St Marteen Update

[dandee2]

Good enough. We'll just go to Mullet first by taxi then backtrack to Maho on foot to have lunch at Sunset. Thanks for the info.

 

 

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[Tommy3putts]

Here is a nice write up from Friday’s NYT

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/travel/st-martin-caribbean-hurricane-recovery.html?referer=https://news.google.comSt. Martin Starts a Comeback - The New York Times

[BillOh]

Here is a nice write up from Friday’s NYT

 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/travel/st-martin-caribbean-hurricane-recovery.html?referer=https://news.google.comSt. Martin Starts a Comeback - The New York Times

 

 

Thanks for sharing that one.

[bclay]

We will be there in a few weeks. Which beach would you recommend? We thought about Karaktar but aren't sure where to go-- just need a pretty beach, some drinks and preferably a bathroom. We definitely want to get out and spend some money to help out.

 

We went to Karaktar last week (2/1). It was fantastic. No damage, great beach and drinks/food at reasonable prices. If you haven't been there before, don't worry as you drive the last 1/4 mile and then exit the cab. Doesn't look real great until you hit the beach.

[BillOh]

FYI, we got an email that SXMSPYDERRENTAL.com was up and running again. We will be renting Can Am Spyders and driving to Orient beach for the day. 83 days away!

[SDA1125]

We just came back home yesterday. We never really went on the interior of the island as we walked from the ship to a dock and took a water excursion. From the ship we could see many of the buildings along the water were boarded up. As we viewed the shoreline from the boat tour we saw a lot of destruction. It looked like a war zone on the French side. We saw many boats on their side or with just the mast sticking out of the water. Most of the beaches were empty and those that had people had very few. There was one hotel that the only thing that was left was the concrete it was built out of. The windows had been blown out, along with the curtains and furniture and everything inside.

 

We did not venture onto the island itself beyond the beaches we stopped at but we met others who did. One couple who had never been to St. Maarten before kept exclaiming what a beautiful island it is.

 

Air traffic onto the island is down more than 60%. All those people who worked in those hotels and restaurants are unemployed. They need your money. Spend it. Go on an excursion of some sort. Tip generously. Buy things. The beaches are still beautiful. The water is spectacular.

 

Which beaches did you stop at ?

[michaelsop]

Thanks, sounds like a good idea for cost and flexibility, but we are a little concerned about driving on our own. Would appreciate your feedback upon return.

 

 

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We rented from Hertz this week and booked thru Orbitz, just use Philipsburg as search. The pick up and drop off area is right inside the cruise ship terminal, when you walk off the pier turn right just past Effy jewelry and they are located at the back of the parking lot.

 

We drove all over the island including the french side, no problems, lots more visible damage on french side, and some services may be limited, but I wouldn’t discourage you from at least seeing that side.

[Rneighh]

We just returned from a stop in St. Maarten. In short, the island is still a disaster. I know they need the tourist dollars but they really need disaster relief funds. They need so much and months and months of clean up. There is debris everywhere. The cruise lines need to be more transparent about what you are getting into on these hurricane destroyed islands. It was so sad to see.

[zabnee]

We are in St. Martin next month and would like to tour the island, particularly the French side. Can you provide any details on your Jeep rental. We would prefer to take a taxi to visit several beaches but I’m not sure that is feasible in St. M. Thanks in advance

 

We just came back home yesterday. We never really went on the interior of the island as we walked from the ship to a dock and took a water excursion. From the ship we could see many of the buildings along the water were boarded up. As we viewed the shoreline from the boat tour we saw a lot of destruction. It looked like a war zone on the French side.

 

We spent the day here on 02/01. We got off the ship, and straight to the taxi stand where we had a large enough group to get a 3 hour tour for $25 per person. Vehicle was safe and air conditioned, and the driver was quite happy to answer all our questions. We did a complete circle around the island. Stopped at Orient beach. There isn't much left at Orient.. One bar on the clothing-optional side, that had built a structure to work out of near what used to be the resort. There were several people hanging out in this area, both at the makeshift bar and on the beach proper. Tons of debris around the resort property. Further down the beach there are washed up branches and seaweed covering the beach. There was someone with seados to rent, but we didn't stop to check on prices.

 

We stopped at Maho beach, just on time to watch a plane land. Frequently people will only go based on what the 'scheduled' time for a flight to land is, but that frequently gets changed/delayed. Our driver was using an app on his cell phone to track flights in the area, so knew exactly the right time to get us there, so that we didn't miss it. (My 12 year old son wants to be a pilot, so that's the one thing he wanted to see.)

 

We also stopped at the market in Marigot, and through my whole back-to-back (14 days, 7 ports) that's where we spent the most money on souvenirs.

 

Overall, our driver said both sides of the island were hit just as hard. The problem is that the French government isn't helping with cleanup and repair until insurance has been approved, while the Dutch side is working towards cleanup, and will sort insurance out after. Prices for supplies are (as expected) through the roof. And most of the financial aid that was promised, still hasn't actually materialized.