Everything you wanted to know about St. Martin, but were shy to ask
Written: Aug 04 '04 (Updated Jul 31 '05)
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Pros: beautiful beaches, genuinely friendly locals, and it’s affordable! (once you get there)
Cons: A bit humid at times.
The Bottom Line: Over my adult life I’ve vacationed at Aruba, Nassau, Cancun, St. Croix, and now St. Martin. This was the best island I’ve experienced yet.
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| virginian's Full Review: St. Martin Island |
My expectations of St. Martin were high because I had heard from a number of Caribbean travelers that it was their favorite island. I wasn’t disappointed! It’s difficult to put your finger on one thing that explains why it’s so great, but maybe after I describe our week there, you’ll have some clues.
First the basics…
I’m a 44 yr old male and I went on this trip with my 43 yr old girlfriend. I was curious about what made St. Martin so popular, but the high airfare seldom dropped much …it’s one of the more expensive Caribbean islands to fly to. Then a package deal showed up online in March advertising 7 nights at a new St. Martin hotel (Royal Islander La Terrese) for a little more than the cost of airfare. We jumped on it!
St. Martin is located just east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It’s about as far south as Jamaica, but much further east. It’s about a three-hour flight from North Carolina. The top half of the island, which has more of the best beaches, is the French half; it’s referred to as “St. Martin”. The southern half is called “Sint Maarten” and is Dutch. Collectively the entire island is often referred to by its airport code “SXM”, or just “St. Martin”. Everyone on the island speaks English as well as one or more other languages.
The island is 37 square miles total; 16 Dutch and 21 French. Time zone is Eastern Standard Time. Temps stay in the 80s year round. American currency is accepted everywhere on the island, as are most major credit cards. ATM machines are prevalent in case you prefer to not carry much cash.
Unless you’re part of a very small minority, your cell phone won’t work in St. Martin. The cost to call the states from a hotel phone is $2/minute. Solution? RENT a cell phone from one of the many companies on St. Martin that offer them (see packlight web link under “Beaches” below). We didn’t do this and consequently paid through-the-nose to check in with family/kids during our week there. I’ve read nothing but positive things from people who have rented the phones on St. Martin. Apparently the service and the savings are well worth it (free local calls and 20-40 cents a minute for calls to the states). Often the rental cell phones are free or very inexpensive. It’s definitely the best way to go!
Getting there…
We booked our trip for mid-June. In the months preceding I found a helpful online St. Martin bulletin board called The Friendly Island Forum, where travelers post questions and get some good advice from those who have been to St. Martin (and some who live there!). This was very helpful in planning our trip.
We flew from Richmond, VA, on USAirways, connecting through Charlotte, NC. The flight there was pretty uneventful except we did get delayed a couple hours in Charlotte. To go St. Martin, it’s best to have a passport though as I write this, you are still allowed to use a driver’s license and birth certificate w/ a raised seal. I know passports cost $85, but they last for years and you breeze through Customs more quickly. People don’t appreciate being behind you in line when you whip out your birth certificate as it tends to be scrutinized more carefully. Be advised getting a passport can take a few weeks so plan ahead. There’s plenty of info online about applying for one. One site is http://travel.state.gov/passport/index.html
Once we got off the plane in Sint Maarten (the Dutch half of the island) the humidity was immediately apparent. We each checked two large suitcases and had a couple carry-on bags as well. This turned out to be WAY too much for St. Martin. We will definitely pack a lot lighter next time.
What to pack…
I wore shorts and T's (and sandals/flip flops) the whole week. One night I wore slacks to a restaurant and was very much in the minority. Next time I'll leave them at home. I suggest women consider shorts, T's (or blouses), one skirt and/or one sundress... max. My girlfriend brought a FEW skirts and a FEW dresses and tells me next time, she won't. Likewise I brought about 5 pairs of shorts, but only ended up wearing 2 or 3 (most of the time I was in a bathing suit).
Many of the lodging facilities have pay- washers & dryers, so you can wash clothes mid-week. Laundry soap can be purchased in any of the many local grocery shops. If you bring your own, make sure it's zipped up and double bagged... and probably bring it in your carry-on.
Bring a beach bag (preferably one with holes, so the sand can leak out) and more than one bathing suit, since you'll probably be at one of the beautiful beaches every day. The lodging facilities often stock beach towels, so you don't need to bring those. I do suggest you bring a small cooler... the kind that can hold about a six pack. I like the soft side ones because they're more versatile and you can use them to pad things in your luggage when you travel there and back.
Also glad I brought a CD boom box and CDs because our hotel suite did not get very good radio reception. (When we traveled by car we found a station we liked, and on the beach we just grooved to the sound of waves or the reggae tunes from the beach bar.)
Groceries cost only a little more than in the states... typically 25-cents to a dollar more per item... so it's really not worth the hassle to pack food. Booze and beer are usually cheaper on SXM than in the states -- often MUCH cheaper.
Bottom line -- pack light because it's easier, less stressful, and you can get virtually anything you want on the island for a reasonable price.
Car rental…
Almost everyone who’s been to St. Martin will tell you to rent a car, and with good reason… it’s inexpensive ($150/week) and the island is very easy to get around on (drive on the right side, like in the states). There’s one main road that goes around the perimeter of the island. It would take you about an hour or so to travel the whole circuit. There are some side roads, but not a lot -- the central part of the island is comprised of mountainous terrain, so the roads pretty much stick to the perimeter.
You’ll want to book your rental car at least A MONTH in advance. Wait longer than that, and they may sell out. I suggest skipping the big brand (Hertz, Avis, etc.) car rental places on St Martin, as they tend to not have as good a reputation for service and pricing as the numerous privately-owned car rental shops. To learn the names, numbers, emails of the private rental shops, check out one of the St. Martin online forums like the aforementioned Friendly Island Forum.
The one we used during our visit was Unity Car Rental (www.unitycars.com). They even have an 800#. Another good one is supposed to be Kenny’s Car Rental, but there are others too. They compete with one another to provide the best service and great prices. You win!
When we got off the plane, a representative from Unity Car Rental met us at the airport (holding a sign w/ our name), loaded our luggage into the courtesy van, and drove us 5 mins down the road to get our car. We were given a recent model Corolla and some detailed instructions from the manager, Michael, on how to drive to the best beaches, shopping, etc.
When we left Unity Car Rental in Simpson Bay, it was just a five-minute straight-shot drive to our hotel in Maho Bay.
This review is about St. Martin and not so much the hotel we stayed at (the new Royal Islander La Terrasse) on the Dutch side of the island. If you are considering staying in Maho Bay or wondering what a “typical” hotel is like in St. Martin, read my review at http://www.epinions.com/content_150601830020
Maho area restaurants…
Our hotel was located in Maho where there are a few blocks of shops, restaurants, a strip club, and the only casinos on the island. Most restaurants on the island of St. Martin are quite good, but most are not cheap. Almost all are located on the water and have open-air seating.
The one restaurant we ate at near our hotel was called Palm Garden. It’s located next to the famous Sunset Beach Bar, which we walked past, but never went into. The Palm Garden was “okay” but there are better restaurants on the island. Bamboo Bernie’s was next door and we may have enjoyed that more.
Another night we went to eat at the Greenhouse near Philipsburg. The Greenhouse has more signs along the road than any other restaurant ...THAT should have tipped us off. …After driving around in the dark for 30 mins trying to find the place, we were somewhat disappointed with the food. It wasn’t bad… just “okay”.
Another so-so restaurant was The Boathouse in Simpson Bay. It was laid out like a seafood restaurant in the states… lots of wood and nautical things. The food and the service at the Boathouse were pretty lame, which was surprising given the fact the place was impressive looking and seemed to be well-staffed. I think it attracts enough tourists where it doesn’t need to be very good to still make a profit.
The best restaurant we ate at in the Simpson Bay/ Maho area (Dutch side of the island) was Lee’s Bar & Grill. Interestingly it’s a combination fishing charter company and seafood restaurant. According to what we read on the wall, Lee’s keeps all the fish caught on the charter trips (even fish caught by guests) and they serve it that night/day in the restaurant. The menu changes daily depending on what was caught. It was delicious! And the cocktails were good too! After a while we even got up and danced to the live band… it was a great time. And ironically one of the most affordable evenings we spent in St. Martin. I can’t recall what our bill came to, but I think it was less than $50! We paid more at other dinner restaurants ($60-$70) and liked them much less.
Next to Lee’s is a fun place called the Lady C Floating Bar and there is an amusing sign by the road you can’t miss – “The Liver Is Evil. It Deserves To Be Punished.” Lady C is actually a boat with a bar on the pier. When we visited in June, the boat was being renovated, so we just drank at the Lady C bar, minus the boat. It was enjoyable, friendly and intimate. We definitely want to go back and check out the boat now that it’s back in the water. Go to www.floatingbar.com for more scoop on this place.
I’ve read that restaurants on the French half the island are superior to those on the Dutch side, but we didn’t eat much on the French side this trip. We did stop and look at a few in the Grand Case area, but they were more expensive than on the Dutch side… in fact some were VERY expensive (around $100 dinner/drinks for two). Still, we would probably have tried one if it weren’t for the 40-minute drive back to our hotel in the dark…on unfamiliar streets…after having imbibed.
When I go next time, I may well try staying on the French side and experience the cuisine everyone seems to rave about. (Hopefully I’ll win the lottery by then so I can afford the lobster.)
Shopping…
We went to St. Martin to enjoy the beaches and the water, not to shop. We did stop in a number of the small grocery stores scattered throughout the island, sometimes because we needed to buy something… other times out of curiosity. We also shopped a little in Maho near our hotel… mostly for souvenirs.
The liquor prices are between 30% and 70% less than in the states, so definitely bring some back! For example, a fifth of Absolut Vodka that sells for $24 in Virginia was $6 in St. Martin! Cheap enough for ya?? Legally, US Customs only lets you bring back two liters per person before you have to pay a 10% duty tax, but typically Customs agents don't want to bother with the duty paperwork, so they wave you on. For this reason, consider bringing back several bottles and just list it on your Customs form. But be sure to pad it well in your luggage, or box it & strap it to a rolling tote hauler.
Another nice thing about the cheap cost of liquor on St. Martin is that the bars all tend to serve top-shelf booze at no extra charge. The drinks in the bars cost about the same as in the states ($4-$6), but if you order, say, a vodka tonic, you automatically get call-brand vodka. I believe almost all the bars have a happy hour where drinks are half price, so if you get thirsty between 5-7 p.m., don’t hesitate! There’s a new website that lists the happy hours for many bars on Sint. Maarteen: http://www.k-pasa.com/sxm/sxmhappyhour.html
Beaches... (Rated R)
St. Martin is blessed with many beautiful beaches, each one with it’s own character and attributes, and all open to the public. It’s fun to drive around and find them on your own. The signage on St. Martin is not the best so you’re left to your own navigational skills to locate most of them. However, the island is small enough that you can’t get too far lost.
Nearly all the beaches have someone renting use of 2 lounge chairs and 1 beach umbrella, already set-up and ready, for about $12-$15 a day (total). Some of these “merchants” even throw in a couple rum punches. If you’d rather lug around your own beach chairs for the week, you can rent them for $25 for the week from places on the island like PackLight: http://www.sxm-services.com/packlight/. They will even deliver them to you at the airport when you arrive, or to your hotel. They also rent cell phones, coolers, snorkel gear, etc.
We brought a small collapsible soft-sided cooler and used it every time we went to the beach. Don’t forget the bottle opener! ;-)
The most famous, and arguably most interesting beach on St. Martin is Orient Beach located on the eastern most tip of the island. Orient Beach is the most crowded beach and is great for people watching. There are lots of tents & shacks on the beach for shopping, eating and drinking. Reggae music can be heard from several of the small restaurant bars. A few entrepreneurial types will approach you while you’re sunning, asking if you want a massage, temporary tattoo, a beverage, small paintings, jewelry, etc. They aren’t as annoying as some people claim. When we told each “no thanks”, he/she moved along and didn’t ask again. No problem.
At the far end of Orient Beach is a three-block long section called Club Orient, which is an all-nude affair. During the daytime, visitors to Orient Beach are permitted to walk (gawk?) to the Club Orient beach. It is what you would expect… lots of mostly middle-age and older people… hanging out in the water… sitting/laying in lounge chairs… reading, sunning, snorkeling… one gentleman was even playing fetch with his dog. Essentially it’s just a typical beach scene with people enjoying themselves… except they don’t have any clothes on. They did all have nice tans though. ;-)
Some nudists from Club Orient (usually older males) invariably decide to come walk on the main part of Orient Beach, which makes the people-watching all the more interesting... seeing the reaction of (mostly Americans) to the sight of three or four naked men, in their 50s, walking together down the beach.
Just south of Orient Beach is Dawn Beach, which I’m told is so-named because the sunrise there is awesome. Even without the sunrise, it’s a beautiful, somewhat secluded beach. When we went, there were fewer than 20 people there. As is the case with almost every beach on St. Martin, there are always some females going topless. It’s a French thing mostly, but after a day or two on the island I think even some American females succumb to the temptation to “let it all hang out”… at least briefly. Call it the Mardi Gras effect if you will (…without the beads).
Unlike the full-nudity types who seem to be mainly (but not entirely—thank God) older men, the topless types on St. Martin run the gamut… kids all the way up to senior citizens …and all ages in-between.
Another neat thing about St. Martin is even the few so-so beaches are fantastic by most stateside standards. Some of these less impressive beaches include Mullet Bay and Maho Bay… both on the Dutch side. Maho Bay beach was the one closest to our hotel. We went there on the first day of our visit to St. Martin, but didn’t go back because there were too many other, nicer beaches to explore.
The only beach we went back to for a second visit during our week in St. Martin was Pinel Island. There were other great beaches to be sure… including several we didn’t have time to visit, but Pinel Island seemed the most serene, unique and beautiful of the St. Martin beaches we did visit. It’s located up near the northeastern most tip, on the French side of St. Martin. To get to Pinel you have to take a 10-minute ferry boat ($6 per person, round trip).
Pinel Island seems to be a favorite with local families, as there seemed to be more kids there than any other beaches we visited. There was even a kid’s birthday party going on during our second visit. The locals brought barbecue grills, coolers, jugs, and lots of party supplies with them on the ferry boat.
Once on Pinel Island, you’ll be amazed at the beautiful shallow and calm water… you can walk out probably 100 yards and still have your head above water! Some boats drop anchor nearby and the occupants stand in the chest-deep water talking (and drinking) for hours. Pinel has the best snorkeling I found ON St. Martin. (You can see more fish if you charter a boat, but frankly I prefer to enter the water from the beach to do my snorkeling.)
As with most all beaches in St. Martin, you can rent lounge chairs and an umbrella on Pinel, and they have some gift tents/huts and even a couple “restaurants”. You feel like you’re in a scene from Gilligan's Island when you eat in one of the private table “huts” scattered near the restaurant. These little huts are actually open air canopies seemingly made entirely from thatch and palm leaves. Great ambiance! And the food is very good too. I had lobster bisque and my girlfriend had a hamburger and fries.
There are paths leading to the other side of Pinel Island and I highly recommend making the short hike. Be sure to bring your camera, as you will be walking up a hill and see some spectacular views of the beach. The opposite side of Pinel is much more rugged. It faces the Atlantic Ocean. There is less sand, but there are waves and lots of shells. We also encountered several hermit crabs crawling around the path. It’s the first time I’ve seen them in the wild! We also saw a chameleon and lots of interesting beach plants.
You may also encounter some nudity on this side of the island, as few visitors to Pinel make the hike to this rugged side of the island. We stumbled upon a totally naked young (French?) couple sunning behind a rock. A bit awkward, but I guess they half-expected someone would find them. Since returning to the states, I found a mention of that part of Pinel Island on a nudist website, so I guess it’s not uncommon there.
After leaving Pinel, the beach at nearby Grand Case looked a bit narrow, but we didn’t actually walk on it, so maybe there are parts that are bigger. Grand Case itself is an interesting town comprised mainly of a narrow street with about a mile of small restaurants on either side of the street. There are some shops mixed in too, but the restaurants and bars easily outnumber everything else.
A couple St. Martin beaches I’ve read some great things about are Friar’s Bay and Cupecoy. We didn’t go this trip, but would like to check them out next time! Friar’s Bay is just south of Grand Case on the French side, and Cupecoy is just west of Mullet Bay on the Dutch side.
St. Martin has so many beautiful beaches that many are virtually unoccupied! There aren’t too many places in the Caribbean that can make that claim.
Boat cruise…
In doing research prior to our trip, we learned the best snorkeling was offshore which required taking a boat ride. A guest at our hotel told us about a ship called the Random Wind that offered half-day trips, but when we called the only openings left was for an all-day trip, so we took it.
The sailing trip was enjoyable and we did see more variety of fish snorkeling than at the beaches, but if we had it to do over again, we would have insisted on a half-day trip or passed on it. For people who are REALLY into boating, an all-day trip around the coast of St. Martin is appealing. But for beach lovers like us, we found it too confining… we really missed the sand, freedom, and interesting things you see on the beach.
The Random Wind docks at Simpson Bay. Cost for the all-day trip (6 hrs) is $75 per person, which includes a meal cooked by the first mate (both the Captain and first mate are Dutch), a couple snacks, beverages (sodas, water, rum punch, beer), and the use of their snorkeling equipment and floats. The boat heads south from Simpson Bay and only goes around a third of the island before heading back. It makes about four stops during which you can hop in the water for about 20 mins. The boat holds 14 passengers.
Saying Goodbye…
It’s hard to leave any beautiful Caribbean island, but it was particularly tough leaving St. Martin. The weather was beautiful, upper 80s, everyday, with a constant breeze to keep you from over heating (not a sand-throwing breeze like in Aruba). The scenery was constantly beautiful from the moment we got up in the morning. The people were friendly and helpful… and the beaches are very relaxing, yet “interesting”.
When you leave St. Martin, there is a $30 per person departure fee. You have to pay in cash, so make sure you don’t spend all your money. All checked luggage has to be hand-inspected at the ticket counter while you watch. This process can go a little slow, so allow at least an hour or so before your flight.
If you have a connecting flight back in the states, prepare for a hectic and perhaps frustrating experience. When you deplane in the states you may well stand in a long customs line with passengers from other airlines (30 mins is not uncommon). Then, due to new security measures, you must claim all your luggage at the connecting airport baggage claim and recheck it at the airline desk! Then run as fast as you can to your gate, which is often in a separate terminal from where you are…go through airport security AGAIN…(empty your pockets, get undressed, scan your carry-ons) …only to arrive at your gate 5 minutes late… or at least that’s what happened to us and a few others.
Amazingly, airlines do not delay connecting flights just because a few passengers are still clearing customs. The Charlotte airport is HUGE… especially when you’re running with a box of souvenir booze and other carry-on luggage. Since returning from our trip I’ve read other accounts of recent Caribbean vacationers missing, or very nearly missing, their connections upon returning to the states. It’s not too uncommon so prepare accordingly.
If your layover is less than two hours and you have luggage checked, the chances of making your connection are currently slim. I can only assume in the coming year(s), some adjustments by Customs, Security, the airlines and airports, will have to occur. But for now, if you miss your connection, the airline will put you on the next flight out which is usually in two hours. Your luggage meanwhile, is probably on the flight you missed and will be waiting for you when you get there. The airline will usually give you a $10 voucher for a meal at any airport restaurant (not redeemable for cash), as their way of saying “tough luck”.
Whatever you put in your checked bags will get knocked around... a lot. Particularly when you return to the states. I think it's at least partly due to the additional screening/hand checks of checked luggage, post 9/11. Whatever you carefully "pad" in checked luggage may likely get pulled out, examined, then tossed back into the luggage wily nilly. Results can be messy and fragile items like thin plastic things, may not survive the trip unbroken.
The good news is, everything arrived at SXM pretty much how we had packed it. Heading back was another matter. It's apparently the additional behind-the-scenes handling & "examining" of the checked bags bound for the states that create broken items and messy luggage problems. Zip lock bags help and are definitely recommended, but if our recent experience is any indication, you will still have a bit of "surprise" when you open your luggage back in the states. I had powder coffee creamer and suntan lotion... both of which had been packed in separate zip lock bags, all over my clothes, and a broken small plastic beach table.
What would I have done differently on this vacation?
1. Tried to take more advantage of happy hours.
2. Done a little more research in choosing the restaurants for dinner.
3. Not gone on the all-day sailing trip.
4. Packed less … less clothes, no beach towels, etc.
5. Brought a small bag of laundry detergent… and left any remainder there.
6. Rented a cell phone for the week from one of the many St. Martin companies offering plans.
In summary…
St. Martin is unique for all the right reasons. Once you go, you’ll understand why other Caribbean islands can’t match up. It cost more to fly to St. Martin, but it’s worth it.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
virginian
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Reviews written: 9
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