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St. Martin in February: Was our experience typical?

We recently returned from St. Martin,, where we stayed for a week in the French part of the island, in the Orient Bay area. Here's what we found:
It was quite windy, only getting to "breezy" on our last day.

There were two consecutive days of intense rain, with roads in the area flooded. Parts of the parking lot flooded.

After the rain, the beach/surf was very rough--we couldn't go in (we are beach lovers and good swimmers). On the last day, we went into the ocean because it looked calmer, but it was still quite rough, and we came out 10 minutes after we had entered. My husband's hip has been bothering him ever since. He starts PT on Thursday.

The traffic was terrible, all over the island. And the roads were pretty bad. We asked, and some people said it was because it was Mardi Gras time.

On the plus side: the food was excellent. the people very pleasant.

Did we just have bad luck? Would we have done better on the opposite side of the Island, say, near Marigot? And closer to the airport?

Trying to decide whether we should give it another try. Thanks for your input!

Posted by
5426 posts

You cant predict a rain storm in the Caribbean any more than you can predict a snow storm in Minnesota. They happen. And when they do you will have a few days of rough surf accompanying that. The Dutch side would have had the same weather. As for traffic- you were in prime high tourist season, with tens of thousands if cruise daytrippers every day on top of the land vacationers. Traffic on the Dutch side, where the cruise ships dock, would have been even worse. And because of the way the roards are arranged, there are a couple of infamous bottle necks that make getting from one side to the other a nightmare at certain times of the day.

If you want a calm and peaceful beach vacation without crowds, St. Martin ain't it. With any island vacation, if you want to do beach swimming, you want to look at resorts on the leeward side.

Posted by
1405 posts

My wife flew back last night from St. Martin after spending a week there as well as on Anguilla. They had beautiful weather the entire trip. Whether it's sunny or raining an island vacation is always exciting! I'd give it another go and explore both islands. You can also fly over to St. Barth's.

Posted by
137 posts

May I ask, which part of the Island did she stay? How was the ocean--calm or choppy?
Thank you!

Posted by
1313 posts

Windward side of island will generally get more wind and rain.

Posted by
10621 posts

It's also French school ski vacation these past few weeks, different areas alternating. You can be sure some went to the islands for sun or to visit family.

Posted by
137 posts

To Happy Traveller:
Oyster Pond is on the same side we were on--Windward. Did she swim in the ocean or the pond/inlet?
Thanks.