My husband and I are debating this for an upcoming vacation. We haven't been to either destination (we went to St. Kitts for our honeymoon, so we have a little Caribbean experience!). Any seasoned traveler of both want to weigh in? We enjoy beaches, snorkeling, hiking and feasting on local foods. We're low-key but we also want to like where we go and where we stay but don't want to spend a fortune. Thanks!

I loved St Lucia - very lush, scenic, waterfalls.

2 very different islands. I live on st. maarten (sxm) nd I just returned from St. Lucia.
I love st. Lucia.. beautiful island. mountainous and scenic..... the Pitons are awesome.
SXM is not as pretty but but we do have much more beautiful beaches. It is much smaller than St. Lucia and is easier to get around. It has low rolling hills, not the mountains St. Lucia has, and it is not as lush as St. Lucia.
SXM is much more built up and developed than St. Lucia.
We have beautiful beaches, casinos, hundreds of fabulous gourmet and local restaurants, a French and a Dutch side, and a lot of nightlife.
St. Lucia has none of that.. but it has a few nice beaches and has a raw beauty that is unsurpassed.
So I think it depends on what you want.
Both islands have a lot to offer.

I prefer St Lucia - more scenic...
However, if you go for cultural experience, then St Maarten would be a good choice - lots of good restaurants there

Katja
www.boatcaribbean.com

I like both islands very much. Beaches and wine are better in St. Martin as is shopping. St. Lucia is much more dramatic and diverse with very welcoming locals.

Both are pricey IME.

What is the currency on St Martin? Is it the Euro? Can you use Visa or Mastercard readily?

Euro on the French side and Netherlands Antilles Guilder on the Dutch side. Credit cards welcome most everywhere.

And everybody takes greenbacks. Just watch your conversion rates.

You'll actually be better off with dollars on the Dutch side. I use the Antillean guilder on my own island, but get dollars when going to SXM. I've found using the guilder over there to be rather difficult.

St. Lucia hands down in terms of a lush beautiful island. Also, waters are nicer to look at and snorkeling while not good is far better than St. Martin. St. Martin food on French side very good but now very pricey.
St. Martin shopping in Marigot I think is over-rated.