St. Martin/St.Maarten - Which Side and What to Avoid
- elleno1962
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
This blog post is written in memory of Tina Deininger (1961-2006). She gifted this magnet to me after vacationing there with her husband Cal in 2002. Looking at the magnet on my fridge for over 20 years, it felt very special to finally visit the island she had enjoyed so much.
Hurricane Irma slammed into at least nine Caribbean islands in 2017. In magnet post #46 , I talk about the aftermath still seen in Puerto Rico when two of my best travel buddies and I visited there in November of 2019. When the three of us decided to visit another Caribbean island in the winter of 2025, we hadn’t figured that after eight years, the islands are still recovering.
We chose St. Martin for our February 2025 getaway because of a strong recommendation from my tennis buddy, Joanna. In this blog post, I can say with a resounding “YES”, St. Martin is definitely worth visiting for a multitude of reasons. Just be ready for a couple of potential pitfalls; which if you prepare for, won’t tarnish your island paradise expectations.
St. Martin is split up into two sides; the Dutch (St. Maarten) and the French (St. Martin). In the 2017 storm, over 90% of the French buildings and 70% of the Dutch buildings were damaged or completely destroyed. Eight years later, the island is certainly up and running again; with a few telltale signs left to remind visitors of the lethal storm of eight years ago.
The first and most obvious to tourists is the road system. In one word, I’ll just say, the roads are still “rough” in many places and desperately need widening. Traffic jams are a daily occurrence especially in the morning and at rush hour. It took an hour to go 2 miles from the airport to our hotel.
Traveler’s Tip: Don’t rent a car when visiting St. Martin. Taxis and driver services are plentiful and inexpensive.
When booking a hotel on St. Martin, you must first decide if you want the French or Dutch side. Both come with their pros and cons I’m sure. Our hotel on the Dutch side, the Hilton Royal Palm Grand Vacation Resort, was perfectly located for us. An easy commute from the airport, we were able to walk to fantastic restaurants, enjoy a virtually private bay right outside our hotel, and easily get to some of the island's best recommended spots such as the hidden haven for the island's iguana population.
Travelers Tip: We learned during our stay that the massive cruise ships come into the ports on the French side (St. Martin). If you prefer fewer crowds, lodging on the Dutch side may be for you.
Best coffee found on the island? Le Sucriere
Best French food on the Dutch side? Vesna Taverna - the fish stew served in its own serving dish is amazing.
Best barbeque on the island - Hands Down - LoLos Ribs Shack (French side)- Great food, casual style, overlooking the gorgeous turquoise water.
Best Foodie Surprise - Charlie’s Bistro, located at the fish market on the Dutch side of Simpson Bay . The butterflied shrimp in garlic sauce is the best any of us had ever tried. And don’t forget their Johnny Cakes!
Great seafood and island vibe - Skipjacks. Their blackened fish was incredible.
Can skip? - The Yacht Club. This local hangout was our least friendly stop and the food tasted like it came straight from the freezer. When the staff could care less if you are there or not, it’s time to try another restaurant.
Keep in mind, the island is still recovering from Hurricane Irma. While we loved watching the planes taking off virtually yards from our bar stools at the Sunset Beach Bar, the famous watering hole still shows signs of the devastation caused by Irma and Covid. Hopefully by the publication of this blog post, the restaurant has upgraded its bathroom situation.
Pros of visiting St. Martin - Folks are super friendly. Wining and dining out is generally not expensive. The beaches are gorgeous.
Travelers Tip - Yes, there are nude beaches on the island for the adventurous but most are swimsuit friendly.
Cons - Be ready to sit in traffic. With few sidewalks, walking can be tricky. The winds can be strong. All of our excursions were canceled due to high winds that week affecting many other Caribbean and US resorts.
Travelers Tip: Whatever you do, avoid flying into Miami International Airport.
In order to save a few bucks, we decided to fly a connecting flight through Miami back to Philadelphia. Bad decision. And here’s why -
Before we left St. Martin, I noticed the JetBlue plane inhabiting our gate well past a time allowing us to depart on time for our American Airlines flight. It became obvious that the ground crew was having a difficult time loading a very heavy wheelchair into the plane’s bay. Ultimately we left St. Martin almost an hour late, but with a three hour layover built in, I figured we still had plenty of time to make our connection in Miami.
Wrong! Miami International is a zoo! Not only was my friend detained three times while her carry-on was examined and re-examined, my purse holding my passport, wallet and ticket were taken from me so it could be put through a different scanner 15 yards from me in a sea of people. I lost sight of my two friends at passport control. Ultimately, they missed our flight by seconds because of one more look through luggage and being incorrectly directed to checked baggage.
Travelers Tip: If delayed because of airport security back ups, the airline is not responsible for compensation. My friends ended up sleeping in chairs at the gate overnight with about 20 others who also missed the flight, including two pilots trying to get home. Our airline said the fault is with Miami Airport; not them. Therefore, there would be no compensation for the inconvenience.
Because my friends are amazing, they brushed off the crazy end of our wonderful vacation to being “just another adventure”. This is why I love traveling with them. Where to next? It’s all booked; we just pray for no hurricanes.