To be totally honest, I am sick to death with regard to the constant tipping scam often perpetrated on island visitors on both sides of the island, and the following is just my personal take on the whole issue. I'm not asking for people to agree or disagree but this is my honest opinion.

Tipping should be a choice issue and not mandated by anyone and should be freely given for reasonable service or happily given for great service. And it should be at the discretion of the diner, and NOT dictated by the restaurants or the restaurant owners.

I can't tell you how many times I've been given merely adequate service in places that used to be top shelf since this new form of dining ransom has overtaken the Dutch side of the island, and there has been at least one occasion I would not have tipped at all because the service was so poor. And don't even get me started with regard to the French side. My mantra is now "Don't ask, don't tell" when dining there.

I know this isn't a popular position to take but I don't feel personally responsible for paying the restaurants' taxes, which really should be built into the line item prices on the menu; nor do I feel I should be forced to tip for poor service.

I guess I'm getting old and crotchety but the truth is, I have no issue with a twenty percent plus tip for good service but I strongly resent being forced to tip for less than okay. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />