Must see & Do in St. Thomas & St Maarten

the_journeyman

Taking a cruise this summer (Allure of the Seas) and we're stopping at St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau.

It's our first time in St Thomas, so what are some great/memorable things to do? We're pretty adventurous and both are season travelers and cruisers. We're not afraid to hit up a local dive for drinks or food.

We've been to Nassau before (me 5 times now), so we're likely going to just do a booze-cruise or get some beach time. Anybody used the buses that go just to the beaches that are stationed a couple blocks from the port? Looks A LOT cheaper than doing a cruise line sponsored beach break shore excursion.

St Maarten, we've been to once before. We ported on the Dutch side (porting there this time too) and drove over to the French side (rented a car for $30) and had lunch at a sidewalk café in Marigot.

We're not afraid to rent a car/scooter/motocycle (well seasoned rider here) and take off for somewhere more remote. We also prefer to eat local rather than some of the Americanized stuff you find near the ports.

Thanks for any input!

JM