Doc, We've used Lesley Bruce, Kenny's Car Rental for quite a while now and I have to say, he has never let us down. We've always gotten exactly what we asked for at prices which have been reasonable but the very best part for us has been being able to pick our car up AT the airport and then being done and on our way. We have, over many years, used other companies that involved
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

nrichmond, Beyond the air we breathe, not much else in life is really 'free' so for my money I wouldn't waste my valuable vacation time on a sales pitch for a free 'anything' - unless - and only unless - I was already interested in making the particular purchase, with or without the freebie. And then I'd only listen to become somewhat informed and then I'd b
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Dean, The trouble with timesharing is that almost anything can be gotten around if the desire is strong enough on managements part, but so far, the Towers management has been relatively decent to us and they do manage to maintain the place in a decent state and they continue to hold the fees well under those of most of the other places I've compared with. Too bad about the situation
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Spike, It was very nice of you to take the time to respond and to clear the record. With all the rest of your points, I agree whole-heartedly. And re: the island time verses visitors wind-down time - there's no way most of us will ever get over that so once I again, I hear you and I agree completely!! Again, thanks for the response. pat
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Spike, It's an unfortunate reality, I'm afraid, but we will never see any kind of financial accounting from The Towers hierarchy. Unfortunately, they don't have to provide that info but the good news, if one can view it that way, is that at least we have the AMF escalation clause in our contracts which holds our annual increases down, which is probably the only protection we ha
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

I don't know the Atrium personally but I have to say, I've never heard anything bad about it so I doubt you'll be disappointed in the building. As far as what to do with kids on the island, beyond the obvious pool and beach, there's the St. Martin Zoo although I don't think it's called quite that anymore; the Butterfly Farm is pretty neat but can't guarante
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Actually, Ed, I'm thinking the deer were always there but we've usurped their woods and the territories they typically roamed in to house people - a reality that has to happen in the real world. Unfortunately, the deer and all other forms of animal life suffer because of our ever-increasing population and its' quest for homes in the 'burbs. But personally, I think this is a
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Barbara, I read the article in yesterday's Herald, too, and I'm trying to figure out if they're planning on building a bridge or a chunnel. For the life of me I can't perceive the logistics but I guess time will tell. pat
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Personally, I'm more inclined to believe the large numbers of wild animals living in close proximity to humans today has more to do with overbuilding of what once was open spaces where these animals roamed coupled with with the belief that selective thinning of herds is a bad thing and lastly, the anti-NRA issues that prevail today. But these are just my personal beliefs. And while we do
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Chrissy, Personally, I think you've made a very good choice. If you've ever had the absolute privilige of seeing the dolphins free and in their natural environment as opposed to in a somewhat slimy green tank, you'll understand why so many of us are anti-dolphinariums. I had this pleasure once on St. Maarten and once in Florida at Anna Maria Island. Having seen them playing a
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

B, We've done both and they were both very good, IMHO, albeit the lobster at Karibuni is a little on the pricey side. It seems to me the other place serves more traditional luncheon food - burgers, sandwiches and light salads as I recall from a few years back, but it too, was good. The one thing that sticks in my mind is I don't believe either place takes plastic - COD as I recall.
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Rosemont, That's really too bad. We haven't eaten there in a few years because, to be totally honest, I think Pinel is one of the most highly over-rated beaches on the island and there are too many others I'd rather spend my days on. But if you haven't seen it at least once or twice, then it's a must do for most people. The last time we were there, which was a f
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

mlr, Just out of curiosity, didn't you post on TTOL or one of the other forums that this problem had been resolved? Or am I possibly thinking of another jewelry question? I hate to see a post for any local business end on a negative note, particularly when there was a problem and it was actually handled as it should have been, even if done on island time - and we all know what that
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Zeke, In a word, YES!! pat
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Zeke, And if I'm remembering correctly, as mc suggested bring lots of extra cash. It's been a while since we ate there but the last time we did, as I recall, it was very expensive. Very good but very expensive. pat
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

David, Wow! Four weeks....you're probably in a better position than many to get a real good feel for what's happening down there. We are Charter Owners but only have two weeks which we'll be using very soon but if you wanted to send me a private message I'd love to hear what you saw that might or might not concern you. By the way, we would also love to see an owner
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Spike, There was a website posted here on GoBeach in one of the threads a while back that showed an architectural rendering of one proposed conceptual redevelopment of Mullet Bay Resort when the current limbo state becomes resolved as it eventually will and were these plans to fly, most would love it. If you wanted to dig back among older posts you could probably still find it here. From m
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Jane, Just curious as to when you were last at The Towers. We also own there and have since before it was built. Because of the time we purchased we receive free golf at Mullet which is pretty funny because my husband plays once in a while for laughs and I don't play at all. My son-in-law, however, is another story and he has played the St. Maarten Golf Tournament for the past few year
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

dr. doug, Very well and nicely put. pat
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Two stores previously mentioned, Caribbean Gems and Zhaveri, are owned and operated by the Budhrani family and we have been dealing with them since they first opened their doors on St. Maarten aproximately 23-25 years ago. We have always found nice merchandise and reasonable prices but beyond that, they are fair and honest and truly do wish to make the customer happy. We have purchased dire
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Wow - didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest but from my own experiences I can say I went back 3-4 times and yes, the very first time I was there it was newly opened and we thoroughly enjoyed both Neil, Shawn and the whole 'pub' concept. The second time we went back we were probably one of the very first foursomes to dine on the rear deck - in fact per our discussion that eve
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

crickets, I thought when I wrote about this in a trip report about two and a half years ago I was the only one who was less than satisfied with Peg Leg Pub, or at least that was the feed back I received at the time regarding my comments. After our trip in April '04 I was totally turned off by the service (or lack of same), the wait time for both seating and service and truthfully, even s
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

So after all that speculation, Marriott becomes Westin. Thanks for the update, Neal.
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Elaine, I just saw your post for the first time and had to chuckle. We usually do the same thing just to give ourselves one less thing to be concerned about. We've rented from Lesley Bruce at Kennys Car Rentals the last few trips, and that's usually part of our reservation request. Basically, as long as the car is mechanically sound and has decent tires and a spare, who ca
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Moz, It seems you got the deal of deals - 707 is a great unit and short of the penthouses you couldn't go any higher. If you check out Kim's post above, you'll get a pretty good idea of your view. Remember, though, while it doesn't often happen, the management always reserves the right to change the rooms at the last minute, even with a confirmed timeshare exchange. You�
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Kim, Complain, complain, complain........
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Awesome picture, Ed. Thanks for sharing it with us. pat
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Jeff, You may or may not need it to get on the plane and you may or may not need it to get into St. Maarten and depending on what other islands you might or might not visit and whether you visit as a daytripper off a snorkelling trip or as a day visitor through the various immigration centers you may or may not need the passports there. Since you can't seem to get a clearcut concensus on t
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum

Joe, As far as I know there is no shipwreck in Mullet Bay. If there were I'm thinking it would have been touted as diving destination years ago.
Forum: The Friendly St.Martin Island Forum