TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Arrival lunch question

We arrive noonish on Sunday. Bringing along our Daughter and Son-in-Law (first timers). The plan is to drop the luggage @ The Cliff, change into swim suits and go to a beach with a restaurant for a good lunch and then chairs on the beach. Suggestions please.(anywhere on the island)

Without a doubt, Dreams Beach in Nettle Baie, assuming it's not closed for vacation or a special event.

It's perhaps not the best beach on the island but still nice; possibly the nicest beach furnishings on the island and free with your lunch; and most important - some of the best beach food to be found with a lot of variety to the menu. And it's very convenient to the Cliffs. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Staying at the Cliff, i would dump the luggage and just head down the street to Mullett Beach, grab a couple of chairs, and go to Rosie's rib shack right on the beach. Dreams is great but since you won't get there to late, and it is NOT CHEAP, i would suggest waiting a day or two before you go there. My humble 2 cents worth.

Grand Case has a couple of places. Rainbow, Enolds, Calmos Cafe where you can sit with feet in the sand. Then there's Sunset Cafe at Grand Case Beach Club but you sit overlooking water and the island of Anguilla. You can later walk the beach to get the sand.

It's a ritual with us when we arrive usually around noon then head to Grand Case either to one of the above mentioned or to one of the upscale waterfront restaurants.

I'm not sure where The Cliff is located but if you know Maho area beyond Cupecoy is a right turn into Puerto Cupecoy park walk to the open area where there are many fine restaurants open for lunch overlooking the Lagoon.

You might just want to stop at the Sunset Beach Bar and Grill and grab a burger and watch the planes land.
You could drive over to Orient Beach and go to the Palm Beach for lunch and sit on the beach the rest of the day.
You could go to Grand Case and stop at the Calmos Café for a bite to eat and sit there with your feet in the sand and watch the sunset (beautiful from there). If you want to stay near Simpson Bay, you could go to Karakter Beach Bar and Café, grab something to eat, and watch the sunset sitting on the beach there. Just some thoughts.

Pat's suggestion of Dreams was my 1st choice then I read that you arrive on Sunday and our experience was if you didn't get there early it was very crowded so I didn't mention it.

If you go elsewhere be sure to save a day for Dreams in Nettle Bay.

Depending on what the seaweed situation is like by then, I might suggest Kakao on Orient. They do have a variety of different foods, including burgers and pizza, in addition to more traditional French food. I love Dreams, but I personally would save it for a day when I wasn't exhausted from traveling..

All great responses....but in my opinion, arriving noonish on Sunday means that they won't get luggage or out of the airport by at least 1PM. Now add getting a car, even if the car is brought to them at the airport means that they won't make it to the Cliff's probably not until 1:30 or 2:00. Add check in time....another 15 minutes or half hour. Add about 30 minute drive to Grand Case, or 45 minute drive to Orient beach.... means that they won't be eating lunch until around 4:30 or 5:00!!!!!!! Again, in my humble opinion, someplace closer to the Cliff would make the most sense!!!! (Mullett, Cupecoy, Maho area)

Whenever I travel and have a noontime arrival, I just pack a lunch. I know it is not as fun as getting to eat on the beach, but being hungry and delayed at the same time is such a poor way to start a vacation that it is worth it to me.

That said, ribs at Mullet sounds like a good plan to me if the sandwich in a bag plan is not your speed.

I'm with EdB on the timing, my thought is Mullet and ribs or Dreams on Nettle would be the two best options for food and beach in a timely fashion. Dreams nicer [to me] food, no charge chairs if you eat there, Mullet the prototypical beach with food huts and chairs
The other suggestions all good, to me the key is settle in , suits on and hit the beach [note if suits off is the ticket then Cupecoy is the choice!]
J&B

I second dropping the luggage and heading to either Karakter Beach or Mullet Bay Beach. Both are close enough to you and should serve your desire for both beach and lunch. Personally, between the two for THAT day, I'd choose Karakter's, but that's just me.

Ed, I see what you are saying about the time. We touch down at 11:16. I was figuring out of the airport by noon, car rental in lot, over to The Cliff and on the road to Grand Case by 1. If I beat the crap out of the Corolla (just kidding, Lesley) should be at say Calmos or Rainbow before 2:00, no? If my time estimates are all off, where on the Dutch side, other than a LOLO or
Karacter is there?

If your flight actually touches down at 11:16, I really think you could do somewhere in Grand Case or Orient without any problem, and be there by 1 or 1:30, latest.

Great, JB says 11:16. Have never arrived so early, but also never arrived on a Sunday. So I think Rainbow offers the most diverse menu, dining locations (indoors, out, in sun, no sun), and nicest chairs, for our tastes. That should welcome my Daughter & S-I-L to the island perfectly. Thanks all, you're the best. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Phil

good luck....don't forget ''bathroom breaks'' in there somewhere also...LOL Wherever you end up you know it will be FANTASTIC!!!