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Hello,

My wife and I will be visiting in March. We are staying at La Playa Orient Bay. Curious about a few things.
What would the recommendation be for going from/to Princess Juliana?
We were wondering what our options would be if we wanted to move about the island? Should we rent a car? Is it expensive to taxi around?
Restaurant recommendations?
Any other must do's?

Thanks!

Rent a car

Hey, hope you have a great time. We just found that traveling mid week is much less crowded than on Saturdays.

We always rent a car to explore. If you think you will be content in the Orient Village area then I guess you could just try it out for the first few days then rent a car for the remainder.

Just read the posts on TTOL for restaurants, many many good ones.

You can also join some of the many Facebook pages on SXM if you are so inclinded.

Simply SXM
Pirates of SXM
Crazy about SXM
Many more.......

Have fun!

We always rent a car for our entire stay and recommend you do too.

First, welcome!! I am one of the admins here, so if you have any questions, you can always send me a private message.

With regard to your questions--Rent a car. Cars are cheap, versus taxis, and much more convenient. You will not get to enjoy that much of the island if you have to depend on taxis. That said, since you are a first time visitor, you might want to consider getting a cab the first day and then have your rental car delivered to you the next day. Travelling is always such 'sweet sorrow' these days, so it might be less stressful to have a taxi take you to Orient the first day so that you don't have to worry about getting lost initially. It's really easy to get around, but with all the stress of the first day in a new place, it might be easier to get a cab. Taking a cab to Orient the first day is going to cost you about $30-$35, plus bags and tips, so not cheap. You can find plenty of places to eat at Orient Vilage, or just eat right there at LaPlaya. (I guess they are open in the evenings?? Not sure) Then have the car delivered the next morning and go around and explore.

As far as restaurants, there are a TON of great restaurants along Orient, including right there at LaPlaya, and many more in Orient Village, right around the corner. Just take a walk over and look at the menus which are posted there in front of each restaurant and see what appeals to you. Remember that prices on Orient are going to be listed in EUROS (and usually Dollars also), so make sure you are familiar with the Euro rate, to know what you are paying. Be advised that even if the price is listed in Euros, you can ALWAYS pay in Dollars if you wish. If you are charging it, it usually is better to charge it in Euros, to get the bank exchange rate. Another issue with restaurants on the French side that you may not be familiar with, is that normally on the French side, you do NOT add 15% tip on top of the bill. The normal 'tip' on the French side is a small amount, maybe $5 on a $100 check. If you dine on the Dutch side, be aware that many restaurants automatically add a 15% service charge, so make sure you look at your bill to ensure that you are not double tipping on the Dutch side. Sounds complicated, but you will get the hang of it!

Please post any other specific questions you might have.

Yes, welcome to this board! From your name identification I see you guys are from the Netherlands so it's a small world because our youngest son's girlfriend is also from the Netherlands (Utrecht, to be precise) and is working on her doctorate here in the states with our son. You could say they are 'domestic partners.' You've come to the right place with your questions, because the people on this board love St. Maarten and are exceptionally knowledgeable about the island. All of us were 'first timers' at one point, and it really helps when you ask questions and obtain advice before making your travel plans.

Carol and Scubaman above are both correct when they advise to rent a car. It gives you greater freedom to come and go as you please. In the long run it will be cheaper than taking taxi's everywhere, but if you have reservations about driving after dark a taxi is always an option to consider. Keep in mind that if you have a Garmin GPS device you can download maps of St. Maarten, but in reality it's hard to get lost here (though I have done it once or twice). If you go with a rental car, remember to always keep it locked and never leave any valuables inside -- ever. After you land at the airport, there will be many local taxi drivers lurking around outside to take you where you need to go. So, you should have no problems securing one quickly to take you to the french side and LaPlaya. Or, you can rent a car right after you land (there are no shortage of car rental companies flanking the airport). One suggestion that I can give you is checking with Kennyscarrental before you arrive and making arrangements with them. They participate on this board and have provided good service to many visitors in the past. They can meet you right at the airport so I would suggest checking out their website and Facebook page.

Once you have your rental car, the drive to French St. Martin will take around 45 minutes or so depending upon the time of the day. Traffic can and will get heavy, but I always try to sit back and enjoy the ride because I'm on vacation!

As Carol mentioned, there are many fine restaurants in and around Orient Village. Some examples include Le Piment, L'Astrolabe, Yellow Sub, and so many more within walking distance. You can even opt to eat at a beach restaurant such as Bikini Beach or KKO right on Orient Beach (but, pay attention to there closing times). There's even a clothing optional open-air restaurant that serves lunch called the Perch Bar & Grille on the south side of Orient Beach which serves good burgers. If you've never eaten lunch naked before, this is the time and place to try it!

Having a rental car will also allow you the freedom and drive to Grand Case (just north of Orient Bay). There are several fine restaurants here including Bistrot Caraibes and Ocean 82 which re-opened recently. I typically pay with euros on the french side, unless a restaurant happens to accept U.S. dollars at the same exchange rate. Then, you are better off paying in USD. Best to ask before assuming this. You also can drive back to the Dutch side and there are some nice restaurants around Philipsburg including Mark's Place, the Ocean Lounge (at Holland House hotel), and Chesterfield's (near the cruise port). At these places you can simply pay in US dollars, but you'll also have the option to pay with the Netherlands Antillean Guilder for which many restaurants post prices in both currencies. Bear in mind that one U.S. dollar is about 1.69 guilders so once again it pays to do the math if you plan to carry both currencies with you. And, as Carol warned watch the mandatory service charge! It's kind of like a built-in gratuity so no need to overtip!

As for must do's, definitely visit both Maho and Mullet Bay beaches on the Dutch St. Maarten. On Maho the planes land right on top of you so that's something to experience on SXM.

Keep in mind that no questions are bad questions. People like Carol and Scubaman (and myself) know a great deal about St. Maarten, but we're still learning new stuff about this place all the time. Hope you have a great time.

Carol and Sammy, such a nice welcome for newbies and very informative.......... Kudos.

Totally OT by the way, but for those interested as I have a few personalized license plates, was just checking and ILUVSXM, SXM4ME and GR8SXM is available

Sammy--the only thing I would say is that if they are going to rent a car, they should make the arrangements from home, as compared to after they arrive, which I think is what you said. Walking up without a reservation, especially in March, could mean difficulty obtaining a car. They didn't say WHEN in March, but it is high season, so cars will be more difficult to find. And if it happens to be during either Heineken Regatta, or that electronic music festival, those are both VERY busy times on the island. Heineken is March 5 to 8. The electronic festival is March 11 to 15. If you guys are on island during either one of these times, there will be some areas to look out for and either enjoy or avoid. Please post if you will be on island during either one of these times.

Oh, and to echo what Sammy said, Do not leave ANYTHING in your car, at ANY time, at ANY place. Please.

Definitly rent a car. I use angela@horizoncarrentals.com The Palm's Restaurant in Simpson Bay and across the street, Palapa Grill are both good places to eat. Parrotville s a wonderful experience. It's located about half way between Orient and Phillipsburg.

You are gretting great advice

We rent a car, but we always cab to our unit. If going to Orient from the airport I would reserve with Wilford Brooks - a TTOL sponsor, give him your airline info etc and he will meet you at the airport and will stop at a store on the way if needed. During hte wk we also use Wilfred in instances we don't want to drive

We get our rental car dropped the next day at our unit , reserved before you leave for SXM - we all have our fave [ours is AAA], but make sure you get an all in price in advance

If you want some supplies in your unit, book your drink / food order with Jeannie - Shop n Drop - a TTOL sponsor
Nothing better than cold beverages and snacks when you walk into you runit. Failing that there is Casino brand store in orient, plus some others for supplies

Last suggestions - we check in advance # of cruise ships in port and if any are super ships = they almost count as 2 cruise ships
If 5 or more ships in, we tend to stay local or get out and about early
I keep a list of times for the bridges and causeway in the car so we dont get got in a long line up

And if so inclined, Moon Splash on Anguilla early March can be fun, even if only the last day Sunday for lunch

Enjoy your stay
J&B

JohnandBev--Jeannie does a great job, for sure, but is no longer a TTOL sponsor. The one knock on her is that she does have a fairly hefty minimum order requirement AAA and Wilfred Brooks are both TTOL sponsors and both are great to work with!

We all have "our guy" when it comes to renting a car. What I will tell you. You NEVER ever leave anything in the car when stopping for shopping!! Yes, Jeanie from Stop N Drop will get you going. But as others have posted there is so much to see and do right in Orient village. Should you venture out, don't carry big bags and never ever lock anything in the car when shopping. This isn't just in SXM, it's everywhere. Rental cars have there own tags. These guys know that. Keep your eyes open and you'll have a great time! Tell Bruno David and Louise said hello from NY!! He's the best! Great new menu at his restaurant LaPlaya beach!!! Lastly let sand gravity hit you hard It's the best!!

Thank you everyone for your great recommendations and advice. We are actually from the states. My handle is from a Leo DiCaprio role he played in The Gangs of New York. I use this handle online. We are arriving Wednesday the 25th of March and leaving on the 31st.

Amsterdam--Ok, thanks for the correction on the name. You will miss both of those festivals that I mentioned in March, but you should still book a car ahead of time. Please post any other questions you might have.

Are there ATMs for Euro's at SXM?

At the airport? Not sure, but there definitely are on the French side. But you don't really need Euros; dollars are accepted everywhere. Your best bet is to use a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, and ask that any French side charges be put through in Euros. That way you'll get the conversion rate that's in effect when the charge hits your card. Many establishments have their own conversion rate, which is usually higher than the official one.

Georgia is correct, there are ATMS which will dispense Euros on the French side, but you don't need them. I don't think we've EVER used Euros. Back in the day, we used to get some French francs for some reason, don't remember why now. Dollars are accepted everywhere, on BOTH sides of the island, even though the Dutch side technically is guilders. Guilders are specifically tagged to the dollar, so the exchange rate does not fluctuate on that at all. If you happen to see a price in Guilders, an easy way to compute the price is to divide in 2 and add 10%.

You guys are from the states ... nice. You sure had me faked out. Maybe I'll amend my name to 'SXMSammy' and people will think I'm from St. Maarten! My wife and I will be visiting the first half of March, so they'll be no chance of running into you on the island. So, if any other questions pop up feel free to ask and I'm sure this group will have the appropriate responses. One thing about St. Martin (and I think I speak for the majority of people on this board) is that once you visit here you'll always want to come back the following year, and the year after that, and so on. It's kind of like our 'default' vacation destination during the winter or early spring months. We toss around other destinations like Punta Cana and Aruba, but somehow we always settle on another visit to SXM!

Using your CC will work at most places except on Friers where they don't take a CC and have a higher than usual exchange rate.

Hello BOAmsterdam. My wife and I have been traveling to the island for about 20 years now and have stayed in Orient Village area all but twice. We have made many friends on the island over the years whom we try and visit each time we come. We will miss you by a few days this year. We also rent a car every year, though don't put a lot of miles on it. Just good to have transportation to use when you need it. You will enjoy a trip to Marigot with a visit to the outside market along the water as well as maybe a trip to the fort atop the mountain next to the market and don't miss a visit to Roland Richardson's art gallery which is also near the marketplace. A visit to Philipsburg is a must but be prepared to be harassed by vendors along Front Street. Takes about 15-20 minutes from Orient Village to either Philipsburg or Marigot. On your way from Orient Village through the French Quarter you will pass Parrotville. Really neat place to visit where you can feed the parrots as long as you want. May want to take a trip by ferry to PInel Island which will be to the front-left of you when on the beach at Orient. Someone can give you directions to the dock where the small ferry can take you to Pinel. The beach is very nice with shallow water and no waves. Very easy to get in the water there. If you don't mind crowds, take a trip to the Sunset Beach Bar which is at the end of the runway at the airport. At the top of this website you can find the days when the cruise ships arrive. Pick a day with very few ships are in port so the place won't be too crowded. Not too many places to eat breakfast in Orient Village, but "Good Morning" does have a good menu and makes great sandwiches to take to the beach for lunch. Croissants and breakfast also at Yellow Sub at the other end of the street from "Good Morning". There is also a very nice convenience store in Orient Village called Le Casino. Plenty of choices, but maybe a bit more in price than a larger supermarket. Make sure you travel to Grand Case for an evening meal or two. Not much more than a 10 minute drive to Grand Case. Turn right on the main road when you leave Orient Village. We stick close to the Village for most evening meals since I no longer like to drive at night. There are plenty of places to eat in the Village as well as El Rancho on the hill before you reach Orient Village. We have rented cars many times from Leslie who goes by Kenny's on this site. He will meet you at the airport with a car. Even loads the suitcases in the car. Fill out the form, sign it and off you go. If you use his website, which you can find in the sponsors above, you can even ask him if he can find you map to use. He can give you directions to Orient Village. He's very reliable and not much different in price than anybody else. Since the swing bridge has been built, we use that direction to Orient which takes you through Marigot, Grand Case and to Orient Village. You are welcome to send me a private message if you care to. You will enjoy your time on the island and in Orient Village. We only wish we hadn't waited until I retired before we made our first trip to SXM. You can access my blog where I have a ton of stories on SXM. https://lifewithldub.blogspot.com. when you open it, type St. Martin in the white box, top left. Plenty of pics and stories to read before you go on vacation. Enjoy your time on the island!

There are a few places that don't take credit cards, and I guess it might make sense to get Euros for those places. You're correct that the exchange rate at FBBC is higher than the official rate. Frankly, we're on vacation, and don't stress about a few extra dollars here and there.

I have been travelling to SXM since 2005. Everytime, even the first time, we rented a car, as people here suggested it. We found our way around the island with ease,,,really only one main road,,but...many times we were detoured around for one reason or the other. Really , still, no problem.
However, we just got back a week ago from our 2 week stay. One week in the Simpson Bay area, and one in Maho area. I questioned myself a couple of times on why did we rent a vehicle? Has anyone else noticed that the traffic has been insane? Honestly, didn't matter what time of day we ventured out,,we were moving like snails.....this year especiallly. Not really sure why? Yes, last year it was busy, but this year I noticed it so much more.
I don't think I will ever drive to Phillipsburg again. I will call Wilfred Brooks or take another means of transportation. We chose a day with just one cruise ship in, but was next to impossible to find a place to park. The market parking area was full,,,so we circled. Very frustrating.
I probably will always rent a vehicle, but I will chose where I will be driving it to. Phillipsburg is not one of the destinations that I will take a car to again.

Makes me wonder what the future brings,,,more and more people fall in love with SXM,,,which is a good thing, but it makes it harder to get anywhere with so many vehicles driving here and there.

I also realize I go in January which is high season, but that is when we want to get out of the cold up here.

Hope you enjoy your first trip.....you will be hooked like the rest of us.

My A number one complaint with the island of St. Martin - BOTH SIDES - is that they NEED to develop a comprehensive public transportation system that encompasses the entire island. Traffic has been an ever-increasing problem since the early 90s and with the ever increasing popularity of the island it only continues to get worse. Roads that can easily accommodate real buses would be a good place to start along with real buses regularly traveling a resort and beach route.

Don’t get me wrong - I love the island and we always rent a car - but if I were to name a fault, the traffic/parking issues would be it. Over the years we’ve learned when to go to town - very early - and when not to; but it’s ridiculous to spend forty minutes or more getting from Mullet to Simpson Bay and worse for other areas.

When we first started visiting the island back in ‘73 most visitors didn’t rent cars and many islanders didn’t own one car let alone multiples. I’m glad the economy has taken such giant steps for the benefit of the islanders but to what end? If you can’t get to work on time or a visitor can’t get to a dinner reservation on time ............

That might be one reason why you could see more AI hotels developed down the road.

I agree with you megalomania, but the increase in traffic has been an ongoing problem. The infrastructure needs to be upgraded, so maybe there are plans in place to do that in the near future. The way to beat the traffic is to do what you did, pick a favorite location with places you enjoy going to and keep to that area for several days before moving to your next destination on SXM. To drive across the island on a daily basis is labor intensive and can waste valuable holiday time. If someone stays in Orient Bay you'll be fine because there are many restaurants right there. And, if you want to go to Grand Case for the day or Anse Marcel or Loterie Farm a taxi can be had for a reasonable rate. Or, stay in the Simpson Bay area (where there are also great restaurants) and hit the beaches in that area (Kim Sha, Maho, Mullet, etc.). Of course, if you rent a car then trying to time your trips becomes important to avoid peak traffic times. But, it does seems like traffic is always heavy these days regardless of when you drive.

Just back Feb 13 from a week in Orient Village area.
1. rent a car, maybe with the taxi from airport / get rental on 2nd day
2. We picked up at airport from Leslie @ Kenny's and he reinforced 'do not leave luggage unattended' even in grocery store lot
3. We did one day of car touring mainly to give our slight sunburns a break from the beach. Grand Case was a lost cause due to road closures and lack of parking. We made it back later in the week for breakfast but never ventured there for dinner. The place is still a shambles and I am glad that we cancelled our Grand Case hotel (Hevea) and elected to AirBNB in Orient Village.
4. We were told in the Village that there were no ABM's. We were directed to the banks in Hope Estate (10 minutes drive)
5. Bank machines in Hope Estate only dispensed euros. When we compared the exchange rates for those SXM EU versus the USD that we had withdrawn the week before in St Kitts - Nevis we got hosed on the EU. This is an important cost when beach vendors are taking 1 USD as 1 EU. Having a bag of USD dollars would have been better than withdrawing EU.
6. All of the Village restaurants present the bill in EU or USD but if you pay by CC you are charged in EU. Again the EU exchange premium only this time on your CC.
7. On our one day away from the Village we drove the island circuit, stopping in Marigot briefly. Its marina is a wreck but Tropicana, which I remembered from my 1995 visit was fully open. As we left Marigot headed for the bridge we were greeted by a threesome of bikers doing 1/4 mile long wheelies as we crossed the bridge. To think that I used to walk AM and PM from Nettle Bay to the Marigot Marina along that same stretch of road....I just wanted to get away from that stretch as fast as Kenny's Kar would take us. There are still a couple of piles of burned out cars along side the road.
8. La Playa is where we did all of our beach days....why pay $30 for 2 chairs 15 feet away at Bikini when $20 at La Playa gets you the same.
9. We ate lunch at La Playa, KKO, Bikini and The Wai. All are very good. Dinners in the Village were excellent. La Piment for sure, and we did Telegraphie 2x. If we had thought about eating in Grand Case I personally would have taken a taxi. I enjoy wine and would not drive the roads at night let alone try to park my rental in Grand Case and then try to extract it in the dark and drive home.

Thanks I AM,
We will be there in 3 wks, Very good info to take with us.