After our last dives in the frigid waters of Paracas, Peru, a lil island paradise with sunshine for days sounded… perfect.
Couple our beloved SWA picking up flights to this tropical locale, and voila!
These companions were quickly on their way to the West Indies.
Quick facts
Guess what? The island is the smallest land mass to be shared by two sovereign nations. Props, Google.
1. Weather – 80s & sunshine, people!
Every. dang. day.
Super short bouts of rain here & there to cool things down a bit. Typical Tropics.
2. People & language – Gotta love that laid back island culture, yea mon. Varies so much across the world, and St. Martin/Sint Maarten takes the cake w/ its legit two sides of the French & Dutch coin ( or should we say… guilder?).
English is prevalent, as is use of the US dolla dolla bill. French is spoken extensively… even more so on the French side, obv.
My ears picked up a fair amt of español & we learned that the island has a good amt of Dominicans & Haitians.
3. Getting around – Highly recommend a rental for ultimate freedom.
4. Time zones – During daylight savings, eastern. Otherwise, an extra hour ahead of our NY peeps. Easy peazy.
5. No visa required for US citizens for up to 90 days of tourism.
How to get there.
With perfect timing, Southwest added a 2026 Caribbean destination that we had not yet explored. Jackpot!
An easy ~40k points had this duo off to SXM by way of Orlando’s MCO. Nice lil opp to see our Floridian faves!
At approx. 2 hrs for each of the 2 flights, each way, could not be easier. Other than if the flight was direct, obv.
Runabout tips:
- Both MCO & SXM had solid lounges. Go Priority Pass! Another reason not to snooze on that Reserve plastic, people.
- Chi does fly direct to SXM (~5 hour journey) on United & American, on limited days of the wk. Makes perfect sense if you’re not solid Javanti companions <3.
- Fill out the mandatory disembarkation form online prior to arriving at SXM! Customs was otherwise a breeze in & out. Quickness.
How to get around.
Renting a car seemed highly recommended to traverse the not-so-large island. Takes about 30/40 min to get to the other side, altho we’re often working w/ one road here, ppl.
Skyscanner pulled thru, obv. We did opt to do in-terminal only, of course filtered for an automatic set of wheels, and chose a medium sized car for space yet ease of parking.
This ran us ~$180, inclusive of daily insurance (at ~$14/day) for a car through Economy Bookings & Nextcar.
Runabout tips:
- As we warn, avoid those potentially enticing (due to price) meet & greet options, if nothing else to save time zipping out of the airport. But also to avoid a giant headache &/or phantom bookings. Trust us.
- Same deal here – unless you’re looking for a stick, be sure to heed the transmission! Esp outside of the ole USofA.
- Given the single road sit, traffic can be a giant B. Choose where you’d like to post up wisely to save yourselves a TON of time thruout your vacay.
Where to stay.
Accustomed to our lovely multi-country voyages & quick movement, booking our lil SXM haven was a breeze.
I did search a few blogs for which part of the island to land in, and the Emerald @ Maho condo complex quickly emerged. At just under $900 for our 4 night stint, this lil Airbnb screamed Javanti, with a gym (obv), pool, and parking to boot.
Howevvvver, a few days before we left, I questioned whether we would prefer easy peazy pampering in a hotel & took a tiny peek on our beloved Skyscanner (yes, SS does hotels too, ppl).
The commonly recommended Simpson Bay Resort & Spa showed up on my filtered list of hotels with a solid rating + gym, and voila! The ridic deal that Super was offering prompted a quick pivot.
At less than $800/4 nights for a deluxe one-bedroom suite in a sprawling property complete with tennis courts, a spacious gym, multiple pools, and wait for it… a casino?! Throw breakfast into the mix, and a pivot was clearly the right move.
Pros – SO much to do. Tons of pools, ping pong, foosball, (tennis), restaurants, you name it. Price, location, and overall, service also delivered.
Cons – not the lap of luxury, in part given its size. Getting in & out wasn’t super quick either, but that’s a tiny critique.
- If you want an abundance of French food, beach clubs & more pomp & circumstance, stay on the French side.
- La Plantation in Orient Bay (French side) looked super cute.
- Grand Case (also French side) is all the rage & known to be the luxury center of SXM.
- If you’re looking for a more island, local feel, stay on the Dutch side. Pro – much closer to the airport. We stayed in always hoppin Simpson Bay & heard Indigo Bay just down the way is great too.
- Beyond that, our tried & true process will get you the lil cabina of your dreams, ppl!
How far does your mula go?
In Sint Maarten, the Caribbean guilder (XCG) is now in use, replacing the previously used Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG).
As it stands, the guilder is pegged at 1.80 to $1 USD.
In Saint Martin, the euro is used.
Plastic easily gets you by & the US dollar is widely used. On both sides of the island.
So, no conversion needed!
Prices? Honestly pretty on par w/ the US, depending on where you go. The local joints def had us indulging in super fresh seafood at a solid price tag.
What to do.
Sint Maarten & Saint Martin, paradox & paradise.
What to do.
- Dive! SXM Divers had great reviews & the shop was a short 10 drive from our hotel. Howevvvver, we spotted diving on site at the resort & instead went w/ Aqua Mania. Georgina killed it & we spotted sharks, giant lobsters & crabs, tons of interesting fish, a wreck & awesome swim throughs. The water is oh. so. warm. Love it.
- Hike @ Loterie Farm! We loved the Pic Paradis hike. ~2 hrs, solid views &… monkeys! Tons of em & super playful. Awesome.
- Post-hike, w/ your suits in tow, head to Loterie’s rockin Jungle Pool Party. These lucky ducks were fortunate enough to catch the monthly soiree (last Saturday of each month!).
- Climb Fort St. Louis. Super short & easy w/ a nice view of the island.
- Beach clubs are all the rage here. Well reputed ones seem to be Kalatua on Mullet Bay, Coco Beach on Orient Bay, and of course Grand Case Beach Club, affectionately (self) dubbed Europe in the Caribbean.
- Stroll the super cute Orient Bay village.
Maybe next time!
- Near Philipsburg (the capital of Sint Maarten), hike Pelican Hill. Shorter, at ~1 hr.
- Hit up Philipsburg! We heard great things.
- Near Anse Marcel, given the hidden gem Froussards trail a go. A bit longer, at ~2.5 hrs.
- The French capital, Marigot, didn’t seem to have too much to offer, but we would prob pop by on the next visit.
- We ventured to the ferry stop to grab a kayak for Pinel Island, but the kayak spot wasn’t open. Might be a worthwhile adventure to snag fresh lobster of your choosing once you arrive on Pinel.
Where to eat & drink!
- First meal & one of the best was at Charlie’s Bistro, which appears to be the same locale as Goat Fish. Mahi & shrimp in a delectable spicy garlic sauce w/ a lovely local funchi to boot.
- Balls & Wine delivered. Super super cute, awesome drinks & scrumptious bites. Service w/ a smile was the cherry on top. Hey, we didn’t name the spot.
- Speaking of friendly servers, Arrow was delicious, welcoming & gave perfect island vibes.
- The foie gras for days at Le Pressoir killed. Oh. so. tasty. Every dang bite.
- The foie gras at Coco Beach also gets a mention and damn, that ambience was… perfect.
- Le Sud served up another stunning poolside dining experience. The croque & beef carpaccio were both on point. Perfectly washed down w/ crisp French bubbles.
- Speaking of stunning, Rainbow Cafe on the Grand Case beach strip is the perfect spot for sunset. Head to the upstairs bar, hang w/ David & soak up those gorgeous hues w/ a lil mezcalita.
- Speaking of poolside dining, The Hideaway was an easy lovely stroll from our hotel. The fresh seafood & friendly service makes this spot worth a visit.
- For (too many) nightcaps, head down the street to Calmos. Heyy, Lola, you lil firecracker.
- Make friends & head to Nowhere Special to get as wrecked as the ship on your next AM’s dive. Yoikes.
- For your final (or first) local meal, hit up Breedy’s, behind the always bumpin Captain’s Rib Shack. Grab a few cold ones, the oxtail & whole snapper. Amazing sauce on each.
Runabout tips:
- Pop into a super cute beach club or for a drink or two & bite. Awesome vibes.
- Chill out! And eat oh. so. well.
- Speaking of chilling out, reviews on boating out to Anguilla were… not great. For our short time, Sint Marteen was perfect all on its own.
Most magical moments.
- Second shark sighting, up close & personal.
- Our most playful monkey sightings to date. Unexpected & all. to. ourselves.
- First foray into foie gras on the trip, in a stunning setting, followed by mtg our SXM faves B&S! Tequila besitos for… almost everyone 😉
- Our first dinner out. So lovely, delicious, and… oddly named (Balls & Wine, don’t skip it!)
I suspect we’ll be back w/ a group for the next set of magical moments. Nuptials in SXM, anyone?!
