A New Attraction Came Aboard: SV Random Wind
We welcome a major new attraction to the FreeStMaarten program: The wonderful sailing yacht “Random Wind” has joined and we are now able to offer a complimentary ticket for a full day of sailing around St. Maarten.

Let the skipper invite you in his own words:

“Join us aboard the beautiful 54 ft sailing clipper RANDOM WIND on a very enjoyable, perfect, calm daysail, to the French side of the island. We stop and anchor in numerous bays so that you experience the best in sailing, snorkeling, good time lazin’, and beaching, … as well as coastal sight seeing.
Enjoy breakfast, delicious snacks, a delightful home made Caribbean inspired lunch and an open bar all day long!
To help you reach 'stress level zero' we provide everything you need, a great captain, a fun hostess, lots of deck space (with or without shade), snacks a wonderful lunch, full open bar, snorkel gear, floats, and fishing tackle.”

This is a very attractive excursion and we are able to offer 1 (one) complimentary ticket. The second ticket can be purchased at a reduced price. Qualifications for this “Vacation Upgrade” are the same as for all the others listed on the FreeStMaarten website.
- posted by Jan @ 6:23 PM 1 comments links to this post   

 
How to Get a Free Rental Car

A complete week of free car rental – does it sound too good to be true? Let me explain what the procedure is:

Of all the many Caribbean islands, St Maarten has the best supply of rental cars. The majority of vehicles on the island are mostly new, these vehicles are usually in very good condition and equipped with essentials, such as air conditioning. The island is ideal to be explored by car – people are generally friendly drivers and extremely tolerant of visitor's who need to find their way. The main attractions are evenly distributed around the small territory. Sure: a vacation just in Maho Village, where everything from restaurants to nightclubs, casino and shopping is within walking distance can be great. But you haven't visited St. Maarten/St. Martin without exploring our other beaches, without at least having lunch on Orient Beach, dinner in Grand Case, a shopping spree in Philipsburg and an afternoon cafe-latte in Marigot. And no one should miss going to visit Loterie Farm, the green soul of the island, located in the central mountain range.

Presently, FreeStMaarten has an arrangement with Thrifty Car Rental and Empress Rent-A-Car: we purchase car rentals in bulk and are able to extend the following offer: Enjoy with your spouse an interesting preview of one of St. Maarten's exciting vacation programs – it will take just about an hour of your time – and you are entitled to a free rental car (or other Vacation Upgrades). What kind of vacation programs are these? If you have never seen a private charter yacht, we will give you access to a non-public, upscale yacht harbor, where you get the grand tour of a wonderful ocean going sailing catamaran. Give the charter operator some feedback on how you like their concept – that's all we ask of you. No obligation attached. If you'd rather stay away from yachts, take a preview of one of the island's luxurious resorts – again, just about an hour of your time without any obligation.

You need to read our 'small print' to find out if you qualify, but its not a big deal: 90% of St. Maarten's visitors meet our guidelines.

From April 15th to December 15th we're able to offer an economy car with automatic and air condition for a complete week free of charge. From December 16th to April 14th, high season rates allow us to 'only' offer 4 days free car rental – still an incredible deal! It is up to you to purchase additional insurance, if you feel that it gives you peace of mind. But check first if your credit card membership includes “Collision Damage Waiver” car rental insurance. Also check your home car insurance policy; you might be covered while traveling. Chances are that you have full coverage without paying extra to the rental agency.

Reserve your car through us. Once you arrive on island, go to the rental car agency at the airport and pick up your vehicle. You still have to sign a contract and leave a credit card print, but no funds will be taken of the card once you tell the agency that you are a FreeStMaarten client. During your vacation, enjoy your preview at the time arranged for you (we will work out an appointment that is convenient for you). Once you've completed the preview, a voucher document will be stamped, which you have to present at the time you return the car.

If you choose not to participate at the preview as arranged and agreed by you, you will be charged the very competitive rates Thrifty Car Rental and Empress offer. There will be no penalty charges at all, it only means you will just be going through the normal process of renting a car for the best price available. The cars provided are up-to-date 4-door economy cars with air conditioning and automatic transmission - perfectly adequate to explore the island.

During high season, we can cover 4 days of rental: Basically, more than half of your weekly bill will be taken care of. Or you pick up a car right after you have completed your short preview and just enjoy it for 4 days.

By the way: in order to get to your preview appointment and in case you don't have transportation or don't know your way around, we will pick you up at your hotel – can't be any easier and more convenient, don't you agree?
- posted by Jan @ 5:16 PM 12 comments links to this post   

 
St Maarten Weddings
My friend Rolf honored me with the request to be a witness at his wedding. After all these years on the island, it was the first time I attended the official civil ceremony in the Government Building. The modest wedding room in the unassuming official building right on the rather unattractive salt pond in Philipsburg didn't build up much of high expectations. But I was surprised.

The young lady functioning as justice of the peace performed the ceremony with wonderful and authentic enthusiasm; her words of wisdom never came across as platitudes. She turned the sober ritual of a civil wedding procedure into the special moment all brides dream about (and a few grooms as well, I assume…)

Being intrigued by the quality of her service, I contacted her later to learn more about weddings on St. Maarten, as they have become quite popular with visitors to the island.

There are several wedding planers organizing every detail of these events and weddings can be performed anywhere on the Dutch side, from beach to hill top. The French side is off-limits, as only the Dutch side implemented regulations catering to the island'’s foreign visitors.

FreeStMaarten is now composing a list of the island's established wedding planers and we will publish recommendations on the www.FreeStMaarten.com
- posted by Jan @ 10:28 PM 2 comments links to this post   

 
The Truth about Caribbean Hurricane Season
The Hurricane Katrina tragedy and presently Wilma's aftermath keep tropical storms on frontpage news and hurricanes are now on the mind of everyone who plans to visit the tropics.

We are constantly asked if our area has any damage from recent storms: No - there were no hurricanes in our region and there is absoultely no damage to report. As a matter of fact, is was a rather easy hurricane season down here in the Lesser Antilles.

As a veteran of five hurricanes, one of them a category 5, I believe my experience in handling and surviving them on a boat can put the risk of cyclones into proper perspective. Let me use this article to respond to the many email inquires I'm receiving on this topic.

Weather disturbances develop off the coast of West Africa, travel the Atlantic Ocean and are fueled by hot ocean water to turn into powerful cyclones. More hurricanes reach the US mainland than touch the Lesser Antilles. Small islands have one big advantage in case of a storm: a surge doesn't build up, because water can flow around the land mass. St. Maarten/St. Martin went through a major disaster in September 1995 with Hurricane Luis, and the island still has scars. But many things have been improved following the lessons of Luis: utilities are now mostly underground, all new construction is definitely fully hurricane proof, and all buildings older than 10 years have proven their strength, because they survived the monstrous Luis.
Hurricanes look impressive on satellite images, but their actual size is somewhat more compact: only a path about 50 to 80 miles wide has the power for true destruction. On a geographical scale, this is a relatively narrow trail. Last year, Hurricane Ivan missed Sint Maarten by about 140 miles, but we didn't get any wind, just ocean swells.

What are the dangers for a visitor? In case of a major hurricane and a direct hit, the resort you are staying at will advise you of safety procedure. All resorts can handle the high winds, but you might be inconvenienced by spotty power services, no water pressure and cut-off communications. All major resorts have full generator back-up, some even their own water plants. Will your life be in danger? Not if the past hurricanes hitting the island are an indication. Only a fool will explore the beach in a middle of a blow or roam the streets. Once you stay indoors and let it "blow over", you will be okay. Just don't be on a boat, as I would be. Its no fun to support a boat's effort to survive a storm.

Hurricanes of categories 1 and 2 should not do more than ruffle the region's feathers a little. Category 3 is more serious and if you experience it on island, you might have several days of bad weather and a lot of beach erosion. The damage of categories 4 and 5 can't be predicted anymore, but I believe St. Maarten will survive much better than most regions in the US.

Public assistance: the performance of the French and Dutch government to the Hurricane Luis disaster 10 years ago was spectacular. The wind had stopped blowing only for a few short hours, the dazed population hadn't even crawled out of their shattered homes yet, but there was a steady stream of huge military cargo planes landing at Princess Juliana Airport.

The island was secured, food distributed, even small amounts of gasoline handed out and especially on the French side services installed rapidly. There was never fear of running out of water or food.

Bottom line: In case of a storm, play it save and listen to resort management. But there is no reason to avoid our beautiful Antillean islands during hurricane season. The slight risk of having bad weather is certainly set off by the much, much lower prices during this part of the year.
- posted by Jan @ 7:32 PM 0 comments links to this post