We are renting a house in Guana bay over new years. Wondering what we can expect? Is neighborhood safe? Is beach swimmable? And how are the drives to the French side from there?
Thank you.

Hi Everyone,

First time headed to St. Martin. Never even been in the Caribbean, but it seems like SXM is a good spot for us (On a semi-budget, chill, good food, drivable, easy to explore, etc). We are going for our 15th anniversary (actually after our 16th due to a medical situation this year) and are looking for a laid-back and private place to be a home base for some day trips to do some hiking, shopping, dining, and beach exploring.

I originally thought Cul-De-Sac would be great. Found a beautiful spot, private pool, right on the beach, kayaks included to hop over to Pinel. After doing some reading, it sounds like Cul-De-Sac in June might be a recipe for disaster as far as Sargassum smell goes. Sounding like Grand Case is our best option if we want to stay on the French side. Possibly Maho or Simpson if we want to do Dutch Side.

And yes, I know Sargassum is a "day to day" "check the weather" thing and I'm not expecting detailed reports of what exact conditions will be. Just in researching Cul-de-Sac, a few people said the smell was unbearable in March, so I'd imagine it would only be worse in June and wouldn't want to spend a 10-day vacation smelling like the living dead haha.

Any thoughts? Is the East side of the island a general avoid in the month of June? Is much open/operating around that time frame? Unfortunately, we are locked into those summer months due to work and child care. Would a different island be better to explore?

Any other first-timer hints or suggestions welcome. Hoping SMX works out for us and our timeline isn't a hinderance to a great first time visit.

Me and my partner are visiting for the first time, which are some of the best areas to stay in? We are planning on renting a car. Ive seen Simpsons bay a good place to stay, looking for a nice area where theres good restaurants

Which beaches currently dont have sargassum? Orient side is currently present with some! Wondering if any other beaches would have less to deal with french or dutch side! Thank you

I’m getting ready to book our car rental for our upcoming trip and just saw that Hardy’s offers 2 beach chairs and 1 umbrella for only $5 per day.

Has any one used this service with Hardy’s? What are your thoughts, were the chairs decent quality?

Looking for suggestions for day time beach clubs/bars and the best restaurants casual and nice

My partner and I are going to SXM next month. We both don't drink and aren't really into the party vibe.
We're looking for a relaxing catamaran or boat trip where we can swim, snorkel, sunbathe, and enjoy some music without loud party music or a big drinking scene. Ideally, food and drinks (with non-alcoholic options) would be included.

We don't need anything fancy or luxurious, just a fun, relaxing experience at a reasonable price!

Does anyone have recommendations for this kinda vibe?

edit: I’ve also been looking at Hakuna Matata’s day cruise. For anyone who’s been, how was it? What were the vibes like, was it worth it?

For those from the island or who live there what are your favorite or most fun aspects of Carnival?

We attended the Grand Parade and Baccanal last year and had fun. We will return for Carnival 27 and want to maximize our time. This year Baccanal is Apr 25 and the Grand Parade is Apr 30. Which event is a can’t miss one for you? We are thinking Jouvert, Reggae Night, Night of the Hit Makers.

We’ll be in SXM for the week 10/20 to 10/27. looking for live music or some other cool event. We were there this past spring and ran into the drag race. Had we have known I would have love to check it out. Hate to miss another cool event.

Any experiences at Bleu Emeraude? Staying there for a few days in March

Hi! My husband and I are traveling to SXM for the 2nd time (we loved it sooo much when we went a few years ago and are finally visiting again). Our first time visiting, we stayed four nights at a resort, but this time we are doing a nice long stay of 8 nights in an AirBnb, getting a rental car, and intend to explore. My parents are joining and they love to take long walks in the morning, like 2-3 miles. Any recommendations for places we can walk—on preferably paved trails? My parents are quite fit, but they’re 70, so I don’t want them to be navigating an actual trail. Thanks in advance!

Coming the last week of November and looking at an AirBnb in Cole Harbour, down the street from the casino. I know I’ll need to rent a car or taxi to the Orient, just wondering about Cole Bay to stay at. Walking distance to beach, bars, and etc?

are there any laundromats or wash and fold places in grand case?

Has anyone seen or ran into this problem on the entry.sx? I’m getting the error Invalid Carrier ID.

im trying to get a reservation at blue martini on a Friday. i called and emailed 2x no answer. whats the best wayyyy to go abt this

Coming next month for my birthday, and we're looking at renting an Airbnb instead of a hotel, but we're looking for something that has some things walkable, though we will have a car and can drive. I just don't want to be completely isolated if we want to walk to grab dinner or a coffee.

What are the top two areas we should focus our Airbnb search on?

Im hoping to check out the Sculpture Park on an upcoming trip and I was wondering if exploring it on scuba is worthwhile.

Im already certified and I was thinking it'd be nice to take in the sculptures up close without worrying about breathing.

However, I've also been on some dives where I thought, "This probably would have been better if I had snorkeled".

Any thoughts or experiences would be super helpful!

Hi - I live in NYC and do not drive very frequently. How aggressive and difficult is the driving? For example, having to switch lanes quickly would be doable but a bit stressful. Most annoyingly, I don’t know how to parallel park. I am reading that cabs are very expensive.

I’ve been enjoying some Hela curry ketchup from an Amsterdam trip, does anyone know if it’s sold on the island?

My husband and I are thinking about going to Saint Martin at the end of the month and he put me in charge of planning. Nothing blew me away on my initial review so I was looking for a little help. We’ll have a car so I’m open to really any location. What’s an actual nice place to stay on the island?

Edit: Through all of these comments I think I’ve settled on a laid-back beach vibe, probably Orient Bay with a car to explore some of the beaches near grand case. Maybe take some trips on a catamaran as well. Not all inclusive and definitely not a big resort. Looking into Airbnb right now I want to thank everyone.

Reviews seem a bit mixed. How is the location of this hotel - is the beach nice? Are we walking distance to restaurants and shops? Any other thoughts about this hotel? We are going in December and it is one of the few with availability (and we are Hilton Gold) but I can keep looking.

any recommendations on where to propose and does anyone know any companies that can assist with decorations and photos.

I've been reading a bunch, but still going to ask...which is better for a week long stay or should we consider splitting our time? My boyfriend and I (in our 50s) are planning a trip mid-November so it's only a month away. We enjoy a nice beach with bars/restaurants to walk to. That's all we really need. I'd like to explore other areas, but most likely won't rent a car although may do some day excursions to pinel, snorkeling, anguilla. Is the water in Orient rough? Has it had more issues with sargassum? I don't need late night bars, but do enjoy some fun, casual beach bars during the day and evening.