Advice from those who've been to Marigot?

[Rochmom]

My DD15 is taking French in school, and wants to spend some time in Marigot. I've looked at the Carnival excursions, and at Bernard's, and neither really seems to spend much time there. I know Bernard's is somewhat flexible, but not if the rest of the tour group doesn't want to spend more time there.

 

Has anyone spent some time in Marigot? Can you tell us a little more about what's there to see/do, and whether we should skip a tour and just take a cab and do it on our own schedule? We're thinking St. Thomas will be our primary beach day, so having beach time in St. Maarten is not a priority.

[buffett010]

I, too, have taken quite a bit of French - High School, and minored in it in college. Thus, I always go over to Marigot when we go to St. Martin. There is a shopping mall there. We like to do the outdoor market, where they sell spices, art, clothing, wood boxes, rum, etc. We also eat at L'Oiseau Rare, and I used my French to speak to the waiter. Once he realized I could speak French pretty well, he basically directed all his questions to me, and ignored DH. Although they are a bit pricey, it is in line with the rest of the town. We enjoy just wandering around the town and stopping into the higher end stores, chatting with the folks working the outdoor market, and talking to the street vendors passing out fresh coconut and sugar cane.

 

When we arrive at St. Maarten, we jump into a cab and head over to St. Martin. We have always had very friendly drivers, but don't remember the cost. All we remember is our driver taking us past his house, and some relatives homes, and if they saw somenone they knew, they would pull over to say hi. It was a flat rate, so them stopping didn't affect cost.

 

If you live near a Barnes and Nobles, go in and look at a book called Saint Martin/Sint Maarten Portrait of an Island. It has lovely photos of the enitre island, and you get a great idea of what there is to do.

[Rochmom]

Ooh, thanks so much. I had checked out some books from the library this morning, but will try Barnes and Noble for the one you mentioned. I'm going to seriously consider just taking a cab over and staying as long as we like - given that we will be there on a market day.