can anyone tee me the best way to communicate with the mainland U.S. during our stay?

Hey!

No problems with many WI FI spots; dependable internet means SKYPE is cheap and constant. My AT&T cellular phone worked well last week.

Check with your cell phone provider for your rates and availability of service. Remember to mention you are traveling to the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES rather than THE NETHERLANDS.

Beware of using phones in your hotel, timeshare etc.as those rates are off the wall. For another option try MAILBOX in Simpson Bay for about $1.00 per minute last year.

Denis

A few years ago, hotel rates per minute were in the $2-2.50 range if dialed through the hotel operator. If you call from the hotels and use the number for credit card calls that some hotels show next to the telephone, you go through an international operator and we paid almost $40 for a one minute call!! Before making a call from a hotel or timeshare, check with the front desk first to make sure what the rate is. Next option is using a cell phone. With Verizon international dialing (free, arrange before leaving home) the rate is now $1.99 per minute. What we do now is rent a prepaid cell phone from www.QueenofSXM.com. Sharon is great to work with. Check out her website. We also use computers at Mailbox in Simpson Bay for e-mail.

Ongxa Wrote:
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> can anyone tee me the best way to communicate with
> the mainland U.S. during our stay?

Denis has given you some good suggestions.

Another option might be to rent an island cell phone. I recently recommended Sharon Harris to a friend and even though Sharon's website said advance notice was needed, she was able to hook my friend up with a rental and a number only the day before they headed down to the island, and since this was just a day after OMAR visited, that was darned good service, IMHO. Since my friends were already using Kenny's Car Rental he brought the phone to them and delivered it with the rental car at the airport. That seems like a pretty good deal to me. In all honesty, I've not used her myself but my daughter has and all that do seem to really rave about her service.

Respectfully,

pat

Carolyn,

It would seem great minds work alike.

And to the OP, www.queenofsxm.com is the same person that I was referring to. If memory serves me, the phone is about $15.for the week and I believe out-going calls are about $.45 per minute or something very close to that. I know she has a web-site and I'm sure the info is all posted there

Respectfully,

pat

Ongxa Wrote:
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> can anyone tee me the best way to communicate with
> the mainland U.S. during our stay?
IF you have an unlocked dual-tri-quad-band phone with a SIM, go to TelCell in Simpson Bay & purchase service from them. The Sim--$10 & ~55 minutes of time $20. Calls to the US about .36/minute.Need more time ,go to any Shell gas station and buy more time --it's computerized. Minimum purchase--$3--- and up.

I have an account with PhoneAnywhereCheap.com and all my phone numbers in the states are registered. When we're on the island my business and family can call me on my rented phone for 13 cents a minute. The beauty of it is that they can call me whenever they need me or if they just want to talk. I don't make calls back home.

tried to get hold of queenofsxm no reply can anyone help? emailed 2x last week

Hey!

Any info on hot spots available on Dutch side/Simpson Bay/Maho will be appreciated greatly..

Thx

Sharon always responds. check your spam folder.

I do not have any unanswered mail at this time since I am leaving tomorrow to head back down to SXM. Please try going through my website: www.queenofsxm.com & in the comments portion please let me know that you are the person who has been trying to reach me. I will try my best to get an answer through to you. I have been in NY & when I am there usually my mail is not blocked but it may have gone to your Spam folder as Elaine pointed out.

Sharon

See you soon, Sharon!