St. Maarten (The southern Dutch side)

[John2526]

most credit cards provide free collision / comprehensive coverage internationally.

i found a little scrape on my bumper on my last trip. rental company said i would have to pay for it, but i never heard from them again (and it didn't show up on my card). gave me occasion to look at the coverage. the card company wanted a copy of the contract and a police report.

always best to date stamp photo any damage as you rent. some places are notorious for charging for pre-existing damage.

if you're staying in philipsburg, i recommend parking either in the big lot directly behind the central pier and church, or in the free lots across from the south side of the salt pond.

i would typically park overnight in the central lot, take my car before lunch (they only charge from the time they open) , park along the pond in the afternoon, take my car in the evening, then repeat the process. walking from the pond lots at night is a little scary.

[DavisLucJr]

I've always found TLN to be one of those things that I always wanted to do before going down to SXM, but then always backed out of due to lack of interest. Last year I rented a villa with some friends and was absolutely determined to try it. Things seem bleak though, as I couldn't really find anyone that I clicked with personally. I finally met a cute little number on our 3rd night there, and had a great time with her in the room. One day and $370 later, I picked her up from Carolina's and took her back to the villa. Took her back the next morning, where she asked if I could pick her up later in the day so that she could come by to hang out in the afternoon. She hung out at the villa for a couple of hours, we ate, swam in the pool, I got a great BBBJ, and all without being asked for any more $$$. She came over the next day as well, just to hang out.

Still, I have to say that even though we had a great connection and even though I had "free" time with her, I was still left with mixed feelings about the whole TLN experience. She was never "business", and perfectly pleasant, and what I would consider incredibly attractive, but by the end I was kind of wishing for my personal space again, and it felt like she was kind of in the way.

Perhaps it was because I was vacationing with friends, or perhaps it was because I knew that there was obviously no future here, but I do not know if TLN will be in my future again.

When all is said and done tough, I'm glad that I tried it, and never once regretted doing so. Sometimes you can't put a price on an experience.

Go for it Mr. O'Reilly!

[Mel365]

Lucky,

Thanks for the clarification.

Mel

[Lucky Strike]

Both Carolinas and seamans demand that the men leave at closing. In addition most rooms are shared with another chica.

A quick cheap way to stay near the chica and the mongering is to rent a VIP room (if still available) above seamans club. Speak with the rear desk at Carolinas. They are very nice rooms, Jacuzi etc about $100-125 per night.

At Campo you can stay with the chica I have many times.

Mel.

The compañera of the chica I was with did not mind using other rooms. She only knocked on the door 3 (maybe 4) times to get some of her stuff, which didn't bother me. I brought her a small present later. It was in Seamans and in the off-season. The place was not very crowded, maybe that's the reason why everything could be arranged so easily. As I said, it cost me substantially less $$ than a full TLN, I had a lot more "fun" than I typically have in the hotel room, and the chica looked very happy not to go back to the bar that night.

[Mel365]

Both Carolinas and seamans demand that the men leave at closing. In addition most rooms are shared with another chica.

A quick cheap way to stay near the chica and the mongering is to rent a VIP room (if still available) above seamans club. Speak with the rear desk at Carolinas. They are very nice rooms, Jacuzi etc about $100-125 per night.
At Campo you can stay with the chica I have many times .

Mel.

Mr O, one alternative that is typically cheaper than TLN is to stay with a chica in her room for entire night. In my experience chicas demand less money for that than for TLN, plus you pay the bar $6 per hour from, say. 8PM to 2 or 3AM.

As Mel said, with TLN you usually get at most 3 *quality* shots-on-goal, and often when you start with dinner, dancing, this and that, by the time you're back to your hotel you fall asleep before "doing it." Sex, IMHO, comes more "naturally" in the room a tSeamans than in your hotel room. Bring some food, alcohol,"herbal medicine" (and whatever else you like) to the room, take vitamin V or C or L for added stamina and have a blast. Many chicas seem to be just as happy to stay in the room with the same customer as to go TLN. The only downside is that you don't get the morning sex, but I always more than make up for that the night before. Financially, the savings is quite substantial.

[Lucky Strike]

Hey thanks I appreciate the response. I am going to take Mel's advice and just accept it! $400 meh, you only live once!

Mr O, one alternative that is typically cheaper than TLN is to stay with a chica in her room for entire night. In my experience chicas demand less money for that than for TLN, plus you pay the bar $6 per hour from, say. 8PM to 2 or 3AM.

As Mel said, with TLN you usually get at most 3 *quality* shots-on-goal, and often when you start with dinner, dancing, this and that, by the time you're back to your hotel you fall asleep before "doing it." Sex, IMHO, comes more "naturally" in the room a tSeamans than in your hotel room. Bring some food, alcohol,"herbal medicine" (and whatever else you like) to the room, take vitamin V or C or L for added stamina and have a blast. Many chicas seem to be just as happy to stay in the room with the same customer as to go TLN. The only downside is that you don't get the morning sex, but I always more than make up for that the night before. Financially, the savings is quite substantial.

[Mr OReilly]

Hey thanks I appreciate the response. I am going to take Mel's advice and just accept it! $400 meh, you only live once!

It was nice enough of her to cut it down to that given that she is there for work. I'll pay the 800 (2 nights TLN and TLD) + the 280 multa and just see what happens! Thank christ I live close so I can cut costs on flights!

I'll be going to Colombia to visit and will see her there and will recoup my costs at 200K COP TLN.

I am generally not a TLN guy as I don't want to develop any sort of feelings for the girls since relationships with prostitutes never work out well, however in this case I have already made the mistake so I will just roll with it. Live and learn!

Mr-OReilly,

I would take Mel's advice and either pay asking price or pass.

You need to understand chicas have their cost for staying at SXM plus its high season so best opportunity for them to make $$. Giving you little break on price will not do favor to either of you.

If economics play the role, you might want to plan things with her in Colombia as she will be in position to give you much better price than SXM. Its basic supply and demand rule with chicas as well.

Cheers!

[UltraHappy]

In Season a good chica in SXM makes 300-500 + multa for just TNL.

The multa at Carolinas or seaman's is nominal, I think $400-is still a fair price. The more you chisel the chica on the price the less you get-that has been my experience. I either pay the asking price or just pass. I never negotiate.

Mel.

Just to add another data point, I was offered TLN for $300 + $70 from a girl who I considered the top girl at Carolinas back in late October. Granted, that was back during off-season. I'll be back there in late April, so I'll be curious to ask what the prices are then.

In any case, I don't think I'm a TLN guy. Since my trips there are so short, I'm more interested in just spending quality time in the room, not really interested in going out to dinner, holding hands on the beach, etc. Sure, if I were spending a week there, I'd be all fucked out after a few days and would appreciate the break. But with my short trips, I'm just trying to make sure I'm all fucked out just before it's time for me to get back on the plane to head home. Just me.

[UltraHappy]

I consider a car rental a must to have maximum flexibility to play at the various clubs. But just a note of caution, car rental insurance is tricky and it is worth looking at closely before deciding which rental agency to go with. If you are from the USA, you won't be covered by your auto policy and chances are your credit card won't cover you either. Just recognize that a cheap rental could lead to a huge potential liability if you are not careful. Just something to think about when making plans to come to St. Maarten.

Plenty of free gold / platinum VISA cards out there offer full secondary rental coverage (fully kicks in to the extent your own home policy doesn't cover damage). I agree you should carefully read the terms and conditions that comes with the card to understand the limitations of the policy.

But, remember that you can always call the VISA auto claims administrator at the international 24 hour hotline at 804-673-1691 to verify coverage for the specific model you are being offered at the car rental counter right then and there (or 800-356-8955 if calling from within the US).

I happen to use the Chase Amazon Rewards VISA credit card. I always use it for all my car rentals and so far, they've covered all the vehicles I have attempted to rent. They don't cover some types of luxury cars, etc, but you can always just call them from the rental counter and they will tell you whether you need to buy the expensive rental insurance at the counter or not. More often than not, you'll find you don't need to buy any of that overexpensive insurance. Plus, the VISA auto claims benefits administrator will record in your account that you called about a specific model car and were approved at that specific date and time in case there is ever a question about that in the future.

In other words, don't be so quick to dismiss VISA car rental coverage.

That being said, you are right to recommend being careful because some credit cards (for example the Costco American Express) require that the car be rented from a US operator and that the transaction is denominated in US dollars to be eligible for coverage which is almost never the case for us international travelers.

[Alz55]

Mr-OReilly,

I would take Mel's advice and either pay asking price or pass.

You need to understand chicas have their cost for staying at SXM plus its high season so best opportunity for them to make $$. Giving you little break on price will not do favor to either of you.

If economics play the role, you might want to plan things with her in Colombia as she will be in position to give you much better price than SXM. Its basic supply and demand rule with chicas as well.

Cheers!

[Scubatoo]

I consider a car rental a must to have maximum flexibility to play at the various clubs. But just a note of caution, car rental insurance is tricky and it is worth looking at closely before deciding which rental agency to go with. If you are from the USA, you won't be covered by your auto policy and chances are your credit card won't cover you either. Personal liability to third parties for personal injury or property damage comes with some rentals, but varies in amount. Hertz has good coverage included in the rental, others may have none or minimal. None will cover collision, so you have to consider extra for that. And all still have a big deductible on collision ($850 or more) , even if you take the collision insurance. Those of us who know the roads in St. Maarten know that potholes can devour a car if you are not careful. American Express has a one time $24. 95 charge if you have signed up for its program, and use the credit card for the rental, that is good for up to 30 days rental and covers collision and deductible. These are nuisances to deal with, but understanding it will give you more peace of mind while you are there. Just recognize that a cheap rental could lead to a huge potential liability if you are not careful. Just something to think about when making plans to come to St. Maarten.

[BlackHo1]

In Season a good chica in SXM makes 300-500 + multa for just TNL.

The multa at Carolinas or seaman's is nominal, I think $400-is still a fair price. The more you chisel the chica on the price the less you get-that has been my experience. I either pay the asking price or just pass. I never negotiate.

Mel.

What is her name? And what does she look like?

[Mel365]

In Season a good chica in SXM makes 300-500 + multa for just TNL.

The multa at Carolinas or seaman's is nominal, I think $400-is still a fair price. The more you chisel the chica on the price the less you get-that has been my experience. I either pay the asking price or just pass. I never negotiate.

Mel.

Haha! Thanks for your opinion to. I guess I like the girl and want to see her in Colombia however I want to see her now to so I will deal with the cost.

I agree that $400 isn't very discounted and I am at this time in turmoil if I am going to call it off and just go to Seaman's those 3 days and avoid Carolinas or just do it. Interesting perspective though, its good to know that they hopefully don't consider SXM the precedent IE in Colombia they aren't going to be asking for 800, 000 pesos LOL!

I don't want this to turn into a real relationship as relationships with prostitutes just never work out, too much BS. But I want to make sure this paying for sex thing remains economical or I will have to ditch her. She is cute and great in bed BUT, Colombia is producing 100 girls every year like her who don't expect 800, 000 pesos!

This is the first time I have ever been with her 24 hours so we will see what happens.

[BlackHo1]

What does your girl look like? And what's her name? She must be good if your are going to Colombia to visit her! Good luck brother! Got to love them!

[Mr OReilly]

Haha! Thanks for your opinion to. I guess I like the girl and want to see her in Colombia however I want to see her now to so I will deal with the cost.

I agree that $400 isn't very discounted and I am at this time in turmoil if I am going to call it off and just go to Seaman's those 3 days and avoid Carolinas or just do it. Interesting perspective though, its good to know that they hopefully don't consider SXM the precedent IE in Colombia they aren't going to be asking for 800, 000 pesos LOL!

I don't want this to turn into a real relationship as relationships with prostitutes just never work out, too much BS. But I want to make sure this paying for sex thing remains economical or I will have to ditch her. She is cute and great in bed BUT, Colombia is producing 100 girls every year like her who don't expect 800, 000 pesos!

This is the first time I have ever been with her 24 hours so we will see what happens.

It really depends on your relationship with the girl. While $400 may be a fair price in SXM, it is not a discounted price. Also the $140 multa is additional right? I have always looked at it based on their costs. When I have a relationship with a girl, I look to cover her costs and maybe a bit extra. It costs them about $100 a day to be on the island, perhaps $120. So again it all depends on the relationship.

Yes, Colombia can complicate things. I have seen this from several angles. One girl, I went from paying island price to then visiting her in Colombia and paying $80 for 24 hours. Then when she went back to the islands it sort of became a problem because she wanted a lot more because business was good so she suggested I should just wait until she goes back home. She liked the money back home because business was poor otherwise.

Another girl, I had a full (? Real?) relationship with and did not pay in Colombia. Again, I could not visit her on the islands because it became weird with money (I did visit once and pay her daily expenses).

So it depends on what you want now, what you want later, and the girl. Hah life is complicated.