We used the little Pizza place in La Terrace next to the store. They have chairs and couches in the atrium and wonderful food also.
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Safety - I have never felt unsafe on St Maarten in 16 years of visits. But it does pay to take precautions. - Leave the good jewelery and watches at home. - Men - Take a money clip. All you need is some cash, your DL and a CC. If you will be carrying more cash than usual, divide it up into several pockets so you don't flash too much at once. - Women - If you must carry a purse take a
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

- Ride the Rhinos, Sail to Prickly Pear Island on the Bluebeard, shop in Phillipsberg and Marigot, see the show at Cher's Cafe (once), Drinks at the Red Paino and Soprano's also, watch the 747 take off at Sunset Beach Bar, drink a BBC with Wanda at Bucaneer Beach Bar, Eat at a LoLo, snorkel thru the cave at Baie Rouge, Day drinking at CliffHangers. Then on the second day..... lol
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# 1 - The national rent a car companies are not the best in St. Maarten. Use one of the local companies and you'll be much happier. We use Unity now, after trying Budget and Avis the first few years. # 2 - If you park on the back side of Bobbies Marina in the pay lot you won't have any problems finding a spot or gettting towed. Parking on Front Street anymore is more trouble than it&#
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

We very often have 6 or 8 guests. Michael at Unity has some nice vans for you.
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I have a very nice water proof pouch I put my money, keys and a credit card in.Try this site for some ideas Waterproof Store Of course we have a water proof case for our small Olympus camera also. :-)
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

I agree with Pat. It doesn't really matter where you stay. You can drive to anywhere on the island in 30 minutes. For what you are looking for you might want to stay on the West side of the Island. The water is calmer and that is where the better snorkeling is. If you like to go out at night, you will want to be somewhat close to the Maho area. Here's some of our snorkeling spots:
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Try the Bluebeard to Prickly Pear Island. We love it. A good sail with snorkeling and lunch on Prickly Pear Island. The Rhinos are pretty fun also. There are some pics on our site.
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We normally buy bottled water for drinking and use the tap water for Coffee and Cooking. I've drank the tap water and there is nothing wrong with it - just a slightly salty taste.
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I would strongly suggest a rental car. There is so much to see and do. So many nice beaches, great restaurants, casinos and sights to see. Don't miss out, get out there and take in the island flavor.
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Oyster Pond is on the East side of the island. Which is the Atlantic side. This side of the island is much rougher than the West side. All the snorkel spots I mentioned are on the West side of the island. Having said that - Please keep in mind - nothing on the island is more than 30 minutes away. As mentioned you will want to rent a car. There is good snorkeling at Dawn Beach, which is right n
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Snorkeling: Friars Bay – this is always our first snorkel, water is calm and smooth. There is usually a wide variety of fish. You can snorkel to the right all the way to Happy Bay. Bay Rouge – Our favorite place, this is where the cave is, snorkel around to the right from the beach. Usually excellent conditions with lotza fish. Long Bay – Very, Very good with large fish. However, it is hard to
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Kinda cool to see that old post from Dicky. Brings back the memories. ;-|
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We have a time share in Sedona, Az that we trade through RCI for time in St Maarten. We also were approached to relinquish our title in exchange for "x" amount of points. My concern has always been - What happens when they decide to change from the "points system" to another system? I would then be holding worthless points and they would have my time share. No Thanks !!
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Sounds like you might want to take the tour to Orient Beach. The cruise company should offer that tour and you will go in a motor coach with a tour director. Orient has a lot of activities for the kids and pleanty of food and shopping for the adults.
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Try Pack Light (click) They are very good for rental items.
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Simpson Bay is where Mary's Boon, Royal Palm and the Pelican/Flamingo resorts are located. There is also Simpson Bay Lagoon. Doesn't really matter where you are staying the island is so small you can get to anywhere in less than 30 minutes. Sorry you got left behind - check out our pics at the link below and you'll feel like you've been there - lol.
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FYI - We took a cruise in 2005 and Michael met us at the dock with a car. We rented for the one day. It was pretty strange just spending the day and then going back to the ship.
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

We always use Michael for our rental car. Try this site for a wide selection. www.unitycars.com As far as insurance - this was posted once upon a time and is very helpful. Insurance - There is no coverage afforded under your personal or commercial automobile policy outside of the US and Canadian borders. ************************************************************ 1) In SXM purchase
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The biggest deal you get is not having to pay sales tax.
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Not at all. We always go in July or August. We will be there July 07 to July 21 - I guess we'll just miss you. You will love it in July. Traffic is much better. Parking is available everywhere and you rarely need reservations at the restaurants. It is a bit warm and humid around noon but any breeze will take care of that. We'll try not to drink all the rum - lol.
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There are excellent restaurants on both sides of the island. Food is definitely subjective. With the Euro exchange where it is, the Dutch side is a better deal. As for crime where the best restaurants are, I don't think there is any correlation. lol
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Try "Le Moulin Fu". Opened last year. It is behind Cheri's Cafe on the second level in Maho. Very good continental food.
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The MAHO is an all inclusive resort. There is a nice shopping area as part of the MAHO area. The beach as a severe drop off and is not very "kid friendly", but the pool is very nice. Friars Bay is great for kids, very shallow for a good 20 yards out from shore.
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Thank you - Thank you
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Hey Pat, What is the best way to book the Random Wind? We have never tried this trip and also have never snorkeled on Anguilla.
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We always take the BlueBeard to Prickly Pear Island. We love the trip. Great snorkeling and a lunch on the island. Plenty of pics on our site below.
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Thank you !! If we have a group going, we always rent a Villa. Great fun. The cost is very afforable if you compare the per person cost. We tried "Le Moulin fou" this last year and loved it. It was new then and located right behind Cheri's Cafe. Other than that we like the Citrus, the Fish Pot or Le Montrimere (spelling??) at the Atlantis. See you there !!
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My vote is for Unity Car Rental. One email and it's done.
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You will definitely need a passport to get back into the US.
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