We stay on the French side and recreate there 99% of our time also. That said we know that on the Dutch side the nightlife is better. We both try to cram some basic French language through Duolingo app on our iPhones a few months before our journey but it seems to only help with reading menus.

I think part of what we enjoy is not understanding most of the conversations we overhear...odd as that may sound. There are a lot of high maintenance travelers who don't seem to get the whole island time thing and recognize it as part of what makes the caribbean such a relaxing destination. I've found that when we are on the Dutch side (and also the one breakfast that I had at GCBC) we are around more folks who are very expressive about their expectations for service, etc...sometimes it dampers the vibe for us.

We need to give the Dutch side more of a chance as most of my impressions are based on a very small set of references.