I have been to St. Maarten/Martin several times on cruises and when I was younger spent over 2 weeks sailing around the island and its neighbors. Like all places it has it's good points and it's bad points. I am not a fan of shopping in Philipsburg since most of the same shops are also on St.Thomas and they all seem to sell the same stuff.
I am fan of sailing and we got a chance to so the America's Cup Challenge when were there on our honeymoon cruise stop. Thye split you up in teams and we were lucky to sail on Stars and Stripes. That was definately a highlight of our trip.
I also like the water taxi from the cruise peir to downtown in Philipsburg. The $5 roundtrip is definately worth it, especially if you do it more than once in a day.
Marigot is really nice and definately has a "French flavor" I remember walking around there late at night as a teenager and not really having to worry about my safety.
St. Maarten/Martin is a great place, but if we don't stop there on my next trip I won't be disappointed. If we do, no problem I am sure we can find things to occupy our time 
Scott |