US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Trip to St. Martin, opinions please.

I have lots of airmiles to burn and the in-laws have offered to watch my children so my husband and I are going to St. Martin. The only time we can go would be over Presidents Day weekend or wait until the end of May when school is out. Hotel prices are about 40% higher in Feb. than in May but do I chance it or take the sure thing and go in Feb.??? Any thoughts are appreciated.

I'd go while it's cold outside. There's somehow more pleasure in it that way ;)

I have lots of airmiles to burn and the in-laws have offered to watch my children so my husband and I are going to St. Martin. The only time we can go would be over Presidents Day weekend or wait until the end of May when school is out. Hotel prices are about 40% higher in Feb. than in May but do I chance it or take the sure thing and go in Feb.??? Any thoughts are appreciated.

US will almost certainly be flying. The only hurtle is getting the IAM ratified by Jan. 21 in which case either of your dates would be problematic. With the ATSB loan extended through 6/30 you're fine. No airline goes bankrupt in the summer either so we're likely good to go for a while.

I agree with both Tom that it'll be more fun the colder it is up north, and with STS that most likely USAir will be flying in May as well as February. However, you mentioned concern about hotel prices... we found everything there to be extremely expensive due to the strong euro. Prices were a little better on the Dutch side as everything there is denominated in dollars, but you said "St Martin" not "Maarten" so I assume you're planning on going to the French side. A lot of restaurants and so on advertised that they'd take $1 for 1 Euro, but that's small comfort when the menu lists a cheeseburger for 13 Euros...

Have a great trip. It's a fun place.

I agree with both Tom that it'll be more fun the colder it is up north, and with STS that most likely USAir will be flying in May as well as February. However, you mentioned concern about hotel prices... we found everything there to be extremely expensive due to the strong euro. Prices were a little better on the Dutch side as everything there is denominated in dollars, but you said "St Martin" not "Maarten" so I assume you're planning on going to the French side. A lot of restaurants and so on advertised that they'd take $1 for 1 Euro, but that's small comfort when the menu lists a cheeseburger for 13 Euros...

Have a great trip. It's a fun place.

No it will be St. Maarten :p. We are in the south and the weather was in the 70's last week so getting away in Feb. isn't that important - unless it stays in the 30's like it is today! If we go in May we will be staying in a villa right on the beach, if we go in Feb. we will be in a hotel with street view. But any trip is better than no trip at all. Thanks for the input. So food is really that expensive there?

We really did spend 13 euros/dollars on a cheeseburger. It was a good cheeseburger, but still... this example is probably one of the most extreme but we were dropping a minimum of $75 a head per night on dinners (Grand Case, Marigot). Supermarkets were obviously significantly cheaper, but substantially higher than mainland prices (not surprising given shipping costs). I would suspect that on the Dutch side with a much higher proportion of dollar-paying customers it won't be as bad. Have fun...