Renting the Right Car

- posted by Jan @ 5:58 PM 1 comments links to this post   

 
Win St Maarten Contest

- posted by Jan @ 11:07 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Traffic Problems
Yes, traffic has become a problem again. Especially in the Simpson Bay area, cars move only with a snail's pace during some hours of the day. The frequent openings of the draw bridge, allowing yachts into the lagoon, are causing serious traffic problems during morning and afternoon hours.Between December to May, the openings are as follows:

From May to November, the times are:

These are the official times, but there are also irregular openings for mega yachts, who pay extra for the privilege of interrupting the flow of traffic. The bridge stays open for up to 15 minutes, in some cases longer if the yachts' skippers can't get their act together.If I sound frustrated, don't take me too serious; I have my personal solution and commute to my office in Simpson Bay by dinghy, as I'm a boat owner myself. I'm more worried about the quality of your vacation and would like to give you a few hints how to avoid the traffic jams:
After 4.00pm, don't try to get from the Cupecoy/Maho region into Simpson Bay or even Philipsburg. Most likely, you will be stuck on Airport Road for a while. After 6.00pm, traffic clears up.

To get to Marigot from Simpson Bay, the Maho area and Cupecoy, use the pleasant road through the Lowlands. It might be a mile or two longer, but you'll arrive half an hour earlier.
Do your Philipsburg shopping in the morning and you will avoid the traffic build up during the afternoon hours.
- posted by Jan @ 5:59 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
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   

 
The Island's Name
It appears that the double-nation status of the island opens the door to very creative ways to spell its name. Occasionally I have to go through the logs of our web server to see which keywords are used to find out www.FreeStMaarten.com website. It is amazing how many variations of St. Martin are possible.

Officially, the name of the Dutch side is "Sint Maarten" and the French side is called "Saint Martin". This can be shortened to St. Maarten and St-Martin.

The most popular miss spelling by our American visitors is "St Maartens", followed closely by "St Maartin". The French on the other hand insist in spelling the Dutch side "St Marteen", even on Air France boarding passes, the island is called "Saint Marteen".

Some politicians on the Dutch side would like to make matters worse, much worse: They contemplate to rename the Dutch side "Soualiga", the original Indian name of pre-Columbian times.
- posted by Jan @ 9:55 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Sahara Dust
Friday has been a hot, hazy day with very little visibility - but not really overcast weather. The reason for the haze has been a massive cloud of Sahara dust, pushed across the Atlantic Ocean by a tropical weather system.

This happens quite frequently; the dust has different colors, sometimes we find a red layer of dirt on our cars in the morning, sometimes more yellow colored - but always, these are particles of the great African desert that have traveled all the way to the Caribbean.

White dust - on one occasion so thick that it looked like snow - is caused by the still active volcano on the island of Montserrat. Only a few hundred miles away, this volcano is sometimes coughing up some good amounts of dirt, spreading it all over the North-Eastern Caribbean.
- posted by Jan @ 8:15 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Rapid Changes
Just returning from a few weeks in Europe, I was impressed with the speed the island keeps moving ahead. Especially in the Simpson Bay area, there are several new buildings almost completed and many more shops and restaurants will be open for this winter's season.

I do wonder what is fueling these investments; as the island has a limited number of hotel rooms available and there has not been a significant increase in this area since Hurricane Luis in 1995 (where 40% of rooms got destroyed) - where are these investors seeing the growth potential? Don't get me wrong, I do applaud the improvements we see, but I would feel more comfortable if I would understand the numbers behind it.

The huge new airport, which is nearing completion now, is certainly one reason to be optimistic: to finance this facility, the number of passengers to the island has to be doubled. This pressure on the leaders of the tourism industry will create some positive fall-out for the other investors.

For you - the visitor - more competition for your Dollars is good news, because prices can't go up.
- posted by Jan @ 9:09 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
The Shrinking Lagoon

One of St. Maarten's most important topographical features is Simpson Lagoon, an almost landlocked body of water, large enough to have a real sail with a yacht. The Lagoon is home to several world class marinas and also an important ecological asset to the region.

Both the Dutch and French side of the island have draw bridges, giving ocean going yachts access to the Lagoon. The bridge in Simpson Bay is large enough to let 350' boats pass through. And yet, this important attraction to the island is shrinking daily – not through the actions of mother nature, but through an endless line of dump trucks filling the shallow water with dirt. Development of the airport caused already the fill of two other, smaller bodies of water, but now the runway needs to be extended and there was only the Lagoon available.

Much of the commercial strip in Simpson Bay has been build on landfill and one wonders how far the administration of the Dutch side will allow destruction of their islands central feature.

My friend Rich gave me an interesting explanation for this glaring insensitivity: To fill in water is the Dutch way of gaining territory, as much of the Netherlands has been won from the sea. He believes that they just don't see anything wrong by 'fighting the sea'. I tend to accept his theory because the Dutch show quite a lot of responsibility and social awareness in other areas.

Good thing that most of the Lagoon is on French territory and they haven't filled in one square meter yet.

If you want to see more of the Lagoon, take a cruise on sailing catamaran Celine. Captain Neil is offering almost daily Sunset Cruises out of Turtle Pier. This affordable excursion will give you a great impression of the Caribbeans largest lagoon. From land and especially from Airport Road, the Lagoon appears as a rather commercial body of water, with a few rusty freighters anchored in plain sight. But once you are on the water, you will find a few treasures. There is an uninhabited island of just a few acres with about fifteen palm trees and a lovely beach. From the boat you can view some of the amazing residences in the Lowlands and come close to the mega yachts in the marinas.
- posted by Jan @ 7:29 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
St. Martin Government 2
Another question about the island's government:
"Can you tell me what the Government is like at Sain Martin?"

The French side of the island - Saint Martin - is administered like any French town. St. Martin is part of the Department Guadeloupe. A 'department' is similar to a US state. In order to learn about details of French St. Martin's government, just research online the government of France. As this is one of the oldest democracies, you will find many resources. Remember: Saint Martin is treated as regular French and therefore European Union territory. Its citizens carry a French European Union passport.

The Dutch side - Sint Maarten - is part of the Netherlands Antilles. The capital of this country is on the island of Curacao and Sint Maarten is just a province. The Netherlands Antilles are a democracy and are monitored by Holland. The judicial system is being provided by Holland, as is much of the money for development. The citizens carry Dutch European passports. Strangely, the Dutch side is not considered European territory, and European citizens do not have all the privileges they hold on the French side.
- posted by Jan @ 8:45 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Island Government 1
I receive emails on a daily base, asking all kind of questions about the island. Here is my response to a student, asking:

"I am doing a report on St. Martin for my history class, I need to know
what kind of money is used there and what it looks like.
Can you please help me?"

Answer: 

The island of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin is divided in two countries; the Northern part belongs to France and is European territory. The Euro is the currency there. The southern part - Sint Maarten - belongs to the Netherlands Antilles, a somewhat independent nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On the Dutch side, the official currency is the Netherlands Antilles Guilder, also called the Florin. The US-Dollar is also widely used on the island, in fact even my own bank account is for US Dollars and I personally have never paid with a Guilder.

If you haven't done yet, go back to our www.freestmaarten.com website and sign up for a free CD. You will get it within a short time and there is much more substantial information about the island on it.
- posted by Jan @ 7:39 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Tipping on French St. Martin
Even though European laws states that the service charge has to be INCLUDED in the price of a meal, most restaurant owners on French St. Martin are relying on the American way of handling this issue. Legally, the price posted on the menu includes service and there is no obligation to pay more. Most European just round up and leave a few Euro, pretty much what an American guest would pay on top of the customary 15% in the US in order to show extra satisfaction.

No question: the staff of the restaurants on the French sided expects American visitors to tip well (or over-tip) and doesn't expect too much from their European countrymen.

I believe you will keep everyone happy with an amount around 10%. Don't be shy to ask about the house policy regarding tipping.
- posted by Jan @ 2:57 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Don't Double Tip
I'm getting worried about a trend I notice at many restaurants on the Dutch side of St. Maarten: They are too cheap to print their own check forms and use the standard US forms they can buy at several office supply stores.

These forms include a line for 'Tax". In many cases, a 15% surcharge is being added to this line. This is a service charge and NOT tax - as there is no such tax on the island! Don't be fooled by greedy restaurant owners, who try to confuse the issue!

It is sad to see that the staff is NOT getting this service charge in many restaurants. Don't be shy: ask your waiter or waitress if they are getting their tips paid out.

More on tipping on the French side tomorrow.
- posted by Jan @ 3:45 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
New Casino
The Dunes Casino will open soon at the Caravanserei Resort. The casino took over the premises of the Dolphin Casino, which moved into the building of the Sunset Theater close to the Simpson Bay Yacht Club.

The Dunes is part of a group of casinos, the most well known one the Atlantis Casino in the Cupecoy region.
- posted by Jan @ 12:30 PM 0 comments links to this post   

 
Weekly Nightlife
Every night of the week, another nightclub or bar attracts the 'scene'. Here the list:

Monday:
Star Bar in Nettle Bay

Tuesday:
Pineapple Pits in Simpson Bay (Cole Bay)

Wednesday:
Bamboo Bernies at the Caravanserei (close to Maho Village/Beacon Hill)

Thursday:
Bliss at the Caravanserei

Friday:
Lady C Floating Bar in Simpson Bay across Royal Palms

Saturday:
Everywhere

Sunday:
Kontiki at Orient Beach
- posted by Jan @ 9:29 AM 1 comments links to this post   

 
High Season Over Soon
On April 15th, prices for visitors to St. Maarten will be slashed about 50% for accommodations and rental cars, because high season is over. You will find clean economy cars for about $125 weekly and hotel rooms for as low as $65.

The lower prices in the middle of April create the impression to us locals that a new peak season has arrived, because many travelers are taking advantage of the lower rates and fill the island up again.
- posted by Jan @ 11:21 AM 0 comments links to this post   

 
New Hotel Investment
Good news for the island: A major investor is re-developing the Dawn Beach area. Similar to the never ending sage of Mullet Bay, where Hurricane Luis in 1995 gave a convenient reason to shut down an underperforming resort, Dawn Beach has never been rebuild.

A 600 room facility will be constructed and Marriott has been mentioned as the the operator.
- posted by Jan @ 9:59 PM 1 comments links to this post   

 
Heineken Regatta
St. Maarten is in regatta fever. Over 250 yachts signed on for this year's Heineken Regatta, the Caribbean's biggest boat race. With sailors from around the globe, the island is bustling with activity - both sailing related and more socially.

The St. Maarten Yacht Club organized events around the island, the highlight being tonight's free concert of Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. To read more about the Heineken Regatta, explore THIS LINK.
- posted by Jan @ 11:11 PM 0 comments links to this post