Marigot, St Martin

[Kaibocan]

Anyone know the condition of Marigot since the hurricane? Is it worth a visit?

 

(I posted on the port of call board too. But I leave this week and I’m hoping to get an answer soon! 😬)

[trivia addict]

Don’t know, but why do you want to go? Last time I was there, ( before the hurricane) the shopkeepers were rude and arrogant, and the beach was nothing to get excited over.

For shopping, the Dutch side is better and many other beaches on the Caribbean side are better.

[Duanerice1]

I can't help you with the condition but heard it got beat pretty bad.  And don't listen to some people.  It's a cool place to visit.  Great French Bread too!  We found the some cool shops and the shop keepers to be very nice.  Maybe it was just our attitude, who knows.  Will go back next time we are there.

 

enjoy  

[Luvcrusn]

We have friends with a condo there and the French side is recovering much more slowly than the Dutch side. They've been unable to go back until very recently as the repairs needed were extensive and slow to materialize. When they do return, it will be to the Dutch side.

[elliekate]

We were there last March and although there was much destruction, we had a great time!  You should book a tour with Bernard's Tours and you will see the entire island as well as going to Maho Beach to see the planes land.  There is a nice bar/restaurant there that was up and running again.  Bernard will drop you in the shopping area and you can easily walk back to the ship.  While we don't buy jewelry on cruises, many of our friends did!  It seems to be the best shopping of the islands.  We will be there again on a cruise in December!

 

https://www.bernardstours.com/

[GoodScout]

We drove around the entire island last week. We had spent two lovely weeks in a bungalow in Grand Case before the storm and came back during our Equinox stopover to see how everyone was. 

 

It's true the French side is recovering much more slowly than the Dutch side. Marigot is a busy shopping town, but I didn't have the same experience about rude shopkeepers. If anything, the French side has a little more charm and slower pace than Phillipsburg and the Dutch side. 

 

Some post-Irma observations: 

Phillipsburg has recovered the most, and that's to be expected considering the amount of cruise traffic it gets. There are still a number of closed storefronts downtown and along the beach, but while some restaurants, clothing stores and boutique hotels are still closed, every single jewelry store is back up and running full tilt.

 

Moving counterclockwise, the Oyster Beach area got hit very hard and the resort is struggling to make repairs. It's open, but it you want to see the force of a Class 5 hurricane, just go look a the blown over fence posts and concrete buildings. 

 

Orient Beach is back up and in operation, but with a little bit less sand to work with. Was interesting to us that a day at Orient Beach was no longer among the excursion offerings we saw. 

 

Grand Case - This was the island's hidden secret, a great beach filled with great bars and even more amazing restaurants to enjoy. And it got hit. Hard. Some shops are back open, and a few restaurants. It's open for business, but the residents could certainly use the help of some tourist dollars to get back to normalcy. Between my eating and my wife's shopping last Tuesday, we did our part. 🙂

 

Marigot - Still some damage around the marina area and just north of the town. Most shops are open, but the downtown farmer's market seems less crowded than before. 

 

Maho Beach may have to change its name -- there's almost no beach there! It was always a narrow beach, but now there's only 20 feet of sand between the street and the water. You can still enjoy watching the planes land overhead, but you won't be able to squeeze a lawn chair in. 

 

[mom says]

That's some good scouting there, Good Scout! Thanks for your report.

[hcat]

Thanks for the update...very complete and helpful

Hope Grand Case comes back 100 % soon. We will miss it on our Jan cruise as we are headed elsewhere but hope to return soon...

 

While Marigot is charming, once was enough for us. It was a long ride on our bus tour.  There was nice shopping, lovely scenery,  but it was quite congested.  The little cafe where we had lunch lacked some basic sanitary controls in the restroom which was a big turn off...this was before any storms!

 

Hope the little shops near the cruise pier are rebuilt soon!

Edited November 17, 2018 by hcat

[kloos5]

On 11/11/2018 at 10:13 PM, Kaibocan said:

Anyone know the condition of Marigot since the hurricane? Is it worth a visit?

 

(I posted on the port of call board too. But I leave this week and I’m hoping to get an answer soon! 😬)

I suggest you watch this short video. It will give you some perspective on whether or not to visit Marigot.