Excursion help Needed

[Linco711]

 

We've been to St. Maarten several times and usually just find a spot on the beach, rent some chairs and relax...We have never been to the french side:eek: I'm thinking we may be missing something and was wanting some opinions..please help me decide:)

 

Is it worth the long trip there? We are seniors and will probably just shop and grab some lunch...of course we could do that on the dutch side too...Is the french side nicer?? Thanks for any info and help you can give...:)

[Karysa]

 

We've been to St. Maarten several times and usually just find a spot on the beach, rent some chairs and relax...We have never been to the french side:eek: I'm thinking we may be missing something and was wanting some opinions..please help me decide:)

 

Is it worth the long trip there? We are seniors and will probably just shop and grab some lunch...of course we could do that on the dutch side too...Is the french side nicer?? Thanks for any info and help you can give...:)

 

You might want to do some research on Grand Case is was once a fishing village and is now famous for gourmet restaurants. There are also boutiques as well. Not the place for camera or jewelry shopping but it has interesting clothing stores and costume jewelery stores. Most of the restaurants are closed for lunch but a few are open. There are no side walks on restaurant row so you need to becareful. Le Soleil is a nice restaurant on the waterside of the street. The view is wonderful and we really enjoy this spot for lunch. They have these tarts that are amazing. You could share one for lunch. It's esentially a French gourmet pizza with cream fraise and Swiss cheese with bacon and onions at lest that is the one I order. There is also a perfumery where you can make your own fragrance.

[dorakk]

We were there two weeks ago, we took a taxi to Marigot and spend the morning there.

The taxi ride was approx. 45 minutes with traffic.

 

We kind of regret doing so, IMHO there aren't much to see at Marigot (maybe it's just us?). There is an open market, but not very interesting. After strolling along the open market for 45 minutes, we decided to head to Maho beach, which is much more interesting.

 

We prefer the Dutch side more, the streets are cleaner, ppl there are more friendly. I guess the dutch side is more tourist oriented:confused:.

 

Another side note is that on the French side Euro is the preferred currency. We didn't have Euro with us, the vendors charged us more because we were paying with USD.

[Karysa]

We were there two weeks ago, we took a taxi to Marigot and spend the morning there.

The taxi ride was approx. 45 minutes with traffic.

 

We kind of regret doing so, IMHO there aren't much to see at Marigot (maybe it's just us?). There is an open market, but not very interesting. After strolling along the open market for 45 minutes, we decided to head to Maho beach, which is much more interesting.

 

We prefer the Dutch side more, the streets are cleaner, ppl there are more friendly. I guess the dutch side is more tourist oriented:confused:.

 

Another side note is that on the French side Euro is the preferred currency. We didn't have Euro with us, the vendors charged us more because we were paying with USD.

 

The euro has hurt the French side of the island. Many people wo live there even shop on the Dutch side to save money. I am not certain of the current exchange rate but the euro is valued higher so if it cost 1E that would be in the $1.36 range. Most places do not treat the US$ on par with the euro but some will. I find that Grand Case has more restaurants than Marigot taking the US dollar at par.

To those looking to go to Marigot I really think a climb up to the Fort St. Louis is worth the effort. I love the view from up there. Personally I prefer Grand Case to Marigot. Hopefully Marigot will get a cruise ship pier because there are some nice beaches nearby and the shops and restaurants of Marigot and Grand Case could use the customers.

[Animal Rescue]

We were there two weeks ago, we took a taxi to Marigot and spend the morning there.

The taxi ride was approx. 45 minutes with traffic.

 

We kind of regret doing so, IMHO there aren't much to see at Marigot (maybe it's just us?). There is an open market, but not very interesting. After strolling along the open market for 45 minutes, we decided to head to Maho beach, which is much more interesting.

 

We prefer the Dutch side more, the streets are cleaner, ppl there are more friendly. I guess the dutch side is more tourist oriented:confused:.

 

Another side note is that on the French side Euro is the preferred currency. We didn't have Euro with us, the vendors charged us more because we were paying with USD.

 

 

 

I'd like to hear more about your opinion of Marigot. Your schedule sounds like one we are planning for our day there in June. We are not into expensive high-end products to buy, so am I to understand that Marigot is basically just upscale items?

 

We were only planning to visit Marigot because our teen daughter has taken French in school for the last two years, but she's definitely a bargain shopper like me. Due to traffic and time constraints, we want to be at Maho from 11:30am - 2:00pm before heading back to the stores near the ship.

 

If you think Marigot just wasted your time before Maho, then we'll just shop on the Dutch side before and after Maho.

 

I'd like to know your thoughts on this.

[Linco711]

We were there two weeks ago, we took a taxi to Marigot and spend the morning there.

The taxi ride was approx. 45 minutes with traffic.

 

We kind of regret doing so, IMHO there aren't much to see at Marigot (maybe it's just us?). There is an open market, but not very interesting. After strolling along the open market for 45 minutes, we decided to head to Maho beach, which is much more interesting.

 

We prefer the Dutch side more, the streets are cleaner, ppl there are more friendly. I guess the dutch side is more tourist oriented:confused:.

 

Another side note is that on the French side Euro is the preferred currency. We didn't have Euro with us, the vendors charged us more because we were paying with USD.

 

Thank you so much for your review...I feel our vacation time is too precious to waste, and am glad you responded..I've heard the same thing from others so we will save time and money and just stay on the Dutch side..Thanks again:)

[Chance's Mom]

We just got back and enjoyed our time in Marigot. We are in our early 50's/60's and enjoyed the walk up Fort Louis. Great views of the water front and the breeze felt wonderful! Alot of steps in the sun to the top, but there are old cannons and remains of the fort that you can walk around. When we were done, we got a mango smoothie at a local pub/restaurant. We were told that the dollar and euro were equal, but still ended up paying more with our dollar when the bill came. Just did some shopping at the tiny market place on the boardwalk. More high-end stores that we did not stop at. Then off to Maho!!

[PeaceLoveCruise]

You may want to check out this thread on Bernard's tours. Sounds like he gives a wonderful overview of the whole island (and rum punch is included!) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1429056