- Hi Sam,
we had a fabulous time!
Lynn
V., Washington, DC
.
The
(La Samanna) hotel villa was fabulous. The breakfast buffet
was excellent each morning. We like the new endless pool. We
found out they take small dogs so next time we are bring our
miniature dachshund. We went to La Cigale twice. Looks
like the the new Radisson on that secret beach (forgot
the name, near Grand Case) should be beautiful. The car
guys (Summer Set Car Rental) couldn't be nicer. Thanks
again.
Stayed at the Towers…17 years and still love it!
Airport: Absolutely beautiful!!!
Lynn
C., Glastonbury, CT
.
Phillipsburg:
Great
shopping a few times, very quiet. Not too many ships. Lots of
construction on the roads.
Marigot: One day of shopping and walking around
Crime: didn't see any or hear of any
.
DID
NOT WANT TO LEAVE THE ISLAND……..but the family made
me…hehehehe
.
- Dinner:
La
Gondola: absolutely
fantastic Italian food.
RomAntica: Wonderful Italian food and a great view of
Maho great service
Pineapple Petes: A fun place to go, great food and a wonderful
waiter named marc. Great band. Came here twice with many friends
for dinner. The teenage kids loved the Pool tables.
Jimbos: Good Mexican food
Peg Leg Pub: Can't say enough about this place, they are
EXCELLENT with service and food!
Ristorate Laguna: This was good Italian food. Nice atmosphere.
Pizza pasta La Trattoria in Maho: good food, nice place.
Sugar Cane: Great service, good food, fantastic cappuccinos.
.
- Breakfast:
Zee
Best: very
good, lots of food
Rics: very good
The Bagel House: spread the word, this little place has
EXCELLENT breakfast!!!!!
Forgot the name, a little French pastry shop near Jakes Laundromat
across from the Grand marche grocery store….GREAT pastry.
.
- Lunch:
Bamboo
Bernies
in Phillipburg: FANTASTIC
Bikini Beach Restaurant: Good
Waikiki: Great, much more comfortable than bikini, much
better service and food also.
Sunset Beach Bar: service is slow, view is wonderful,
and food is ok
.
- Jewelry
shopping:
I usually go to Zhaveri, but both of my jewelers were
away. Very good friends of mine do business with J&N
in Maho, so I gave it a try and LOVED them. If you go, ask for
Ravi.
.
- Car
rental:
We have been renting from Thrifty for soooo many years.
Always fantastic service and great cars with NO problems. They
do go out of the way for you. George is the person to contact.
.
- Beaches:
Mullet
Bay: One
of the best beaches but terrible this year with jellyfish.
Bikini Beach: The kids love it here, the waves are big
and there is so much to do to keep the kids busy.
Waikiki Beach: just a little further down than Bikini,
but much more comfortable chairs and better service.
.
- TO
DO'S:
Lotterie
Farms: I
recommend everyone to come here! We went hiking, that was wonderful,
cant wait to do it again. The zip lines were so busy, we will
have to do that on the next trip. The food was amazing at the
Hidden Forest Cafe, the waitress was a doll and the views
are breath taking!!!!!
Mini golfing: Great way to keep the kids occupied for
a while.
Maho in the evenings: great shopping, casino, restaurants
and at 9:00 you can see the dancers from Casino Royale come
out into the street and dance for 15 minutes.
.
- Wonderful
vacation, once again, the island never lets me down….only
wish I could afford to live there….need to win that lotto!!!
.
My husband and I are in our late 60s and are avid snorkelers.
We carry our own equipment and lycra skins and have snorkeled
all over the world!
Shiela
B., British Columbia, Canada
Our
first visit to St Maarten was in 1995, and then we came back
for the month of May in 2006.
We plan to return in May 2008 and May 2009 and stay at the Flamingo
Beach Resort again (we are Club Sunterra members). The reef
in front of the resort is very good for snorkeling and we were
in the water every day for 2 hours or more.
We also took boat trips with Aqua Mania Adventures to
Anguilla and Prickly Pear on the Lambada
catamaran but found the reefs in poor shape from hurricane damage
and consequently not many fish to
see, but the lunch and rum punch made up for that! We actually
found their Sand Dollar half-day trip to Creole Island better
value, and went twice.
With a rental car, we snorkeled from several beaches including
Orient, Dawn, and Divi Little Bay.
Never got to Ilet Pinel. By then, the sea got very rough
for a few days and we couldn't even get in the water, except
that Divi Little Bay was sheltered so we just went there
every day. What a fabulous site, with underwater cannons and
scuttled boats attracting stingrays and spotted eagle rays (one
day we saw 6) and there's a raft if anyone gets tired. The
beach boys even told us we could use the beach chairs at no charge.
We used your discount coupons for lots of things, especially
at the Turtle Pier Restaurant where we enjoyed a free
bottle of Shiraz with their delicious specialty burger on an
English muffin, topped with steamed spinach and Bearnaise sauce!!!
We had to go back and do that again! We used Empress Car Rental
company (booked from home), which was very inexpensive and included
an Empress Club Card (good for 2 years) with 15% off future car
rentals and generous discounts off boat trips and other activities.
I could go on forever.....
I don't know HOW, but St. Maarten has become an ADDICTION!
Phil
E., Danbury, CT
Went
there for our first time in 1972, and here it is, THIRTY-FIVE
years later, and we STILL RETURN!!! Started with the purchase
of a villa at Mullet Bay, which we sold in 1994, ONE YEAR
before Hurricane Louie!!! (LUCKY). Saint Maarten just
gets in your blood! Every year we say we will try another island,
but we NEVER DO! Will return on February 13th for two
weeks and we are AS EXCITED AS KIDS!!! Why?? Well---we
think it's the people. EVERYONE is so nice----how could
we NOT return to "our home away from home"? Despite
the horrible traffic, the poor exchange with the Euro, some crowded
beaches (Mullet Bay), and the high cost of air travel in February,
the PLEASURE is worth much more than the PAIN!
As long as there is a Saint Maarten--------------------we will
return.
One of the best massages I have ever had was in St. Martin by
a lady named Maribel.
Stan
from the USA
She
came to my timeshare and did a very professional massage. Her
phone number is 556.7990. I highly recommend her. I had a great
time in St. Martin doing all the tourist things including Orient
Beach and the Sing Along with the band at Lee's Roadside
Grill and look forward to returning.
St. Maarten is my favorite place in the Caribbean to visit where
I can sit back and relax and experience a little of the European
culture.
Mike
C., Oklahoma
My wife and I arrived in St. Maarten on Friday October 7th for
a nine day visit. Our flight was over an hour late. Usually when
we leave the baggage claim area, Claude (owner of (Summer
Set Car Rental) or one of his drivers is waiting for us with
our rental car. Understandably, no one was there from Summer
Set car rentals. What followed is a perfect example of the people
who live on the "Friendly Island." A taxi cab driver,
who was waiting in the taxi driver room, asked whom we were waiting
for. I told him we were waiting for Claude. I just assumed he
knew whom I was talking about. Apparently he knew who Claude
was because he looked around and said, "Claude is not here
yet." We waited for a few more minutes. I then asked the
cab driver, named Mick, if he had a cell phone. He replied he
did and I gave him Claude's business card. Mick then called Claude
and told him we had arrived. Claude sent a driver right away
and picked us up. The driver then took us to the office. Claude
was not there so the driver told us to come back tomorrow and
take care of the paperwork and rental payment.
Friday night we stayed at The Royal Turtle. This may be
the best bargain on the island. The room cost $90 a night in
the off season. A breakfast at Turtle Pier Restaurant &
Bar, that ran about $20 for the two of us, was included in
the price. I would not call it a resort but if you need a very
nice place to stay for a night or two this is the place. The
rooms were immaculate and very comfortable.
The following day, Saturday, we spent on the beach. On the way
back we decided to stop at Summer Set Car Rentals and
take care of the paperwork. We got caught in a Boy Scout parade
in Cole Bay and arrived late at Claude's. No one was there so
we traveled back to our timeshare at the Wyndham Sapphire
Beach Club. Later that evening, while my wife was cooking
dinner, we heard a knock on the door. It was Claude with the
rental paperwork. My wife asked him if he had dinner yet. He
replied he had not. The three of us sat down and had a tuna steak
dinner that could not be beat. Claude stayed for about two hours.
We polished off two bottles of wine and discussed many subjects.
Claude was very informative about the things going on in both
sides of the island of St. Maarten.
The airport terminal is coming along and should be finished in
the next several months. There is a lot of building going on
between the golf course and the Wyndham Sapphire Beach Club.
The two resorts, The Cliff at Cupecoy Beach and the Rainbow
Beach Club are under construction there. Also the land between
the Ocean Club and north to Cupecoy Beach along the cliffs are
up for sale on both sides of the road. Construction has already
started on the lagoon side of the road. I don't know if the infrastructure
on St. Maarten can stand the growth.
Saturday and Sunday were pretty stormy around the island. The
good thing about St. Maarten is that if it is raining on one
part of the island, usually it is not raining on the other. Due
to the storms, the sand has all but disappeared from Cupecoy
Beach.
Monday was a rainy day all over the island. There were no cruise
ships in Phillipsburg so we went shopping. We needed to replace
my wife's wedding ring and were looking for a great deal. We
walked into a nice, well-lit store that sparkled on a gloomy
day. The jewelry store's name was Zhaveri's. Apparently
they have two in Philipsburg. One is at 53A Front Street and
the other is at 103 Front Street. We were at the one at 103 Front
Street. Initially a nice young man named Kevin helped us. As
we showed more than a
casual interest another more knowledgeable man named Vince came
over to assist us. Without giving us any pressure, Vince proceeded
to spend approximately one half hour educating us about diamonds.
He showed us several diamonds and instructed us as how to look
at them through a jeweler's loop. Once he knew what we were looking
for he sent out to their other store for several more stones.
We picked out a nice setting for one of the stones he showed
us. We told him that this was the first place we visited today
and we were going to continue down the street to see what else
was available. He asked that if we found something we liked elsewhere
to come back to give him another opportunity to make the sale.
We went to about 10 different stores but never received the education
or attention that we did at Zhaveri's. We returned to Zhaveri's
to close the deal. To make the sale, Vince knocked another $150
off the price of the diamond ring. We felt very good about the
quality of the ring and the price. We liked the people and the
service they provided without any pressure. I would highly recommend
them to all.
Tuesday we went swimming at Plum Bay. We went back on
Thursday and most of the sand was gone from the north side of
the beach. After leaving Plum Bay Thursday we went to Baie
Rouge and did some snorkeling. We were shocked to see that
much of the coral had been bleached white from something that
infected the area. Places that were once full of sea urchins
had only a few left. The Parrot fish had all but disappeared
because of the lack of living coral to eat. It was pretty depressing.
I hope the reef can make a comeback. On Tuesday night we went
to La Vie En Rose for dinner. It is one of our favorite
places to go on the French side. Just a little note about French
Cuisine. The way your meal is presented is part of the French
culture. You will not receive what we Americans consider a huge
amount of food. What you will receive is a delicious, well presented
meal that will drive your taste buds wild. Something that you
might inform your readers about is the currency exchange. The
Euro is over 20% more expensive than the dollar. A meal costing
about 100 Euros on the French side will cost about $120. Add
a 15% to 20% Euro tip to that and the cost jumps to around $140.
We also spent two days on the Simpson Bay beach by Mary's
Boon. In the two days we were there I could count on one
hand all the people who were on the beach. It is a great place
to get away from it all. St. Maarten is my favorite place in
the Caribbean to visit where I can sit back and relax and experience
a little of the European culture.
Editor's Note: Generally, on the French side, the tip
is always included as it is in France. If the service was very
good or even better, you leave a little something extra usually
some coins or 2% or 3% of the bill.
-
Thanks so much for your helpful tips!! I love the island and
hope to be back next winter with your book at my side no doubt!
Madelyn,
Freehold, NJ
My
2 friends and I had the best trip for a "Girls Week Out!"
We reluctantly left the husbands, boyfriends and children at
home to fend for themselves during a chilly week in Jersey. We're
not all that negligent though - we cooked and froze enough dinners
to carry them through to Springtime (just in case... !).
We stayed at my timeshare (Flamingo/Sunterra). The resort
is beautiful and the couple of times we asked for help, service
was prompt.
This is my 3rd visit to the Island and I've just seen more traffic
than ever around the airport, Maho and Flamingo area. Don't know
if this is due to increased tourists, or employees leaving work,
or whatever. Just wondering if this is an actual issue and if
any plans are in the workings to rectify it. We smartened up
and knew not to be on the road between 3pm and 6pm, if it wasn't
necessary!
I have a question about the golf course. Looks like it used to
be beautiful (Mullett Bay Resort) property. From what
I understand it's held up in the courts. What are (if any) the
plans with the villas. I love running on the property as I'm
an elite runner and the golf course provides a safe area to run
my 10 miles per day, rather than being on the road.
Thank you so much for a wonderful newsletter and hope to see
you next winter!
-
- PS.
Can you include any special events going on as far in advance
as possible so hotel and air arrangements can be made. Have a
great day!! Madelyn.
-
- What a remarkable
artist he (Roland Richardson) is! It was a great vacation! I'm
crossing my fingers on winning the trip in March! We can't wait
to go back. As you know, one week is not enough!
Kim,
Long Beach, CA
- We had
a really great time. It did take us a few days to get settled
and use to the island and the French people. We did not realize
half of the island is closed during the month of September. At
first we thought the island was going bankrupt but after talking
with the locals we were told September is the month for vacations.
One of the reasons we picked St. Maarten was that they had a
golf course - actually they used to have a golf course. And they
still wanted to charge $80 to play on it!!!
.
Now
for the good -
.
While driving around the back roads (lost) we saw an artist painting
the orange flamboyant tree. We stopped and met Roland Richardson!
He had fun talking with our kids and we learned he had a 5 yr
old daughter named Radiance. Next thing we know he is
painting a picture for my daughter and inviting us to his gallery.
Since they were closed his wife made a special trip to open
up the gallery and there we learned so much more about the
island, the people, things to do, etc. They were such great people!
And I came home with a beautiful picture.
.
- (In
answer to Sam's email)
.
- Sam,
I did not mention you or The Value Guide because it wasn't until
we came back from the gallery and I started reading your guide
more closely that I put the connection together. And then
also realized what great recommendations you had after we ate
at some of the restaurants mentioned in your guide. I especially
liked the Turtle Pier Restaurant. What great music, food
and atmosphere.
.
- Actually
when we met Roland I was thinking he was just an eccentric artist
that lived on the island. We definitely caught him in one of
his creative states. Then we saw his postcards in Shipwreck,
and met him again in town and started to learn what a remarkable
artist he is. I have a beautiful picture of him and my kids and
his painting in the 'fields'. I'll try to scan it to you. As
one of my friends said it really captures a perfect vacation!
.
- Anna (my daughter)
was begging Roland to paint a picture for her; but, he did not
have any blank canvas. So he told us the day before Radiance
was with him painting and was also looking for some blank paper
and when she could not find any she came up with an idea. She
found a very large leaf and began painting on it. So Roland found
a leaf and painted the flamboyant tree on it for Anna. All the
while talking about how he creates the picture using light and
color. The leaf traveled back to CA without breaking and I have
framed it in a shadow box.
.
- It
was a great vacation!
.
- How
lucky for you and your wife to be heading off to St. Maarten.
I'm crossing my fingers on winning the trip in March! We can't
wait to go back. There seems to be so much more to see on the
island. As you know one week is not enough time!
Thank you again for all your assistance and advice....it made
our trip to the Island wonderfully easy.
- Mary,
Williamstown, NJ .
- We just
got back from the Island...it was a wonderful trip. The rental
(Summer Set Car Rental) car worked out great. We really
got to see a lot of the island exploring on our own. We did take
advantage of some of the vouchers. We went on the Celine,
ate at Turtle Pier and of course spent a little time in
the Hollywood Casino. I would suggest that you let folks
know about the Rhino Riders who have children pre-teen
to teen. My 2 boys (ages 12 and 16) loved it...
Rhino Riders is located just behind Pineapple Pete's
Restaurant in Simpson Bay. I found out about them on the
St Maarten.org site. Basically you follow a guide on these Jet-Ski
type vehicles out across Simpson Bay, under the Marigot Bridge
to a place called Creole Rock. The price included all
snorkel equipment needed for when you get out to the site. The
guide also came complete with a cooler full of soft drinks and
fresh water for everyone to have while we were out. On the way
back we got to have a little fun with the riders which of course
my boys thought was just wonderful. It was a great alternative
for us instead of the traditional jet-skis...the Rhino Riders
are a lot wider and are virtually impossible to tip over so are
much safer for those pre-teens and teens who aren't as versed
with the equipment, but still want to experience the same thrill.
We liked the Flamingo Beach Resort. The rooms were clean,
well maintained and comfortable. We ventured to Orient Beach,
Mullet Bay, Marigot, Cupecoy, Baie Rouge and Sunset beach.
The kids went parasailing, used the ocean trampoline at Orient
Bay and went out on the Playstation at Simpson Bay. We
enjoyed our cruise on the Celine and the dinner at Turtle
Pier was good. The food at Pineapple Pete's was wonderful
as well...especially the lobster thermadore!! My husband and
I went to Hollywood Casino and played for about 2 hours
on $6.00...this would never happen at our neighboring Atlantic
City casinos!!!! We took the Caribbean Duck tour out of
Phillipsburg on Friday...this was disappointing. It is more for
very little children. Our only other disappointment was the food
was a little pricey on the French side of the island (Bikini
Beach Bar charged my son $12.00 for a burger!!)
We would definitely go back to the Island; although, I would
wait a little while for the completion of the Front Street construction.
It was hard to get around with everything being all ripped up
but the bargains were worth it. As far as our trip overall,
it was enjoyable. The weather was wonderful, the water was
spectacular and everyone we met was kind, helpful and friendly.
Sam, Thanks for
recommending Mai's. Had a great time. Very nice place
and very nice people. We will probably go there again next year.
Mike
C., Oklahoma,
When
I told her I was from Oklahoma she wanted me to look up a friend
that lives in Tulsa. When she told me the name of this person
I was shocked. I think I may have worked with him several years
ago. I'm going to try to call him tonight. I mentioned your name
and she remembers you.
-
- We also
went to Temptations. It was recommended by several people
we know. It was a little expensive but well worth it. We like
to go to a really nice place out of our price range at least
once a year in St. Maarten. The service was excellent and the
food was great. It was nicely presented and the atmosphere was
superb. It was cloudy all week but we were able to find the sun
somewhere on the island every day.
-
- We usually
go in October. I was surprised to find that the water was so
much chillier in May than in October. We have a time share at
the Sapphire Beach Club. Our time share runs from Saturday
to Saturday. We stuck two extra days in. We stayed Friday night
at the Royal Turtle Inn. They offered us free breakfast
at the Turtle Pier restaurant. We usually eat there once
on our vacation anyway. We stayed the last night at Mary's
Boon. They offered us a complementary bottle of Champagne
for a one nights stay. It is a very nice place and a very pleasant
surprise. We never walked the beach located there before. It
is very romantic and very safe.
-
- I did
a little snorkeling with a sea turtle at Bay Rouge. We
went to Happy Bay one day. It was very crowded that day.
There were 8 people on the beach. We always have a late dessert
at St. Germain's at the Marina. We usually have a sweet
crepe. You can't go wrong there. A lot of the sand that was taken
away from Cupecoy by the hurricane ten years ago has returned.
We can walk along the beach in front of Sapphire to the
beach in front of the Rainbow Beach Club that is under
construction. We will be returning in October in 2005. Probably
chat with you then. Thanks for all the help.
- "We used
The Value Guide on our trip and our trip would not have been
the same without it! I will recommend it to anyone traveling
to St. Maarten/St. Martin. We wish you had a travel guide for
every location we wish to travel! Thank you!"
Kathy
S., Florida, USA
"Our trip to SXM could not have gone better. The flight
down was uneventful (the way I like them) and upon arrival, Claude's
representative was right there waiting for us with the car."
- Tom
& Carol, East Hampton, NY
- I met
with Claude (Summer
Set Car Rental)
outside the airport where we completed the uncomplicated but
professionally conducted rental transaction. The car was clean,
mechanically sound, and proved to be very reliable during our
stay. Thanks to you and Claude for everything.
-
- During
our stay, we had the opportunity to eat dinner at Le Perroquet
and enjoyed it 100%. Your friend Thea was a perfect host
and had many kind words for you and your husband. Le Perroquet
is definitely on our "return list".
-
- We visited
Philipsburg and price shopped for jewelry in the numerous outlets along the main street.
On your suggestion, we checked Touch of Gold and my wife
purchased a very nice bracelet from them.
-
- We stopped
off at the new Dolphin Casino on one occasion and the
Hollywood Casino (at the Pelican Resort) several times.
Surprisingly, my wife walked away with almost $400 in winnings
from the slots! She's the lucky one of the family.
-
- The
rest of our time was spent primarily on the beach at the Flamingo
and at Dawn Beach (my personal favorite). We enjoyed lunch
and dinner at Captain Oliver's near Dawn Beach. Another
restaurant we enjoy is Tutta Pasta in the Simpson Bay
shopping center. Our waiter, Leon, who has been with the restaurant
for 8-9 years, does a nice job and is entertaining as well. We
also had dinner at Jimbo's right near by Tutta Pasta.
It's Southwestern menu may not be for everyone, but they do it
well. Jimbo himself is a transplant from the Midwestern US and
was interesting to speak with. One other restaurant of note is
the Hideaway at La Vista Resort. We liked their simple
lunch menu and took advantage of it multiple times. Their dinner
menu is somewhat more elaborate and well worth at least one visit.
-
- Other
than that, we spent most of our time with the feet up and the
brain off! A perfect trip. I hope you and your husband have a
great time there in April. Thanks again and best regards,
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