Oyster Bay

I can not believe I just exchanged a week for 2/24/07 inot the Oyster Bay in St Maarten. I have never been here. any words on the resort? how about St maarten? I have been to aruba twice and love it there. do you think i will like St Maarten?

I think you will love St.Maarten, great beaches and a very free will Island. Great places to eat and Dawn Beach where Oyster Bay is will be terrific. I have not been to the resort but I am going to try and trade in there for 2008. Can you tell me what you used to trade and how far out did you make your request? I have a platinum season Marriott Grand Vista 2bd.

My wife and I and our young adult kids stayed at Oyster Bay Beach Resort this past June. We all absolutely loved the resort and St Maarten. The resort is a little bit apart from the major cities/tourist areas, but that added to the appeal. It is right on the border between the Dutch and French side, so nothing seemed very far away. We rented a car from Unity Car Rental and had a good experience with the car and with driving on St Maarten. (Just drive slow and beware of animals in the road. We had to stop for goats, cows, dogs, a mongoose and a wild monkey!) The resort facilities are clean, comfortable and well maintained, and we found the staff to very friendly. The activities offered by the resort were fun. This was the only timeshare vacation we've taken where everyone enjoyed some of the evening activities put on by the resort. (Mostly island music and dance affairs...) Dawn Beach is great and right outside the resort. I'm envious of your trip. We can't wait to go back. (Counting the days 'til 2008!)

this is our first time to St Maarten, how does it compare to Aruba? we have been there twice and loved it. Also all you experts are there any must do's? We will be traveling with my two boys ages 10 and 8.

One more thing, how about airfare, i booked for the four of us for 2k, does that sound decent from Boston?

Oyster Bay Beach Resort

My wife and I and another couple were at Oyster Bay Beach Resort for a week following Thanksgiving 06. We were there on an exchange and had a great time. Dawn Beach was easy, layed back and uncrowded. Mr. Busby's, on the beach, next to the resort had great food and drinks. We ate dinner there twice and it was wonderful both times. Happy hour at the pool was a lot of fun too. Our drinks were pretty strong for a happy hour, so be careful if you're a sipper of the spirits. We fell for the lure of Front Street in Phillipsburg. If you like to shop for jewelry then you'll be in heaven. The prices were too good to pass up. One day we drove over to Maragot on the French side and enjoyed the outdoor market and French atmosphere. We fell in love with Sarafina's, a French bakery/deli. We left there with a slew of breads and other goodies we didn't need but had to have. Just about anything goes as far as dress around the pool or on the beach, so don't be shocked if you see one or two proud souls. We ran into a lot of European travelers on holiday while we were there and that made our trip even more fun. Most were very friendly and willing to share their travel experiences with us. Just go with an open mind. Remember, you're on vacation. I'll bet you'll have a great time.:whoopie:

Sint Maarten / St.Martin is a great island. I prefer it over Aruba. Not only do you have two different cultures on one island, but it is great for easy island hopping to more islands for day trips. There is a frequent ferry from Marigot in St. Martin to Blowing Points, Anguilla, a British Crown Colony, and laid back island with wonderful beaches. There are also day trip boats to upscale St. Barths (an island that needs some timeshare!), another French island, and to Saba, another Dutch island that is quite different from Sint Maarten. I prefer the sailing catamarans to St. Barths over the motorized ones, but only the motorized ones were running on my last trip there.

First Time

Hello again, thanks for all the responses, you are all making me very anxious. How about some restaurant suggestions? Aruba had a great forum with reviews which I loved to use to choose where to make reservations in advance. My boys love going out to eat and we always like a fun time. any recommendations for a car rental?

For restaurants, I would definitely check out the town of Grand Case on the French side, often called the ''restaurant captial of the Caribbean''. There are many great restaurants there, and I would not overlook the native ''lo-lo's'' there, especially for lunch.

You've really picked the correct island to visit! Go here. There are more restaurants on the island than on any other Caribbean island. Go here for some of my favorites.

Then, check out this map for a tour of the island. Don't forget to click on the Images link to see things along the way.

Finally, check out my photos from my trip last May.

For more suggestions try TTOLs St Martin board www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=stmartin

Just FYI, just got confirmed to Oyster Bay Feb 23-March 1,2008. Traded our Presidents week effiency at Marriott Grande Vista. Looking forward to it.

2K from Boston is a fair price for one stop (preferablly San Juan than Miami, Atlanta, or Charlotte).

If you got a direct flight for $500 PP you did well IMHO.

John