8 Days in St. Maarten

Author: hootor
Date of Trip: September 2006

Our 8-day rental from Thrifty was $150.00 out the door and they provide airport pick-up. If you plan on seeing the Island, rent a car. If you will be staying at a resort most of the time, you can get by with a cab now and then.

Our first night was at the Summit, just northwest of the airport. Nice little place with pool, bar and open air restaurant, The Kissing Fish, operated by a great couple, Chole and Teri. The one night stay for 2 people was $70.00, out the door $84.

Then on to the Pelican Resort for the rest of the stay. Very nice place, lots of units and activities. Our unit did not have a beach view but we had a pool right outside our door. Did a two tank dive trip from their shop, Aqua Mania, and had a great time. The water was a little choppy and things were stirred up a bit but all in all, a great morning dive trip. We saw sharks, rays, eels, lobster and numerous other fish and creatures.

There are some nice secluded beaches on the west side just over the French side, Baie Longue, Plum Bay, and Baie Rouge. There are little parking areas next to beach access paths. The snorkeling was great. I saw many fish, squid and a couple of barracuda. Orient beach was a nice place to check out, lots of people and watersport activities but the water was pretty stirred up and there were a bunch of jelly fish around. Dawn’s Beach was about the same. The east end of Little Bay was great for snorkeling. There are a lot of nice rocks and a dive station with a sunken submarine to check out below Fort Amsterdam.

Restaurants are plentiful and we had great food and company at the ones we ate at; Kissing Fish (Teri cooks a mean omelet), Marks Place (great burgers and Dutch food), Uncle Harry’s, Miss C’s (allyou can eat ribs), Harbor, Rachels (at Mairgot), and roadside stands (ox tail stew and fish). We did most of our grocery and booze shopping at Gran Marche just above Philipsburg near KFC and by Marks Place.

Great views abound all over the island.A couple of exceptional views are at Peak Paradise (Pic Paradis) and French Cul de Sac area. The drive up to Pic Paradis was and adventure, one lane road and steep. There are a couple of hiking trails at the top and the view was awesome.

The open market area of Marigot near the water front is loaded with shops and souvenir items. As is the downtown area of Philipsburg’s Front Street. We had a great time, met a lot of nice people and the weather was beautiful to go along with the beautiful island.