JNelson113

Advice needed! I love St. John and have vacationed there several times, always renting a villa. I'm now considering St. Martin for a January vacation. What would be major similarities or differences? Do they have a similar or different "feel"? I've considered going back to St. John, but we just went there and we'd like to try something else this time. Thanks!

ohioflyer

St John and St Martin are quite different. Even though St John is American, St Martin is much more "Americanized" while St John has much more of a Caribbean feel. St Martin has traffic jams, casinos, and is the shopping center for nearby islands (and so in this respect it much more resembles St Thomas). St Martin also has many more dining options than St John, and night life.

St John has excellent beaches, St Martin has great ones. I would rate St John ahead of St Martin for snorkeling. St John gets invaded by cruise ship people, but since they have to take the ferry there are usually not massive numbers of them, and they aren't too annoying. St Martin is not a fun place on a day when 5 cruise ships are in port.

You will find car rental much less expensive on St Martin, and many more interesting (European) items in the grocery stores. Wander into the sidestreets in Marigot and you can still find French shopkeepers who speak no English.

I'm all for trying something new, and have visited St Martin many more times than St John, but if you value the tranquility of St John you may not be able to replicate that on St Martin. If you do want to give it a try, I would recommend that you ignore the over-crowded Dutch side and concentrate on French St Martin.

Good luck!

JNelson113

Thanks so much ohio. This is really good info.

Any other islands in the Caribbean more similar to St. John? I've been to Cayman, Barbados, Antigua, Aruba, Anguilla, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, if that helps.

ohioflyer

For feel I think Nevis is in many ways similar to St John. Understated, uncrowded, relaxed, and very comfortable if you want it to be. For looks, the western coast of Guadeloupe's Basse Terre wing could pass for St John. Like St John, Basse Terre has a lot of protected park land and great hiking. (Also a volcano!) If you haven't been to a French island yet, this would be a great place to start.

Many people who like St John also like Vieques, so that would be another island to consider.

JNelson113

Thank you so much ohio! These are good places to start researching. I appreciate the info.

pbz

I would add that on St. Martin there is a large difference between the French and Dutch sides. While both could be considered busy, the Dutch side is where you'll encounter the majority of the 'bustle' -- American-style bars, movie theaters, casinos, KFC, traffic, and all that. The French side while still crowded is far quieter by comparison. The French beaches are wonderful as is the French gastronomic culture... you may read of a small village called Grand Case that claims to have the best food in the Caribbean, which I cannot dispute. If you're into food, as many great meals as you want to have can be had there. Shopping I would have to say is better in St. Martin vs. St. John.

Been to St. Martin about half a dozen times and St. John once. The only other thing I would add is that the driving situation is better on St. John IMHO, it being more tied to the US and attempting to adhere to some standards. If you drive on St. Martin be prepared for an experience. St. John was OK, I would go back but it would be lower on the list, St. Martin we have many more reasons to return.

As far as "feel", Sint Maarten (dutch side) to me feels like a little bit of Vegas or Honolulu or something, in terms of pace and glitz -- with some Caribbean culture/economic issues. Philipsburg does have a very slightly European feel. There are a lot of American tourists. Saint-Martin (french side), as far as I am concerned, feels like being in France -- basically, sleepy. Especially in the villages, like Grand Case and Marigot, there are many fewer Americans and more French, restaurants and shops are more on the French wavelength in terms of language, offerings and customs of service.... I realize this is vague but hope it helps somehow. Just a small example, on the Dutch side English is the norm. On the French side you might enter a clothing boutique and be greeted in French (unless they guess that you're American) and of course the boutique itself will be a small shop -- in the European manner. And while you may pay dollars in both, on the French side the prices might be posted in Euros.

JNelson113

pbz--terrific info. Yes, we were only considering the French side. The Dutch side sounds way overcrowded and commercialized.

I took two years of french in high school so I could probably get along in the shops and restaurants. Thanks again. One last thing--which would be the best beaches for swimming to be near? Thankyou!

sonoranjerseygirl

I was recently on the French side of St. Maarten, the beaches where wonderful- can't say enough good things about it. The only thing that I would consider is that the exchange rate for dollars to euro is crap now. The prices, which of course were naturally overpriced on the beach anyway, where even more with the exchange thrown in.

MichaelCharlie

Just returned from St. Martin on Wednesday. Our preferred method is to stay in Grand Case (at L'Esplanade Hotel - very nice hotel). We can drive to Orient Beach in 10 minutes (our preferred beach) but walk to dinner in Grand Case which is full of really good restaurants. If you stay elsewhere, parking in Grand Case is a little scarce, and I think $5 / 5€ a night. We found that US Dollars are accepted everywhere, and some restaurants are offering $1 = 1€, while others are using something a little bit more than that but less than the going rate.

pbz

Not to worry about your high school French. Regardless you'll get along fine with English on either side. It's just that on the French side they might actually start in French by saying bonjour and seeing how you react to know whether they should switch over into English.

On beaches, the choices are endless. You basically have to think about what you want (suntan or shade; beachside bars or none; activities available or crowdless desertion; time of day vs. sunset/sunrise; topless, clothing optional or neither; easy to get to vs. off-road, etc.) We've settled on a few favorites we always go back to, though we try new ones each time as well. But what works for us may not be your favorite.... so, here are a couple of web sites you can look at:
http://www.st-maarten-info.com/St-Ma...n_Beaches.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7182639/
If you have any specific questions feel free to pm.

Enjoy,
/pbz