Great thread!
We move around about the same amount as when we first started visiting in 1988. On our first visit we stayed at La Belle Creole in the lowlands and explored the whole island.
We now stay on either side (sometimes both) but we drive more when we stay on the Dutch side because we like the Orient area.
The main difference is time of day. At first we would go anywhere day or night. We gradually stopped going to Philipsburg at night, then we stopped going to Marigot at night, then Grande Case. Now In the evenings if we're staying on the French side we go to Orient Village or Cul de Sac. If staying on the Dutch side, we go to Simpson Bay and Maho. We have never had any significant safety issues, just more comfortable in these areas.
We are returning on January 22 for 2 weeks and staying in an AirBnB in Oyster Pond. We'll see how that goes.
Jim
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