Saint Martin Travel Guide: Everything You Need To Know About The Friendly Island
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Known as “the friendly island”, Saint Martin (or Sint Maarten) is a tropical conglomeration of cultures, languages, food, and scenery. Originally planned as a one-year anniversary trip that turned into a three-year anniversary trip (…Covid), Charlie and I had the opportunity to soak up the sun on this tiny island of the Caribbean. Filled with cultural, culinary, and picturesque adventures, our trip was full of memories that we certainly will always treasure. Having learned so much about the atmosphere and offerings of this little island, I wanted to put together a post touching on all the things we found helpful to know during our trip throughout Saint Martin.
About Saint Martin / Sint Maarten
Saint Martin is a beautiful, tropical oasis that combines several cultures within one island. With the northern half of the island being a French territory (Saint Martin) and the southern half being a state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Sint Maarten), this Caribbean gem features two capitals (Marigot on the French side and Philipsburg on the Dutch) and many cultures compiled into one location. Known as the “Europe of the Caribbean”, St. Martin has a mountainous interior that leads to 37 beaches around its perimeter. With stunning blue water and high elevations to take in the views, St. Martin is a combination of beautiful scenery, delicious food, and fun cultural adventures that we are thrilled we got to experience. While much of the island still shows signs of the damage and slow recovery from Hurricane Irma that struck them in 2017, the locals of St. Martin are very gracious and excited to welcome in tourists to explore all that their island has to offer.
What Language Is Spoken In Saint Martin?
While French is the official language of St. Martin and Dutch is the official language of Sint Maarten, English, Spanish and Creole are also used throughout the island. As we spent most of our time on the French side, we primarily heard French, or a French Creole combination being spoken by locals and other tourists. As we were operating in English, however, we were able have a range of communication all throughout the island and the language differences never became a barrier for us.
French Side VS. Dutch Side
While there are two different countries inhabiting St. Martin, both tourists and locals can pass throughout the island freely and the signs indicating each side are almost reminiscent of passing into another state. Like various states, each portion of the island has attractions that draw people in, but as the entire island can be driven in less than 2 hours, you certainly can check out each side if you are staying for any length of time.
Dutch Side
The Dutch Sint Maarten features not only the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), but also a cruise port for popular cruise excursions like Maho Beach and the Flying Dutchman (the world’s steepest zip line). Seeing this, they typically draw in most of the crowds, have a busy nightlife scene and a beach party atmosphere.
French Side
In contrast, the French side of St. Martin provides a quieter approach to the island with delicious food offerings along Grand Case, hiking or zip lining courses at Loterie Farm and island excursions to Pinel Island. As we were looking for a slower paced, relaxing vacation immersed in the culture, we spent the majority of our time on the French side which I believe gave us an amazing sense of the lifestyle, beauty and adventure of St. Martin and certainly would be the part I would go back to again.
The beauty of St. Martin is that there is something for everyone, regardless of the atmosphere they are most drawn to. Likewise, both sides of the island accept US dollars (with many places working in cash) and have a variety of exchange rates to the Euro, depending on your shopping location. Several restaurants and our hotel also took Visa and Mastercard, but as Amex was not as widely accepted, we tended to use Visa or cash. Either way, much like the language situation, we did not find that the currency ever became a hindrance for us and it is quite easy to operate on either side of the island.
How Safe Is Saint Martin?
As St. Martin is known as “The Friendly Island”, Charlie and I only ever experienced kind hospitality by locals and tourists alike. That being said, however, as with any time you are traveling, it is wise to be alert, keep track of your belongings and stay aware of your surroundings. As our hotel was within walking distance of Grand Case, we frequently would walk down for dinner in the evenings and even though the sun sets around 6:30 and would be dark on our walk back, various police or security officers would be throughout the streets to ensure people’s safety. As we did not spend any time in the evenings on the Dutch side, I cannot speak directly for that portion of the island, but overall, we felt quite safe throughout our trip.
Where To Stay
While Charlie and I researched many different hotels, Airbnb’s, and resorts to stay at throughout the island, we decided to stay at Hotel L’Esplanade. Unlike many Caribbean islands, St. Martin does not feature many all-inclusive resorts. As they have such a rich food scene, you will definitely want to check out their different local offerings. That being said, Hotel L’Esplanade made our trip an absolute delight. With beautiful grounds, lovely views, fabulous Mediterranean inspired architecture, and wonderful service, L’Esplanade was the perfect launching point for exploring the island. Set on a hill, the hotel overlooks Grand Case and provides an easy pathway down to the main street to access restaurants and shopping. Do be aware that most of the hotel is accessible by large staircases, so be prepared to get in your steps for the day! We quite enjoyed this aspect; however, I did want to mention it should you be bringing a stroller or have limited mobility. Likewise, they have a beautiful pool open 24/7, complimentary yoga classes, and a spa onsite. While Hotel L’Esplanade is not beachfront, their sister hotel, Le Petit, is right on Grand Case beach and we were able to use their chairs, umbrellas, and towels anytime.
Beyond just their beautiful grounds and location, Hotel L’Esplanade has fabulous service. Whether helping with reservations, booking transportation, providing optional daily room cleaning, or taking daily breakfast orders (the breakfast was sourced from a local bakery and was SO delicious), the staff at Hotel L’Esplanade was so very helpful. As they knew we were coming for our anniversary, the staff prepared our room with rose petals and champagne, in addition to their usual welcome basket, stocked fridge with drinks, outlet adaptor and books to take on the beach. If you are even remotely considering a vacation to St. Martin, I would HIGHLY recommend staying at Hotel L’Esplanade as they made our trip a pleasure to experience. Similarly, they have been so kind to offer 10% off your stay for our readers by using this special code, PP10, so be sure to mention it when you book!
How To Get Around The Island
While there is a taxi and bus system throughout the island, we found it most beneficial to rent a car. The taxi and bus system tended to run on “island time”, so if you have any time sensitive reservations or if you want to explore the island more at your own pace, I recommend renting a car. Regardless of where you are staying, there are many rental car companies stationed near the airport, however along with Hotel L’Esplanade’s other merits, they were wonderful in getting us set up with transportation. Upon arriving to the SXM airport, we were picked up by the rental company associated with our hotel and brought directly to Hotel L’Esplanade. We then were able to rent a car through this company for the duration of our stay, before being transported back to the airport for departure. If you are not renting a car, but are staying at Hotel L’Esplanade, they also provide a shuttle to restaurants along Grand Case and to Le Petit for the beach.
Once you have rented a car, there are a few great tidbits to know.
First, as we were operating without using Google maps or our phones at all, we decided to use a paper map to travel the island. This worked out well, but as the maps provided primarily showcase the main thoroughfares, be prepared for driving adventures throughout the island. As there are only a few large streets, we learned the French side fairly quickly and barely needed the map by the end of our stay.
Likewise, cars, trucks, and motorcyclists greet one another in passing by honking their horns. Don’t be surprised if you hear horns honking throughout your drive, as typically this is the greeting instead of a wave.
Unique Excursions
While St. Martin has many excursions and activities to partake in (other than the beaches!), these were a few of our favorites.
Loterie Farm
Located in one of the valleys throughout the center of the island, Loterie Farm provides access to secluded lagoons, quite dining, zip line ropes courses and hiking trails. Charlie and I did their classic ropes zip line course and had a blast climbing through the trees among the iguanas. We also tried out one of two hiking trails which lead to gorgeous views up the mountain. While we did not hike to their highest point on the island, Pic Paradise, the hike that we did still had beautiful views and felt as much of a climb up the mountain as a hike. Both the hiking and zip lining though are worth checking out and are a wonderful physical addition to your trip.
Tijon Parfumerie
Around the corner from Hotel L’Esplanade is Tijon Parfumerie. Created with the practices of perfumeries in France, Tijon offers “build your own perfume” classes that immerse you into the world of fragrance. As you get to learn about perfume creation, make three unique scents and take home your favorite fragrance, Charlie and I had a blast testing various scents and creating new perfumes that were distinctly to our liking. The staff at Tijon gave us a goodie bag of items to take home with us, provided a drink to celebrate the final scent we created and were extremely helpful throughout the entire process. Not only was the class engaging, but their gift shop is also beautiful and is a great stop to get unique soaps, perfumes, jewelry, or household gifts both locally made and sourced from France, Indonesia and other unique spots. This gem is an excursion that I recommend for anyone wanting to immerse themselves into the French Caribbean as wearing your perfume once you have returned home will bring back many happy vacation memories.
Ti Spa
Another fabulous excursion within the island is to visit the Ti Spa. Located on the ground of L’Esplanade, the Ti Spa is open to both guests of the hotel and to the public. While they offer a wide variety of massages and personal care treatments, Charlie and I opted for a couples massage that was simply delightful. While getting a massage is not entirely unique to St. Martin, it certainly cements the relaxation of the Caribbean and is great if you spent previous days traversing a zip line course or hike around Loterie Farm.
Our Favorite Beaches
While the entire island of St. Martin has 37 beaches to offer, we primarily explored 4 of them. Each one was absolutely beautiful, especially when the sun was out to give them their blue green hue. Despite each of them being very different, St. Martin overall provides unique beaches that have brilliantly clear (and slightly chilly if the sun’s not out) water, rocky shore and coarse sand. While very different than Florida and East Coast beaches in terms of sand texture, water clarity and wildlife present, St. Martin’s offerings are often very picturesque and a delight to experience.
Grand Case
As the beach at Grand Case was the closest, it became the one we perhaps knew best. Never extremely crowded, but never empty, the beach at Grand Case stretches from the left of Le Petit Hotel down all the way to the pier near the Lolo Restaurants. Many of the restaurants along Grand Case are beachfront and look out directly on Grand Case beach which is beautiful for dining as well as swimming. As I mentioned previously, due to our connection with Hotel L’Esplanade, we frequented the chairs and umbrellas at Le Petit Hotel which almost always were available in some capacity and made for the ideal spot for oceanside reading.
Likewise, as we brought our own snorkeling gear (see which we used below), we found that the snorkeling was best here at the Grand Case beach of all the areas we tried. From huge starfish to tiny striped fish to spiny sea urchins, the waters along Grand Case were teeming with activity which was such a fun experience to see and I would definitely recommend exploring.
Plum Bay
Unlike the popularity of Grand Case, Plum Bay is a hidden cove of beach. Set back into a gated community, we at first were unsure if we were able to visit this beach, but after talking with the guard at the gate, we were quickly let through. Once within the gate, it is a beautiful drive passing other gated homes until you reach the public Plum Bay beach access. As it is a hidden treasure, we probably only saw about 10 people the entire time we were out there, and most of them included residents of the community walking the beach and a couple of people setting up for a wedding. Since there were not any existing chairs or umbrellas set up, we brought our own small packable picnic blanket and tent (see ours below!) which was fabulous for a little shade throughout the day. Despite it being cloudy the day we went, the scenery was beautiful, and it was fabulous to have about a mile stretch of beach to ourselves.
Cupecoy Bay
Much like Plum Bay, Cupecoy Bay is an absolute hidden gem. While not a long stretch of beach, Cupecoy Bay is made of several little pockets of steep beach tucked between large rocky cliffs. As there are several hotels further up the embankment, we parked on the road and then took a small dirt path that led down to the cliffs. Several of the beach nooks had stairs leading down to the water, which thankfully made them reachable. Not quite as quiet as Plum Bay, but not as busy as Grand Case, we had about three groups of people come and go while we were there. Likewise, as it was so rocky, we expected it to have fabulous snorkeling, but found that Grand Case still had a greater variety and number of fish present. The ocean floor was very interesting to see however as the waves create large divots in the sand. Overall, Cupecoy is absolutely stunning and most certainly makes you feel like you are set in a tropical oasis.
Pinel Island
Last, but certainly not least, we explored Pinel Island. Reachable by a ferry ride or kayak trip, Pinel Island is gorgeous. With crystal clear water, Pinel Island was perhaps the least rocky beach we found, but certainly the most crowded. Up a little way on the beach, beach chairs and umbrellas line the sand and are available to rent for the day. Likewise, there are a couple of restaurants that provide beachside service for drinks and food which make for a wonderfully easy excursion. We managed to get a set of chairs on the very outside corner, so the island did not feel as crowded as perhaps it might have felt a couple of rows back. Not only was Pinel Island picturesque, it was also ideal for families with small children as they could easily play in and explore the shallow clear waters. If you are coming to St. Martin and want to feel as though you have stepped foot into a different world, then a visit to Pinel Island is a must do.
Food
With so many cultures colliding in a small space, the food scene of St. Martin is amazingly delicious. With various tiers of dining options, we found most of our meals at either local bakeries, the Lolos, or elegant French establishments. The local bakeries are a fabulous bang for your buck with options ranging from fresh pastries, quiches and coffee to deli sandwiches and smoothies. As we primarily ate on the French side, the French influence could most certainly be seen in the fresh baguettes, pastries, and food available. Likewise, the Lolos are a treat you must have while in St. Martin. With 5 open air Lolos in a hub together between the water and street of Grand Case, each restaurant provides slightly different offerings ranging from entire red snappers to curry chicken to barbeque ribs. Lastly, we had the opportunity to try several elegant French restaurants throughout Grand Case and Marigot and each was absolutely delicious. As the food scene is so rich, I will make another post regarding our favorite restaurants and local finds (check it out HERE!), but overall, we found that with an adventurous palette and willingness to try new foods, the cuisine throughout St. Martin is a joy to experience.
Final Thoughts
Unlike our past vacation posts that have been about wintery environments (ex. Jackson Hole and Denver), St. Martin is a great stop for anyone willing to experience the sun filled adventure of a new culture in all of its food, customs and landscapes. Whether you are interested in exploring the lively side of the Dutch or the laid-back side of the French, St. Martin has plenty of beautiful water and delicious food to create a very memorable vacation.
Happy traveling!
Chloe
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A few of our favorite items we used and/or wore throughout our time in Saint Martin!
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