There are many groceries convenient to the properties you are considering and if they don't work for you, or like some of us who hate to shop (one of us for sure....) you might also consider Jeannie's Shop and Drop grocery shopping and delivery service. She's also listed under the SXM sponsors and does an awesome job of providing the best in groceries to be had on the island

Definitely rent a car, if only to see the island as a whole as opposed to just that little slice of it found at the resort's you named. You could easily do without one but taxis at beaches are not very dependable IMO, and the island is a very easy drive.

A few powdery sand beaches we love are Simpson Bay Beach at Mary's Boon or Karachter, both of which offer free chairs and umbrellas with the purchase of meals; Mullet Bay Beach which does offer chair and umbrella rentals and Rosie's and DaLeos for beach lunches; Orient Baie Beach, an oasis of dining and most of the places offer chair rental concessions; and lastly, Pinel Island where lunch and chair rentals are also available and the 'getting there' is part of the fun. These are but a few of the great powder sand beaches and then there are many of the courser sand locations.

And if you're looking for a beach op similar to many of the Aruba beach areas, you might also consider a day on Great Bay Beach in Philipsberg. It's not a great beach destination by itself, and not one to head to if you want a true beach day, but it's an area where you can shop every type of store you could conceivably want along Front Street and the boardwalk, and then hop onto the beach for a great beach lunch and a cooling off at any number of chair and umbrella concessions.

So many other options on top of these but only so much time to see them all. IMO, St. Maarten - St. Martin is a great vacation destination but totally unlike anything we experienced in Aruba. See it all and you won't be sorry.

Moskies can be a problem. It's highly recommended you use a Deet based repellant jic. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />