St Martin - should we bother?
 

We are planning a sailing/villa vacation and are considering Anguilla, St Barts and St Martin. After reviewing this board and TTOL we are left with the impression that the latter appears to be less objective than the former. Given the many negative comments about St Martin we have read here, we are reluctant to spend thousands of dollars visiting the place. Where can we get objective advice please? Why is there such an apparent difference between the comments here and those on TTOL?

The people who post on TTOL are very fond of 'their' island, and like many people who have soft spots, they either are able to overlook a flaw that someone else cannot or consider the flaw part of the charm, or don't consider it a flaw at all. The people on this board don't necessarily have that same sentiment, and you'll see a much wider range of opinions. I also think that some of the disparaging remarks on this board may have been made by people who knew that it would cause a frenzy, and they don't get the same reaction from TTOL. <BR><BR>As far as where to get objective advice...Is any opinion really objective?<BR><BR>I personally like St Martin, but without knowing what you are looking for, it's hard to give you any advice.<BR>I also think that if you do have specific questions about St Martin, TTOL has a very good knowledge base.<BR><BR>

Ditto GoAway's comments.<BR>

Just curious -- what is TTOL (and where can I find that)?

Lois<BR><BR>I have tried to respond to your question all afternoon but this site is giving me absolute FITS! Nothing is working. ACK!!<BR><BR>Anyway, its tropictravelonline.com.

I think GoAway might be referring to traveltalkonline.com. They have a message board/forum for SXM.<BR><BR><BR>

Hi,<BR><BR>I travelled to St. Martin last September and I loved it. I'm not sure I would race to get back there, but it was certainly fun. The clubs are fantastic and they dance until dawn. The French side of the island has very romantic dinner spots on the ocean with authentic French cuisine. I did find the island to be slightly built up and there was only one nice hike on the entire island. The people there are definitely into partying so if you like that it is the place to go. Orient beach (the nude beach) is amazingly over-rated, but then Americans can tend to be overjoyed by letting go of restraints other countries don't have. There is plenty of great shopping and the beaches are very nice. I stayed on Oyster bay and the view was spectacular, the water perfect for snorkeling. It does depend on what you like, but I hope this helps.