Sign in with Facebook"I Still Have Sand in My Shoes" Sint Maarten by jenn_d
Sint Maarten Travel Guide: 361 reviews and 793 photos
Travelers often head to St Martin hearing that it has been nicknamed the Friendly Isle. For some, this conjours up notions of interactions with happy islanders. We learned that the name "Friendly Isle" was given to the not because of the local people but because French and Dutch sides peacefully coexist. The Dutch side has no minimum drinking age, allows prosititution, and gambling is legal. Crime is a serious issuse outside of the of the beach communities and anywhere after dark. There is also a considerable illegal immigration problem with people from Jamaica and Santa Domingo. The living conditions for the typical islander are very poor. It is a sharp contrast to the way foreigners live and vacation here.
Traveling to St. Martin from the west coast of the US took nearly 12 hours. It was a long way for us to travel for beaches similar to those in Mexico and Central America. Most of the tourists and ex pats were from the East Coast of the US where travel time is only between 3-4 hours and flights are direct.
Reviews (19)
Crab Races
Things to Do
(2)
Many of the local resorts have daily crab races. For a $5 entry fee you choose a crab and hope that it makes it around... more travel advice
Cruise Ship Days
Favorites
(3)
Cruise ships dock at the Great Bay several days a week. Stores in the Great Bay are only open when the cruise ships are... more travel advice
Rent a boogie board
Things to Do
(2)
Obviously the beaches here are the main draw, so I don't think I need to write a tip. Plan to spend about $10 on rentals... more travel advice
In & Out of Princess Juliana Airport
Transportation
(3)
Apparently it is common knowledge that if you arrive on the small prop planes your luggage has little chance of arriving... more travel advice
jenn_d's Related Pages
-
Tamarindo
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Anguilla
-
Playa del Carmen
-
Cancún
-
Mexico City
-
Cuernavaca
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Las Vegas
-
Poipu
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Long Beach
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
Seal Beach
Top 5 Page for this destination
-
San Francisco
-
Los Angeles
-
Newport Beach
-
Manhattan Beach
-
Wrightwood
-
Ventura
-
Marina del Rey
-
Supai
-
Parker
-
Alaska
Sint Maarten Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "The Friendly Island"
- "Our Visit to the Friendly Island"
- "St. Maarten of the Dutch Antilles Islands"
- ""The Friendly Isle""
- "Gateway to the Caribbean"
- "I Still Have Sand in My Shoes"
- "Sint Marteen - the Happy Island!"
- See All...
Explore the World
- San Miguel Dueñas
- Peng Chau Island Hotels
- Muhafazat al Qahirah
- Prince George Hotels
- Volterra
- Redcliffe Hotels
- Hutchinson Island
- International Falls
- Key West National Wildlife Refuge Hotels
- Périgueux
- North Bull Island
- Kalaoa Hotels
- Pisa Hotels
- Arkansas
- Zwanenburg
- Murano
- Crawfordsville
- Gumusluk
- Ullapool
- Moreton in the Marsh
Badges & Stats in Sint Maarten
- 19 Reviews
- 27 Photos
- 1 Forum posts
- 3 Comments
- 1,390PageViews
- See All Stats
- See All Badges (7)
Have you been to Sint Maarten?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Sint Maarten
- Wrote a Review Crab Races in Sint Maarten Things to Do
- Uploaded a Photo to "Crab Races"
- Commented on CaribNomad's Sint Maarten Page
- updated a Sint Maarten Travel Page "I Still Have Sand in My Shoes"
- Posted in Travel Sint Maarten Forum "Beach Question"
Top 10 Pages
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Long Beach
Intro, 30 reviews, 50 photos, 3 travelogues
-
Athens
Intro, 20 reviews, 58 photos, 5 travelogues
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Seal Beach
Intro, 19 reviews, 32 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Sint Maarten
Intro, 19 reviews, 27 photos
-
Mexico City
Intro, 17 reviews, 28 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Top 5 Page for this destination
Tamarindo
Intro, 16 reviews, 17 photos
-
Brugge
Intro, 16 reviews, 14 photos
-
Manarola
Intro, 12 reviews, 18 photos, 1 travelogue
-
Rome
Intro, 13 reviews, 16 photos
-
Amsterdam
Intro, 10 reviews, 17 photos, 1 travelogue
Friends
See All Friends (93)
Family Travel
Spa and Resort
Wine TastingLatest Sint Maarten hotel reviews
- Royal Palm Beach Resort
- 232 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2012 - Wyndham Sapphire Beach Club & Resort
- 299 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 9, 2012 - Royal Islander Club La Terrasse Resort
- 45 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 13, 2012 - The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten
- 650 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2012 - Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino
- 1164 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - Atrium Resort & Spa by Festiva Resorts
- 148 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2012 - Hotel La Plantation
- 115 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2012 - Princess Heights
- 201 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 23, 2012 - L'Esperance Hotel
- 18 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 19, 2012 - Hotel L'Esplanade
- 384 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 22, 2012 - Royal Islander Club La Plage
- 90 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 12, 2012 - La Vista Resort
- 61 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2012 - Le Petit Hotel
- 193 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 21, 2012 - Travel Inn Lodge
- 1 Review & Opinion
Latest: Nov 6, 2008 - Les Balcons d'Oyster Pond
- 39 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 20, 2012
Comments (3)
What was the name of this Bar?went in 2006 cant find the name of that bar was wondering if it is still there were taking another cruise this month and would love 2 go,Please email me back Pookey918@msn.com
LOVE the dining tips! .75 beer in one place, firemen in another...stop my beating heart!
Hi Jenn, nice set of pictures from St. Maarten. So, you rented a great villa with Sonja, good decision! Sorry, missed you guys, I am presently in Florida. Return one day, Vern
1 - 3 of 3