My wife and I just got back last week from St. Martin, we spent a full week there on the island and loved every minute of it!<br><br>The following is a list of personal opinions, you may not agree but here we go!:<br><br>(1) Rent a car, you will not regret it in the least. At first you might be intimidated by the way that everyone drives, but can soon get into the flow of things. (Your rental should average $22/$25 per day without cdw insurance, which can add $12 or so a day to the rate but I would suggest getting it just in case) You can drive around the whole island, after all there is only one major road that circles the whole thing , but watch for the speed bumps because they can sneak up on you!<br><br>(2) The Americas Cup 12 Metre is a must! I have never sailed before and I absolutely fell in love with this race! Everyone contributes to sailing if they want and the whole experience is something that you will never forget! (Cpt Tom, Scott and Ean from Canada II was the crew that helped us to win our race! 7/25/2002 10:00am Canada II)<br><br>(3) Food. Everyone that posts on this forum is correct, the food can be great in Grand Case (ranges from $20-$200 for two), but I liked Tequilas and Sunset Beach Bar the best. Our vacation package was at an “all inclusive” resort (with daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet) but found ourselves eating at several different restaraunts on the island as we traveled about so there was good and "bad/different" throughout.<br><br>(4) Shopping.There are many shops on the island but Marigot shopping in the street vendor section was the best value for gift items to take back home to family/friends, T-shirts, necklaces and other items were plentiful for gift giving. Of course you can negotiate the price if you buy multiple items. If you drink liquor, then you will be amazed at the prices of the various brands. (I bought 6 different items, the store clerk put them in a box with the store name on it and taped it shut. I carried it on and both Customs and security at the airport only looked at it and waved it through. But it did get cooked through X-ray a couple of times..:)<br><br>(5) Beaches. There are 37 there, take a pick and enjoy! We stayed relatively close to the resort when swimming in the ocean because if you are not used to salt water and sand, then you will want to wash off with fresh water as soon as you can. But I must say that the cleanest and most awsome beach I saw belonged to Mary's Boon, unfortunately we did not stay there (this time).<br><br>(6) Dinner Cruise. We went out on "Tango" for a romantic dinner cruise, it was fun and it was tranquil at first but eventually the drinks were flowing and turned out to be a booze cruise in the bay. (I'm not complaining, but the wife though it would be very different, she was thinking slow dancing and it turned out to be more of a "limbo/salsa/everyone scream" type thing.)<br><br>(7) Who you know. If you have never been somewhere before, wouldn't it make sense to find someone who knows the area? I know of someone who was the greatest of help to me prior to me and my wife leaving for our trip, and to him I credit our overall enjoyment of St. Martin, his name is Dicky and he runs the activities desk at Mary's Boon. He helped coordinate our Americas Cup 12 Metre race and gave us loads of information about the island. We vistited with him the day after we got there and he gave us a overall briefing of the island as far as food, shopping, activities and the "caution" points of being a tourist. I can say that this person was truly concerned about our enjoyment of the island rather than to lure us into his place of business and try to sell us a time share at Mary's Boon. Everything he has told me has been sincere and truthfull, both before we got there and after he recieved us in his establishment. There are things that a person holds dear, security, honesty and peace of mind are three of them, therefore I tip my hat to the gentleman Richard (Dicky) of Mary's Boon.<br><br>(8) Final Note. Take the time to plan your vacation here, there are several things to do as a couple or as a family. Note the different post(s) on the forum concerning the items that interest "you" and above all ask questions! You may not hear back from everyone you inquire, but again you will find out much more than you knew before...<br><br>Price "all inclusive" against the various independents, you may find that $1300/$1500 for a week at an "all inclusive" may actually cost you more money than an independent, especially if you venture out of your "inclusive" resort!<br><br>Thank you for your time to read my opinions, I will watch here for any questions or comments for the next few weeks and will respond to the "real" inquiries.<br><br>N. Shan
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