Dawn Beach - There is a giant Westin Hotel there now. We will stop at the marina for a drink on the way back from Orient beach but don't desire to stay in that area. We stay around Simpson Bay, close to everything on the Dutch side and half way between wherever you would want to go to on the French side.
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Take advantage of a post-hurricaine vacation special? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Dentist
- Start date
Tecumseh
Footballguy
@tonydead and @jamny (and anyone else)- I've been looking for a place to take the wife in September for our 20th, and this thread has me intrigued. I'm seeing prices to St. Maarten for $322 RT from Atlanta, I'm guessing due to hurricane season. I was actually looking at Curacao, because we can get a nice 5* Hilton for $35 per night, but the airfare is higher (a little over $500). Have either of you been to Curacao? What is there to do on St. Maarten/Anguila other than lay on the beach? Any tips, places to go, things to see would be great. TIA.
ETA: I remember the issue with Curacao now- 15-20 hour total travel time. All of the reasonable fares have hellish layovers, and multi-stops. St. Maarten is 4 hours direct for $500, or the price above includes a 1 hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale.
ETA: I remember the issue with Curacao now- 15-20 hour total travel time. All of the reasonable fares have hellish layovers, and multi-stops. St. Maarten is 4 hours direct for $500, or the price above includes a 1 hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale.
Last edited by a moderator:
jamny
Footballguy
@El Floppo can help with Anguilla as this was my first time and all we did was sit around the beach (and pool!) Haven't been to Curacao. The only concern I'd have with St. Maarten is the effects of Irma, although I'd guess by September most things will be back to normal. Anguilla has recovered better for various reasons but that might be a non-issue by then. I found this website really helpful in keeping track of flight info into SXM. Click on the link for the pdf.
Last edited by a moderator:
mr. furley
Footballguy
i've been to Curacao
Chicago --> Miami --> Willemstad. total travel time was less than 8 hours.
how the hell would it take 20 hours to go from Atlanta to Willemstad??
also, i'll need details on that $35 for a 5-star hotel deal
Last edited by a moderator:
Yeah, it must be trying to get tourists back plus September is the low season (and still hurricane season btw). And from what jamny said the airport terminal wasn't even function-able yet as of April or whenever it was when he was there.
The closest I've been to Curacao is Aruba. Unless it's changed from what I remember from researching it is that it is primarily an excellent location to dive. If diving is a "must do" on your to do list I can't recommend St. Maarten (SXM) as diving there is poor, relatively. If you wanted to dive it would be best to spend a couple days over at Saba from SXM, but, I can tell you are working on a budget too so that's probably not an option.
Normally there is a ton of stuff to do on SXM, way more than Curacao, from zip lining to the butterfly farm and everything in between. The biggest problem right now is that the most active spot, Orient Beach, was completely destroyed by Irma. Every single building along the beach was destroyed. Normally it's the place to go if you're into activities like parasailing, jet skiing, people watching etc. I don't know how much of that has recovered yet. When we were there last November there wasn't anything there but destroyed buildings and people laying on the beach. If you want to be active a lot you'll want to do some research and see which businesses are back operational by September. I'm sure enough will be ready by December, which is the start of the busy season, not so sure about September.
We traveled to a lot of places throughout the Caribbean and Mexico before we found SXM. We've been to SXM at least a dozen times now because it was the right fit for us. It's not rich and expensive like Grand Camen or St. Barts and it's not poor like Mexico or Jamaica where you're always hassled by the locals. Their motto is "the friendly island" and it's true, both the locals and the tourists that tend to frequent. Many times we'd go to a bar/restaurant and when there isn't any tables another couple would see us waiting and invite us to join theirs. Conversations always start up immediately all around. Unlike anywhere in the states, that's just how it is down there.
The island is half dutch and half french. You can drive across the boarder like it's not even there and experience the best of both worlds. We always stay on the dutch side in the Simpson Bay area. You can get harassed/shaken down for drunk driving on the french side, you won't on the dutch. It used to be said that if the dutch caught you driving intoxicated they would pull you over and let you sober up by giving you a Heineken. The Dutch side has all the nightlife: Casinos, night clubs, martini bars, piano bars, strip clubs, etc. The french side has wonderful french food and shopping. The main port is on the Dutch side in Phillipsburg where the cruse ships come in and the entire board walk is great for shopping and people watching. Day trips are available by boat to Anguilla and St. Barts (maybe Saba) or just for a snorkeling, dinner or tour around the island cruz.. Note of caution: There is more of a crime element on SXM than there has been in the past. You never leave any valuables in the car and always leave the car unlocked. We don't stay out too late and just use common sense, just like any populated area in the US. We've never had any problem.
Food on both sides is phenomenal. It's the only place I've been other than New Orleans where I can honestly say it's easy to find real 5 star cuisine in all the major authenticates. The beach bar and bbq and everything in between is great. There is nothing like real french pastries with dutch cheese and cured meats.
The best of both sides though are the beaches. By renting a car you can drive completely around the island in about a hour and a half. There are 27 different beaches to choose from to fit your mood. From Orient Beach for a ton of activities and people (when it's fully recovered) to beaches where you can be all by yourself after a short hike. All but the most secluded beaches will have at least a plywood type beach bar run by locals. All the beaches are topless and there are several that are clothing optional.
If you end up thinking you might want to go send me a PM and I'll email you a travel guide of sorts that I've put together that lists all our favorite places on a map. Offer stands to anyone reading this too. We've been a dozen times, but, we don't pretend to know half of the restaurants and we haven't been to all 27 beaches yet either.
Last edited by a moderator:
RUSF18
Footballguy
Been to Curacao and had a great time but not worth a hellish travel experience over other similar but easier to reach locations.
Stayed at the Hilton BTW, and while nice, definitely not a 5*...unless they opened a second one recently? The one we were at was away from the cruise terminal and next to a Marriott.
Stayed at the Hilton BTW, and while nice, definitely not a 5*...unless they opened a second one recently? The one we were at was away from the cruise terminal and next to a Marriott.
Tecumseh
Footballguy
My wife works for Hilton, so we get some pretty sweet corporate rates. As far as the flight to Curacao, the cheapest options have either a 13+ hour layover in New York, or multiple layovers. There's even one option that takes a total of 30 hours.i've been to Curacao
Chicago --> Miami --> Willemstad. total travel time was less than 8 hours.
how the hell would it take 20 hours to go from Atlanta to Willemstad??
also, i'll need details on that $35 for a 5-star hotel deal
I'm going to do some more research, but will definitely PM you for the guide. Thanks for the insight!
mr. furley
Footballguy
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Thinking about St. Thomas in the fall. Anybody been in the last year or so? Things largely back to normal? Thoughts? Recommendations?
Anybody stayed in Cowpet?
iirc @DA RAIDERS was the board expert on all things usvi?
Anybody stayed in Cowpet?
iirc @DA RAIDERS was the board expert on all things usvi?
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
i see my sister in 2 weeks. i'll get the low down from her. things are 'mostly' back to normal. personally, i would always prefer st john to st thomas.. my sister ended up moving to st thomas, as her house was destroyed in the hurricanes. plus, work and the kids school is on st thomas.
never heard of cowpet
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
my sister was a touch dramatic, when i asked her about the islands. she said hotels are still extremely limited. and that the morale on the islands wasn't really the same. crime is up a touch. she actually moved to st thomas from st john, due to her house being destroyed. she's actually talking about moving back to the states.
not much help, sorry.a friend of mine, just went to st john, with a big group and seemed to have a good time according to the facebooks. they chartered a boat for a few days and had a blast.
