Hello fellow Redditors!

We’re a family of six adults (aged between 18 and 50) and a nine-year-old child, and we’ll be visiting SXM for the first time in January 2027.

I’ve booked a condo at the Dawn Beach Club for the week, but the reviews of the surrounding area are making me a bit anxious. I like the idea of having access to the JW Marriott’s facilities; I think it’s handy to have access to sun loungers and the swimming pool with a 9-year-old. But I’ve read that the beach there is rocky and that there are strong waves and currents. I’ve also read that there’s seaweed, but that it’s much less common in winter – it’s more of an issue in summer. We plan to hire two cars, so we’ll be exploring the island, but we’ll still be spending a lot of time at this spot.

I booked the condo three months ago already, and it was hard enough just to find suitable, reasonably priced accommodation for a family of seven. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like now if I tried to book something else. Should I consider heading further north on the island, where the sea is calmer and the beaches have fine sand?

Please do share your thoughts with me!

When I submit my entry forms, then go back to retrieve them from my email, every single date has been moved back one day. Any advice? When I go in and correct it, it says “error, form already submitted for selected dates”.

Hello. We are on the way to St Martin now. Looking to meet and hangout with nee friends.

My husband and I (mid active 60’s) have booked a condo in Cupecoy for 18 days. I got an excellent rate on the condo ocean view bc I booked it a year ahead and there were no reviews yet. Reviews now are excellent and if I booked the same condo now it would cost me an additional $120/night. We have a rental car for the entire time but I’m wondering now if I should split our time and find another condo around Grand Case or Orient beach our last week to break up the vacation. It would cost us probably an extra $2,000.

Planning a first trip to St. Martin. Thoughts on staying at a beach front in Grand Case vs. just off the beach in Orient Bay? And rental car a must or will cabs/Uber suffice?

Each February wife and I hit some Caribbean destination

What we like-
condo with kitchen, laundry, and outdoor space, 2 bathrooms would be great

Walkable to beach, able to bring our own drinks and food

Walkable to restaurants, bars, entertainment, etc.

Grocery store in proximity or delivery service

I don’t care to spend much $ on most meals, drinks, etc, we usually have something light for breakfast, do something like excursions, pickleball, long walk, etc hit beach, break for lunch, happy hour in condo, out for dinner…….no driving after lunch or so.

Where would be a good area to stay?

21 Puerto Rico
22 Turks and Caicos (AI)
23 Dominican Republic (AI)
24 Costa Rica
25 Aruba
26 Curacao
27 SMX?

Can anybody comment on the lestroble Friday night lobster dinner special for 51 Euro. Any good? Or should I just wait for my reservation at bistro caribe tomorrow?

Heading to SXM in a couple weeks with my boyfriend. Looking at Captain Alan's trip to Anguilla. Has anyone does this? We're splitting our time between Orient (4 nights) & Simpson Bay (3 nights). Since we have an extra day in Orient, was preferring a charter one of those days with departure closer to Orient. It looks like a great option and stops at Sandy Island, which looks beautiful. Not looking for a party boat like Boomerang. We drink, but not looking for "party" on this excursion. Any other suggestions - even if they are leaving from elsewhere on the island?

Looking for fun events happening around the island during our stay especially for Halloween night.

Going from Monday to Oct 26 to Thurs Oct 29th.

Was going to stay at Mary Boon's, but now contemplating another location... My gf has a real bad knee so walking needs to be limited, and thought Orient Bay is more saturated with bars/restaurants.

Thought we'd be beaching it for most of the day...

I thought of renting a car, but since we're only going to go for 2 full days, kind of wondering if we really should.

Any good day tours of the island?

Best Happy Hours?

Live music during the week?

Give me whatever you want to give me...

Going to Sxm for honeymoon in November. Looking for catamaran recommendations. Interested in exploring and/or snorkeling. Open to all suggestions.

Hey all! my wife, toddler and I are travelling end of November to SXM. It’s our first trip in a very long time. I was wondering if anyone knows where we can book a private boat/catamaran experience? I’m thinking it’s slow season something like this may exist for a smaller party? I’m just thinking out loud here and this could possibly be far fetched.

Would love to hear anyones thoughts on some nice family things we can plan. Out little one loves planes and boats so I think he’ll have a blast anyways lol

From Canada and coming this December. Our dollar is really bad but I do have some euro and USD saved up in wise. Just wanted to ask if anyone had experience or insight on using wise card to make purchases?

Which pizza is best:

Enzo’s
Pizza Dan
Pepe’s
Bonna Mamma

"I’ll be heading to SXM for two and a half weeks, from December 30th to January 12th! What’s the best place to stay—somewhere that offers good value for money and is close to parties and the nightlife scene? Airbnb only seems to show places that are quite far away; does anyone have any insights on this? Thanks in advance!"

Used this sub to get info on our first visit to Orient Beach a few months ago. Thanks again to all that helped. Couldn't wait to get back, looks like it'll be December though.

Two questions if you please. One, water temp naked friendly that time of year? (It was glorious in September) Two, is Perch Bar open on Mondays? And the umbrella + chair rental?

Cannot wait!

Question about restaurants on the French side. I know it’s Euro but if paying cash is it dollar for dollar with USD? Also is splitting the bills a thing ? Thanks

Hi everyone!
My husband and I are heading to St. Maarten next month for 5 days, and I could really use some hotel recommendations!

I came across La Samanna online and absolutely loved it. It’s not completely out of our budget, but I’m a little hesitant about how secluded it seems.

We love a beautiful hotel or resort with great service because we’re late risers and tend to take our time enjoying the property before heading out for the day.

Our typical vacation routine looks something like this:
-Coffee, a light breakfast, and some beach time at the hotel.
-Head out for brunch or an early lunch, explore the island, and enjoy some activities.
-Come back to the hotel to relax, nap, or freshen up before dinner and nightlife.

We also really appreciate the convenience of room service, an on-site bar, and being able to grab a drink or snack without having to leave the property.

An Airbnb isn’t really our style for this trip. I cook almost every day at home, so the last thing I want to do on vacation is grocery shop or cook. My husband also isn’t a fan of hiring a private chef, so a full-service hotel is definitely our preference.

Ideally, we’re looking for an upscale hotel or resort with beautiful accommodations, attentive service, and a location that’s convenient to restaurants, bars, and things to do.

We love being able to walk to a few places, but we’re perfectly fine renting a car to explore the island. We just don’t want to have to drive for absolutely everything.
Budget isn’t our biggest concern. We’re more focused on the quality of the accommodations, amenities, service, and overall location.

For those familiar with St. Maarten, are there any hotels you’d recommend that offer a nice balance of luxury and convenience? Or is La Samanna worth sacrificing some walkability?

I’d love to hear your experiences and recommendations. Thanks in advance

Hello, I am planning on going to SXM in November for my birthday, but I am wondering if it is more cost-effective to rent a car or just use a taxi/Uber. I will be staying near Princess Juliana’s airport.

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