No other place has stolen my heart like St. Maarten. That’s a bold statement to make, I know, given that Argentina will always hold a special place in my heart. And Dominican Republic is where I gave away my heart in front of friends and family.
But.
There is something so special about St. Maarten. From the moment I landed on the small island, I knew I was in for a memorable vacation. I’ll admit, the 80-degree weather and crystal blue water helped, but there is so much more than that. During the five day trip, my love and I saw it all.
What You Need to Know
To be honest, before planning the trip, I didn’t know anything about the small Island. When I was looking up flights and Airbnbs, I noticed two different ways to spell it: St. Maarten and St. Martin. That’s because the Netherlands owns St. Maarten, which is the southern region. France owns St. Martin, the northern region.
Where to Stay
We stayed in Phillipsburg, the capital of St. Maarten, in an Airbnb, that was right on the boardwalk. Every morning, we awoke to a sun-drenched bedroom and the sound of palm trees swaying in the breeze. Outside, tugboats floated at bay and cruise ships bobbed in the distance. Locals could be heard setting up for the day as they awaited for cruise-goers to step off water taxis. And every once-in-a-while when the wind blew, we could smell johnny cakes cooking on a homemade BBQ pit at Cornie’s Bar and Grill.
I’m ashamed to say this, but this was the first vacation we took where we stayed local. Usually, we stay on resorts, which is a completely different experience. What I loved about staying local is that we were able to learn from the locals and hear their stories. Also, because St. Maarten is a popular stop for cruise ships, we were able to meet people from all over the world.
But my favorite part about staying local was being a part of the transition of the town. By day, it’s bustling with tourists sunbathing on the beach and tasting flavored rum in the shops. At night, after cruise ships horns sounded into a farewell song-like melody, the boardwalk was calm. The beaches were still and we could count on our hands how many people were there. Many times, it was only us, which made our late-night dips even more special.
Where to Eat
When I say that we didn’t have one bad meal, I mean it. St. Maarten is one of those places where every meal gets better with each bite. And if f you love seafood like me, you can’t go wrong. Here’s my top three recommendations:
Aziana – This cute Asian-inspired food bar was right off of Front Street, the main street, near our Airbnb. I drank more lychee martinis than I care to say because of their sweet but subtle tang. Not to mention, they were cough cough potent, which was the perfect drink to start our vacation. For my entree, I ordered grilled salmon with homemade pesto, rice and a side salad.
Y’all.
Can I tell you how I almost lost it over the first bite? The salmon had a golden pan-seared crust, but was super flaky and broke with a push of my fork. The pesto was vibrant with color (and flavor) and by far the freshest pesto I’ve ever tasted. If you can’t tell, the very thought of this meal is making my mouth water.
The Lolo’s – Here’s the thing. The LoLo’s in St. Martin (northern region) is like an open-air food court. The food shops inside each have heir own personality and you’ll know by the different colored benches. I’m not ashamed to say that we not only went to the LoLo’s several times, but once we had it twice in one day.
My favorite was Scooby’s Bar and Creole Restaurant. For my meal, I ordered the creole shrimp with rice and a side salad, which was bursting with spice. But if I’m being honest, the ribs are one-of-a-kind. They were salted to perfection and had a slight crunch with each bite. They were also doused with a sauce that I can’t quite remember the ingredients used to make it. At the same time, I can’t quite forget it either. It was definitely not your traditional Fourth of July rib.
Also, the nice part about the LoLo’s is that they’re right off the water. After your meal, you can take a stroll down a secluded beach, which I recommend.
Emilio’s Restaurant – I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. We reserved and cancelled our reservation to this fine dining restaurant at least three times. But when I say it was well worth the wait, I mean it. We finally went our last night of the trip and the staff sat us at a table overlooking the property.
We celebrated with a bottle of our waiter’s choice of rosé. For an appetizer, we shared the tuna tartar. I loved how the crispy plantain lent a textural contrast to the soft tuna. True to form, for my entrée, I ordered seafood. Seared sea scallops to be exact that sat atop of a bed of risotto. A dollop of honey-roasted bacon jam adorned each one. And it all laid in a pool of a red wine reduction.
What to Do
I’ve never enjoyed the beach as much as I did when I went to St. Maarten. You can ask my love. This was the first time in over a decade that I not only got into the ocean, but didn’t want to get out of it. To his surprise we spent our days splashing around and people watching.
Orient Beach – Compared to the beach near the Airbnb, Orient Beach was much busier. There, you could go parasailing AND jet skiing. We opted to go parasailing, which was one of the highlights of the trip. You should know that I’m scared of heights. But my love has been talking about parasailing for years – literal years.
To my surprise, I wasn’t as scared as I thought I would be. When the photographer released the chord and sent us floating in the air, I felt calm. There was something beautiful about seeing the island from that view. As the boat circled around, I loved seeing the hills turn into mountains. The sun’s reflection seemed to dance on the waves making it sparkle in the distance.
Scoobidoo Tour – Another highlight of the trip was a catamaran trip to Anguilla. We started the day early and headed to Anse Marcel and boarded a small motor boat that led us to the catamaran. Because we were the first on the boat, it gave us a chance to take in all the sights. Unfortunately, not long after that, I became sea sick, but what else is new? Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to get off the boat and inside the restaurant where we were greeted by chickens. At the restaurant, we feasted on mahi mahi with rice and a side salad. Then, we sipped piña coladas on the beach taking in the beauty of the small British-owned island.
What Else
Currency – There’s no need to exchange dollars into the local currency. When we were in St. Maarten we were able to pay for everything with dollars and a credit card. The same is true in St. Martin. Also, most things also included a dollar conversion, which was super helpful.
Local Suggestions – The driver who picked us up from the airport recommended these places:
• Chez Coco in St. Marten for the authentic French cuisine
• Skip Jack’s for its lobster buffet on Thursdays
• Marigot Market where you can by homemade crafts, spices and more on Wednesdays and Thursdays
We weren’t able to go to the places above, but I’m adding them here in case you’re able to. Plus, we’ll definitely be back!
