TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin My personal perspective........

Just my personal thoughts......

but the island has been down this road before, though admittedly, not to the degree of destruction Irma has wreaked. And on top of her, they have another visitor, Jose I think?, waiting to possibly pay a call, too.

What we all need to do is stand back, take a deep breath and let the island start to sort itself out. I'm willing to bet there will be a goodly period of time when you won't be allowed to visit unless you are a resident or an island property owner but that remains to be seen......

Like so many others, I have two SXM vacations on the books all bought and paid for and both scheduled within the next 6 months, and in absolute honesty, I doubt we'll be making either trip. Not that we don't want to - although really, I won't even consider making our November trip this year, but I just can't believe the island will be up to accepting vacationers, and even if it is, and as much as we want to help - think about the logistics.

Assuming hotels are up and running, which in too many cases is a huge assumption - rental car companies have severely diminished cars available; roads are a mess and there is debris everywhere; restaurants are pretty much destroyed in too many locations to think about; the police will have their own problems as already indicated by the island-wide looting that's being described and will have little time or desire to hear the problems of vacationers. And the list of negative possibilities goes on and on.....

The island needs time to heal its wounds before well-intentioned visitors descend on it. I know we want to help but perhaps the best way for a while is through our donations - monetary and other-wise and of course, our prayers rather than our physical presence.

We had to change our post-Luis November vacation because the island wasn't accepting visitors at the time but we made our April trip the following year and yes, the beaches were there, but I honestly felt we were in the way, and once there and seeing the state the people were still in, I got it. They were typically accommodating and welcoming but as much as they needed their jobs and the revenues from them, they had personal lives to rebuild first.

As much as we want to help, and we do, there will be so many problems across the island that IMHO, what they won't need is outsider vacationers to add to their worries. And in the end, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the island itself didn't impose a temporary moratorium on admitting vacationers.

Just MHO and perhaps I'm mistaken but I hope all who read this will accept my opinions in the spirit in which they are offered. I love this island and have for many years but I truly think my support will be financial through donations this year and my return will be down the road a bit.

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Edited to add:

Without mentioning names, I just received a message from an island resident who describes a horrible island situation.

They have a roof over their head and have opened their home to multiple family, friends and pets staying with them since so many don't have that luxury. Drinking water is premium and water for flushing and bathing is a luxury. They have a generator but only run it sporadically to conserve fuel which is a premium item. There is a strict curfew and they are not allowed on the roads, not even to replenish supplies and supplies are running low. The looters are everywhere and there's little left in the island businesses left to loot. The police there have always been ineffective by the standards of most visitors and don't forget, they, too, are feeling the same deprivations of the other islanders. Tempers are flaring and nerves are frayed and sadly, no big improvement is closely in sight for them. And these are the lucky ones who still have homes.

No, I don't think this sounds like a place I'm eager to visit for a while.

Please God, take care of these people.

I agree with you. Although some properties may clean up/rebuild quicker than others, SXM will not be a vacation destination for at least 3-4 more years.

Thank You for your posts.
Quick reply was meant for Pat. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

As always, a great perspective.

Pat, Thank you so much for your post. I found it both heartfelt and very insightful. Many of us are in your same situation, as am I too right now, where we have trips booked (me in November) and are wondering what to do. I've gone down closely post hurricane, with Gonzalo. But this is different, and visitors do need real information as to when they can reasonably expect to be welcomed to return. Hopefully the govt will make pronouncements.

Eloquent as always Pat! and I totally agree with you, with this level of devastation it will take time for those who live there to sort it all out. It is personally distressing to me to see the aftermath; I cannot even begin to imagine how those living there feel. They need the tourists for their livelihood but do not need us there now. We are holding on any plans to go to our timeshare at Flamingo Beach in March - I have doubts as you do that they will be ready for us to return. Than you for your very thoughtful words of wisdom!

I hope everyone reads your post!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> I would love to post it on some of the other islands forums. People just don't get it. Most are in LaLa land.

Pat, good points and your view is 'spot on.' We do need to stand back and let the island sort itself out.' And as you said, we all are ready to help. Thanks for a well written note.

Splendid post. We all want to help, but perhaps the best way to help right now is to stay the heck out of the way.

I'm not so sure I agree with the point that "outside vacationers" should stay away. An outside vacationer creates work for the maid, cook, hotel concierge, rental car attendant, pool cleaner, bartender, etc., etc. etc. These are the jobs people depend on to feed their families in the third world.

Correct, but that is once there are places to stay, cars to rent, restaurants to go to and the gangs/looters are not accosting people like appears to be happening now.

Trust me, pat and many other long time visitors want to see SXM back again but this is NOT their first rodeo. It is not mine either with regards to the island.

Pat I think you are spot on

Many years ago my mothers house burned down. She needed immediate assistance... donations really ... but she needed time... time to sort things out and do paperwork and recover what she could. The last thing she needed were visitors and guests.

It was hard to stand back and watch what she had to go through... but in the end and after much time... she rebuilt her home better than ever... and she had all new stuff inside.

Sxm has some really difficult days ahead.. and we are all sad to watch her go through this... and maybe for a while we do have to just lend our support from a distance. And when she is back... she will be better than ever.

We pray for those affected by this storm and we pray Jose goes far far away.

To our friends we always see in April.. we will miss you.. but we will see you again god willing

Carol and Eric thank you for traveltalk ... for a place we can voice our happiness and tears ... our hopes and dreams ...

For the record, also like most, what weighs on my heart more than anything are the humanitarian issues involved, and thinking about all the folks we've come to know down there over the years... including our most recent visits to a couple of the animal shelters and wondering what happened to them.

The trip planning stuff is a regrettable practicality.

On a side note, we honeymooned at La Belle Creole in 1990 and bought our timeshare at that time at Mullet Bay, both of which got wrecked in Luis in '95 (though not The Towers), and both never rebuilt but coincidentally just started to have inklings of rebuilding. So I expect that many places won't be rebuilt for a long time, though others may come back more quickly. So whenever we eventually get back down there, which I expect to do someday, I know it'll be different. We'll just need to know when the island is ready.

I agree with this, but I also agree with Pat. I think you are speaking to two different points in time. Initially, there isn't going to be any decision for folks like us to make. There will be no place to stay, no place to eat, etc. Realistically, and depending on where you like to stay, that will be a year, year and a half. The next phase will be one where you can go down there, but you will really just be in the way. I think that is what Pat is speaking to. How long will it last? None of us knows now, but I think it will not be that hard to tell, and I don't think it will last too long, which is where your point comes in.

I think the people and businesses of St. Martin wil let us know when they are in a position to provide some sort of "vacation experience", and I think the greatest risk is NOT that tourists will want to go back to the island too soon, but rather that they/we will avoid the island because the level of amenities will initially be FAR LESS than what we have all come to enjoy (and take for granted??). And that, I think, is your point. And I think it is a good one

Pat has been the Voice of Reason for so many years, and she continues to be so. Her observations are spot on. Even if we don't want to admit some of her harsher thoughts, she is accurate to a great extent. We must all act in a fashion that is in the best interests of SXM, which may not run parallel to our own. Meanwhile, this storm season is far from over.

We are scheduled to go for 4 weeks in March. We will make every effort to go IF Simpson Bay Resort is ready, if we can get a rental car (not that we'll use it that much but we wan to support the owners), and if there is adequate food available in the stores. We will not be expecting the expedience to be at all what it has been, but I feel it's essential to the recovery that tourist dollars being flowing.

It was so difficult to read Pats words, not because I disagree, but because sometimes the truth is so hard to bear. I do agree with what she has to say.

That being said I can understand Kens point. We would all like to be able to get back because we know our dollars will help. But what would we be getting back to?

The catch 22. If there is no lodging, or cars or restaurants, what is there for tourists and if there are not tourist what reason is there for lodging cars or restaurants.

After Luis we waited 2 years and even then I didn't feel the Island was really ready for us, however we kept going. From everything I have seen or read I fear that 5 years may not be enough. My heart breaks for the residents who need us and yet understand why many will never go again.

I don't think this is that complicated, honestly. If there are no flights or there is no place to stay, you can't go. There is no decision to be made. If there is widespread lawlessness or meaningful food shortages, then it isn't smart to go. If there is no way to get around, then it probably doesn't make sense to go, unless you want to stay at one place. But what about debris piled everywhere? That will be the case for several years. What about no trees? What about there are small restaurants open, but none of the upscale places are open? Are these reasons to stay away? For me, they won't be, if I know that I have a place to stay, the beaches are open, and the locals will grill some snapper and sell it to me.

At the risk of repeating myself, and speaking broadly and over a long time frame, I think St Martin's problem where tourism is concerned isn't going to be that there is too much, too soon. Its problem is going to be the opposite. These people didn't just have their houses destroyed. They lost their jobs. And, apart from construction work, tourism will be the only way they can get them back.

Pat, I totally agree with everything you have stated in this post. In fact today I spoke with some November SXM friends and said exactly the same things. I had just got to the point in deciding to try my first island vacation alone and was looking forward to booking my November trip. I waited to see what Irma delivered and of course now I will not be doing that. The island will not be prepared to recieve visitors for a long time and in no way will we be an asset to them. Supporting them financially from a distance is definitely the best choice!

We also visited St. Maarten after Hurricane Luis returning in April 1996 and the island was still in major disrepair. Even the beaches still had glass and construction items in the water and we were advised to wear water shoes. Many restaurants and businesses were still closed and people were trying to get their lives back to some type of normalcy. Some boats were still overturned on dry land. As frequent visitors and SXM lovers, we need to respect what is happening there now and continue our support when the island is once again ready to receive us.

My thoughts and prayers continue for all the wonderful island people. I sincerely hope that the looters and criminally inclined will not tarnish the honest and hard working members of society. With the determination and positive attitude of The island people, St. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN will rise and flourish once again!

Our first visit to SXM was in November of 1996, just over a year after Luis. Not having anything to compare it too, we instantly fell in love with the island and its people even though there were still dozens of sailboat masts sticking up out of the lagoon. And Mullet Bay - we stayed at the Towers and on the drive in I really wondered what we had gotten ourselves in for!

And over these last 20 some odd years we have watched the island continue to recover, rebuild and prosper, but in specific areas the mark left by Luis is still quite evident. There will undoubtedly be wounds left by Irma that will never heal, and scars that will take years to fade.

We own at OBBR and are currently booked for the first two weeks of December. While our resort appears to have fared better than many, I am under no illusion that things will be even remotely close to normal by then. But recovered enough that they will be looking for guests? Who knows....I have no idea and I'm going to rely on them to tell me.

At this point, I am going to take a wait and see approach. Much more information will emerge in the coming weeks. I don't hold out much hope for a December visit, but I'm not going to jump on the phone today and cancel my flight reservation either.

I will continue to hold Sint Maarten and her people in my thoughts, prayers and heart through these trying days, weeks and months ahead. Especially so this coming weekend as Jose threatens to add insult to injury.

Pat, cathyg, islandgem, prairiegirl, ruralcarrier and others you are right on...............

.those on island are in one level of shock and despair and we close firends are on another level and ours while deep does not in anyway compare to those that have to live there permanently.

And ken, you are right too, we need to infuse our dollars when able to do so and i cant wait to do so when it becomes a good time even if for a day on a cruise taking a tour on a cab and buying tshirts. Like our first visit to SXM. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

Each generation of native SXMer has been through a hurricane and i am always surpised by their work ethic and faith despite some difficulty of existing in our paradise.

I worry most about their mood and spirit.

As always, Pat is the voice of reason. Thank you for such a level headed thoughtful post.
Ellen

Pat,

Speaking as a business owner on St Maarten, and one who has been involved with the island and its people for 44 years, the sensitivity, understanding and kindness of your words brought tears to my eyes. You are 100% correct in your assessment of the people's needs.

We have been violently attacked by Hurricane Irma, we are devastated and in shock and we need time to sort it all out and recover. Of course we love the tourists who visit our beautiful island, and we will certainly be dependent on the economic benefits they bring us in the future, but right now this is a time of mourning for many of us. We appreciate the love, concern and prayers that so many have offered, but we need time to, as you said, sort it all out.

Thank you all for your good wishes and may God bless the people of St Maarten.

Well said. Can only imagine what they are going through. My heart goes out to locals and all those who are still dealing with the devastation.

Owning a home in the keys, we did experience luis, and it took weeks before we could even get on the Island to see what affect it had on our home, and trust me!!! Getting of the plane and looking around, was a total awakening. and we both had tears in our eyes. This is much worse, we still have no word on our home, but have very little home that everything was devastated and our home is standing tall.. It survived luis with minor stuff, but we were younger than, and this is now... I feel so sad for all who will suffer no paycheck, but I also know it will take a long time to get things back to some kind of normal...St.M. will come back, but not for a long while. As much as people want to vacation on this Island, This can not be a vacation for a while. So we let the people that have invested interest do what they must.. and god bless them all

Pat, you are indeed always the voice of reason. We also have reservations for this November. I was so happy, in fact, because I saw from the TTOL calendar that we would be on island at the same time as you this year and was so looking forward to finally meeting you in person. Alas, that is not going to happen, not just yet. I trust it will happen in time. For now, you are 100% correct. The island must take any amount of needed time to grieve, gather their senses, and get a grip on how to proceed. They do not need to be worrying about anything other than putting their lives back together. Our contribution will also be monetary this year, though we look forward to a hopeful eventual return one day.

Best wishes (and sorry we miss each other yet again), Robin

Yes. this is a time to not worry about vacations, while all are in there safe homes. this Island must repair, and that means resorts. homes. and all that make a living there. One by one It all has to matter, not just what tourists need. In order to see a great Island it takes everyone that has invested into it. Or else you will see a war zone... Let them repair... Vacations are less important than what these people on Island have to face to rebuild... You can go anywhere, they are invested and have to stay...

Pat, I agree with you. I have been a timeshare owner at Sapphire Beach Club since my honeymoon in October 1994. The following year, several hurricanes hit and Luis 1995, my wife and I were not informed until arriving at the airport and were told that island was not allowing tourists and were going to be sent to another island. We contacted Sapphire and they sent a person with our owners contact. The island was very similar to what I have witnessed back then. After going there many years and witnessed Gategory 2,3,4, Tropical Storms, Tropical Waves. Having backpacked across the island and staying with an island family during a tropical wave was not fun but very different and difficult. Hurricane Irma took it to a new level of disaster. In 1995, the gulf coarse and tennis village never was rebuilt because of the damage and financial fraud. My wife and I were to go there in the middle of October. Sapphire Beach as I have discovered has damage to the grounds and plants but I'm hoping no structural damage to the buildings because my wife actually saw Sapphire on tv. St. Martin is my second home. The rest of the island has major infrastructure issues and safety issues, and instability issues communication, travel and commerce.
For me this mess and tragedy is a Perfect Storm. Deadly and very unusual and chaotic atmosphere and not a good way to spend on a vacation. Being very intuitive, my spiritual self says wait until next year or even longer. I get Precognitive dreams and warnings about travel and future events. This year's karma is out of balance and global changes occurring daily. I'm hoping and praying that St. Martin can recover and heal and be the paradise I have fond memories. Thanks for listening..

I agree with you Pat , the wonder is when will the authorities make that call . we can't believe they would want a bunch of extra people using resources that the locals need and getting in the way .

Pat, you're so right on! Thank you. We can wait a couple (or more?) years before it's good to return. What the people there are going through is difficult to imagine.

I agree, it will likely be one year before the island recovers enough to be tourist worthy.

If then.

We returned in April '96 after the storms in Fall '95. And we were amazed at the devastation still seen everywhere. Those storms weren't remotely as severe nor the devastation as widespread and complete.

I still honestly believe the government will ultimately have to put in place a moratorium on visitors for a while. It will be hard enough for the people of the island to recover from such total chaos without adding to the problem the burden of outsiders. This after-the-storm-situation is far more dire than what we saw after Luis and the others.

God bless the people of the island and those soldiers and relief workers coming to their aid right now. We pray for your safety and well-being and hope the arrival of additional military enforcements and supplies will help to improve your situations. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Of cource vacationers should not attempt to travel to the Island anytime soon. However, we and sure others own property will need to see first hand the damage this storm caused. Can we do anything to repair? Probably not for a long time, as too much devastation, but if roofs are gone, or windows blown or even heavy structure damage, these things need to be covered... With no communication and no way to fly in, there will be even more damage to inside of homes... So I can hope they will let owners on Island in, of cource not for a while... We suffer the long wait, but understand lives all people that earn there living is much worse. Vacationers can go anywhere, but people that live there and have invested interest can not

My goodness...if you have an financial investment on the island...I certainly think you would need to go make decisions regarding your property.

You are right...vacationers can go anywhere...and wait for the WELCOME sign to be put out for us to return.

But being an owner is a whole different ballgame

Sasasal,

As I recall, when the planes were finally allowed to return to the island after Luis, for the first period of time, you could only go to the island if you could prove residency or island ownership. Just a guess, but I'm thinking that is what they will probably do this time, too. I know many who are suffering the same concerns you've spoken of. In time, people, in time. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Yes they only let residents and owners of property in... but if I recall, We did not have our property deed, and I forget how we got down or what we said, but it does not matter because planes are not going in anytime soon.. Thank god, we are older now, and realize that if our time is up, its up. We have been owners since 1985. Not a good way to have to stay away, and for sure younger people can sit back and wait for the recovery.. for now!!! so many lost pay checks, homeless people, its just plain sad

I wish everyone had Pat's perspective. I am reading about people who are wanting to go to Anguilla in Oct and Nov, obviously they have not thought it through. The Gov is saying they do not expect power to be restored for 4-6 months, the docks are a mess, rental cars have been destroyed, many restaurants and resorts are not functional, yet these people think they can go and have the same type of experience they have had in the past. I want to shake them, instead, I bite my tongue and try to guide them to the donation sites. It will be a long road to recovery. We went to Cancun a month after Wilma, (had no choice our airline was flying) it was not good, nothing was open, there was glass on the beach and we felt as if we were in the way. I would not do it again, I would forfeit the money.
I hope everyone thinks it through and realizes the destination they loved will not be the destination they encounter after a hurricane.
Ellen

any suggestions for alternate islands for those travelers that have plans the next few months ?

There are a lot of islands out there. The problem is trying to fly to these islands between high airfare and their crazy routes.The A,B.C islands are OUT of the hurricane belt.

I agree with everything Pat has said. But I also feel some loyalty to St Martin and wish that I could do something. I feel like my tourist dollars could help since it is their only real industry and somehow I am being disloyal going to another island in December.