TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin My bad luck island,

Such a beautiful island, I can see why so many of you love it so much, this was a redo for me because last time I could not enjoy due to broken shoulder and arm the morning we were leaving, this time my sister and her husband were in a car accident leaving the divi where they are owners , they will be ok, she had concussion and fractured pelvis .
certainly put a damper on the rest of the week. then due my stupidity when we left on Sunday I got my toes cought in the automatic doors at the airport one is broken the others just bruised up.

But we still made the best of it and the Divi is lovely, just make sure if you get a taxi they do not make a left turn leaving. just another reminder to also have trip insurance, they got lucky and did not have to pay the hospital bills but could have been a big issue.

Really going to miss this forum after a year of reading everything and liking everyone and learning so much, but I think I will try another island next year just in case something is trying to tell me this is not the island for me.

Wow, I don't blame you, what a crazy set of circumstances to have all happen to you! That taxi driver should be reported to the taxi association. So sorry that all happened to you and your family...

The first time we went to SXM...we arrived just ahead of hurricane Jose...back in October 1999. I will not bore you with all the details....i just want to say....we came back the following april for a do over...and we have been back every year since. Has every year gone smoothly? no of course not....just this past april...we lost 5 days because of an expired passport!

But you learn to make the best of a bad situation and you realize it is what it is and you cannot change it. I have never blamed SXM for the bad things that happened....life just has "stuff" sometimes.

I am sorry about your troubles...and i hope you dont allow this to taint your opinion of SXM.

I don't think she is blaming SXM, just feels it's kind of bad karma for her. I don't really blame her.

No not blaming the island at all its may favorite of all that I have been too so far, but too many broken bone issues maybe I just need more calcium! but like Carol said maybe bad karma not supposed to happen on a do over LOL !!

The accident was reported in the Daily Herald about a week ago. The taxi driver was making an illegal left hand turn out of the Divi. People do this all the time even though there is a sign that says "NO LEFT TURNS".

At Divi we NEVER make the left turn. We turn right and make a U turn at Sonesta Great Bay. Much safer and only takes a couple of minutes.

Agreed that the taxi driver was at fault for making an illegal left turn out of Divi. Having said that, it seems like that intersection is terribly designed. Can the SXM government force a re-design of that intersection? I've heard of too many bad injuries and even deaths at that one spot.

that intersection is ridiculous..whoever designed that was just plain stupid. it definitely needs to be redesigned.

I usually cross the street, back in to the driveway with the green gates, and then head out. I see lots of others do this as well. But shame on the taxi driver; there's a large sign right at the end of the driveway. Big no no.

I go the long way, through Philipsburg, rather than make the left turn out of Divi, although I have, once or twice, turned left. Shame on me! When returning to the resort we use the Great Bay turnaround so that we can enter by making a left turn into the Divi. The right turn into Divi is illegal and yes, something should be done about this. I was told the property owner wanted a million for the land required to adjust the entrance. Seems to me the government could appropriate the land and then donate it to Divi so that Divi could do the construction work. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

It is okay to make a right turn into the Divi.

Uh, I don't think so. And even if it's OK, which I don't think it is, it's not safe as you can't see who/what is coming up the driveway.

I have never seen a sign that says no right turn.

Well, at least five years ago there was a sign.

It is shown at exactly the 15 minute marker in this video that I posted to Vimeo five years ago.



(click)



gary