TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin First Time Couple Visit

We will be visiting soon and we were wondering if The Red Piano the best place to "meet" locals ect. We will be stay at the Little Divi resort so we are not sure how far of a drive this might be. My wife is really excited about our visit and we have heard nothing but great things about St Martin. Open to suggestions.

IMO Not a "locals" place......and if you don't like the smell of tobacco smoke don't go.

SXMBND - Recommendations?

"Jazz Brunch" at Rendezvou Lounge in Porto Cupecoy Sunday afternoon. More R&B etc than jazz. Good music, low key atmosphere. Good food. Reasonable. Make Reservations.

Also the bar at Mullet Bay has some good local music in late afternoon. I can't remember name.

If you are looking to hang out with locals in the evening, you might try the WE Lounge in Maho. Wait a week though, they were just shut down for a week for breaking curfew.

That is what she is looking to do. Thanks for this info - big help!

Good place to go for no social distancing. 😉

Very helpful Scuba.

Try to be.👍

If you would like to meet and hangout with locals during the day, Mullet beach is always packed with locals on Sunday.

What makes Sundays special for locals at Mullet Bay? Sounds perfect...

Sunday is the day that many citizens take the day to relax and enjoy the day. You will see families , friends and individuals hanging out and enjoying their weekly day at the beach.

Mullet is a huge beach and Mullet Bay is protected and the water is usually very calm. Great beach.

Opened the St Martin Forum tonight and 1 out of 6 posts was not titled with a COVID overtone. Then a one response spoiled it. I thought everyone was vaxed with boosters. Getting old. Would like more TRAVEL Forum than COVID Forum .

Tourism is way down, hence fewer trip reports. Some people are trying to figure out ways to get to the island and one of the biggest stumbling blocks is testing and EHAS support, why it is a frequent subject.

Well not many locals are vaxed and don't plan to be. Rose colored glasses won't help.

You'll find Pinel, Orient and most beaches are frequented by locals on Sundays.

How is it protected?? I have been at Mullet beach both when it's been calm, and other times when people were actually surfing there!!!! There is NO PROTECTION there....it is right on the Ocean. It all depends on the wind, and surf conditions. The main attraction at Mullet, is probably the ''world famous'' Rosie's Rib shack. NEVER disappoints.

Give it a rest.

IMHO, SMYC (Airport road)!! Food is good, service is great, great HH and many locals hang out there. Plus it's fun to watch the boats come/go threw the canal!! AND of course the BEST Bloody Mary on the island! IMHO! LOL!!!

Being on the southern side of the island with the additional PROTECTION offered by the natural out-cropping of land at the western end of Maho, Mullet Beach is sheltered more than many of the beaches on Sint Maarten, from the stronger winds and sea. **Thanks for the info, but I always knew that all 37 of the beaches that SXM is known for are "right on the ocean". Overalll, Mullet most often enjoys fairly calm waters especially at the Eastern end of the beach.

Other's opinions:

US News & World Report
"Many call calm and quiet Mullet a decent alternative to the noise and sand blasts of Maho Bay, or to the crowds of the French side's Orient Bay. Along with its clear waters, travelers were pleased with Mullet Bay's soft sand and surfer-ready waves."

TA July, 2021
"Mullett Bay is a beautiful white sand beach with crystal clear water. The water is calm most of the time with a few waves here and there. It is a very busy and popular beach."

TA July, 2021
"The beach is great, most of the time like a big infinity pool. Fun to people watch, and some snorkeling along the sides as well."

Fodors
"Many believe that this mile-long, powdery white-sand beach behind the Mullet Bay Golf Course is the island's best. You can rent umbrellas and chairs here. Swimmers like it because the water is usually calm, but when the swell is up, surfers take over. The calm cove at the south end is good for kids. Listen for the "whispering pebbles" as the waves wash up. "


Another plus for Mullet is that it has had fewer problems with sargassum(seaweed) than the northern & eastern beaches have experienced.

"Rosies" is enjoyable but I doubt it draws everyone to Mullet.


The original poster inquired about meeting locals, Mullet is the #1 beach among locals and many come for it's soft beach, protected cove at the Eastern end that provides, usually, calm conditions for snorkelling and swimming. Many locals seem to bring their own food and drinks so I'm not sure that Rosies draws them to Mullet.

I apologize if some took my initial description to imply that Mullet was like a bathtub, covered by a dome.

Mullet is a favorite local s beach, especially on a Sunday. As you stated, it can be bath tub calm or 6'-10' rollers that can wipe people out. Still my all-time favorite beach on the island.

Are most of the ppl on this forum not from St Martin but primarily travelers to SXM? Is there a forum that made of primarily folks from SXM?

Mostly visitors/travelers and many of them long time visitors as in 30+ years and more. There are several SXM residents who do contribute also.

Okay, then, as an almost fifty year annual visitor, Mullet is our personal favorite island beach, too. Ruralcarrier said it well - “‘Mullet waters can be as tame as bathtub waters or as wild as you can imagine with board surfers taking over the beach.” Back in April of this year every day we attempted Mullet it was way too wild for us. It doesn’t usually attract the dreaded sargassum seaweed and as of now it is a full service beach. Rosie’s ribs will always be our favorite but there is a second and relatively new upscale beach bar that also features chair rentals, bathrooms and great libations, though I’m told it’s kind of pricey. And then there’s Mulletvitself where anyone can plop down their coolers and blankets and enjoy the beach their way, too.

As far as mixing in with the locals, Sunday’s on Mullet are the time and the place too mix and mingle beachside with the islanders from both sides of the island. In honesty, these days it gets much too crowded with revelers from all over the world for our personal enjoyment but back in the day, Mullet was our Sunday favorite, too.
Today there are too many organized boating daytrips that pull in there as well and to me, while I love it on a quiet day, it’s typically much too busy for me. I guess my age is really showing, even in my words. 🙂🙂

Not sure exactly what interaction you are looking for, in a forum, with direct interaction with locals? Maybe you can be more specific of your needs and wants and get a more specialized response.

Close, folks…..but no cigar!! 🙂🙂

you can also check out "container town" where Captain D's is located....string of several shipping containers that have been converted to restaurants/bars....decent local food at decent prices...mostly locals....really picks up at night...check out the karaoke

When we were there in the evening that local crowd looked pretty rough for us. Didn't feel safe.