1st time poster, love the forum that you have here!

We're making our 1st trip to St Martin in a few weeks. I've loved reading your stories & insights into St Martin & have a few questions for you experts.

We fly Winair from SJU to SXM midday on a Friday. Any tips or thoughts on that flight? We've not traveled much & this will be our 1st small carrier between islands.

Renting a car at SXM for 4 days. I've read that many highly recommend Kenny's. But I'll probably book thru the Chase Travel Portal so that we have $0 out of pocket. I'm looking at a convertible Mini from Greenmotion @ SXM for $173 total. Or maybe a sedan from Alamo/National/Mex for ~$220-250. Booked on a Sapphire Reserve so that should cover liability. Comments or suggestions are welcome.

We're staying 4 nights at Secrets St Martin. Recent reviews seem to be all over the place but we're Hyatt Globalists & a free stay on points dictates our lodging. Any thoughts on this resort? Or the protected bay there? Any sargassum here?

wrt things to do, we're pretty content to lay on the beach & eat/drink for free but would like a small number of experiences while on the island.

Definitely want to experience the planes at Maho. Planning to park @ Sunset Beach Bar, get a drink, & then walk to the airport fence area. Can you watch the fun from the bar? I think we want to get pretty close but stay just long enough to say that we did it.

Pinel Island looked great but those sargassum pics are crazy. Is it still worth going over there?

Any suggestions for 1 or 2 beaches, hikes, spots that we simply can't miss?

And what would be the 2 or 3 other things that 1st time visitors must see/do/eat/experience?

Thanks again for sharing. Your discussions have already been incredibly helpful to us!

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!!

1. Rent from SAX Best service on the island with Cindy and her lovely husband Anil Puran. https://www.saxcarrental.com/
2. must have Bloody Mary and breakfast at The Yacht club!
3. Driftwood has better drinks and food to watch the planes landing!
4. Bring plenty of high number sun block!!
5. Fine dinning at Subline in Maho village.
6. Greenhouse for the Prime rib night special!!
7. Fun adventure on the Rhino Safari riders around the west end of the island with snorkeling at Creole rock! Ask for Leo! https://www.rhinotours.com/
Just to name a few things.
Next trip book with Tracy Mascarin at Beachside villa's, you will want for nothing!! http://www.beachsidevillas.com/

Many ideas will be forthcoming but it will be important to understand different points of view.
For instance Colour1 recommends the Rhino Riders. And for the younger set, they are likely a lot of fun. I went several years ago and wound up with some fairly bad back pain from all the bouncing on the waves!

My husband and I booked a private tour with Eagle tours at the height of Covid. We went on a boat with just the two of us and a captain and first mate. It was fantastic. Just a lovely way to see St Maarten.

Everyone should go to Sunset beach bar once. But the few times I have been there have been more than enough for me. The stupid people hanging on the fence during a jet take off. Do you really need to feel sandblasted?
That said, as a former flight student (never made it to getting my license), it is amazing to watch the planes landing there.

lcote--It's kind of hard to hang onto the fence anymore, as they put up a second fence, but I get you. Mostly people who want a thrill stand on the beach now and get blown into the water.. As David said, you can sit at Driftwood also and watch the planes. I disagree that the food is better at Driftwood, but it is a more classic beach bar feel than Sunset. Parking is often very difficult at Driftwood also. For Sunset, there is plenty of parking, you just have to get your parking ticket validated at Sunset, otherwise it's like $5 for parking at Sunset?? Not sure.

Good morning to both of you and welcome!
I think/ hope you find SXM addictive like most of us here have.
I cannot comment on where you are staying other than to say the beach is wonderful the road in and out is 'challenging' (especially if it rails...)
going to Maho is an experience but remember that SBB is not the only bar on the beach. Driftwood has an excellent vibe and really good food and drinks. If you get the FlightRadar app you can get advance look ant what's coming in too.
Pinel is a great place to spend the day. Not sure what is going in with the seaweed though...
One of our favorite places is Friar's Bay Beach Cafe - beach food elevated! A trip to either the Marigot Market (Wednesdays and Saturdays) and/ or Phippsburg for people watching when the cruise ships are in is always a good time too. if you have the time (and the inclination) Mullet should be on your list as well.
In any case have a great time and meet people!
cjr

Good afternoon, stick to Dutch St Maarten beaches, the Sargassum can
irritate ones skin

Calico--it's not only French side beaches affected. Dawn Beach is normally heavily affected, as well as some other areas.

Safe travels and you have chosen a great destination. My only comment is no convertible mini and like anywhere in the world you travel use common sense. Thanks

Lots of good advise. I would add, go into Grand Case at least 1 night for dinner. Lots of gourmet restaurants.

and good luck with Winair. Do not be shocked by schedule changes etc. Be aware of their status.
Mullet is a great beach!

Wow! Thank you all so much for the wonderful suggestions!

Would love to try many of your suggestions for meals & excursions but we're budget travelers. Flights & stays in both San Juan & St Martin are all on points except Winair which is a $400 splurge. When we get to travel, we try to keep our total expenses to $100/day so, after Winair & car rentals, we'll have around $100-200 for food/drinks/fun on StMartin. We'll probably stay on the all inclusive property for food/drinks with only a few small exceptions.

I just confirmed with Lesley (you didn't tell me his middle name was Elvis!) with Kenny's. $180 total for a 4 night rental. Told him we're at Secrets & he put us in a Nissan Versa. He seems great!

Here's our plan so far:

Friday:
- Arrive 2:30p
- Get car
- Stop at Sunset Bar & watch the the cruise ship crowd for an hour (this is the only day of our trip with a ship on StM)
- Check in @ Secrets, Stay on site for dinner

Saturday:
- Best weather forecast of our 4 night stay so we'll explore the island most all day
- Window shopping in Phillipsburg
- Mullet Beach, maybe a drink @ Rosie's or DaWateringHole if we want real bathrooms
- Maho again if we want to experience the fun when it's less crowded (no ships today) Maybe try Driftwood
- Will probably drive to Pinel & take some pictures for my blog

Sunday:
- Secrets all day
- Weather says "PM Showers"

Monday:
- no plans yet
- Weather says "Showers"

Tuesday:
- SXM-BNA 2pm so probably just a lazy morning @ the resort before we head to airport

@chuckval thx for the FlightRadar tip
@Carol_Hill thx for the Winair & all your other tips

I've got a few more questions if you'll indulge me.

Will we easily (& cheaply) be able to buy sunscreen & a small pair of scissors at a market when we arrive? Something like a 7/11 store?
Are bugs a problem? Do we need to buy insect repellant?
Do we need to plan around the weather forecasts of "Showers" & "PM Showers" or will any rain showers pass pretty quickly?
We're both vaccinated US citizens. It looks like we just need to fil out the EHAS form & pay $15 insurance with no test required, right? Does it matter that we're arriving from San Juan, PR?

Finally, some of you seem to love pictures & reviews. I promise to share lots of pictures here & I'll have a full post on my blog a couple weeks after our trip.

"Saturday:
- Best weather forecast of our 4 night stay so we'll explore the island most all day
- Window shopping in Phillipsburg
- Mullet Beach, maybe a drink @ Rosie's or DaWateringHole if we want real bathrooms wink
- Maho again if we want to experience the fun when it's less crowded (no ships today) Maybe try Driftwood
- Will probably drive to Pinel & take some pictures for my blog"
Too much to do in one day. Phillipsburg is opposite end of island from Mullet and Maho. Can't drive to Pinel. It's an island and need to take ferry to get there. Pinel needs it's own full day and Saturday would be worst day as lots of locals go there on the weekends. Best to go during week.

Good points.
I understand Pinel is an island. I should have said that we might drive to the Cul-de-Sac area & take some pictures. With the reports of heavy sagassum, I don't think we'll spend much time here. But I wanted to see for myself in case the sargassum has been cleaned up "enough" to make the trip to Pinel worthwhile. If it is, that could be a good trip on Monday when we don't have other plans yet. Thanks!

First, do NOT go to SSBB with all your luggage in the car!!!!!! Can I say that again?? NO. If you are doing only carry-on, you could do it, so long as you take your luggage with you.

I would not worry about the weather forecast, as weather forecasts on island are even more a 'suggestion' than they are at home. Unless there is a tropical wave coming through, showers come through and are gone.

I'm not sure why you need to buy a small pair of scissors on island. If you need them, just bring them with you. With regard to sunscreen, there are lots of places you can buy it on island. As far as bugspray, if you are a bug magnet, yes, I would bring it.

No test required if you are vaccinated, yes. Arriving from SJU, hopefully you will avoid big crowds at immigration, which of course is an advantage.

Please post pictures and a report when you arrive!! Looking forward to it!!!

If you're not going to Pinel, no reason to drive to Cul de Sac to take pictures. Nothing to take pictures of.

Not even if our bags are all in the trunk? Are car break ins near SXM that much worse than in your average US city? Sorry if I'm being horribly dense. And yes, we travel light. 1 carry on & 1 personal item each.


You're right, nevermind. I just checked TSA & I can take small ones with me.


Even if we don't go out to Pinel, I'm hoping to see as much of the island as we can, even if it's just a quick look & a picture. And I enjoy taking lots of pictures which may or may not be share worthy, especially when this may be the 1 time that we ever visit St Martin.

You & scubaman have raised another question. The island is pretty small, right? It looks like cul de sac is only a 6 minute drive from my resort. Philipsburg shows as 27 minutes from Mullet Bay. Are the estimated drive times on Google maps wrong? Or are you just thinking about what would be best based on your experience? A 15 minute side trip to assess the sargassum situation 1st hand seems like it would be worth it to us.

Google doesn't take island traffic into account. As far as sargassum even if its at cul de sac as long as ferry is running Pinel will be good.

NO--It doesn't matter where your bags are, do NOT go anywhere and leave your bags in the car. Please.

As far as google drive times, nothing on the island is really far away.

As Carol said, leave NOTHING in the car or trunk!! Period!! Unless your car is in sight ALL the time, anything left in it (including the truck) could easily be gone. It is not worth the risk.

You may want to get there and get settled the first day. Sunset looks fun on line but it isn’t all that great. If you want to people watch just go downtown Nashville and you have it. If you arrive at 2:30 pm, by the time you clear customs and get your car it could be close to 3:30- 4:00. You do not want to travel to Secrets in the dark, the road is no fun.

Caribbean weather forecasts are never accurate until the day of, maybe. Also it could be raining on one side and not the other so I would never plan ahead with weather as a factor unless the is a Tropical Storm headed close. When we travel to Jamaica it says rain everyday. We have never seen a drop in the daytime just showers overnight so I guess they were right.

I would hang mostly on the French side. It’s close to base and you can see Grand Case, Orient and Cul-de Sac if you want. Don’t spend you day in traffic, lost on some road or dealing with local drivers on scooters or trucks.

It’s vacation, hang out and reconnect with each other and Secrets is probably a great place to do that. At the end of your days you will probably say “why did we rent a car? It hasn’t moved once.”

Personally speaking, you have planned a busy itinerary which, if it were me, I’d scrap the whole thing and just have a few highlights in mind. Time so has a way of getting away from you there.

Secrets is on a lovely beach location but it is pretty well removed from most of the areas you’re thinking of visiting and the road in and out can be somewhat daunting. Not sure I’d like to travel it after dark.

Re the luggage, as already stated, do NOT leave it unattended even locked in the trunk of your car. Lesley will probably tell you the same thing.

Friars Bay Beach Cafe is great but will most probably totally wreck your daily budget. By the time you rent chairs(or chair cushions?), order a round of drinks and then lunch, your daily budget is done.

Re the rhino riders, I know they’re great fun but can cause real issues for anyone with back issues to begin with.

We are Dutch side fans although the island should be seen as a whole and not as either French or Dutch. If you get to Mullet Beach, which I highly recommend, lunch at Rosie’s as a must do if you’re a fan of real beach eats . Her dry rub ribs are yummy and it’s one of the more economical beach eat locations.

Traffic can be horrendous, particularly first thing in the morning and from about 4 pm till 7-ish when people are going to or from the beaches or work. Parking in Philipsberg can be problematic, too. If a sign says NO PARKING - don’t as they can and have been known to hook cars.

Re SSBB and plane watching, if you do this please don’t try to walk on the divider wall between the two lanes of traffic and remember, this is a busy road. Please don’t block the travel lanes.. People have slipped off the divider wall and fallen into the on-coming traffic. I’d probably prefer viewing from the Boat Bar but the parking situation is easier at SSBB and my understanding is you can get comped the $5.00 parking fee.

And while in this general area, you might consider an hour or two or even lunch at El Zafiro further down White Sands road from SSBB. Chairs and umbrellas are free with the purchase of meals or drinks and it’s a very low-keyed location.

Have a wonderful trip. We’ve been visiting every year at least once a year for 49 years now and haven’t tired of our favorite island yet. There’s always something new to see or do and while we’ve vacationed on many of the other islands in the Caribbean, SXM is the only one that draws us back year after year. ENJOY! 😊😊

And as a last add-on thought, do consider an inexpensive but enjoyable meal at one of the lolos in Grand Case.

Excellent points....all of them

Regarding luggage in the trunk. We had a soft-side bag stolen out of our trunk. The bag contained our dirty clothes, and nothing else. Recovered about an hour later, found behind some shrubbery, unzipped and abandoned.

Also, don't be shy about taking bags with you into Sunset Beach Bar. Everybody who sees you doing so will know EXACTLY why you are doing it.

Enjoy.

You might want to rethink the whole maho SSBB or Driftwood sightseeing itinerary once you check the schedule. You're arriving 2:30 apx, and customs , luggage, paperwork with your car rental. You may not be out of the airport for 35-45 minutes, give or take. Not to many of the major carriers come in after 4pm. IMHO, after a long day, I'd make my way to your resort, you have a good ride getting to that side of the island. For a first timer, I'd get there first. Do the Maho airport thing on a day where the majors are coming in one after another between 1-4pm!! Here is a link so you can plan your day. Yes, I'm going to jump on the NO LUGGAGE thing in the car!! Not unless one of you stays with it to run in to a market for some essentials! Scissors, as long as they are in a case in your luggage, not carry on, you're good. I know this from experience. Have a great time, you'll be rebooking again soon! 20 plus years and counting! https://www.sxmairport.com/flights-info.php

I agree completely with Boucharda.... these guys know their stuff. I have followed so many tips and not been lead astray! Knowing a few secrets makes for a wonderful trip... Just to add..


Kenny will tell you not to leave bags in car... even trunk... as Pat mentioned.

Dany's Beach Bar at Cupecoy is a cool spot and I think he has the BEST rum punch on the island.

Try to go to Grand Case as someone mentioned... we didn't make it until about our 3rd trip and we are sorry we didn't go sooner!

Have a wonderful trip!