We are going to St Maarten (the south side) in September and were hoping that some of you world travelers had been there prior.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Leaving tomorrow for 5 days there, will update when I get back. Though we're staying on the French side...

Thanks!

had our honeymoon there is 2007.

Loved the french side. Much more touristy. We stayed on the Dutch side though because it was cheaper. The beaches were great. We found a secluded beach out of the way and my wife and I were the only two people there from 10am to about 2:30pm. It was awesome

I'll see if I can find the beach for you and post the map/location.

found the beach. it was Guana Bay on the east coast of the Dutch side.

Excellent quiet spot.

We also ate out twice on the trip because we stayed at a house with a private pool so I don't have many recommendations for dining.

Also, if you can rent a car. The island is 30 sq miles and is easily travelled by car. Great shopping on the french side and loved the people there.

Great tips, thank you

Maho Beach, the beach at the end of the runway, was my favorite part of the island. There is a bar there that posts the arrival times for the big flights in.

Keep an eye out for people who ignore the signs warning about the exhaust. We saw a KLM 747 fly in one day and it blew a lady about 25 feet into the ocean (she was ok, which is why it was hilarious). Crowds will gather when the big birds are due to arrive.

Yeah, I respect the jetwash but am excited to watch people that don't

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZX1rEPo51A

Head to Grand Case for dinner at least one night. L'Alabama is easily a Top 3 all time meal I have had in my entire life. Marigot is also pretty cool. Of course Orient Beach is interesting for the "sights".

I'm surprised no one has said Orient Beach yet.

Just got back. Stayed on the French side in Grand Case at Grand Case Beach Club. Not super fancy but awesome location right on the ocean and very reasonable price on 2 beaches that were not crowded. We spent all our time on the French side but surprised to read above that the French side was more touristy - heard from friends there that Dutch is all about shopping and casinos while French is more laid back and foodie friendly.

We did a catamaran trip with Scoobi Too to Creole Rock and Pinel island for lunch. It was nice and boat was super clean.
Would highly recommend ziplining if you're into that kind of thing. At Loterie Farm - it was around $70 pp (we did the Extreme one) and had a great time. Really nice views of the jungle and the coast.
Enjoyed the lolos in Grand Case (our favorite was Talk of the Town) and also had a nice dinner at Ti Bouchon in Cul de Sac. The crepe cart in Grand Case was also good. Restaurant at GCBC (Sunset Cafe) had great mussels on Thursday only.
Went to Maho Bay before our flight home, we only saw 1 plane take off but I can totally see the draw - there are bars/restaurants where you can watch the planes and watch the stupid people. Fun!
The airport is really easy to navigate and security in/out was a breeze.

great tips RandomAg, really appreciate it

I think we are staying on the Dutch side, but it sounds like there's no border and the whole island is about 30 sq miles

There is only a sign between the 2 islands. It is accurate that the French side is more laid back and less touristy. The Dutch side is more party oriented and is where the Cruise ships dock and the airport is.

A couple other things to do:

If you go into Petersberg try to find a Non Cruise ship day. The shops are DESPERATE for customers and everything is heavily discounted, especially if you don't mind haggling a bit.

If you go to Marigot, check out the Bar de la Mer. Fantastic food and a great location at a reasonable price. As a trivia answer they set up a dock that isn't there and had the Cruise ship crash into Marigot for "Speed 2".

If you go to Orient, there is a lesser known but very cool little bar/restaurant on the opposite side away from the Nude side. They have the lobsters in the water right out front in their cages and will fix them for you.

If you have some time, you may want to see if there is a boat or other trip to St Barts for the day. That is a gorgeous island that feels like you are in the South of France, it's about 30 miles away. Very ritzy but amazing. We sailed across and they also have a tiny airport. You can also take a trip over to Anguilla but personally I liked St Martin better.

It's a small island but the roads are like back-country roads all around - it took us almost an hour to get from the airport to Grand Case - which I think is less than 10 miles. Just keep that in mind!

If you have time take a ferry over to St. Barts for the day. Mrs. Sleep and I love it and are actually headed there Sunday!

bumping to see if anyone has any additional info recently

one final bump, heading out in 2 weeks