St. Maarten/ St. Barts ideas

pirateat30 · Post by **pirateat30** » September 27, 2005 10:12 am

Ok, going to St. Maarten in a couple months. Any advice on where to go on the island..good restaurants,nice beaches, beach bars etc?

Also planning a day trip or two to St Barts. Any ideas there? And please tell JB to be there during our stay.

Thanks in advance.

RinglingRingling · Post by **RinglingRingling** » September 27, 2005 11:43 am

pirateat30 wrote:Ok, going to St. Maarten in a couple months. Any advice on where to go on the island..good restaurants,nice beaches, beach bars etc?

Also planning a day trip or two to St Barts. Any ideas there? And please tell JB to be there during our stay.

Thanks in advance.

fluff your pillow for you too? Boat drink suitably cold and wet and liquory?

weirdo0521 · Post by **weirdo0521** » September 27, 2005 11:50 am

I liked St. Martin a lot. Not very big, you can cover both sides pretty easy. I liked Dawn Beach on the Dutch side. Best part was the cold $.75 Carib bottles right on the beach. Orient Beach is the "nude beach". Just saw that from the road. The straw market in Marigold was neat, but not much different from othere in the Caribbean. They have done a very nice job on the Dutch side of keeping it pretty clean. No surprise from the Dutch. There is also a cool beach that is right at the end of the runway near the airport. It's pretty wild.

bravedave · Post by **bravedave** » September 27, 2005 12:01 pm

I traveled to St. Barth's in 1999. Only stayed a few days, but enjoyed the island immensely.

There are two ways to get from St Martin to St Barth: boat or plane. I don't know which one is cheaper. The plane trip is fun*, short, and easy to arrange. The boat trip takes much longer, follows a more "regular" schedule, and is subject to weather conditions. (I suppose the plane is also, but my friends on the boat puked while I, on the plane, didn't.)

The boat will probably put you ashore in Gustavia, a visually stunning town with a natural harbor. The airport is a short* drive over the hill from Gustavia (in St. Jean). Gustavia boasts almost everything you want to see on a day trip to the island except the most beautiful beaches. (Shell Beach is right around the corner, but it's not even in the Top 5 beaches on the Island.)

You can rent a car at the airport (better reserve one in advance) and see the whole island in a day or two. Some hotels are located on beautiful beaches, but most of the desireable villas are up in the hills (more than walking distance from the beach).

Plan to spend a lot of money in at least one restaurant. The dining on St Barths is famous worldwide. (But there are a few more economical options if gustatorial delights don't weigh heavily in your itinerary.)

Have fun! There may be more if you search the CIL forum.

*"Harrowing" is a good word to describe landing at SBH, comically described as an airport. It also describes the drive over the hill between Gustavia and SBH, where small planes may pass 10-20 feet over your head. Recent airstrip repairs and upgrades may have improved safety margins.

The Lost Manatee · Post by **The Lost Manatee** » September 27, 2005 2:28 pm

I haven't flown into St. Barths since they extended the runway but that used to be a very exciting landing. You would come in low over the ridge at the end of the runway, the pilot would cut the power and dive to the runway and hit the brakes hard in order to avoid running into the water. If that had been an amusement park ride it would've had a sign warning about those with heart conditions should not take the ride.

As for taking the Cat to St. Barths, I've done that a couple of times and I've never been sick, of course, I do have to warn you, I've never gotten seasick so perhaps you need to ask someone who is subject to such an malady.

I love Shell Beach, not because it's beautiful but rather because it's undeveloped and uncrowded. It's the local's beach and as such it has a very different feel to it. We generally go into town, get a bottle of wine, some cheese, bread and head over to the beach and hang out for a few hours everyday.

I find the other beaches to be very beautiful but very touristy and that doesn't appeal to me. Each to his own taste. So go and have fun!

Cuervo · Post by **Cuervo** » September 27, 2005 2:50 pm

pirateat30 wrote: Also planning a day trip or two to St Barts. Any ideas there?

Le Select.... Have a Lil' Geenie for me

GEED181 · Post by **GEED181** » September 28, 2005 1:16 pm

Of course, take along a cooler with a few Corona's and a cd player and hike up to Autour Du Rocher in Lorient..Did that in January and I can't tell you the feeling of listening to that song standing at "the hot tub by the sea" with the wind blowing in your face......you can actually feel the vibes !!

bravedave · Post by **bravedave** » September 28, 2005 3:50 pm

GEED181 wrote:Of course, take along a cooler with a few Corona's and a cd player and hike up to Autour Du Rocher in Lorient..Did that in January and I can't tell you the feeling of listening to that song standing at "the hot tub by the sea" with the wind blowing in your face......you can actually feel the vibes !!

That sounds cool.

Did you have any difficulty finding the place?
We stayed in a villa at Lorient and could see the point from our beach, but I never figured out how to get there.

GEED181 · Post by **GEED181** » September 28, 2005 4:46 pm

If you are standing on the beach, facing the water, look up the hill on your left, it is kind of grown over, but there it is..or as soon as you enter Lorient, the road right next to La Bannne used to be the road up there. The path from the beach is pretty easy to navigate and the bar is still in good shape considering. Andy, the owner of Andy's Hideaway used to bartend there.....lots of great stories !!

bravedave · Post by **bravedave** » September 28, 2005 6:55 pm

Awesome! I can't wait to go back. (someday)

Mr Play · Post by **Mr Play** » September 28, 2005 10:45 pm

You can ask the locals over here;
http://www.stbartstalk.com/

Friendly bunch from what I've seen.
Be sure to tell them you heard about them on Buffettnews...

Cubbie Bear · Post by **Cubbie Bear** » October 11, 2005 2:42 pm

I love Dutch side. The Everything's Cool Cafe in Philipsburg is a great place to sit and chill.

http://www.gobeach.com/sxmmap.htm

pirateat30 · Post by **pirateat30** » October 12, 2005 1:37 am

RinglingRingling wrote:
pirateat30 wrote:Ok, going to St. Maarten in a couple months. Any advice on where to go on the island..good restaurants,nice beaches, beach bars etc?

Also planning a day trip or two to St Barts. Any ideas there? And please tell JB to be there during our stay.

Thanks in advance.
fluff your pillow for you too? Boat drink suitably cold and wet and liquory?

Well, he (JB) is in St. Marten today

Two months too soon

HockeyParrotHead · Post by **HockeyParrotHead** » October 12, 2005 1:42 am

Take the ferry to Anguilla....you won't want to come back. Have dinner at Blanchard's....worth the trip....you'll go back.

Cuervo · Post by **Cuervo** » October 12, 2005 12:24 pm

HockeyParrotHead wrote:Take the ferry to Anguilla....you won't want to come back. Have dinner at Blanchard's....worth the trip....you'll go back.

ditto

Snowparrot · Post by **Snowparrot** » October 25, 2005 2:56 pm

Wilma has cancelled our plans to go to Playa del Carmen. Playa's pretty fine, actually, but Cancun airport will not reopen soon and our charter co. will not be flying until Nov. 10, and I have only the 5-12 to travel.

Our travel agent has suggested St Maarten, and there is a wonderful deal at the Great Bay Beach Resort, but most of the reviews on Trip Advisor say it's rundown and not good. Of course, Trip Advisor reports do tend to be negative! Anyone have any opinions?

iuparrothead · Post by **iuparrothead** » October 25, 2005 5:13 pm

If it's anything like Antigua... take OFF. The sand mites will get you bad otherwise. I've been home for 2 days now and I'm still itching like crazy!

Snowparrot · Post by **Snowparrot** » October 27, 2005 9:57 pm

In the end, we're going to Jamaica...Mo Bay...guess I'll have to switch threads!

Parrothead '64 · Post by **Parrothead '64** » October 30, 2005 10:27 am

Snowparrot wrote:In the end, we're going to Jamaica...Mo Bay...guess I'll have to switch threads!

Going to Jamaica mon?? Let me know I was just there Oct. 15-22 with hurricane Wilma but still had the best week of my life--Where are you staying --how long, etc... would love to talk...We are going back in May. fell in love with the island!!! Have a very fruitful day!!!

Midnight Flyer · Post by **Midnight Flyer** » November 3, 2005 12:08 pm

Snowparrot wrote:Wilma has cancelled our plans to go to Playa del Carmen. Playa's pretty fine, actually, but Cancun airport will not reopen soon and our charter co. will not be flying until Nov. 10, and I have only the 5-12 to travel.

Our travel agent has suggested St Maarten, and there is a wonderful deal at the Great Bay Beach Resort, but most of the reviews on Trip Advisor say it's rundown and not good. Of course, Trip Advisor reports do tend to be negative! Anyone have any opinions?

Jimmy is down St. Barth's way now (went down yesterday). I am sure taking a well deserved break.

BuffettNews.com

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