St. Maarten & St. Martin

As the two names suggest this is the most unique Island in the Caribbean. Dutch and French share this two country situation without borders. Other than signs that say “Welcome to the Dutch Side” and “Welcome to the French Side” you would think it was one country.

Roughly 37 square miles offers breathtaking views from beautiful mountain Vistas of the Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans. A scenic "loop" around the island can take just half a day, including plenty of stops.
If you head up the east shoreline from Philipsburg, follow the signs to Dawn Beach and Oyster Pond. The road winds past soaring hills, turquoise waters.

quaint West Indian houses, and wonderful views of St. Barths. As you cross over to the French side, the road leads from the islands oldest settlement, known as the French Quarter to Cule de Sac and the secluded, luxurious district Anse Marcel or you can drive directly to the "restaurant capital of the Caribbean" Grand Case.

Following the street you reach Marigot the capital of the French side and Sandy Ground . From Marigot, the flat island of Anguilla is visible. Completing the loop brings you past Cupecoy Beach, through Maho and Simpson Bay , where Saba looms in the horizon, and back over the mountain road into Philipsburg.

Beaches in St. Maarten/St. Martin

The 38 Beaches of St. Martin/St. Maarten are world famous for their beautiful white sand and turquoise water. Each beach is unique, and all beaches are open to the public. Coral reefs populated by colorful marine life fringe the coast, and several tiny islets with lovely beaches are just a short distance away.

St. Martin is only a quick flight away from the islands of Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barths, and Anguilla; enabling visitors to sample a wide variety of beaches and surroundings.

Orient Bay is particularly enticing for its wide expanse of velvety white sand, its underwater marine reserve with a coral reef that is great for snorkeling, and the variety of water sports that are offered here.

At one end there is a naturist resort, and the beach there is purely clothing-optional. In general, the attitudes toward topless bathing are fairly relaxed and sophisticated in St. Martin. There is one part of Orient Beach which is reserved for naturists.

Stores in Philipsburg are open all day Monday through Saturday, and some are open on Sunday if there is a cruise ship in port. In Marigot, the shops tend to close between noon and I p.m. and reopen at 3:00 p.m. until the late afternoon or early evening.

Most businesses are closed on Sunday, and so are many restaurants. Grocery stores are open Monday - Saturday 8:00a.m. - 8:00p.m., Sunday 9:00a.m. - 1:00p.m.

In Philipsburg, specialties of Front Street include everything from Swiss watches and French perfumes to British cashmeres, Chinese embroidery, Japanese electronics and cameras, Indonesian batiks, and Italian leather goods One can also browse through a vast collection of fine jewelry, crystals, linens, porcelain, liquor and cigars.

Local grocery stores will come in handy if your hotel room has a small refrigerator or kitchen. And if you are looking for interesting gifts, such as exotic sauces, or cheeses and chocolates, you will find some great buys. Unlike many shops, grocery stores list prices in Guilders and Euros only, so you have to do a little arithmetic to figure out the value of your purchases. If you tell the cashier you wish to pay in Dollars, the Cash register will do the conversion for you.

St. Martins / St. Maartens Culture

The French and Dutch sides of St. Martin share a similar culture, but each has its own distinguishing features. Both the French and Dutch sides of St. Martin are rich in culture that has been influenced by Africa and Europe. Although French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten are in fact two distinct countries, they share a single small island. Each side has an an intriguing culture of shared and individual aspects seen in the religion, language, cuisine, and music. The Caribbean love of rhythym is world renowned. Nowhere else in the world is there as great a variety of music styles as in the Caribbean.

The true voice of the Caribbean is found in the region's unique musical styles. The original rhythms of this amazing part of the world mostly come from African roots and use a lot of drums. The types of music that have originated from the Caribbean region include calypso, merengue, soca, zouk, reggae. All of these styles of music share certain distinguishing features such as infectious dance rhythms and outlandish lyrics.

Combined, the French and Dutch sides of St. Martin have a population of about 69,000 people.

In the past 20 years, immigrants have flocked to the island to find employment and better living conditions, and the native population of Creoles has been greatly outnumbered by those who have migrated to the island.

Today, representatives of 70 different nationalities live on the island and speak a number of different languages. The native inhabitants of St. Martin can trace their roots to Africa, the Netherlands, or France, as St. Martin was a crossroads for visitors to the New World.

Dutch, French and British traders inhabited the island. The border between the Dutch and French sides of the island is virtually imperceptible, and although the two countries share many aspects of culture and heritage, each side has retained much of the distinctiveness of its own national culture.

Politic and Economy

The policy of the two governments administratively responsible for the island, have both considering things the same way since they approved the same statutes for both side of the island: exempted of tax, customs, with simple formalities for business who wish to invest on the islands.

But with the time, the Dutch side made a few changed in its statute and has today a government with locally more autonomy. The French side is in the process of changing its statute, by normally 2007Saint Martin should not be one commune of Guadeloupe any more but a regional council.