TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin New Blockages Wed Night

Traffic backed up from dutch border all the way into St James Marigot. Reportedly Sandy Ground and French Quarter routes are blocked.

Looks like they didn't get the memo.🤔

Not good..

It took us 2 Hours to get from Cupecoy to Sonesta Moho where we are staying. Traffic was at a standstill.

Supposedly, the route from Marigot was started by a truck breakdown, but then the others are just blockades.

Heard there was a disabled truck on a hill backing it up along with a few renegade protestors demanding money to cross over to French side.

Ive seen pics of people in daylight toting their wheely luggage behind them. Who stayed with the car? Or maybe they were in cabs and set off on foot?

They probably abandoned the car wherever they could find in the Maho area and walked towards the airport. Many probably never to return again. I saw either the same or similar picture, what a fond memory of leaving the island.

Yesterday traffic was the worst ever seen in sxm. There were two trucks brake down, one on the hill to philipsburg a few hundred yards after the Kfc round about in kool bai and one in Simpson bay. Another yacht incdent at the Simpson bay bridge which resulted in longer bridge opening. Plus plenty of cruiseship with passangers got stuck in the buses and the police blocking traffic on both side of the road allowing obly buses with tourist to pass. Plus yesterday was first day that protests from the french side subdued and plenty of french side motorists came to the dutch side to buy goods and food as most of the supermarkets and stores were either closed or empty. Plenty of tourists had to walk with their luggages from mullet bay to the airport struggling to get across the golf course to get to the airport. Traffic was backed all the way from Porto Cupecoy to Philipsburg. "Driving" time from Porto Cupecoy to Cupecoy Beach Club 1hour and 20minutes! Horrible by all means!

We have reservations for January 31, three weeks. We do not know if we should go and spend all that
money.

we get to SXM in a few days, but luckily we’re staying in Maho and splitting our 2 weeks with SBH...still really hoping things settle down by next week

It would depend on where your reservations are but you might want to ask this in a separate topic. If your reservations are on the French side, I personally would reconsider looking for something elsewhere on the Dutch side.

Anyone know what the situation is this morning?

Check the SXM Traffic link I posted on the funeral post, sounds like there are still issues besides the funeral.

half at Bruno's hotel. The other at the Cliffs. My problem is this, It sounds strange I am sure but not comfortable at the Dutch side. My husband has heart problems, as a matter of fact is going in hospital Jan. 2 for another angiogram . God forbid he needed an ambulance on the Dutch side I would not be happy with him going there. I prefer the French hospital. This is just me and I as sure people will jump all over me.

Like I said, I would start a separate thread about this. It is your call as to what you do but if the crap that has been going on with regard to the French side continues, do you really think you could safely get to the French hospital?

If you are not comportable on the Dutch side then you have a major decision to make.

Please, continue this discussion by starting a new threat.

Even if you could get to the French side for a hospital, I would be concerned on how the protests are affecting any "supply chain" and personnel issues for the hospital services.

Hope this is taken as in your best interest but from what you described as having “heart problems” should you even be considering the risk in coming at all? If so, hopefully covered with the best insurance you can get to fly you back home to a good hospital in case of emergency.

I looked into Skymed a while ago and they will not cover you for medical issues for which you have been recently treated. Its really just for accidental injury and the sudden onset new medical issues.

I don't know about SkyMed in particular, but SOME insurance DOES cover for pre-existing conditions. Usually this is only if the insurance is purchased within a very short period of time after you book the trip, say a week or so. In addition, while it doesn't help if something happens on island, but some insurance also--for an extra fee--allows you to cancel FOR ANY REASON prior to your trip. This would help if, for example, you had a pre-existing medical condition which you couldn't get covered and you suffered a setback at home prior to the trip or decided you should not risk the trip, with a medical condition you have. You can compare all kinds of different coverages across many different companies by checking out Insure My Trip. They are a TTOL sponsor. If you book THROUGH THE LINK HERE ON TTOL, your cost will be the same, and TTOL gets a small commission.