St. Martin

I was lucky enough to visit St Martin a couple years back.

When visiting you have two options on where to stay. St. Martin is the “French Side” and St. Maarten the “Dutch side.” We stayed at a beautiful resort called RIU Palace St Martin. It was on its own beach with one or two neighboring resorts. It was my first time seeing the beautiful turquoise water on the Caribbean.

Our daily routine consisted of going to the complimentary breakfast. The breakfast buffet was filled with lots of great dishes. Strangely, my favorite dish was a vegetable side. It was had perfectly cooked and seasoned tomatoes, zucchini, and a couple of other vegetables. I am not a veggie person at all but the way this dish was prepared gave them this delicious deilcate taste. Its been a couple of years and I still remember this dish. It also had a good blend of Carribean, American and French Cuisine.

Rental Car:

If you are looking to explore the island, it would be very beneficial to rent a car. The island is small so you are able to see it from every angle. When I was there I didn’t see modes of public transportation besides buses. I’m glad we got a rental because it allowed us to see both sides of the island. If I visit St. Martin again I will do an excursion to Shoal Bay, Anguilla which is voted the best beach in the Caribbean.

What to do:

My friends and I took a day to drive around the whole island. We tried to find the highest peak.

We would spend our evenings watching gorgeous sunsets. Then we would drive to the city to try different restaurants. I am a big fan of French cuisine so I was delighted that so many restaurants were French. We visited a cute laid back hut looking place with amazing seafood. I was attracted to this location because I saw on Yelp that it had seating pretty much on the water, which was very unique. I also got to enjoy fine dining at a French restaurant that overlooked the beach. As well as a sushi restaurant on the Dutch side.

Maho Beach:

We also went to a famous spot where the planes literally fly over people at the beach. It was crazy!

We also wandered to the dutch side for lunch, it seemed very casual and you could see resort after resort. It seemed very touristy. I like to go to places where it’s more laid back and authentic. So the Dutch side was not my favorite. I did mention earlier going here for sushi, I do recommend going to the Dutch side if you are looking for nightlife because there are many bars in the central part of the city.

I highly recommend St. Martin if you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of a busy city. Its so relaxing and beautiful that you are guranteed to have a good time.

If you would like to check out other adventures click here. Happy travels!