been finding alot of negative things on other boards with respect to crime, is sxm a place i should feel safe about visiting or are the common criminals and predators taking over sxm as they have done in the virgin isle's???????????

We've been going for a number of years and have never had a problem. However, we treat it like any big city - don't go out to deserted places late at night, don't stop on the roads late at night for unknown people or vehicles, don't carry all of your valuables with you, don't leave anything of value unattended and in plain sight, use the safe in your hotel for valuables, etc. There are so many people around that you have to treat the island with care, because some of them obviously are not nice people. We feel much safer on sxm than on other islands where it just isn't safe to leave your resort. We have travelled everywhere on sxm and have never felt uncomfortable or unsafe. If you read earlier on this BB, there was a real discussion about this topic and a lot of useful information was put forth by people who have been there more than I have.

thank you michele for your reply.

j.t.

This question gets asked so often and Michele gave a really good answer. Treat SXM like you would your own home. Don't do stupid things -( flash big bucks and expensive jewelry) - and be aware of your surroundings. Would you walk down a dark alley in a strange place at home in the the middle of the night? If not, why would you do it anywhere else. SXM is a wonderful island and I agree - certainly safer than some of the others I've travelled to. I never get enough of being there and I've never had a problem UNLESS I've let my own stupidity take over. Have a great time!!

I agree with the above posts, but I go on vacation to get away from crime etc. I've been robbed twice in St. M., both rental car incidents. My advice is to find another location unless you're dead set on this particular island (pardon the pun).

Given the reports of rape & robbery, why risk it? There are plenty of safer places to visit in the Caribbean.

John or Cindy,
if you go on vacation to get away from crime, then you must now live in a crime infested area in Canada or the States. SXM isn't any less safe than most other Caribbean islands of comparable size. if you use home-grown common sense you'll be fine. my wife leaves any expensive, flashy jewelry @ home in the States.
when we go out on SXM it's never more than with $50 between us...just like @ home in the States.
enjoy,
Ray Mann
<a href="[www.angelfire.com]; Ray's SXM Web Site</a>

let me try it again with my web site address:
[www.angelfire.com] Ray's SXM Web Site</a>

actually St. Maarten is one of the safer islands in the Caribbean ..of those that are more developed.

John and Cindy,
I'm curious -- which Carribean islands do you find to be safer than St. Martin? I just returned from St. Martin a couple of weeks ago and have frequented other islands. I personally found St. Martin to be much safer and more relaxed than the others, so I would love to hear your preference as to safety. Thanks.

chill, enjoy, don't worry, be happy, just take normal precautions...don't do anything you wouldn't do at home....and, yes don't flash the jewelry or the cash...I carry only enough cash to take care of business and haven't had a problem yet in sxm..it's not a crime-ridden place as others may have you believe.

HK
You asked, so here it is, other islands safer than SXM---Nevis, St. Bart, Anguilla, Statia, Saba, etc.
I lived on SXM for 5 years (back when she was relatively safe) The reasons that I moved off island were many--but the main reason --back in 1991--was because there were too many rapes occuring on the island at the time. I believe that one of the island officials son went to prison for rape shortly thereafter!
It really disturbs me that whenever someone, usually an unknowing tourist, makes a negative remark about the island of SXM, everyone jumps in and calls them derogatory names or flames them for being negative. Well, excuse me, but maybe they have a legitimate reason for doing this! And, just maybe, they ARE looking to have a good time on their vacation--no matter where they are from!!
I'm not bashing the island, nor would I want to--because I have a lot of friends that live there and are in business and I certainly don't want to hurt any of my friends, but I also feel that the island has changed (not in alot of good ways) and all people should be allowed to express their feelings both good and bad!
I will continue to visit SXM because I have such lovely friends that still live there, and because I feel a certain great attachment to the island even though she is not what she used to be and can never be again; and for those of us who have known her for a long, long time---God, she was the best!! And for you newcomers to the island, I'm glad that you support her and feel dedication to her--but please, don't bash other people just because they have an opposing opinion to yours (and I hope that it's not just for personal business reasons that you're reacting in such a hostile way).
CaribbnQueen

caribbean queen. all the islands you named are much safer than st. maarten..true. but they are also small very undeveloped islands with very small populations. st. maarten used to be that way. but with the growth and increase in population has come also an increase in crime.. that happens everywhere
there are people here from over 70 countries residing and working. that is most unusal for such a small island. For the most part I think that works very well and gives st. marten its special flavor. it is such a diverse island.
for an island with that kind of population I think the crime rate is relatively low. unfortunately with development comes other problems. that is just the way it is and we have to address those problems and always work on improving things here.
tourists still love st maarten for all it has to offer. but it is not a sleepy little undeveloped island any more. I still feel safer here than most places in the world

Hi CaribbnQueen,

Thanks for your response. If you read my posted question again, you will note that I was not bashing anyone and there was not a hint of hostility. I was just asking a question and truly wanted to know the answer. No hostility or bashing here either - just wanted to point that out. I do appreciate the list of islands in your response and may check into them further.

Also, I am not discounting anything you or anyone else is saying, but I would like to make a general point. We should keep in mind that we all have had different life experiences and come from different cities and towns around the world. We therefore have different perspectives and frames of reference. Some of us come from safer places and others come from areas that have more crime or are crime ridden. For someone coming from areas with more crime, St. Martin probably seems to be much safer than where they come from. Others who come from places with little crime are likely to find places with a level of crime higher than theirs to be more dangerous. Rape is a horrific crime no matter where it takes place and I am in no way belittling that. But I do think that we all need to realize and understand that we all have different perspectives and frames of reference.

I agree with you CaribbnQueen that we all need to be respectful of other peoples points of view. So, here's mine... My visit to St. Martin was wonderful. Not perfect mind you - no place on earth is, but it was wonderful. I stayed in Phillipsburg, Oyster Pond and Grand Case. I especially enjoyed Grand Case - very relaxing, everyone I encountered was very friendly, the sand, sun and water were great and the restaurants incredible. I felt extraordinarily safe - but that did not keep me from using common sense and safety measures just as I would at home or anywhere else. From my point of view, it was definitely safer than Jamaica where I had been robbed and had a knife pulled on me by a local taxi driver. I personally will not be returning to Jamaica, but I do know others who love it and have had no problems there. I would like to return to Grand Case someday, but there are so many places in the world to visit. Who knows - maybe someday I'll even visit Nevis, Anguilla or Saba.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend!

What other islands would ypu recommend over st Martin, what about Antigua or Grenada?

having lived in st. martin the past nine months, i can tell you this; most of the people who were born here or on a nearby island are fine. there are a handful of black racists, however, who have positions of authority, either in the government, police, airport or community organizations, who dislike whites and who show it in various ways. some of the attacks i believe can be traced to racism rather than the so-called 'gay bashing' incident that happened recently and gave our island a black eye.
in america, anyone of prominence belonging to a club or organization that is racially exclusive would be 'outed' by the news media and would probably be forced to resign or renounce the organization. not so on st. martin. they pride themselves in having clubs with fancy names that deal with black pride and in a way to make white accomplishments on the island appear negative.
with all that said...i like st. martin. most of the people here are friendly and can become trusted friends. i have had two cameras stolen here out of my car, once when it was locked and another time when i stupidly left it unlocked. if we could get rid of about our population, and that includes you tourists as well, we would have a much better island in all respects.

rick lanning
philipsburg, st. martin