Feb 23, I'll hop over to Anguilla, I bought 2 tickets all ready for the Dolphin swimmy thing, only 45 minutes,(I thought my son would like that) I'll do that and later that evening have dinner in Anguilla with my friends spend the night with them, Sleep at KU, wake up the next morning hang on the beach or the glass bottom boat Mary spoke of and then head back to St Maarten on the 24th in the afternoon and finish my vacation in St MAarten.
Mary, I love that you mentioned KU is on a beautiful beach. And I want to see Anguilla (actually have no choice, my friend Terry would kill me). I know he wants to show me HIS island. This way we pack one or two bags, only 1 evening/perhaps 2 days in Anguilla, get to see the Island, and I have a free car to use if we're beached out and want to explore the island like Laby said.
So now Carola or any of you, I am on the Dutch side, and my eye Doctor last week recommended (Highly) Orient Beach, but jet ski's and all, not really me unless they're off to the side. I'm not into that either. If I had my way I would stay on the French side, I rented a DVD from the Library and the French side's beaches seemed (I'm not sure)quieter, more serene. But I'm glad I took the time share, not only was it only $150/night but there was no 10% taxes added to that bill, THANKS AGAIN. Any Restaurant and beach recommendations in St Maarten would be greatly appreciated!

Good to read your post Jesse, I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time!! Ku is an excellent choice, you'll love that beach (Shoal Bay East). We thought about booking it ourselves for the summer, but in the end decided to stay on the other side of the island (Shoal Bay WEST - confusing, isn't it?).
Regarding jetskis, what bothered me on Orient was the constant buzz of these concraptions, starting at 10 a.m. and going till about 5 p.m. Once you notice that, it's really annoying... Also, sometimes they come too close to the beach and endanger the swimmers or waders, often little kids! So I really hate them... One beach you could try is Dawn Beach - on the east side of the island but still, only just, on the Dutch side. Never noticed any jetskis there! There are some vendors and beachbars, but nothing bothersome. Hope this helps - like I said I'm sure you'll have a great time!