StaciR

I am in desperate need of advice! Never been to St. Maarten (8a-5p), St. Thomas (12p-8p), or San Juan (8a-5p) and would like to get help in planning excursions post-hurricane. Here is what I want to do: One port, chill at the beach (prefer adult beach with drinks and food). One port, do shopping (nothing fancy, just walk around and shop). The other port, maybe a little walking around and then hanging at a fun/wild restaurant. Note the times that we will be at each location. It doesn't have to be a ship-sponsored excursion. I have been scouring the internet for weeks and just can't decide which destination is best for our desired activities.

We just got back from these places- my vote is chill in St Maarten- $7 for round trip water taxi, go all the way down the beach by the pier and find the guys in the VHP shirts- $5 for a chair and umbrella that includes a free drink and they will wait on you hand and foot without being annoying. SUCH a good time! St Thomas is THE place to shop! They also have a gondola you can ride for around $12 that gives you an AMAZING view of the island. San Juan has lots of nightlife- especially in Old San Juan which is right near port. We loved all of these stops!

Edited to add: we felt very safe walking around at night in Old San Juan. Lots of people out and about! Definitely safe during the day. We must have walked 10 miles- it’s very easy to see a lot in a short period of time!

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Help me decide. Both have similar itineraries.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

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We just got back- did the Cosol tour, it was awesome! Our driver really went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time! I can’t speak about the other tour, but I can’t imagine not getting to drive through the fishing villages and seeing the open markets and how different the homes are in these areas. Also, amazing views of the rainforest and tasting the local foods and bananas fresh off the trees was amazing!

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We just returned, took our kids (16 and 17) on the tour- they had a blast! I think it depends on the kids and how well they would enjoy a tour by vehicle, though there are lots of stops. We LOVED it!

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