GC, Philipsburg, Euros and OB

Twenty-seven sleeps to go! We’re very excited to be returning to St. Martin for our third year and celebrate a milestone anniversary. I’ve been scouring TTOL and getting some great information but I have some questions that I hope can be answered.

There used to be a couple of variety/mini mart stores as you entered Grand Case from the south. Did they survive the storm? They were close to where we stay and were convenient to replenish groceries in lieu of driving to Super U in Marigot.

We have yet to visit Philipsburg but it’s on our list this year. Where should a first timer visit and where can you park? I imagine more stores will be open and it would be a better experience when a cruise ship is making a stop?

This next question is mainly aimed at my fellow Canucks. I’m one of those travellers that likes to pay cash for certain activities (dinners, souvenirs, etc). Most of our time and money will spent on the French side. One of the restaurants that used to offer 1€ = $1 USD no longer does so and I’m sure that deal would difficult to find anywhere. Do you think it would now be better for Canadians on the French side to take mostly Euros now instead of exchanging our dollar twice?

We have made a quick stop at Orient Village/Beach but never to the Club O section. I’ve read that parking is behind Perch Lite but I haven’t a clue as to how to get there. Coming from Grand Case, do I pass Orient Village entrance and take the next left? Can we take a cooler of beverages or would that be considered gauche or can I get a beer there and support the economy?

A big thanks to all that post there experiences here. Your reviews and suggestions have helped to make our previous SXM vacations very memorable.

I can only help with the parking question. There is a pay lot in the center of town, a couple of blocks behind the old courthouse. There is also free parking a couple of streets further back but it often fills up quickly. There is also a pay lot near Chesterfield's as you are heading towards the cruise ship pier. If you eat at Chesterfield's they were validating your parking for the first 2 hours.

You are correct, there will more places open and probably longer hours on a day a ship or ships are in port.

Have fun!

As for Phillipsburg, I would go when there is at least one cruise ship in as there will be more activity and stores will be open. Things to do include shopping, eating, and just hanging out. We like Holland House, and Blue Bitch bar but there are many. Front street has the more upscale stores and many jewelry stores, Back street has more bargain type stores, there is also a market.

Parking should not be hard to find that time of year, we usually find something on back street but there is a pay lot near the center of town and free lots closer to the salt pond which is a few blocks away from front street.

For Perch Lite I would use the butterfly farm road then take first left and left again at the old Club O entrance, Perch Lite will be on your right, hard to miss.

US dollars are still best bet for us, we do however use CC as well, to avoid extra charges we have a US bank account that we transfer money into whenever our dollar spikes a bit using Knightsbridge then use a BMO US MasterCard that gets automatically paid from our us bank account. The BMO card cost $35 per year but fee is waved if more than 1k is spent, this avoids the foreign currency exchange fee. Pineapple Pete used to take CDN cash at 1.2 which was nice and we have done that in the past.

We were there in January for three weeks and enjoyed so much we are also planning to return in July.

Hope this helps, have a great time.

Ollie,

Purely a personal opinion but I wouldn’t miss a quick trip into Pberg. We love to people watch there but I wouldn’t recommend a Day in town when there are lots of ships in port. One or two is stimulating and adds to the vibrancy of the city but more than that, IMHO, adds chaos to the experience.

We generally go into town early and have breakfast along the beach somewhere - Holland House is a good possibility for me since it’s across the street from my favorite SXM jeweler, but we also like to eat at Chesterfields and as already mentioned, they will validate your parking stub. Our other favorite breakfast stops have either gone out of business or were destroyed in Irma. If you plan on parking in the midtown lot you need to get there very early or be very lucky, or at least this is our usual experience though we haven’t been post-Irma sonthings might be a little less crowded now.

Things we enjoy beyond seeing some long-time Island friends include checking out the boats at the marina and viewing the Courthouse and some of the churches on Front Street. I think there’s a museum in town but in all honesty we’ve never been there. And there’s always shopping if all else fails....

If you happen to be in town midday, there are some great restaurants for lunch. We always enjoyed Antoine’s though it changed hands a year or so ago and we haven’t been there for lunch since this happened.😊😊

We had no problem finding street parking on Grand Case and Phillipsburg. Definitely go into Phillipsburg when a ship is in town and be ready for attack of the time share people. In Phillipburg be sure to grab a spot before the school or church. Once you hit the gate parking is scarce through the main part of town. Then you need to go to back street to find a spot.

In GC the only place doing 1:1 is La Villa but it's built into there pricing. Everyone will be thrilled to see you. Have a great time.

Be prepared not just for the timeshare people, but for those awful fly-by-night skin care scams! They were a problem before but it is AWFUL now!

As you walk by they try to engage you in conversation, a free sample, a question, or whatever. One particular young woman was so rude to me three times (did you forget I just walked past you and said NO!?) that I wanted to punch her.

https://www.sxm-talks.com/local-news/is-frontstreet-being-flooded-with-cosmetic-scam-operations/

I agree with Canuck54. U.S. cash so the merchants don't have credit card fees. If you can, buy your drinks & food at Perch to support these people who are trying very hard to make your experience there as good as it can be.
Parking at Bobby marina should not be a problem. But yes go when at least one cruise ship is in. Lots of people to approach you if there aren't ships in.
I'm pretty sure those stores are open in grand case at the south end.
You will be glad you went.
If you are flying westjet I'd like to know if planes are full from Canada.
Cheers!

"There is a pay lot in the center of town, a couple of blocks behind the old courthouse"
It is no longer a pay lot. Cars park every direction in the lot and no attendant. Cars will park in the normal stalls and then a row of cars down the middle which prevents you to get out. Fills up with merchants and construction workers very early. Parking along the salt pond, which is free also fills up fast.

Thanks for the update. Sounds like a mess.

Thanks so much for the great information. It is invaluable to our vacation experience and greatly reduces my mild anxiety when discovering and exploring new locations. Your tips about certain pitfalls are noted and very appreciated. We can’t wait to be a small piece of the puzzle to the island’s recovery.