Sint Maarten trip report - June 23rd to June 30th 2007

Installment 1 - June 21, 2007 (because I just can’t wait!)

This is a “pre-trip” report since I thought it would be informative to pass on my observations as a TTOL rookie before the reality affects the perception. I thought I’d like to take the opportunity to put on record the wealth of information I’ve gleamed from TTOL and see how it all turns out once we’re there and then finally return.


So, who are we anyway in relation to this SXM thing?

This will be our first trip to Sint Maarten. The only place in the Caribbean we’ve been so far is the Bahamas (and even then only New Providence and Nassau) and I do understand that the Bahamas isn’t really considered the true “Caribbean”. We love travelling to the tropics and we love to go somewhere to experience the activities and culture that is unique to where we’re travelling. We’re atypical I guess in that we go to Maine in the dead of winter and head to the tropics in the middle of summer. We’re just looking to avoid the crowds. We live in Northern Virginia because that’s convenient for the work that we do.

I researched various Caribbean destinations extensively, and then picked a place that we could get to reasonably quickly on an airline I have already travelled at a price we found attractive while still being able to sit in those larger seats up towards the pointy bit at the front of the plane. We prefer to be as comfortable as possible when we travel and also to stay in a place where we are left alone and can be completely self-sufficient. In my research, I discovered Travel Talk On-Line (TTOL) and became hooked. What a wealth of information and opinions! We’ve never been able to actively plan the “once there” part of a trip before so this was going to be a new experience. Knowing in advance the restaurant candidates that would appeal to our tastes is completely new to us. We can’t possibly try all the places that have been recommended in a week, so we’ve selected just a couple and we’ll take the rest on the wing, so to speak.

Recommendations…

So far, everyone we have dealt with on and off of SXM in planning the trip has been great as far as service goes.

Sonja Van Der Drift from Island Properties On-Line ( www.islandpropertiesonline.com ) through Remax Realty has, in my opinion (I know I should say “IMHO” but I’m just too wedded to grammar and the English language to go there… LOL…) gone out of her way to accommodate our requests

Kim Frye from The Scuba Shop ( www.thescubashop.net ) and Brenda Yorke from Dive Safaris ( www.divestmaarten.com ) have responded promptly and with all requested information for my planned diving activities on SXM

Lynn Costenaro from SeaSaba (www.seasaba.com) has also been terrific in assisting with the planning for my side trip to Saba for diving

Sharon Harris ( www.queenofsxm.com ) responded immediately when I booked a cell phone. I don’t know if we’ll need it but I really can’t complain about the price and it seems worth it just to support someone who runs a business like hers and who goes by the moniker “Queen of SXM”. I know she won’t be on the island when we’re there, but I’m intrigued to see her setup anyway

I had originally booked a car with Avis since I’m just so used to booking with the majors when we travel but I changed that to a local company called Paradise Car Rental ( www.paradisecarrentalsxm.com ) based on the opinions of TTOL forum members that recommend using a small local firm instead of the big franchises. I went with Paradise since Sonja at Island Properties recommended them and offered to set it up for us. I’ll let you know how that works out since this isn’t one of the few continuously recommended companies by TTOL insiders. Since I’m not an insider though, I think we’ll be okay

Booking WINAIR for the trip to Saba was easy and painless on a professionally laid out and functional web site ( www.fly-winair.com ). Let’s hope the flight itself is a similar experience (professional and functional…)


TTOL

I came across the Island Properties On-Line link through my own (pre-TTOL) research in the desire to rent a private, detached villa as our place to stay. The other links came from direct TTOL research and I am deeply grateful to so many on the forum, most of whom I only know by their screen names (BeaconHillAndrea, pat, peconic, BIGDENX and AXARob come immediately to mind but there are so many good folks who are not at all shy about evangelizing about their favorite island!). The trip reports have been invaluable and it can even be kind of entertaining to follow one of the many interminable car rental, passport, crime or nudism threads.

I presume Carol and Eric Hill are the folks who set up TTOL (or at least run it now) and they should certainly be commended for a terrific, informative and lively forum. I can’t imagine it pays particularly well, but I know it’s a lot of work. I’d gladly pay money to be a member of a site like this, although I guess paid membership would tend to ruin it. I’ll certainly encourage any business I run across on the island that isn’t already a sponsor to request to be one. I assume that’s okay to do.
I probably won’t paint Andrea’s house on this trip, but maybe on a subsequent tour…


Why SXM?
Okay, so, why are we going to Sint Maarten? I mean, why do we need to do this? What are we expecting??

We can’t walk hand in hand along a tropical beach in Fairfax Virginia

We can’t go sea kayaking off of a tropical beach in Fairfax Virginia

I find it difficult to scuba dive in clear tropical water in Fairfax Virginia

We can’t experience much at all in the way of new and varied culture (or any culture, for that matter!) in Fairfax Virginia

My wife finds it difficult to simply sit on a tropical beach and read something interesting in Fairfax Virginia

We can’t partake of the truly amazing and varied dining that SXM purports to offer when we’re in Fairfax Virginia


Now, there are a couple of things that one can’t easily do in Virginia that seem to be popular in Sint Maarten (or maybe Saint Marten, in some cases). We won’t do either of these...

Wander around naked. My wife looks really nice in or out of clothes. However, if I went to a clothing optional beach on, say, Tuesday, it wouldn’t be a clothing optional beach by Wednesday. Trust me on this…

Stand immediately behind an active runway during aircraft movements. Yes, I know it will probably be all right but I’m really choosy about what I will risk and, for those of you that are inclined to say that I’m being too careful… I’ve scuba dived for over thirty four years with thousands of dives logged at least half of which have been solo; I’ve scaled mountains with technical climbing equipment; worked in cliff rescue and as a trained rescue worker during disasters; worked as an ambulance paramedic (dealing with the results of the typical alcohol consumption on Friday and Saturday nights in an Australian city); and travelled extensively using just about every mode imaginable on multiple continents… but standing behind a departing 747 and risking losing an eye or worse just doesn’t seem a prudent trade of risk and reward for me. The warning signs that so many forum members have taken pictures of actually mean what they say but, much like the emergency cards in every seat back of that 747, some people just seem to think the warnings are for fun and are put there by authorities who are “overreacting”…


In closing ( <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> )...

We approach our trip with the excitement and trepidation that accompanies going somewhere new. If I have Internet connectivity, and if those darn pilots don’t try to video the landing from the cockpit with a webcam (we’ll surely never be heard from again if they do…), then I’ll try to post our experiences as we’re there.

I’ll certainly follow up with a “results of our expectations” post when we get back, and I’ll ask someone how best to set up an album of photos you folks can review. I know exactly where to go for the information. I just start the thread on TTOL with something like “Hey how do I post a bunch of pictures that relate to the clothing-optional petty criminal who tried to rent us a car while we were on the way to this restaurant that was great (and that also sucked) before we submitted a passport application?”.
I figure that will do it nicely…

Thanks in advance to all the TTOL’ers (experienced and new) who have provided so much information.

Until then…