TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Demographics of TTOL members? age/loc

We are the token Minnesotans, late 50's. First came down March of 2002, expensive trip then. Flew all day...Minneapolis to Detroit, San Juan, and over on a turbo prop where shortly after takeoff the cockpit door swung wide open...flight attendant jumped up and quickly shut the door...this was as airport and aircraft security was ramping up after 9/11. Stayed at villa Wittenblau (sp) in Pelican Key. Every year but one since. Private villas, the Towers, but mostly Simpson bay Marina resort.

From PA Amish country with me 72 and my wife 68. Amish buggy going past the window right now! Been visitors since the start of the century with about 20 visits under our belts. Usually fly out of Baltimore or Phila. Started with stays at the Alamanda on Orient, but after a few years began renting villas to save money. Have stayed on the Dutch side a few times, but usually stay on the French side.

We both are 60 and live in SC. We found the island on a cruise stop in late 90's and now have been coming for our anniversary in October each year since 2008. We started with a week, but are up to 16 nights this year. We arrive next Friday.

We are from eastern PA relocated to Clermont, FL this year; he 69, she 61, discovered sxm by way of cruise 1996, land vacations started 2002, Alamanda Resort always, still love cruising and or land vacations equally.

Husband and I are in early 70's...first trip to Mullet Bay in 1985. Have never
missed a year other than 1999 when late Hurricane( I think it might have been Lenny) closed Royal Islander for our week 52. Started with 1 week also bought 3 additional. Now own at Rainbow Beach Club and stay almost 3 months during 2 to 3 trips. Still live on Long Island, NY but SXM is our very favorite place to be..love it, love it!! : <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

The wife and I are mid 40's and from Northern Michigan. Started visiting SXM about 5 years ago and have been back every year since then.

I'm glad I started this thread. Great to see where everyone is from !!!!

I'm too busy biting my fingernails worrying about whether we're even gonna get to make the trip out from Boston Saturday morning due to Matthew !!! He's not heading anywhere near the Northeast, but unless I'm bad at geography, it seems like we'd be flying near this beast on the way to SXM. So far, flights between Boston and SXM haven't been mentioned on the JetBlue site. Hopefully that's a good sign! Gonna check flight status on Friday.

I would be very confident that JetBlue knows about flying around a storm...it might add a bit to the flight time but they are very used to it.

I would worry more about where your flight out of BOS is originating FROM...if it's the 1120a flight it will be coming from somewhere...hopefully not the mid-atlantic..I would guess NYC or west coast.

Barry and Marenda -71 and 61 from Perth Ontario. We are 10 days away from our 14th trip since 06. We started off at Sonesta Maho and 4 years ago bought a T/S at Royal Islander La Plage.

Dave(57)and Cyndi(59)from West Deptford NJ across the river from Philadelphia. It all started in 2003, when friends of ours graciously invited us to stay with in SXM. We have just completed our 10 trip in August in addition to 1 cruise. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Agreed, so long as there is a plane there, you will be absolutely FINE, David. Worry about possibly whether your plane is supposed to be coming up from NC or something and turning back around. Then the physical plane that you are supposed to be on might not get to Boston. But, other than that, your outbound flight may take longer to get there, but you will arrive there perfectly fine.

I want to play! I'm 33 and my husband is 31. We're in the beginning stages of planning our second trip after visiting for the first time on our honeymoon.

Awesome thread David, super interesting, have a great trip, you will look back and laugh about worrying about your flights!

We are both 41 & live in a town of about 600 people outside of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Have been to the island 10 times in the last 12 years.

I should jump in before this thread gets closed for staying on topic too long. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Left coasters, both recent Medicare enrollees (hey, spellchecker, this is correct!), have been coming every year since 2007, now up to 3+ weeks (two trips, 5 weeks in '16), with the bulk of the time spent at GCBC. Missed a flight some 3 years ago (massive sand gravity syndrome) so now spend a few days at Mary's Boon. Dislike the area, love the hotel and beach

We always take the red eye, primarily AA. Usually 12 hours for a 4k mile flight, so not too bad, other than the body's kvetching about the flight.

Be there on Tuesday.

This is a sad thread for me for my own reason, but I am late 50's and this January will be my 21st visit to SXM. I have always stayed on the french side, never the dutch. Is anyone else like that, always french side?

Two early 60's from Minneapolis, MN visiting SXM on Christmas (+week) for past ten years.

My primary frame of reference is GCBC, and there are a lot of people I've met there who don't stay, or no longer stay, on the Dutch side. So I wouldn't consider that unusual. We stay a few days at Mary's Boon, which is site specific--Simpson beach is great, but other than that are perfectly happy staying on the French side. We still visit the Dutch side, and have a good time there, but GCBC and Grand Case are home for us.

My wife and I are in our late 50's. First visited SXM in 1981 on a cruise, stayed on island for the first time in 1991. Have always stayed at Club O. We're from northern California. Hawaii is certainly easier to get to, but we prefer SXM.

Thanks cruzer for saying it better than I did. My frame of reference is the month of January on Orient Beach, and all the regulars I see ever year mostly stay on or close to Orient. This forum leads me to believe a lot of members stay on the dutch side. I could be wrong, nothing scientific about that comment!

We are both in our late 50's.monly have stayed on the French side. Grand Case at first then settled into Orient Village.

Thanks for the encouraging words, guys !

We have only stayed on the French Side also. We like the quiet. We usually only go over to the Dutch side for a visit to Maho (plane watching) and for Captain Neil and the Celine.

Norm and Betty.74. From St Louis. First trip to SXM 1998. Trip 26 coming up soon.

My wife and I have been coming to SXM for over 25 years averaging 5 to 9 weeks a year. we both work full time but get great vacation allowances. We mostly have stayed on the Dutch side . We own t time share weeks at Simpson Resort. We average 3 visits a week to French side activities but prefer the night time action on the Dutch side particularly the Casinos and clubs. We hail from New Jersey.

We also go to SXM in January. Stay @ Belair on Dutch side.
Journey to Orient Beach when possible.

soon to be 57 from Pittsburgh.. first made it to sxm I THINK in the late 80's? maybe early 90's on a Windjammer out of Philipsburg. What an awesome introduction to the island

We are in our early 70's and are from Midwest, and have been coming to SXM for about 18 years. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

Someone has to represent California here!

I didn't know anyone was actually from California..... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

We are from Michigan, outside of Detroit, 60's, first visit was 1981 Sheraton Mullet Bay Resort, have been coming back almost every year since. Purchased a timeshare in 95 for week 6.
Mostly stay on the Dutch side. Always extend our trip 3-5 days.

We are from Oregon and Travel often to the Caribbean but it has been 8 years since we have been to St Martin. Returning this winter for 3 weeks. We are both in our late 60''s and love to travel. Just returned from Europe for a 7 week trip. Can't wait for our trip to St Marin.

Dan and Katherine, 70 & 55, from San Antonio. First trip on a Windjammer cruise, then a week in 2010, now twice a year since 2012. Always stay in Orient Village. Next trip Nov 4.

We're another couple whose first experience was through Windjammer back in 1998. Coincidentally, our last trip on WJ and our first land stay on SXM were in 2007. WJ went belly up that year and SXM filled in nicely as a replacement to the annual cruises.

Born and raised in California. May retire to someplace else though!
Looks like at least one other poster is from Ca. as well.

Wouldn't it be fun if you were Nurse John from California who pierced my ear on the deck of the Poly all those years ago? I think they were from San Diego

We are mid 60's couple from Kansas City. First trip 1992 I think.

Dave and Diana: I'm 61, Diana is 63. We reside in central Illinois, and visit the island as often as we can. We first visited the island by cruise ship in 2008???, I think and then in shortly thereafter started visiting for longer periods of time.

Late 70's-early 80's - first visit to SXM in 1967 and returned almost every year thereafter (although often splitting the trip with another island) but haven't been back for several years for a variety of reasons. Still follow trips on TTOL.