St. Maarten Sheen

When you look at a map of the Caribbean, you'll sometimes see St. Martin, and other times St. Maarten. Which is right? Both! That's typical for this wonderfully-schizophrenic, yet shiny little gem of an island. Some people think it's one thing, some people another. That's because it's one of the few places in the world where there is split island ownership and citizenship, an island under 2 flags. Half the island is Dutch, the other half French. The Dutch side is more conservative in some aspects, yet not in others. As an example you will rarely see people topless on the Dutch side, where it's commonplace on the French side (particularly Orient Beach). Then again the Dutch have laws that allow gambling, so you can find casinos in some locations on the Dutch side, but not on the normally-more-liberal French. Phillipsburg, the largest town on the Dutch portion of the island, features lots of Caribbean-style restaurants and shopping that in many cases rivals the more famous St. Thomas - particularly for photography items, electronics, jewelry and island fashions. If you cross the island to Marigot, the chief town on the French side, you'll see upscale restaurants, cafes, places for crepes, escargot and other French cuisine....and when it comes to fashion you're likely to see something direct from Paris that may not have even made it to 5th Avenue in New York yet! So the variety you will see on one small island is amazing.

Because of the variety, there are very few "all-inclusive" properties in St. Maarten, and for good reason. If you'd actually stay at your hotel the entire stay in St. Maarten, you'd be missing out completely on the cultural and culinary differences that make the island what it is. You can still find excellent liquor prices on St. Maarten (again, rivaling St. Thomas), so if you love your cocktails the way the crew and I do, go pick up a couple of bottles and pour your own, Matey. Pour some for us as well! It'll still work out to less money than if you did an all-inclusive and you'll be rewarded with a much more rich experience for exploring the island. Another great feature for Americans is they drive on the right-hand side of the road, just like we do. Makes it extremely easy to rent a car and do your own thing exploring, and there are few traffic lights and the road signs are easily recognizable. The midsection of the island is mountainous, lush and green (again, like St. Thomas) so you have beautiful scenery, but driving around the island is 10-times easier because most of the roads going around the island are on the flats, or just small hills and curves, unlike the steep drop-offs you encounter on the US Virgin Islands. Whether you prefer more moderate properties like a Wyndham, intermediate like Radisson, more upscale like the Westin or even more upscale villa or resort style accommodations, St. Maarten offers fantastic choices across the board. It's also close enough to do day-trips to Anguilla, St. Bart's or other Caribbean islands. Great beaches, shopping, nightlife, culture and cuisine, St. Maarten has it all. Another huge benefit is there are lots of direct flights from the USA -- unlike some of the smaller islands where you'll have to change planes 2-3 times and it would take you all day to get there. Feel free to email or call me any time to discuss a vacation to this little piece of heaven.

TRUE STORY:

Last night in Philadelphia at a baseball game, the Phillie Phanatic (big green mascot) was doing a commercial promotion, where he was using a rubber launcher to fire hot dogs up into the stands. What possible purpose for a TV commercial that could serve, nobody knows. But someone took the silliness to a new level, duct-taping 3 hot dogs to the wall of the stadium. Cute. Funny. Wellllllllllll, not so much. A passerby saw 3 cylindrical red objects taped to the walls of the stadium, and immediately thought It's a bomb! The Philadelphia bomb squad and Homeland Security were called, and a short time later the package was removed and exploded. It was only then they discovered the meaty goodness which they had been in fear of all along. Another segment of YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK, although in fairness you have to be safe rather than sorry in the current world environment.

As a footnote to this story, there were still a few fans who benefited from the entire experience. By coincidence they ordered some dogs from a vendor shortly after the incident, and said "can you please make sure they're well done?" The vendor replied with a smile, "Mr......This is your lucky day!"