As a fairly new member of the forum, I hope you'll excuse my ignorance about travel there. We leave for St Martin in 11 days and this will be our first time visiting the island. As far as the airport goes, how long does it generally take to retrieve luggage and go through whatever processes are necessary to enter the island? Also, can you give me a good rule of thumb as to when to arrive at the airport when returning home?

We leave DFW on Sunday 9/11/22 and arrive at SXM at around 1:30 PM. We leave SXM to return home on Sunday 9/18/22 at around 2:30 PM.

Thanks for your help, and BTW, I wish to thank all of you for the contributions you regularly make about local restaurants to try, beaches to go to, and places to stay. I have found this information extremely invaluable, particularly for a St Martin novice such as myself.

Hopefully one hour or less but it depends on how many other planes have arrived just prior to your plane. Retrieving luggage is the last thing you do before exiting the airport. I have had to wait on luggage in the past and I have had it waiting for me, it just depends on the number of flights, employees and the flow. I would allow 2.5-3 hours for your return flight. Better to be safe than sorry. Saturday is the busiest travel day and Sunday is probably second but nothing like a Saturday.

Good luck and enjoy.

Hi. Hopefully you have looked at the SXM official website, which sets out the requirements to enter SXM. If you haven't done so, check out the thread pinned to the top of the forum, which has a link to the current requirements. If you are vaccinated (regardless of whether you are boosted or not), you just need to fill out the pre-authorization forms online, print those out, and bring that with you, ALONG WITH YOUR PROOF OF VACCINATION, which you will also need in order to board the plane to come home. If you are not vaccinated, different rules apply.

A few items of interest for you when you arrive. There are no jetways in SXM, haven't been since Hurricane Irma in 2017. So, you will need to disembark through either stairs or a ramp to the tarmac. In many or most cases, there will be a RAMP at the front of the plane and stairs at the back. So, if you are toward the back of the plane, take a look out the window to see if they are bringing stairs to the back to the plane also. If so, turn around and go out the back. If you have mobility issues, just wait and go out the front of the plane so that you can use the ramp.

Once you arrive on the tarmac, normally you will have to ride on a bus to get to the terminal, although sometimes they do park close enough that you just walk. Once you get inside, you will need to go through security. The line ALL the way to the right is for local residents, so normally they don't allow tourists to use that line. Once you clear immigration, you will need to collect your luggage. Then you need to find your car rental guy or a taxi cab. If you have a car rental, make sure you remember the name of the company. They will be standing outside the terminal. If you get a taxi, just go out the front door and take the next one, but confirm with them the cost before you get in. You may want to take a look at the PJIA website on this Sunday and see how many planes are landing around the same time you are. If you are lucky, there won't be any big planes landing around the same time you are, and you may be in and out in under a half hour. Normally an hour is a good estimate on the weekend, as JD said.

On your return to the US, allow at least two hours. Hopefully you won't need that much time, but you don't want to miss the plane. Most likely you won't be able to check in online, so don't freak out if you can't check in online. There is a bar in the airport and a few small food shops, but many people do bring with them a sandwich or something similar to eat in the airport or on the plane.

Please feel free to post any other questions you have!

Wow, such great information Carol, and ruralcarrier! We are vaccinated and will make sure to fill out the form from the SXM official website. We've rented a car as well, so we'll be looking for the folks we rented from when we arrive. Carol, it's very helpful to know what to expect at the airport, coming and going since we are unfamiliar with the process. We're staying on the Dutch side at Flamingo Beach Resort, so we're not too far away either.

We're celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary and I can't think of a better place to do it at. So looking forward to exploring the island as much as we possibly can in a week! Like many of you here, I have the feeling we will be coming back here for many years to come.

First off, happy anniversary! 31!! That's great!!
Some pointers.
1. Do NOT leave anything in the car!!! Unless one of you is staying with it.
2. Caribbean sun is strong! bring plenty of high SPF lotions!!
3. Drive around the island there are so many beautiful beaches to choose from!! You can find maps at the airport after you retrieve your luggage. The island is like driving in NASCAR, just keep turning left and you'll be back at Flamingo in no time!
4. Do check out SMYC for the breakfast and spicy Bloody Marys!!
5. Sandbar in Beacon hill on Saturday nights has live music from 9-12 with our favorite band "What the funk"!!!
6.Have fun, you'll be back soon!!

Thanks, David and Louise! We'll definitely take that advice and look forward to breakfast and Bloody Mary's at SMYC! And Sandbar sounds like our kind of place for sure!

You are so welcome!!! The main thing is to have fun!!!! BTW the food at Sandbar isn't bad, it's beach food!!! "What the funk" they are really good!!!! Breakfast at Yacht club is a must and the spicy "B-M" is a great way to start the day!!