TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin More Roadblocks/Protests Today??

Zanshin said:
On the VHF radio net here in St. Martin this morning one of the cruisers told how he'd gotten stopped in his rental car by a roadblock where they'd demanded money to let him pass. Upon refusal, his car was pelted with large rocks that dented his roof and he did make a police report. That kind of treatment by people who live off the tourism sector is certainly going to backfire.

whammy said:
Charlie, the "draw" to Orient Beach was, for us, the funky beach bars that we don't get at home.
Also, the gorgeous water for swimming! Now that it's all like a new mini-mall, the attraction is mostly gone.

irina said:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-33634776

As you can see, these protests are quite common in Europe.

StephenPayne said:
Many of you have read or heard about the recent protests in St. Martin. Yes, it's true that the road in the French Quarter was blocked to vehicle traffic for about three days and there was a blockage for one day on the road to Marigot near the Cadesco gas station. However, as of this morning, the roads are open both to and from the French Quarter and Marigot, and we believe will continue to remain that way. Everything is open at Club Orient and was the entire week and all employees are on deck and looking forward to our family of guests returning as normal.

The protests were an inconvenience to many residents and guests on St. Martin, and we wish that the situation had not occurred. During the time of the two blockades, however, people were still allowed to walk through the blockades and continue on their way. It was a bit of a logistical challenge, as we had to arrange transportation to the blockade and then transfer luggage to a waiting taxi, but everyone took it pretty well in stride. Through it all, we had a full resort, multiple check-ins and check-outs, no one missed their flights or were unable to reach Club Orient. Guests went to Orient Village restaurants in the evening and ate at the Papagayo, just like any other evening.

I personally drove numerous guests and employees to the barricades, assisted them connecting with their taxis and often had people that were in the crowd help us with the luggage. Not only did I do this, but also Jean-Michel and our wives Linda and Adelle. If we had felt there was any inherent danger, we would not have done this.

To the best of my knowledge from others who live here, as well as in the local newspaper accounts, no one protestor or bystander was injured or threatened with harm. Yes, there were a couple of old cars set on fire, as well as a pile of tires in the French Quarter, but let’s keep it in perspective. I don’t mean to downplay the events of this week, but when we see some of the protests that seem to be a regular occurrence in the States with buildings being burned and countless physical confrontations, this one was a relatively minor and peaceful.

The number of protestors averaged between 50 and 100 people, depending on the day and time. This is a very small number considering our population. The Gendarmes were always present and there were no injuries to anyone. No structures were damaged and we believe that the two sides are on their way to reaching a viable solution to their differences.

I can’t speak for other properties or private villas, but all guests arriving or checking out of Club Orient during this week did so as scheduled, without incident - other than having to transfer between the taxi and the car we sent to pick them up (on the first day only). Everything remains open at Club Orient and we are operating normally.

Some of the online rhetoric is understandable from people inconvenienced or who were asked for money to pass (this was not part of the official protest group and the protestors actually reported the person to authorities). But please remember that France, like most Western Countries, including the US and Canada, have a long history of the right to peaceful protest.

If you have any other concerns or questions, please give us a call or email me directly.

DannynGinger said:
I understand the pain of the tourist that want to stay on the French side and feel uncomfortable doing so.
We have been coming to the island for 23 years, most of the time 2 to 3 times a year and used to spend time on the French side quite often for shopping and meals. We have always stayed on the Dutch side because of our time shares.
We stopped going to the French side about 5 years ago because of different reasons.
Have no reason to go back, even though for the great beaches, shopping or the food.
It's not right to put fear into the people that just want to enjoy a relaxing vacation.