This will be our first time in St. Maarten. We are staying at the Divi the second week of June. Has anyone stayed at the Divi this year? (any info on this property would help)

How bad is the crime on this island? Is it safe to go to the casinos at night?

Any suggestion on places to eat lunch and dinner?

Any things that we must do before leaving?

Thanks,
Mskenokid

Rent a car...
Philipsburg for shopping...jewelry, t-shirts, electronics and more.
Greenhouse restaurant in Philipsburg for lunch.
Orient Beach is the most popular place during the day.
Grand Case for dinner, It is restaurant row, walk and read the menus on the sidewalk and choose one.
If you enjoy sailing check out this website
[www.12metre.com]
The Loterie Farm has a zip line called the Fly Zone and hiking trails.
[www.loteriefarm.net]
Sunset Beach bar is fun to watch the planes, more planes come in on the weekend.
Take off and Landings are a photographers dream spot.
Maho has a nightlife and is very touristy. Lots of restaurants, shops and casino.

Most tourist related crime is easily preventable.
Do not leave valuables in your car unattended.
If you go out at night, stay in lighted, populated areas.
Don't flash large amounts of cash and keep your wallet in your front pocket or carry a small purse with the minimum essentials needed for that day.
A copy of ID papers is usually sufficient when out and about.
Leave valuables in your hotel safe.

SXM Martini gave you some good tips. Would add Mullet Beach as a favorite, or Baie Rouge if you prefer a quieter setting.

Also, for lunch and dinner, you have many options on the Dutch side of the island. For lunch, consider taking a stroll along the Philipsburg Boardwalk. For dinner, there are many good places that won't break the bank and a shorter driving distance in Simpson Bay and the Maho resort area.

Hope this helps,

Norbert

DineSXM - St. Maarten / St. Martin restaurant guide & online reservations.

Hey!

You will have lots of choices on both sides of the Island for dining.

The post above from NORBERT includes a link to his new website. We have used it and it is as up to date and informative as it gets.

Let me just offer our favourite eateries. After many trips we always end up going to those places where service, prices and selection add up to a GREAT meal. This is sort of a TOP 10 for a main meal.

BAJATZU
PINEAPPLE PETE
TOPPERS
MARK'S PLACE
PEG LEG PUB
CHESTERFIELD'S
HIDEWAY at LA VISTA
SKIPJACKS
PARIS BISTRO
RARE ( after a casino win)

A few breakfast spots par excellence:

LA CROISSANTERIE ( Marigot Marina)
KISSING FISH ( At the Summit Resort)
SPINNAKER ( At the St. Martin Yacht Club, open to the public)
Ric's Place ( In Simpson Bay)

We rarely go the French side except to the beach, so most of these places are in Simpson Bay or Philipsburg.

As to safety at Casino's; most have security staff who will walk you to your car if you feel the need. Valet parking is also available. Like other's have advised, use common sense.

ENJOY and let us know how your first visit went.


BIGDEN

We are Honeymooners arriving on a cruise for one long Day. We have been there before once Shopping in Phillips burg and over to the French side pier for a short lunch. We want a romantic but close beach and some good restaurants. Should we rent a car? Ideas?

Do you want a beach that is active or do you want something semi-private? I love Friar's Beach for it's small boutique qualities and there are 2 small restaurants on this beach that serve good food. Be prepared to pay a higher price because of the Euro but to me it's worth it. We have always found the water to be perfect and the personalized service you get from the beach guys is good. The view is picture perfect. They also have a massage shack there as well. It isn't near the cruise ship but you could always hire a cab to take you there and then pick you up at an assigned time or if you bring a cell phone, can call him when you're ready. If it were me, I would do this and leave the beach by latest 2:00 and ask to be brought to Marigot for an afternoon coffee and dessert by the Marina Royale. Then at about 3:30 I would continue on to Philipsburg to walk the boardwalk before returning to the ship.

Thanks, I have heard thru chat abour Rouge beach and Davids Hole. Is this a secluded romatic beach as well ?

Baie Rouge ( not Rouge Beach... Rogue or red bay )



David's Hole (No beach here, just a special place):



Kind Regards,
Philippe



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No, actually Baie Rouge is a very expansive beach that people like to go to. I've been there just to see the beach and although it is pretty, I just don't seem to like it as much as the other beaches. Some people have made note of the sand sometimes being hard to walk through and many times people have said that the water conditions were too rough.

I am not saying that Baie Rouge is like Coney Island with lots of people....the only beaches like that would be Orient or sometimes Mullet...but when I think of picture perfect, I think of Friars.

Another beach that is beautiful, very quiet, and expansive would be the beach that Mary's Boon is on (not sure if that's called Simpson Bay Beach) but truthfully, I wouldn't know where a person could park their car to get there... Maybe sometime can clue me in to that question...

Well that's why Simpson Beach is mostly always deserted in fact... Because people don't really know hiw to access it, even thought it is centrally located and so close from all the commercial activity and developement of Simpson bay. In fact there is no specific parking. Just drive through one of the small street linking to it, they are mostly residencial, and just park alongside the fence of one of the home or building and after walking few steps you will feel the sand below your feet.

Kind Regards,
Philippe



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Thanks so much Philippe! I'll be sure to take a ride one day and test the waters there.

If your heading to Baie Rouge as I remember it is a coarse sand beach and the swimming can be iffy there. Be careful and aware and watch out for undertow that can suck the sand right out from underneath you big time.

Great info. I really like the idea of quaint massage shacks with the personalized service, any suggestions? Thx

You can get massages at either Friars or Orient Beach. I would prefer Friars only because it's a smaller, quieter beach but still has the amenities to keep us happy all day.

There are massage therapists all around the island but you do need appointments at the more established places like in Maho so being that you'll be stopping only for the day, I would recommend getting one at one of the beach shacks. There is only one massage shack at Friars so if you do go there, hopefully the therapist is there that day.

There is also one at Kontiki on Orient Beach.

As I said, if it were up to me, I would make a day of it...relaxing at Friars for a few hours, then a short trip to Marigot for an afternoon coffee and dessert or crepe at the Marina, and then the trip back to Philipsburg for a last minute stroll on the boardwalk along the beach. You can hop on a boat to get back to the pier or you can hop a taxi back to the ship as well.

I have made visited most of the beaches in St. Maarten. Baie Rouge is my favourite - soft gorgeous sand, spectacular water, very expansive and few people. Also, the east end has some rocks where snorkeling is excellent and beyond that a couple of secluded coves with holes through cliffs to swim through. I'm surprised that anyone would prefer Friar's Beach but that's personal taste, i guess. My wife's favourite beach is Le Galion, just south of Orient Bay. Super quiet, shallow water for kids.