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4 Stars - 172 Opinions
i take my family to st. martin every year. we stay at esmeralda resort in orient beach. there is something for everyone.
Rainy day weather at the market
Baie aux Prunes - Plum beach
wandering around on Pinel Island
upper deck above deck 10
We are considering St. Martin for our anniversary in January. We are not beachy people, more city people - but we want to have a week of relaxation. We are more interested in food, culture, history, spa treatments and seeing an occasional movie. Would prefer to be able to walk to several restaurants - the room doesn't have to be big, but if it had a balcony or terrace for reading that would be awesome. So, where should we stay? Philipsburg or Marigot? We'd like to stay under $200 per day. We are big Francophiles - especially love to go to Paris - but we would be open to staying on the Dutch side.
Merci,
Mary
I definately prefer the French side of St. Martin. It is much more like Europe to me. The Dutch side is where the cruise ships park and where the casinos are. We rented a villa last time we were there (in Dawn Beach) but I would check out hotels in Marigot or Grand Case. Definately check out Grand Case for wonderful dining. We especially loved L'Alabama.
Thanks Traci, if you ever need help with a trip to Paris, don't hesitate to ask me for help.
Mary
I'm going to St Martin in the end of July.
That will be my first. My DH have been there before but it was 14 yrs ago. I don't know much about Hotels because we are staying in a time share.
I'm doing a lot of research and I think that 2 web site that can help you a little more in that especically area are: Travel talk on line and Go beach.
They are very good for the Caribien, and are very active. Very good info there.
We love Paris also!!!!
Maria
ABSOLUTELY stay in Marigot, not in Philipsburg! And visit Grand Case (fabulous restuarants) and Orient Beach (funfunfun and a gorgeous beach to boot).
I liked the Hotel Beach Plaza for a great value in Marigot:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/stmartin/H31951.html
It has lovely water views and is a convenient walk from the town center.
Merci beaucoup!
Mary
Well, it is more village than city, but Grand Case on the French side offers easy walks to great restaurants. We stayed there in May 2006 for part of our 20th Anniversary trip and loved it. It may be too quiet for your tastes, especially for a full week, but you cannot beat the wonderful restaurant choices in this small French enclave. If you don't stay here, you will want to visit and eat! For what it is worth, we rented an apartment above La California restaurant. It is private, in your price range and has a wonderful balcony right over Grand Case beach from which you can see Anguilla. The restranteur/hotelier, Zuzu, is wonderful and exceedingly helpful. http://www.sxm-hotels.com/california/
Philipsburg is totally not our bag, especially on any days with cruise ships in port, but it does appear to offer lots of shopping, casinos, restaurants, and other visitors with whom to mingle. I am sure every possible visitor service is available there.
We did not have any trouble getting around on St. Maartin/St. Martin, but listen to the locals about when the roads get crazy (combine regular "rush hour" on two lane roads with cruise ship buses) to avoid major slowdowns if your drive about for your historical and culteral experiences.
Good luck & happy anniversary.
Thanks for your response - the link looks great and I have bookmarked it for future use. As it turns out we have changed our plans TOTALLY; we're going to Palm Springs, CA.
I'm sure that we'll get to St. Martin sooner or later!
M
Saint Martin and the small Ilet Pinel (Pinel Island) are excellent snorkelling areas. For snorkelling in warmer waters, the essential equipment consists of :
a) Fins - for efficient propulsion
b) Mask - to help us see clearly when our eyes are immersed in water
c) Snorkel - so that we can continue to breathe comfortably when our face is in the water
Just west of Marigot in Sandy Ground, Baie Nettle features a decent beach. The beach is fronted by a number of hotels and restaurants but is relatively uncrowded. Looking back toward the Marigot marina and the surrounding hills, it features a nice backdrop as well. Unfortunately, the far end of the beach is excessively littered with rubbish and is popular only with foraging stray dogs.
Our favourite : a small, family beach situated near Marigot, the capital of the French part of Saint-Martin. The bay is protected and attract a couple of boats.
The sand is O.K., the water is fabulous; usually, there are no more than 5 persons bathing or swimming !
There are two restaurants : Kali's and Friar's Bay Beach Cafe.
I chose this island because it sounded intriguing with one side being French and one side Dutch, not to mention the clear blue ocean!
The people are of mixed descent, coming from Dominican Republic, Aruba, Jamaica, Madagascar, etc. Very friendly but service everywhere is slow- this is not fast-pace America, my friends!
There is a open air market in Marigot with locals speaking in French, selling their handmade goods along with some things made in China, unfortunately. In Phillipsburg, the shopping is geared toward the cruise ship passengers with lots of deals on jewelry.
I spent every day in the ocean here by our hotel and did some snorkeling around Tintamare - the best snorkeling I've seen so far in my travels. The water is clear down to 100 feet and the fish swim all around you when you are only in the water about 3 feet deep.
OK, transportation on the island is very expensive! The scenery is not exactly the most beautiful apart from the ocean. The locals drive crazy and honk at each other alot. Only one stop light on the island! Shopping in Philipsburg is great and cheaper than in Marigot. You will see poverty stricken areas on the island. The officials they elect make big promises to provide more schools and make improvements but one local told us they never come through with their promises. Sad. Most of the activities are in the water and there are night clubs - I just didn't go to them. Renting a car is expensive and taking a taxi cost us $30 one way for two people.
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We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
Address: Baie Orientale, PO Box 5141, Marigot, St. Maarten/St. Martin, 97071, Caribbean
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