Hi all.

Planning a trip for my wife and I (mid 30s couple) and we're looking at St. Martin (Dutch side) for a week getaway in February. Everything I've read made it seem like it's business as usual down there and they've (almost) fully recovered from Hurricanel Irma.

Was wondering if anyone had any experience on either side of the island (we like fine dining and plan on being over on the French side for multiple dinners throughout the week, so any restaurant advice is always welcome).

Hotel:
Looking at Divi Little Bay Beach resort - has anyone stayed there recently [since 2018]? Any recommendations of other places that are as nice/better for comparable price? Would like to be as close to the water as possible, while also being either all-inclusive, or in an upscale place that can cater to anything we want to do.

Day Trips:
St. Barth's (St. Bart's) - worth it, or should we skip to do other day trips (and if so, what other day trips/islands should we seek out)?

Dining:
Fine dining on either side, but more interested in the French side. Any recs would be appreciated. Also, as English-only speakers, are their places to avoid (either b/c of language barrier or some French-snobbery to USA#1 folks [to be clear, this is tongue-in-cheek, we're very pleasant people who wish no ill-will to anyone. Just saying we're Americans, and some in France do not wish to interact with Americans. That's fine with us, and we'll do our best to steer clear of those situations])?

Misc:
things to do/see while we're there that are can't miss? We'll mostly be lounging about, sight-seeing, and relaxing on the beach day-drinking, with dinners out at night. Not really into snorkel/scuba/deep sea fishing, but all other activities we're up for. Any areas/neighborhoods to avoid? Renting a car vs. cabs/uber/lyft all week?

Any help from those in the know would be greatly appreciated. And I'll be sure to update on our experience after the trip, for any future travelers interested in a trip down there. Thanks in advance.

10 years ago stayed a week with gf, rented a jeep and stayed on french side. island is so small you can do all sightseeing things in 1 or 2 days. we mostly went for the beach lounging /day drink and romantic french side restaurants at night. we didnt really do much on dutch side, thats very touristy with chain restaurants and family stuff/ shopping. did not run into issues with being from usa #1, some language barrier things as many hotel restaurants owners are from france and seem to only speak french but we got by. we timed our trip perfec right at end of november like a week or 2 after rainy season ends and before high season kicks in so weather was perfect and we had the hotels and beaches to ourselves

Thanks for the reply! Can I ask where on the French side you stayed? Your trip looks to mirror what we want, so we may consider that side of the island. Thanks again for the info.

we stayed on orient bay, one of the hotels that was walking distance to beach. i looked trip advisor now and couldnt find the exact one but it was a hotel made up of a bunch of villas/bungalows. was a rustic style but had lots of privacy each with their own driveway and balcony/terrace was blocked off on both sides so could do some sunset bangs on the lounge chairs with no interference from neighbors. i made the booking on my old university email i no longer have access to so cant find it

Thanks! Appreciate the info.

Staying at Maho Beach Resort Right now. Came for a poker tournament and I'm loving it. The hotel is basically at the shore of the beach. Like, There's a pool and the beach is like 25 meters from it. The hotel has a restaurant where you can see the airplanes landing. Check my Instagram for some pics of the place. It's the same as my username here. The hotel also has a small casino in it which is nice. It's all inclusive and the people are really nice. a guy, Ernell, takes care of the room service and gives me two bottles of vodka every time he comes by lol.
It costs like 200 usd a day.

I love the beaches here, although we don't snorkel much and I would defer to others on advice there. Divi Bay on the Dutch side is nice if you're looking for more of a resort beach with pool kind of experience; Orient on the French side is terrific and has a great variety of nice beach bars and restaurants. Maho is kind of that thing that everyone says you have to see at least once. Even the beach right by the cruise port available with a ~1 mile? walk or by water taxi is nice.

google street view

Thanks Joel. Appreciate the reply. Any restaurants on the French side you really enjoy(ed)?

Heard of local protests on the French side of the island and wondering if anyone is there to comment on?

Thanks in advance.

Both Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin can be considered "non-independent countries" or "dependent territories". They are not directly annexed by the Netherlands and France like Bonaire and Guadeloupe.

There were some protests in Saint-Martin a week ago because of the implementation of Natural Risk Prevention Plan laws. However, these protests seem to have stopped.

Have a nice trip