Spent 8 days (June 29 – July 7) on the island with my husband and two boys (10 and 6). Although I have visited many times with my friends, this is the 1st trip for my family. I was excited to play tour guide for them! I have also only visited during Regatta, so I was curious to see the difference of the island at another time of year. To be honest, I didn’t notice that much of a difference. Because of the construction, traffic was just as bad if not worse. There was less of a wait at restaurants and less people walking along the road in Simpson Bay, but everything else pretty much seemed the same to me.

Kids’ Activities

AquaMania Playstation – We spent about half a day playing on this stationary boat/playground out near Pelican. They loved it – we actually had the whole thing to ourselves for quite a while. By the time other people started arriving, we were getting kind of bored, so it worked out really well.

Loterie Farm – My kids say this was their favorite part of the trip. I had done the Extreme Zip Lines before, but I wasn’t sure what it was like for the kids. There are actually 3 courses. Extreme (for adventure seekers), Fly Zone (closer to the ground and less challenging), and Ti Tarzan (much closer to the ground for the little ones). We actually had to separate because my youngest was not tall enough for the Fly Zone. This wasn’t a problem, my husband went with my oldest and I took the youngest. They were a little hesitant in the beginning, but I encouraged them to give it a try. I was surprised how easily they learned to handle their safety lines and work the course and bridges. I kept trying to do it for my son at first and the guide scolded me – he was right because after a few tries, my son was perfectly capable of doing it himself. The whole thing took about 1 hour and a half. They had a blast and were so happy they faced their fears and met the challenge!

Carousel – A little expensive for ice cream, but worth a visit. 4 ice creams and a carousel ride cost around $35. Very clean and interesting place, good ice cream! The kids took a ride on the carousel and I took a stroll around the perimeter of the building checking out all the photos.

Go-Karts – Wow, $40 for 5 minutes on the track. But, they begged so much…I couldn’t resist. Quite a sophisticated operation - I was impressed. The clubhouse or whatever you call it, was really cool inside with other games and pool tables. The kids loved the professional looking track and thought it was cool they got to wear helmets. My 10 yr old had no problems…it was a little more challenging for my youngest, but he did pretty good.

Beaches

Maho – Fun for adults and kids alike. My husband and kids became instant Maho fans – plane spotting and chasing down the planes. We could all sit there all day and never get tired of it. We frequented both sides of the beach – Driftwood Boat Bar and Sunset Bar and Grill – love them both equally.

Mullet – Mullet was in PERFECT condition the week we were there. I remember it as being rough on previous visits, but this was the beach of choice for us. The water was crystal clear blue and calm. I could watch the kids swim without worry and they sometimes snorkeled with their dad over by the rocks. There was quite a drop-off from erosion, but the kids had fun jumping off “the cliff”. We thoroughly enjoyed all the hours spent relaxing and playing at Mullet. We did see an American guy hassling a lady putting up the umbrellas and chairs – he apparently had a problem with her asking him to move his beach blanket and stuff. He refused to move and sat there mouthing off to her for about a half-hour. I don’t see why he was making such a big deal – there was a ton of open space to the right of the beach. I actually overhead him yell “This is OUR beach.” I had to laugh. I think he had a lot of nerve to give a hard time to a local who is just trying to make a living. He looked like such a fool. Like I said, there was plenty of open space on the other side of the beach! I know it’s a public beach, but to see an obviously spoiled American stomping his feet yelling “This is OUR beach!”, just looked ridiculous. That is my opinion anyway.

Pinel Island – We took the ferry over and spent the day at Up on the Key. The waitress was really friendly and the kids enjoyed watching people pick lobsters from the cages in the water. They even got to hold them. They also did a lot of snorkeling. Another great beach for kids…calm water. Loved our time spent there. It was cloudy that day and we had a little rain, but for the most part….it was a nice day. The only bad part of it was a bunch of locals fighting with each other at the ferry dock before we went over. They had absolutely no respect for the kids standing there listening to their foul language. I finally had to move the kids away. Then when we got back HOURS later, there were more people standing there arguing. My son was like….”I can’t believe they are STILL fighting!” It was pretty funny actually.

Orient – Our first attempt at spending a day on Orient ended up in a washout. We waited for the rain to clear and then it became apparent that it was not going to stop. This was a real bummer because it was my 40th birthday and the whole reason we took the trip! I imagined a much different scenario when we booked the trip, yet here I was standing in Bikini Beach staring at the downpour in front of me. I realized that we better head back to the Dutch side because of possible flooding, so we headed back and spent the day at our condo. The kids swam in the rain – they didn’t really mind. We visited Orient again at the end of our trip and it was kind of cloudy, windy and rough that day. Not my favorite beach day.

Simpson Bay – Our condo was actually on Simpson Bay Beach. Since it was right outside our door – we obviously spent quite a bit of time there. Lots of soft white sand and bright blue water. Simpson Bay Beach is one of my favorite spots. It was just a little rough for the kids. My oldest was fine, but my 6 yr old could get easily wiped out if he wasn’t past the breakers.

Restaurants/Bars

Sint Maarten Yacht Club – had breakfast here…it was ok…just a typical breakfast.

Driftwood Boat Bar – love the van pizza and atmosphere…one of my faves.

Skipjacks – friendly service, good food. The Grouper was AWESOME. I believe it was the owner that came by our table once and twice and he seemed really nice. The kids were fascinated with the lobsters. We had a good time there.

Up on the Key (Pinel) – friendly service, good “beach bar” food, complimentary shots and 2 free drinks with umbrella/chair rental. One of my favorite days of the trip.

Bamboo Bernies – Service was ok. Food was great. We had sushi (very good), and I also had the grilled skirt steak – loved it. I definitely plan to go back – the only reason I never tried it before is because they were always so busy and I couldn’t get a table.

Mr. Busby’s Beach Bar – good beach bar food – not the friendliest people I’ve ever met. Maybe because we were their first customers of the day. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t the nicest day either, so I would like to try it out on a sunny day.

Sopranos – decent food, good service. Nothing overwhelming.

Sunset Beach Bar –awesome place for planes, burgers, fries and beer…what more can I say?

Rosie’s – we made the mistake of getting burgers – not good. The hot dogs and ribs are the way to go, trust me.

Pineapple Pete – always wonderful service and good food. My husband had the stuffed grouper and loved it. Kids got free ice cream and were very happy. The server was great with the kids. I don’t think I ever miss a dinner at Pineapple Pete when I’m on the island.

Cheri’s – Well, let me say that I didn’t go to Cheri’s for the food. I’ve never actually liked the food there. But, we went there for the 4th of July party for the kids. Unfortunately, the kids were EXHAUSTED from swimming all day and didn’t really enjoy the show. It was really crowded and our food took forever to come out. We finally had to leave because the kids couldn’t keep their eyes opened! Oh well. The staff is always friendly…it just wasn’t a good night for us.

Peg Leg – We actually ended up going there after the wash-out of my birthday. The place was almost empty – maybe because of the weather. I wasn’t crazy about the food. I had the Ahi Tuna app, and I just didn’t care for it. That’s usually my favorite food. Steak was ok…nothing compared to Uncle Harry’s, Bajatzu or Rare. Staff was fun and friendly, but the food just didn’t do it for me.

Coco Beach on Orient – food was ok, staff was a little snobby.

Calmos Café – my FAVORITE moment of the trip. I had never been there before despite knowing about all the recommendations. I wish I gone before! We had a casual dinner at a picnic table while the kids played in the water. The sampler with shrimp, swordfish, mahi-mahi and tuna was DELISH, as well as the satay chicken. The music was perfect, the sun setting and view was perfect – everything was perfect. Nice waitress and interesting people-watching. Can’t wait to go back!

Other tidbits...

Traffic – It was awful…getting through Simpson Bay was a nightmare, Marigot wasn’t much better.

Weather – not ideal, but thankful we had a few really good days. Only 1 total washout.

Crime – Nothing to report. I was a little nervous when I read about the break-in at Beachside Villas because we were right down the beach at Coco Beach, on the 1st floor. But, I just kept the hurricane shutters closed while we slept and while we were out. It wasn’t an issue. The security guard was standing the parking lot every single night when we came home, so that was reassuring as well.

All in all, I thought we would have a lot more time to see other things, but as always…time just flew by. I wanted to take them to the Butterfly Farm and explore Fort St. Louis, but we just ran out of time. I don’t know when we will be back as a family because there are so many other places to visit, but this trip was a dream come true for me and the perfect birthday present. For anyone who thinks SXM isn’t for kids…you are sooooo wrong. By far our BEST family vacation EVER!