St. Maarten Things To Do

The unique island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin is divided between two cultures and has two political regions: the northern side (St. Martin) is governed by France, and the smaller southern side (Sint Maarten) by The Netherlands. It is the world’s smallest land mass shared by two countries.

Great for: beaches, casinos and duty-free shopping
Location: Leeward Islands
Population: 34,000
Size: 37 sq miles (the entire island, sharing with St. Martin)
Capital city: Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Airport: Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM
Language: Dutch (French in St. Martin, English, Spanish and Creole in both)
Currency: NL Antillean guilder (Naf or ANG) - check exchange rate
Time Zone: UTC -4
Area code: 599

Did you know?
Columbus was the first European to sight and name the island, but the Spanish made no initial attempt to settle here. However, when in the 1600s the Dutch and French established small settlements on the island, the Spanish saw it as a threat to their influence in the region and attacked the island. The Dutch and French joined forces to resist the Spanish. After driving out the Spanish, the Dutch and French agreed to divide the island.

Today, the five islands of Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Eustatius, Saba and St. Maarten (Dutch side) make up the Netherlands Antilles, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Although Sint Maarten/St. Martin is divided by France and The Netherlands, English is the common language. The border is marked, but it's open. St. Martin maintains a French Caribbean character, while St. Maarten has become more touristy. The island is a popular cruise ship destination, and is best known for duty-free shopping, beaches, and excellent restaurants.

Dutch St. Maarten's capital, Philipsburg, was a Dutch trading center. The forts around the city are reminders of its strategic importance. Fort Amsterdam (built in 1631) was the first Dutch military outpost in the Caribbean. There are also 36 white-sand beaches to visit; one favorite strip is Cupecoy Bay Beach.

Discover the entire island, feast on gastronomic delights of Parisian proportions, stroll velvety sands and wade in idyllic waves before digging into Dutch culture, consumption and casinos.

Points of Interest

Beaches

Sint Maarten/St. Martin is a popular destination, known for its beautiful beaches, excellent (French) restaurants and great (Dutch) casinos.

Points of Interest:

Casinos - One thing the Dutch side of the island has that the French side does not is places to wile away your currency, or win it big. There are 12 casinos in all, some stand solo in Philipsburg like Casino Rouge et Noir and Tropicana, while others like Princess Casino and Casino Royale are housed in hotels and resorts.

Maho Bay - Sint Maarten's main resort area has a nice beach (which is at the very end of the airport runway), boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and a huge casino. Most of the nightlife of the island can be found in the Maho Bay and Simpson Bay areas.

Sint Maarten Guavaberry Emporium - In a 150-year old Creole townhouse, built on the side of an ancient synagogue dating back to the 17th-century, woody, fruity, bittersweet flavored liquor is matured. Derived from a fruit found high in the hills in the island's center (and bearing no resemblance to guava), the alcohol is an island legend with stories and folk songs told and sung in its honor.

Grand Case - Well-known for its fine food, Grand Case is a feast for the eyes as well with its distinctive style of architecture. Elaborate carvings and fretwork done in a gingerbread style adorn the fronts of the small wooden houses painted in pastel colors.

Beaches:

There are plenty of beautiful beaches to choose from on St. Martin / St. Marten:

Red Bay (Baie Rouge) - A large beach with calm waters.

Orient Beach - The most perfect Caribbean beach and the island’s most popular.

Dawn Beach - A popular beach among tourists.

Cupecoy Bay - A beautiful, quiet beach with white sands and sandstone cliffs.

Oyster Pond - This less known beautiful beach area offers great swimming and scuba diving.

Prickly Pear - A small island, perfect for swimming and snorkeling.

Long Beach - Miles of endless white-sand beaches.

Le Galion Beach - This horseshoe shaped beach is known for its kid friendly atmosphere.

• All Americans are required to present a passport to enter and re-enter the United States.
• Non-U.S. citizens, please contact the nearest consulate or embassy of the country to which you are traveling to determine your entry/visa requirements.
• Passport, visa and travel advisory information may be found at the U.S. Department of State's Netherlands Antilles pages. Although most travel to international destinations is completed without incident, Caribbean-TravelDeals.com urges passengers to review travel prohibitions, warnings, announcements and advisories prior to booking.