Hi,
I went for one day. It is a beautiful island, French speaking. We did not find many shop owners or restaurants w/ English speaking employees. I hope you know your French lol!
It is also very expensive.
My husband and I travel to St. Martin every March. We have always wanted to go to St Barts, but so expensive so we took the high speed ferry from St Martin - St Barts for the day. We rented a scooter and toured the island.
The restaurants are mostly French and the food is to die for!!!
We found some very beautiful secluded beaches.
Here are two photos we took from our scooter up on a hill overlooking the harbor. Isn't it beautiful?!!
I found the island to be quaint, quiet - no high rises, mostly small inns and villas.
Love St Martin (The French Side). The French side is quiet - The Dutch Side is more commercialized w/ casinos, night clubs, etc.
My husband and I have been going for several years and it seems to be getting more popular, busier, and more tourists!
We also took the fast ferry to Anguilla which was very beautiful as well.
If you just want to relax and hang out (and have unlimited funds lol), I would choose St. Barts or Anguilla. Below is a beautiful, quiet beach in Anguilla.
i went a few years back. we stayed in a villa for a week up in the hills. every day we would drive to a different beach and eat in a different restaurant. all the beaches were beautiful and with very few people on them. great shopping in town, but expensive for the most part. there is or was an hermes on the island so you get the idea awesome food. highly recommend going... very french.