Bizi-Body Travel Guides St Maartens Things to do.

Views in St Maartens

Things to Do

St Maarten (Dutch side)

Philipsburg – great for the shopping and the beach is not bad either.

St Martin (French side)

Anse Marcel is a mini-resort, with a couple of large hotels, a marina and a pleasant long sandy beach. Cul-de-Sac – home to St Martin 's mayor and characterized by its cute little red-roofed houses –popular for trips to the uninhabited Ilet Pinel , where there is calm waters for swimming. Boats regularly make the two-minute trip (no set schedule), from the pier in Cul-de-Sac and there are barbecue stalls and drink vendors on the island, and even a small gift-shop.

Butterfly Farm
Just south of Orient Bay (daily 9am–4pm ;), with numerous varieties imported from Indonesia and South America

Grand Case
has built itself a deserved reputation as one of the finest dining centres of the Eastern Caribbean A series of fairly expensive restaurants with daily specials chalked up outside and classy wine lists displayed in the windows.

Marigot
is the main town on St Martin and well worth a short visit. The harbour is at the bottom of Rue de la République, The public market (Tues–Sat 6am–3pm) is where you'll find plenty of souvenir stands selling T-shirts, wooden carvings and the like, as well as a host of fruit and vegetable vendors hawking their colourful produce. It's a lively place, though there are few great bargains for shoppers. The grand development of the Port La Royalemarina is also worth making for, with a number of classy shops selling designer gear and jewellery, outlets offering boat and fishing trips and loads of bars and restaurants overlooking the water. You should certainly make a point of stopping at the nearby archeological museum (Mon–Sat 9am–1pm and 3–6pm) Fort Louis (always open; free) has the scant remains of a 1789 fort built to protect the town from the raids of British sailors and offers fine views across the bay.

Pic Paradise
on the French side where you can hike through the dense rainforest and climb up the highest point on the island.

Beaches

Best Beach for a Half-Day Visit : Mullet Bay
Best Beach for the Dedicated Beach Bum : Orient Beach , aka Baie Orientale, technically, is located in St. Martin but it's an easy taxi ride from Philipsburg. The beach has a section for nudists as well as more crowded areas. You can rent water gear and beach lounges, and there are numerous bars and food shacks. Windsurfing is good here and you can rent equipment.
Best Beach for Active Types : Dawn Beach for snorkelling and body surfing.
Secluded Beach : Cupecoy Beach , which has caves and rock cliffs, has lots of private nooks and crannies and Dawn Beach for snorkelling.

What to Buy

As St Maartens is 100% duty free almost anything. Best buys would be electrical goods, cameras and gold.

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