Sint Maarten Archives - Caffeinated Excursions https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/tag/sint-maarten/ Blog of a Traveling Coffee Addict Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:16:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://i0.wp.com/caffeinatedexcursions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/wp-1555570621336.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Sint Maarten Archives - Caffeinated Excursions https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/tag/sint-maarten/ 32 32 141833777 The Island Of Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin: A Gateway To The Caribbean https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/the-island-of-sint-maarten-saint-martin-a-gateway-to-the-caribbean/ https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/the-island-of-sint-maarten-saint-martin-a-gateway-to-the-caribbean/#comments Sat, 23 Apr 2022 17:00:00 +0000 https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/?p=21395 I recently spent a few nights on a unique Caribbean island: Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin! Its name suggests its most defining feature: that the island is divided into two countries! With a French side on the northern half and a Dutch side on the southern half, Saint Martin is the smallest inhabited land mass divided between two...

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The Island Of Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin: A Gateway To The Caribbean

The Island Of Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin: A Gateway To The Caribbean

Published April 23, 2022

I recently spent a few nights on a unique Caribbean island: Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin! Its name suggests its most defining feature: that the island is divided into two countries! With a French side on the northern half and a Dutch side on the southern half, Saint Martin is the smallest inhabited land mass divided between two nations.

So what brought me to Saint Martin? Well, my friend Ismael and I actually wanted to spend about a week in neighboring Anguilla, an island directly to the north. After reviewing our flight options, it made the most sense to fly in and out of Princess Juliana International Airport on Sint Maarten and then travel to Anguilla by boat.

In fact, Saint Martin serves as a travel hub to a number of nearby islands, including Anguilla, Saint Barthélemy, and Saba. But if I’m going to be completely honest, Saint Martin was a little underwhelming as a destination on its own. After seeing two different islands in the region over the course of about ten days, I can tell you with certainty that I’d recommend Anguilla over Saint Martin for a weeklong getaway.

Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla

I’m not saying that Saint Martin was bad. There were some interesting beaches and other attractions we saw on our first and final nights of our trip. But a sense that the island is overdeveloped and too commercialized takes away from its natural beauty. This post will highlight what I liked about Saint Martin, then discuss the things that I wasn’t impressed with.

Some Cool Spots to Check Out on Saint Martin

Maho Beach, Sint Maarten

This little beach next to Princess Juliana International Airport was my favorite attraction in Sint Maarten. In addition to having some of the prettiest light blue water on the island, Maho Beach is famous for being an excellent place to watch planes fly in.

Small planes come in every fifteen minutes or so, but if you want to capture a photo or video of a large plane coming in, you might have to check the arrivals schedule online or hang out for a while. It really is an exhilarating experience to see planes flying directly overhead at such a low altitude!

Watching planes take off from Maho Beach is cool as well, although it’s harder to get good footage or photos of it. It’s more about hearing (and feeling) the roar of the jet engine moments before the plane starts accelerating down the runway.

Sandy Ground, Saint-Martin

This little village is where we stayed before heading to Anguilla. Our Airbnb was right on the water and offered a great view of a quiet, tranquil beach.

Sandy Ground is right next to Marigot, the capital of the French side of the island. I honestly didn’t think Marigot was super quaint, but if you need to grab a meal, go to an ATM, or do some shopping, it’s just a five-minute drive eastward.

Baie Orientale, Saint-Martin

Orient Bay Beach is considered the island’s most famous beach. On the last day of our trip, we stayed in an Airbnb overlooking it. We were too exhausted to venture down and spend a bunch of time in the sun, but the panoramic view of Baie Orientale from our balcony was stunning.

Things I Didn't Love About Saint Martin

As you can see, Saint Martin has some beautiful beaches that you should check out. Despite these, I don’t have a strong desire to spend a future vacation here (although I’m sure I’ll pass through again someday on the way to St. Barths or Saba). Below are some things that prevented Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin from being one of my favorite Caribbean islands.

Overdevelopment

My biggest issue with Saint Martin is that the entire island feels like a massive airport or cruise terminal. It’s pretty crowded. There’s lots of commotion. Big billboards advertising rum or adult entertainment venues are everywhere. Casinos dominate many of the commercial areas, especially near Simpson Bay.

Both sides of the island have this issue, but Sint Maarten feels even more commercialized than Saint-Martin. This makes sense as the island’s cruise port is located in Philipsburg (the capital of the Dutch side). Our trip didn’t coincide with any cruise ship stops, but people we met there said the island becomes even crazier when cruises are docked for the day.

Traffic

Even though there weren’t cruise passengers on Saint Martin while we were there, traffic was still a bit of an issue. Since there is only one main road that goes around the island, you’re bound to run into stop-and-go traffic, especially in Marigot and anywhere near Princess Juliana International Airport.

The Food

Caribbean food is one of my favorite cuisines, which is why the underwhelming meals we had on Saint Martin were a bit of a letdown. Especially compared to Anguilla, where many of the restaurants offer world-class dining and some of the best lobster you’ve ever tasted, Saint Martin’s dining scene was good but not great.

The good news is that restaurants are a little more affordable on Saint Martin than on Anguilla. I guess you get what you pay for.

One of the biggest disappointments in Saint-Martin was the conch. I tried this delicacy for the first time in the Bahamas, and Bahamian conch is one of my all-time favorite seafoods. It’s soft, white, and chewy (but not too tough). Conch in the Bahamas is great as a fried treat, in a conch salad, or served as a burger. In contrast, the conch here was grayish-brown, spongy, and didn’t really absorb the sauce it was served in.

Conch from a restaurant in Saint-Martin

Saint Martin: Fine For a Night or Two

Am I glad I got to visit Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin? Absolutely! It was exciting to visit three separate countries on one ten-day trip and see the unique open border on this island. Saint Martin is also a multicultural destination where you’ll hear numerous languages, be able to use three different currencies, and technically be on EU soil despite being thousands of miles from the European continent.

A demarcation point of the open border between Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin

With that said, a couple of nights on Saint Martin was honestly enough for me. I would enthusiastically recommend Anguilla as a destination to any and all travelers, but I can’t necessarily say the same for this island split between two countries directly to the south.

Baie de Grand Case, Saint-Martin

Keep in mind that Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten could be a great fit for other travelers. Depending on your needs, it could even be the perfect destination! What I’ve said in this post is just my opinion and is not intended to disparage or offend. Have you been to this or any other neighboring island? If you have, what did you think? Leave a comment below and let me know!

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This post was published on Apr 23, 2022

Hi, I’m Kevin! I’m a coffee addict from Seattle, and my life revolves around traveling! Caffeinated Excursions is a record of my trips over the past seven years. Since I started blogging, I’ve lived in Mexico, Vietnam, Brazil, and the US. I just moved to Australia and plan to be here a full year. Thanks for checking out my blog!

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