We will go in June of 1998. Any recommendations? Do's or dont bothers's. Must see's! Restaurants?
Shopping? Crime? Beaches/water sports? Do tell OK?

I hope that you find St. Maarten as wonderful as we did the first time we went. We loved it so much we bought a timeshare at the Sapphire Beach Club, and we have been going there for the past four years. You should rent a car to get the most out of your vacation. Orient beach is a great place to enjoy but be advised it is a nude beach, however all the beaches are public and all are very nice. Grand Case on the French side of the island has some of the best food in the carribean. On the Dutch side try Cloud 10 for dinner, opens only from 5pm until they decide to close. The cruise ships dock in Phillipsburg on the dutch side so it can get crowded at those times. We have never had a problem with crime however use common sense like you would at home and don't leave any valuables in your car. One more thing, anywhere you go on the island there will be people trying to get you to take a tour of a timeshare. If you have any questions you may e-mail me. Enjoy!

Sandy - My husband & I are going to St. Martin in May. We will be staying at the Esmeralda resort on Orient Beach. I know the beach is clothing optional but we were under the impression, that was mostly near the Orient Bay Hotel. Do you have any recommendations for car rental companies? Thank you for any info.

It is true that most people who take advantage of the clothing optional beach stay at the Orient Beach Club because it is a clothing optional resort. We had a bad experience with Budget rent a car last month when we were there. We never had a problem with Hertz. Try easysabre.com for rental prices and options. Hope this helps, and have a great time.

Thinking of going to Divi resort in St. Maarten in February of '98 - any comments on the resort? is that a good time of year to go? What are the benefits of going to the French vs Dutch side of this island?

We just returned from a week in St Martin. We had a wonderful time. The food and beaches were great. We stayed at the Mt Vernon on Orient Beach. The beach had great waves, however, the Mt Vernon is at the end of Orient Beach and sea weed was a problem on the last day. We went on a catamaran cruise to Prickly Pear which was the highlight of our trip. We rented a car from Hertz at our hotel. I highly recommend the outdoor eaterys in Grand Case for a good, cheap meal. Grand Case has many gourmet places as well, but expect to pay around $100/couple for dinner. We also took the ferry to Anguilla. The beaches on Anguilla are beautiful. The ferry ride was a little rough and I would recommend taking medication before hand.

need some info-great bay hotel what is it like also going alone so what r the island girls like???? where 2 find them????????/

Car rental- try Rrainbow car rental-Peter is an affable fellow!
Restaurants- grill sur la mer and across the street, bar sur la Mer. Any restaurant around the harbor in Marigot has wonderful food. Look first at the price fix menu. Less expensive and definitely delicious fare.
We enjoyed the flavor of the French side the best but the grocery store on the Dutch side had great things to offer: Dutch chocolate and cheeses and European cosmetics...
What can I say by exploring you can find a marvelous French patisserie, great Dutch cheeses, semi nude beach or full, but if you try nothing else for a truly hedonistic experience you won't forget, get a message on Orient beach. Sun , warmth, the sound of the waves, privacy and a total relaxation that leaves behind everything back home. I am a prud but this was heaven! Enjoy!

Hi, My wife and I are staying at Esmeralda`s on April 15 th, our first time. If you would like to e-mail us after our return we would be glad to answer any of your questions.

We went to St Mrtns in Jan. Lovely island. We stayed at the nude club orient. Had previously spent a week at Hedonism II in Jamaica where we had a great time. Wound up paying the same for our all-inclusive stay at Hedonism as we did at our non-inclusive Club Orient. Strong wind all day and really quite bored. If you only want to read and sun bathe this is a great place. I was looking for a place with a little more active clientel. Felt like I was living in a trailer park in the desert with a bunch of very nice old retired people. For the money I would stay in a nice hotel on the French side of the island and rent a car. Restaurants are expensive but quite wonderful and its a real pretty island. I'd go again but forgo the club orient.

We went to St Mrtns in Jan. Lovely island. We stayed at the nude club orient. Had previously spent a week at Hedonism II in Jamaica where we had a great time. Wound up paying the same for our all-inclusive stay at Hedonism as we did at our non-inclusive Club Orient. Strong wind all day and really quite bored. If you only want to read and sun bathe this is a great place. I was looking for a place with a little more active clientel. Felt like I was living in a trailer park in the desert with a bunch of very nice old retired people. For the money I would stay in a nice hotel on the French side of the island and rent a car. Restaurants are expensive but quite wonderful and its a real pretty island. I'd go again but forgo the club orient.

You know charles, nothing pisses me off more than to take the time to email someone info and find out I've been spammed with the email address.