TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Back after 13 years - Need updated suggestions

Hi everyone,

So.. it's been a long time. We were regular visitors to SXM from 2002 - 2011, including getting married on the Dutch Side in 2009. 2 kids later (12 & 9), we're finally making our way back. I'm sure things have changed, perhaps some stay the same. I see that Percy Rankin is still on the scene which is awesome (they performed at our wedding!).

I had the following list of questions, would love anyone's feedback:

1. Hotel - We're staying at the Portico in Cupecoy. Any reviews/thoughts/tips? Is it still okay to walk to Maho from there?

2. Catamaran to Prickley Pear - this is still happening? I remember it was the "Lambada" we took last time.

3. Sunset Beach Bar / Sunset Grill - still happening? Can't wait to hit up Maho again

4. Car Rental - suggestions?

5. Ferry to Anguilla - same deal, from Marigot? Is there another way from the dutch side we can take, or still most efficient from Marigot?

6. Pinel Island - is it still the small boat you take over there, from the parking lot?

7. Taxi service - if there's a taxi service we can also book, love to hear of any good ones.

8. Restaurants - We used to love "Lee's" for the fresh mahi. Any good tips on restaurants, family friendly & love anything fresh fish.

If anyone can take a few mins to give us some advice, we'd really appreciate it! We're heading over next week., stoked!

Cheers

PS- we will def post a trip review afterwards

Go to Maho if that's your scene, but skip Sunset Beach Bar and try Driftwood or Tortuga (or both!) which are on the opposite side of the beach from Sunset. For taxi service, we just grab one from the lineup at the airport - no need to prearrange.

Thank you. Sunset definitely has the view of the beach with planes flying over. Is there a reason not recommended? Ie. Food. We do remember driftwood having the best mango coladas

Sunset is generally targeted at the cruise ship crowd. The food wasn't great and the service was abysmal. Tortuga and Driftwood have the same view and better food and service. They also both have chairs available.

Both Driftwood and Sunset are great in my book. Been to both and like the drinks at Driftwood and the view and food at Sunset. Also better restrooms and parking at Sunset.

Yeah it seems that service has always been an issue @ SSBB, since forever. I remember having to wave cash in the air to get their attention for a drink.

Sunset beach bar is great. We were there twice in the last 3 weeks. Service top notch & friendly & there were cruise people there. Very nice mojito! Food was very good.
Parking free if you eat there get server to validate. Clean washrooms.
If you want to see ahead of time check out maho beach live webcam on youtube.
Traffic heavy this time of year though. Enjoy!

- Rental car we search Kayak for low rates, often end up with ACE/Safari who do great.
- Restaurants - Little Jerusalem, Rancho Del Sol, Capucinno Bar?restaurant, Moulin Fu, Bistrot Caraibes, Marks Place, Pollos Hermanos, Bakery by Super U Marigot, Bachhus Hope estate, Sint Maarten yacht Club, Good Morning Cafe
- Park at Sunset, go to Sunset, go to driftwood.

First never heard of the Portico? Do you mean you are renting an apartment in Porto Cupecoy? If so no way can you walk to Maho at night. It’s one hell of a walk in the day time, but not safe at night. Island has change big time since your last visit. Rent a car from Kenny’s, my first choice. Or Sax or Empress are options. Do not rent online from a third party like Expedia etc. but first let’s figure out where you are staying!! Percy plays Friday nights at the SandBar past Sunset. So you will definitely get to see him.

As for Cats. There are many. All depends on what kind of trip you want. Low
Key under 13 people - then no1sxm, lists of people and party atmosphere. Then def lambada or tango. Also Boomerang is a great option

Maho would
Not be my choice to hang out on. Sand isn’t always there.

Pinel is still a short boat ride away from CulDeSac

What has changed in a big way. Is Maho plaza!! So many really good restaurants and shops!! Our favorite is "Mr. Chow-Roma"!! It's three different restaurants under one roof!!! The front half is this asian caribbean cuisine. The middle is the bar with high top tables, great for a larger crowd, enjoy a fresh made brick oven pizza and great cocktails!! In the back behind the bar area, is "Roma" the Italian restaurant, fully "AC" the front has cooling fans,You will love the food, Marco Ferante has an amazing staff!!! Stop by for HH and a few apps, we've done that, that was dinner!!

We love staying in that area! We are able to avoid the massive traffic most of the time. We love the Rum Punches (especially at sunset) at Dany's Beach Bar in Cupecoy.

There are several nice restaurants in Porto Cupecoy - we have begun starting our trip out at Altro. Great service, good food at good prices. French Cocotte is another fairly new one. You are also pretty close to Maho, and as mentioned, there are lots of nice options there. We picked up a pizza at Roma one night and usually enjoy Happy Hour at the Oasis (the bar area between Roma & Mr. Chow) and we agree with Colour1 it's wonderful! Somewhere like Skip Jacks or Pineapple Pete's in Simpson Bay might be a little more family friendly though.

The ferry to Pinel is still there. $12 or 10 euros, but it was cancelled for several days while we were there because the seas were very rough. You can rent chairs at the restaurants which are nice or we have hiked to the back side a couple of times and taken a picnic when we had our own chairs.

We have used Lesley at Kenny's Car Rentals on all of our recent trips and find the fact he is waiting for your when you arrive with car keys so much quicker and more convenient, we wouldn't go back to the shuttle bus to the others! I emailed Wilford Brooks (found contact info for him & Lesley on this board) and he was very responsive and helpful.

Have fun! I understand things have changed a lot, but we immensely enjoy our time on SXM!

Some new additions in Maho you might want to check out. There's a Deli that makes great sandwiches (perfect to take to the beach or plane flight home) and really nice breakfasts - all are reasonably priced. There's also a Smashburgers now - great burghers, again resonably priced. The Hole in the Walll has great live entertainment every night after 9:00. There's a beer garden with a nice selection of beers - happy hour (2 for 1) every day from 4 -7. Jax has probably the best steak on the island, but it's pretty pricey - they do have a nice happy hour though. Tortuga at the Royal Islander has stepped up its game and is one of the few places on the island where you can enjoy a nice meal right on the waer. . Opinions on Sunset BB seem to be mixed - it's probably still fine if not many cruise ships are in, but most days it's a zoo. And prehaps the biggest change you'll find on the island is the traffic which is becoming a huge problem. Hope you have a great stay!

Lots of questions need answers to get good advice. As stated by Kim I never heard of Portico. Give us the exact place you will stay and then someone can give you info about restaurants in that area or close by.

Lots of great places to eat all kinds of foods so having a car is good. I go to SXM just to eat great foods! The beach is second for me. If it's a beach with great food so much the better.
If it is Pourto Cupecoy where you'll be staying, there's a Medeteraen, a French, an Italian, and Altro a mixed food location that offers a fixed price dinner. Also on Sunday at Rendezvous restaurant they have live jazz. Make a reservation if you plan ti eat there. But you can hear the music from Mama's Italian or the Medeterean restaurants since the group performs outside.

If you go to Grand Case there's a place named Ocean 82 that has great seafood.

Like others I would go to Tortuga instead of Sunset Beach Bar. Tortuga's prices are better, seating on deck to watch planes or out on the end of the beach. I would not walk anywhere at night. Drivers are crazy, crime is on the rise. We don't where any jewelry because we've seen it ripped from people walking and off the go on a scooter.

I'd recommend Leslie at Kenny's car rental because of the convince of pick up right there and not after driving in a bus off airport site.