Anyone been to San Juan, St. Maartin lately?

[Fastback89]

We were in St Maartan on Oasis in May, and the shops, bars and hotels along the strand were pretty much decimated. We ventured up to the back streets and most of the shops were open for business. Did not get over to the French side. Old San Juan didn't show a lot of structural damage, but there were a lot of closed up store fronts on the side streets by the port.

 

We will be back to both ports next week on Oasis, and it will be interesting to see how much progress has been made in the last two months.

I will also be on Oasis next week ,we have been curious about the damage. Hope to see you there

[orville99]

Just got back yesterday. Old San Juan is starting to show signs of rebuilding/repairing some of the external structural damage, but a lot of the shops are still closed. Went to shore excursions desk to book an excursion in st martin, and there was a sign at the desk stating that st martin is still in bad shape and to factor that in to what the excursions were able to do. The sign also had a plea to do whatever we could to help the island recover. The port area was showing more signs of recovery, and there was even a new bar open at the port. The town itself didn't look a lot better than it did when we were there in May. One weird sight was a brand new hill being built behind the town - probably where they're burying the debris they are cleaning up as they tear down/rebuild the shops and hotels.

[flhokie]

We were in both last week...

 

Old San Juan was in much better shape than I expected. Most stores & restaurants were re-opened. There was still some damage visible, but not as much as I expected (talking to the locals Old San Juan is in better shape than many areas outside the city as they needed it back for tourism to recover).

 

 

St. Maarten was very different. We did a full day tour of the island and were saddened by the amount of destruction still waiting to be addressed.

 

The French Side was much worse than the Dutch side overall. There were a few restaurants open in Marigot, but most shops/restaurants are not open (there is an outdoor market with very friendly merchants). We did not go to Orient Beach as the tour guide said they were not "healed" enough to handle a large number of guests (there were 2 large ships in).

 

The town of Philipsburg seemed to be fairly well recovered (especially in comparison to Marigot). The ship was actually recommending the beach there--in town.

 

A few days before our arrival they tore down a large resort on the Dutch side as the damage was too great.

 

The airport is still operating out of tents as the damage to the terminal has not been repaired.

 

Our guide said there were a lot of people without insurance, a lot of issues with insurance claims and the French are changing building codes so rebuilding can't take place until that's done.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mrchips14]

St Maarten.

 

 

 

Is the beach just across the water from where the ship docks OK, are the restaurants open there.

 

 

We usually just take the water taxi over and walk down a bit. Get 2 chairs, umbrella some water etc, but most important is the use of the bathroom in one of the restaurants.

 

 

Thanks

[DISFANS3]

Thanks for info...

[luvspemberly]

Has anyone beem to Maho Beach recently?

 

Sent from my SM-T820 using Tapatalk

Yes, was just there yesterday. Sunset Bar and Grill was lots of fun. Good food and drinks, fun vibe, nice breezes and we got to see five or six planes come in. The actual beach is very small. Not really a place to set up chairs and umbrellas. There is a little bit of beach with lots of rocks/boulders up to the road and fence.

 

Sent from my SM-T710 using Forums mobile app

[PhoenixCruiser]

Yes, was just there yesterday. Sunset Bar and Grill was lots of fun. Good food and drinks, fun vibe, nice breezes and we got to see five or six planes come in. The actual beach is very small. Not really a place to set up chairs and umbrellas. There is a little bit of beach with lots of rocks/boulders up to the road and fence.

 

Sent from my SM-T710 using Forums mobile app

 

Great! Thanks for replying.

[charmy98]

Has anyone taken coloring pencils and books or any small toys to give out to the children? Would you suggest even doing that or not.

[Sunny0528]

Just back from both islands, we mostly stayed by the beaches in St Marteen, most places were open and the beaches were fine! San Juan we walked all over town and to the fort etc and didn't notice much damage or problems at all!

[cruiser123!]

We stayed in San Juan a few days before our cruise in March. Like others have said, OSJ and SJ city are fine. As you get further out (Isla Verde) you'll start to notice blue tarps and naked trees. We went to El Yunque and were only able to see a small part as the roads were not open yet. Luquillo was still a mess. The beaches were a disaster, but they had been hit with some 30 foot waves the week before. The Kiosks were open. We tried to go out to Bio Bay in the boats. They took our reservations, but canceled day of. We were going to go to the Window Caves, but they were still closed. Apparently the ladders they used to get down into them are permanently gone. Hopefully some of that is better by now, and the island escapes being hit again this year.

[rmf11699]

Was at Orient beach this last May. The sign to make you aware of nudists was gone so saw more naked people than I cared to see up and down the beach. They're making a slow recovery and you can get cold beverage and sit under an umbrella so go and have a good time!