Saint Martin is a curious little place – its the world’s smallest inhabited island (just 87 square kms) to be divided between two countries, with the upper 60% of the island a territory of France and the remaining 40% known as Sint Maarten deemed a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The French side speaks French and takes payment in euros, while the Dutch side speaks American and uses USD. We spent time on both sides, but as with most other things in life, the French do the Caribbean best!
Years ago on a Caribbean cruise we spent a day on Saint Martin and even with 7 hours on the ground we knew this was a place we would like to return to. There is an energy in Saint Martin that we have not yet encountered in the previous islands which could be because we are now on the verge of high season, and also that there are so many flights each day coming in from mainland US and Europe. We came across many more party bars here, more dynamic restaurant strips, and heaps of options for day trips to surrounding islands.
Starting out on the Dutch side we hit party bar number one: the Sunset Bar at the end of the runway on Maho Bay. This beach is world famous for watching the planes come in over the bay to land on the short runway, and there is always a crowd waiting for the jet blast of a plane taking off. The cocktails in the nearby bar are cheap(ish) and cold and its the perfect spot to pull up a stool and watch the action. The Dutch side is heavily Americanised in terms of the tourists, resort style and restaurant offerings, but there is a healthy dose of French bakeries, organic cafes and a supermarket that almost had us weeping at the sight of the fresh produce, chia yoghurt pots and the range of cheese!
From Dutch America to France, we were thrilled to set up camp for 6 nights in an apartment on Orient Bay. We have had a love/hate relationship with Air BnB this year but our little studio apartment was perfect and had us within walking distance of the lively strip of beach clubs and restaurants along the 3 kilometre beach. This is not the beach to visit for a relaxing, secluded experience – the beers are flowing, the music is pumping and on the southern end of the beach the clothing is optional!
For a beach experience that felt worlds away, we loved Pinel Island just a little bit further north and accessible by small boat or in our case, a kayak. Paddling the small channel in under 20 minutes we pulled up onto the most stunning white sand beach with people literally standing in the shallows eating their lunch and drinking cocktails at bar tables planted in the sand. It was a secret hideaway from the hundreds of people across the bay, and the iguanas wandering around freely definitely made this little island feel like somewhere special.
Continuing our love affair with the French Caribbean food and general approach to life we took a day trip to Saint Barth’s to see how the other half live. It’s every bit as fabulous as it is portrayed in magazines and blogs, with a row of high end international designer stores in the marina town of Gustavia that would not look out of place in most international cities. We’re talking Prada, Hermes and countless other brands all lined up in a row.
It’s a tiny island of only 21 square kms and its full of very swanky hotels, stores and fine dining restaurants, and the beaches are every bit as stunning as many others in the Caribbean. We enjoyed our day here checking out the island, although have to say that our AU$25 cocktails and the beach we drank them on were no different to many we have experienced so far. Its not really the place for gypsies on a budget!
Another great day trip was to the island of Anguilla, a British territory north of Saint Martin claiming to have one of the world’s best beaches, Shoal Bay. Having spent time on an Australian world famous beach in May in the Whitsundays, we felt we should check it out to compare and it was pretty amazing! After sailing over to the island on a catamaran where the rum started flowing at 9am, we were delivered to sun loungers and spent a perfect few hours swimming, walking and being fed. It was definitely money and time well spent.
After eight days on the island we can say it is the best location overall that we have visited so far in the region. It felt more European in terms of the beach-side party scene that we encountered in Croatia and the food, particularly on the French side, was better quality and less American-diner than some of the other islands we have been to. The beaches were stunning and the range of activities was great – definitely an island that can cater for everyone.
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