Gloria et al, Much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with you all - the island just isn't what she used to be. But I keep coming back to my same old mantra - blame the government - for never enacting laws to protect the timeshare people who have invested much in this island; for allowing the unfettered growth (and ergo destruction) of a once beautiful island; and for the failure to de
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Kipp&Slipp, I think I like your alternate suggestion best of all. pat :-) :-)
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Susan, If this helps at all, we've been visiting St. Maarten for the past 34 years at least once a year. We've never personally experienced any type of crime directly and we've never had to deal with the 'bush people' so many have talked about. That's not to say it doesn't exist because we have seen evidence of it even if we haven't been directly involv
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Rhoda, I've never stayed here but I did check it out on a few occasions for friends who were considering it and felt it was a great place. I've also had breakfast there on more occasions than I can remember - a great little spot and your breakfast hosts make the meal almost an occasion. The pool deck offers one of the best views in St. Maarten, IMHO. It's in the hills with lot
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Jmasons, If you're talking about the SXM departure fees, as of March '06 I believe all the majors, American, United, Delta, USAir, Continental, and most of the smaller ones as I recall, were all including the fees in the ticket purchase price. pat :-)
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Rock Goddess, We also rent from Lesley Bruce/Kennys Car Rentals. He's a great guy to do business with but prices depend on model of car, time of trip, etc., and can vary depending on these factors. Best thing to do is e-mail him: Bruce@sintmaarten.net Give him your dates and tell him
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heather etal, Perhaps I'm being naive but isn't it illegal to 'ship' or mail alcoholic beverages across state lines? I'm not sure that FedEx would ship it back to the States either because they have to provide shipping docs to bring their shipments into the country. I can see the problems you all have and understand why you would want to do this because those flavo
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Cupecoy, I don't know where you own but if your own resort doesn't have any type of resale/rental program or web-site, you could try Red Week or Holiday, just for starters. The only down-side is I believe you have to join RW and Holiday doesn't bring in big dollars for most of their resales, or at least that's been what I've noticed when checking their listings. Go
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Heather, I haven't personally stayed at L'Esplanade but I have never heard a bad word about it and in fact, most who stay there rave about how good it is so I'm thinking you won't be disappointed. Rent that car and get out and around the island and see as much of it as you can squeeze in and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. pat :-)
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Hmmm, so I guess I'm the lone dissenter amoong the last three or four posters here but I have to say, I've also never had a bad dinner at Lee's and my husband and I both feel the best Caribbean lobsters we've ever had this side of Scilly Cay were had three years running now all at Lee's. That said, I've never ordered his ribs and probably won't in the future be
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Dennis, I haven't dealt with them personally but we came very close at one time. Some inner sense made us draw back from the deal but not because of Crown itself or it's agent but because, the more we considered what we were contemplating, we realized it just wasn't a wise thing to do. I have noticed, however, over quite a few years now, their listed timeshares are extraor
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Barbara, I had one of these sandwiches two or three years ago at Friar's Bay Beach Cafe and it was absolutely out of this world. Was it the sandwich or the setting? Who knows? Who cares? But I have to tell you, they are heart stoppers in every way. Literally, to die for......but what a way to go. pat :-) :-)
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GM, Yes, sort of but on the opposite side of the street and down a bit. You'll find it - it really is a nice spot for a good dinner at reasonable prices and it's very popular. There is a full menu but consider their specials, too. People absolutely rave about the lobster thermidor and while it was pretty good, I've had better at Antoine's on Front St., but the price
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GM, If my memory serves me correctly, it's on the same side of the street and just further down a bit from Peg Leg's Pub. It seems to me we parked in the real estate office's parking lot just before the restaurant and parking could be a bit of a hassle there but then, lately, where isn't it on St. Maarten these days? I know I'm close but if I'm a little off on
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

I would absolutely second the suggestion of Pineapple Pete's. Good food at reasonable prices with very good service. All in all, a winning combination. Enjoy your time at The Towers - we have months to go before we get to do the same. pat :-) :-)
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sabwjz, Okay, first let me qualify my statements by saying that it's been a while since we've ventured over to St. Barth's but each time we've gone we've rented a car and it never seemed outrageously expensive to me but there were generally two couples involved and the car was a 'shared' expense. We never had a problem getting around the island and I
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rick, I'm always a little surprised at how such a funky little place can turn out such a great lunch. The only complaint I have with them is that I wish they would/could do a little more about policing the trash issues in and around where they're located - the blowing napkins and straws/wrappers, etc. I know, you'd think the diners would take care of their own mess but that is
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Dr. Joe, As much as I hate to say this, things have not gotten any better there or at many of the other beaches. The trick is, leave nothing in the car in the first place but that still doesn't stop them from breaking in to take a look. And as far as your not having this problem in the past, we had friends who left their purses in their trunk in front of two gendarmes while they too
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I don't know if it's the location or the ribs themselves but to us, there are none better than those at Rosie's food stand on Mullet Bay Beach. Although I have to concede, I've never heard a bad word about Lido's ribs and I know many who rave over them. pat :-) :-)
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As I said, Gregg, Been there, done that. Thirty-four years of at least yearly St. Martin/St. Maarten vacations have shown me just about all there is to see of both sides of the island and again I say, "To each his own!" Perhaps when you've visited the island a little more you, too, will see it as being Caribbean first and the fact of French or Dutch as additional facets that
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Gregg, Funny thing. You've about echoed the sentiments I've expressed time and time again. We stay on the Dutch side and these days I wouldn't waste my time or gas driving to Grand Case for dinner - been there and can say done that back in the days when it seemed important to me to be able to say I had. And then I became older and wiser. There are many excellent places all
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MaryAnn and Norm, Let me add my voice to that of Spike, WWII and lynn. As a charter owner at The Towers we were certainly dealt a nasty blow when the hurricanes did their damage and another major blow as the owners and management of MBR&C refused to resolve their issues but as far as The Towers itself goes, it's still one of the nicest properties on the island and we would be one mor
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jk11, I have never used Unity/Michael, (only because he doesn't provide the airport pick-up and drop off of cars that we prefer) but I doubt from all the accolades I've read about him that you'll have any reason to be sorry you are. pat
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Steve, We've had weeks at The Towers since pre-construction and while we've often thought this was about the silliest purchase we ever made, we've never had one regret about having done it. We look forward to those weeks and have yet to tire of the location so glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself. Laura, FYI, those are perhaps some of the most well fed cats in all of th
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biturbo, When we were there in March there was an incident which took place just inside the Mullet property between what was the old Mullet Resort front desk area and Tiffany's little grocery store and the 19th hole, if you can picture all that. What started out as a purse snatching turned pretty ugly and the husband ended up badly beaten and with a blood clot in his leg. We met him at
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asemblyman, I think not. There may be about 2-3 places on the entire island where you might feel more comfortable in long pants but they are not the places you read about here most regularly. If, on the other hand, you're the type who would be more comfortable in long pants and a jacket, feel free, but dress shorts will take you anywhere on the island. In honesty, for the majority
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Laura, Lesley Bruce is the owner of Kennys Car Rentals - named after his daughter, I believe. If you would like to e-mail him try: bruce@sintmaarten.net and I'm sure he'll respond to you quickly. pat
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To take Docs comments one step further, do not accept the word of the agent that your umbrella coverage extends outside the USA. Make sure someone actually shows you in writing that it does. We went down this road a while back and after reading on line where some said it did and some said it didn't, and after several assurances from supposedly knowledgeable agents for the company we deal w
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For starters: Italian - Sebastiano's in Grand Case; LaGuna across from the airport; LaGondola at Atlantis near Cupecoy; Spiga and a host of others all around the island. Seafood - almost anyplace on the island has awesome seafood and most of it is fresh that day but if you want an inexpensive but good place that's very casual and without 'airs' try Lee's. He's
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Welcome to The Friendly Island Forum. pat
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum