Welcome, guys! If you need any help, let me know.

Regarding the trip on Winair, be prepared for the real possibility that you cannot take anything bigger than a briefcase onboard. And be prepared with WATER, as in all likelihood, it is going to be HOT until you get off the ground. Small planes don't have access to a/c while on the ground, usually. Once you get off the ground, it should be a beautiful, very scenic flight! Hopefully there won't be any big planes landing around the same time and immigration in SXM will be a walk-up breeze.

Regarding car rental, since you are staying at Secrets DO NOT!!! get the mini!! The road going in and out of Secrets is very steep and a mini might not have enough power to get up and down that hill.

Regarding the resort in particular, most here do not do a/i in SXM, so not much knowledge here regarding Secrets, other than, from reports, the Secrets on SXM is not up to par with Secrets elsewhere. That bay is also home to Anse Marcel Beach Club, which is an EXTREMELY high end restaurant, not affiliated with Secrets. It will set you back probably $200, more or less, for a meal there, but worth it, in my opinion. The beach there is always dead flat calm, with very clear water, going out some distance. Beautiful water there. Regarding sargassum there, there should not be a problem with seaweed there, since it is on the north coast, and the beaches with the biggest concentration of sargassum are on the east coast of the island.

Regarding Maho, you can definitely see the planes from the bar, yes, just get up along the rail closer to the beach. My suggestion would be to pick a date on the cruise ship calendar (link at the top of the page here) when there are not going to be any ships in. Sunset will be calm and you won't have any problem finding a place to sit. OR, if you LIKE a crazy scene, pick a day when there is more than one ship in, if there are any, and watch stupid people stand and walk in the road.

To ME, I wouldn't bother to go to Pinel, since you are only going to be on island for 4 days, and the seaweed will still be an issue at the ferry dock, although not at Pinel. People often go to Pinel for the calm water, which you will have in spades at Secrets.

For other things to do on island, if you like shopping, Philipsburg is the place for that. High end stuff, as well as junk souvenir shops. Do NOT go to P'burg on Sunday if there are no ships in, as the shops will be closed. I would normally say go to Orient, but not sure what the sargassum situation will be. It was horrific last weekend, but they have cleaned up some now.

I would go to Mullet, which is a classic SXM beach. Do NOT go there on Sunday, as locals all go to the beach on Sunday and it will be very crowded and you need to be careful where you park, or you could get parked in. I personally would go to Rosie's, which is a classic beach bar, at the end closest to Maho. Da Watering Hole is on that end also, and it is a bit more upscale and does have real bathrooms, which Rosie's does not.

A word regarding safety here--Overall, SXM is relatively safe, but stuff left in cars in particular are a theft magnet. Do NOT leave anything in your car, at ANY time, at ANY place, for ANY length of time. In particular, do NOT stop anywhere on your way to or from the airport and leave your bags in the car. As far as safety in general, do not flash around large sums of cash or expensive jewelry or expensive 'toys', like I pads, etc. If you travel from the French side to the Dutch side after night, be careful driving through Marigot after night and definitely avoid Sandy Ground after night.

Enjoy your stay and please let us know all about your trip afterward and hopefully take some pictures to share also!!