TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Marigot in the evening

I know past posters have written about how Marigot is sketchy at night. We were thinking of having a dinner there (maybe at the Marina Royale) and wondered if it is still risky having dinner in Marigot. We won't be driving as we are not renting a car but we are staying at Le Centr'Hotel which is right in Marigot. Any tips are appreciated.

Since you are staying at the Centr'hotel (on Rue du General de Gaulle) you are so close to Marina Royale, if you can't walk there, nobody can; or you would need to stay locked in your hotel room all night.

Just go, and enjoy your dinner.

Walking in the other direction, on some of the back streets at night, you may want to think twice about.

Ate dinner at Marina Royale last night. No issues and never has been in all the years that we been going to SXM. Drove over from Simpson Bay and parked in the lot near Cafe de Paris. There are some guys that hang out there and say they will watch your car...ignore them and there's no problem. Annoying....yes but they are harmless.

I think if you are smart and keep your wits about you, you may be fine. That said, last year, a friend of a friend had his gold chain stolen off his neck in broad daylight. But if you pay attention and avoid dark alleys, you will likely be fine. When we were there last week, there was a SIGNIFICANT increase in police presence there both during the day and at night.

So sad reading this......don't want to rehash that old theme of " the good old days " but years ago Marigot was a safe, exciting, dining experience in the evenings. Way before the popularty of Grand Case, Marigot was the " go to place fior high end dining ". Then someone thought it was a goid idea to fill in the harbour and make all the lovely restaurants overlooking the water.....not overlooking the water!! And many went out of bisiness and the whole evening experience shifted

Wow, NYGAL hit a chord...when I think back to 1997 when we first visited (yes, we approaching 20 years). The island was so incredibly care free. For the next 5 years it remained so but then the concrete jungle on the Dutch side and the cruise ships diminished the experience. On the other hand back then there were power outages water outages, you name it. For us the thing that remains is Orient and our friends there. In SXM there truly were the good old days.

Yeah , they had to make more parking then put a large building in the parking lot.

SXM??? Wendell

Marigot IS sketchy at night. A business owner at Marina Royale who I've known for 20 years moved out of there and to say he is vastly relieved is an immense understatement. Sorry, until the Gendarmerie has a real, constant presence in that lot, we are done with Marigot at night.

Is this a French side problem or am I missing something??