My husband and I have been to Saint Maarten/Saint Martin twice in the past 3 years. We absolutely love it there!!! For such a tiny island, there is plenty to do and see!!!
The first time we went to St. Maarten was in 2014 for a medical conference at the Westin Dawn Beach. We stayed at this fabulous resort for a week and enjoyed every minute. Most of the time, I only had to attend the conference in the morning. So, we spent the afternoons either in the pool, on the beach, or exploring the island in our tiny rental car.
The Westin Dawn Beach is a fully-equipped beach resort with spacious rooms, a large spa, casino, several infinity pools, a fabulous beach. We spent much of our first day in the pool at the swim-up bar. It was there that we met two other couples that we ended up spending most of our evenings with!!!
The island is actually divided into two different countries!! The Dutch side is St. Maarten. The northern, French side is Saint Martin. The Westin Dawn Beach is on the east side of the island is only a few yards from the French side of the island. Right past the entrance to the resort is the sign that you have entered into the French side. There is no border control or any outward signs that you are even in a different country other than the occasional street sign in French!!
If you ever make it to St. Maarten, you MUST go to Maho Beach for a few hours and watch the planes come in!!!! We spent several hours here on our first trip to the island. Then, last year while on a cruise that stopped there for the day, we went again. The airport landing strip is just feet away from the beach. As you watch the planes approach, they feel like they are going to run straight into the beach!!! SO MUCH FUN!!!
Make sure you leave time to eat at the fabulous Sunset Bar and Grill with the best pizza and tacos ever!! I was very disappointed the second time we went, because they took my favorite “Jet Blue” pizza off the menu that was covered in blue cheese!! My Fav!!
Just a short drive from the Westin Dawn Beach is a wonderful over the water restaurant, called Big Fish Seafood Grill, with great food and wine list. We sat right over the water and watched the sunset while we enjoyed our dinner. There is one thing that we discovered while in St. Maarten, it is almost impossible to get fresh seafood on the island except for a few local restaurants!! We were shocked to find that there are not many fishermen on the island and their mainly concerned with tourism. There was no fresh seafood at the resort, even though there were dishes that sounded local. But, we were told that most of the fish is frozen. I was able to get a live lobster one night in Grand Case.
On our last night in St Maarten, we hired a cab for the night to take us and our new friends to Grand Case, on the north side of the island, for dinner and then out for some drinks and dancing at the The RedPiano Lounge in Simpson Bay!!! After dinner at Oceans 82, there was a small ‘carnival” going on and there were crafts and jewelry for sale everywhere!! I bought my favorite turquoise necklace and earring set from there.
My favorite thing about St. Martin on the French side is the FOOD!!! French cuisine everywhere. We had lunch the one day at BZH Creperie in Oyster Pond. This adorable restaurant on the side of the road with great outdoor setting. I loved the fois gras and the crepes!!! In Grand Case I had the BEST Nutella Crepes from a lovely girl who moved to St. Martin from France!!!
Don’t forget to make a stop at the Orient Beach to take in the windsurfers!! Just be aware that you might see the occasional topless person on the north side of the beach.
Definitely make time for a sunset cruise around the island!!!! We were blessed with several rainbows after the quick shower that we thought was going to ruin our little cruise. This was such a beautiful night and we were able to see parts of the island we never would have from a car.
My husband and I absolutely LOVE St Maarten/Saint Martin!!! I cannot wait until the next time we are blessed to visit this beautiful island!!!!
