St. Maarten vs. Aruba vs. Grand Cayman

[stmartinfan]

Bucky's comments are spot on. I recall as a young 20 something going to a beach in The Netherlands and realizing to my amazement that people of all ages were changing into their swimsuits right on the beach, and we saw topless sunbathers in various European countries. And no one really noticed or cared. That's when I recognized that people in other parts of the world were much more nonchalant about their bodies than in the U.S. I figured when I took my kids to SXM they were learning about those cultural differences at a younger age than I had, and that was a good thing,.

I also agree with Bucky's comparison of the climates of Aruba and SXM. Aruba's nice to visit once, but SXM keeps drawing us back.

 

[pgnewarkboy]

Sint Maarten has some of the best beaches in the Caribbean. Also you get two nations for the price of one. The French side and the Dutch side. The French side has some great restaurants. The Dutch side has the commercial but fun Phillipsburg port and shopping.

 

[dansimms]

Natives - Service

I have not been to St Maarten, but would like to say the natives on Cayman included the tip in the bill and appeared to have little motivation to provide excellent service at several of the restaurants that we went to. Aruba had consistently better service and friendlier waiters. They seemed to want us to spread the word to friends to come to Aruba. Cayman seemed to take tourists for granted and may have even shown some resentment. More than we had seen in any of the 15 or so Islands we have visited. I wouldn't choose to go back purely for that reason.

 

[Htoo0]

Been to Aruba and own at Morritts. I love Grand Cayman and Stingray City. Enjoyed Aruba as well. The Morritts Grand and Seaside are nice. Don't know if the newest (Londoner) is open yet. Some of the older wood and poolside units are sometimes a bit dated but they refurbish pretty often. Didn't see a mention of this but St. Martin is currently on the CDC list for a mosquito-borne virus. St. Maarten is fogging the border in an attempt to control it. I intend to visit sometime but now might be a good time to avoid it. Or not. Just thought I'd mention it. Whatever you decide, have a great time!

 

[legalfee]

Been to all three. I personally like St Thomas better with it's proximity to St John and the BVI. If I had to rate the three it would be St Martin / Sint Maarten, Grand Cayman, and Aruba.

 

[topmom101]

LisaRex, being a frequent visitor of St. Maarten and having just returned from yet another great vacation, I'd like to suggest you and your friends spend a day at Karakter's beach. gorgeous water and sand. Free lounges and umbrellas when you buy a drink or lunch. Very quaint, laid back and friendly service. We discovered it 3 years ago and has become a must-go place. We take long walks and usually find lots of sea glass. Fun also because it is adjacent to the airport runway and you can see the planes land and take off.

We also go to Pinel Island at least once although I must admit, I was a bit disappointed last week. The ferry fare went up to $10/pp from $7 previously and the price for an umbrella and 2 lounges doubled and is now $30. We always packed a cooler with drinks, etc. but that is no longer allowed. So basically, a day at Pinel can be quite expensive. You will, however, enjoy spectacular mountains/ocean views.

Lastly, your St. Maarten experience wouldn't be complete without a stop-by at Sunset Beach where you can lay a towel on the sand and watch the planes land over your head mere yards away. A mind-blowing experience if you can catch a KLM or Air France Boing 747 landing. Weekend and weekdays schedules differ but usually late morning, early afternoon works well. Hope you enjoy your stay.

 

[LisaRex]

LisaRex, being a frequent visitor of St. Maarten and having just returned from yet another great vacation, I'd like to suggest you and your friends spend a day at Karakter's beach. gorgeous water and sand. Free lounges and umbrellas when you buy a drink or lunch. Very quaint, laid back and friendly service. We discovered it 3 years ago and has become a must-go place. We take long walks and usually find lots of sea glass. Fun also because it is adjacent to the airport runway and you can see the planes land and take off.

Thank you. I'll add it to our list!

 

[GregT]

All,

We just got back from a cruise to took us to St. Maarten and also to St. Thomas. For our excursions we visited Mullet Bay Beach on St. Maarten, and Trunk Bay on St. John.

Wow to both locations. Mullet Bay Beach was absolutely spectacular -- is that "typical" for a St. Maarten Beach (and are there any timeshares that are easy walk to Mullet Bay?).

I'd love to hear feedback from other St. Maarten timeshare visitors if any of the beaches by the timeshares (Oyster Bay, Little Bay, Simpson Bay) are similar to Mullet Bay.

Trunk Bay was picturesque and the water was stunning -- but I preferred Mullet Bay Beach, with warmer water and similar, lovely sand.

Best,

Greg

 

[Bucky]

Hey Greg,

Glad you enjoyed Mullet. One of our favorites. The Towers at Mullet Bay are basically right across the street from Mullet beach.

There are many many gorgeous beaches on St Maarten. It's almost like playing pin the tail on the donkey with the blindfold on.

We usually stay at Royal Islander La Plage which is also an easy walk to Mullet, at least in our opinion.

Looking forward to going back for 17 days in March.

 

[scotlass]

I would second Royal Islander, especially LaPlage. The units have fabulous views of the water, cruise ships, incoming airplanes......and it's a short walk to Mullet Bay. Also, there is s grocery store right across the street. We did not rent a car while staying there as we had all we needed....beach, grocery store, and entertainment!