The Island of St. Maarten

Well, today’s the day I get to share a few more details of our recent vacation to the Island of St. Maarten.  Of course I’m sitting here wishing I was drafting this on the lovely beaches of the island; however, I’m not.  I’m sitting in my pj’s on my couch right here in St. Louis.  Sad, but true.  {wink}.  If you follow me on Instagram, you’re probably tired of seeing and hearing about the island, hee-hee.

St. Maarten

So, this was our third visit to the Island of St. Maarten, read about our second visit if you’d like.  We were there in 2009 and 2010, and why we waited three more years to go back is beyond my human comprehension.  I’m fairly certain after this visit (and knowing that we both seem to completely decompress and truly enjoy the pure bliss of sitting on a beach reading all day — we’ll be going back again soon.  I thought I would share some of our experiences, eating spots, etc.

We always stay at the Princess Heights.  They have studios, one and two bedroom condos.  We love this place!  You can see pictures of the inside one of the condos from our previous stay.It’s off the beaten path a bit (not on the beach), but that’s what we love.  We always have a rental car (which is highly recommended).  There’s way too much to see and experience and cab rides add up fast!

Why the Island of St. Maarten?  Well, we love the weather, the food — and the beaches!  We’ve been to Maho Beach, Dawn Beach, Pinel Island, Friars Beach,  Great Bay and our absolute favorite:  Orient Beach.  All the beaches are lovely.  We spend 90% of our beach time at Orient Beach.  There are two sides.  The clothing optional (nude) side and the other side.

Believe it or not, we usually sit on the clothing optional side.  No cameras.  No soliciting.  Less crowded.  Clothing is optional, so you don’t have to be nude but you do have to be comfortable being surrounded by nudity.  I still get a little uncomfortable at the bar (The Perch) on that side.  A bunch of naked people standing around chatting — sorry, but weird!  I’m much more comfortable with topless than nude, and you can be topless on any of the beaches. Anywho, this beach is associated with Club Orient, which is a nude resort.

“Travel.  It leaves your speechless, 
then turns you into a storyteller.”
-ibn battuta

We love eating and drinking at The Perch (clothing optional side) and Pedro’s, which sits between the two beaches.   Both have great food and Pedro’s now has free wi-fi.  Score!

After breakfast most mornings, we’re off to Orient Beach. If we’re not there, we’re off shopping or taking a day trip to Pinel Island.  A quick ferry boat ride and you’re on this magnificent island.

This time we were served on the beach and it was fabulous!  Cod fritters and ribs.  Yes, please!  It was a stifling hot day, but we always enjoy our beach time!  Next time I’m taking snorkeling gear — I’ve heard it’s pretty fabulous on Pinel Island, but I would rather have my own gear.

If we don’t eat lunch/dinner somewhere on the beach, we’re usually heading to Pineapple Pete’s,  Talk of the Town or Lolo’s, Mark’s, and our newest find being Island Pizza.  Each visit we try to do one excursion or something different.  The first year we did the Rhino Safari Excursion and sunset cruise on a catamaran.   The second visit we took a trip over to Anguilla and this year we did a dinner sunset cruise on a 100 year old sailboat called the Passaat.  It was amazing!!

“Let’s find some
beautiful place to get lost”

Seriously, everyone has to experience this!  A home cooked Caribbean meal, open bar, and sailing the ocean blue!  There were only two other couples on the boat, so it was quieter and the sunset was breathtaking.  We have the number for the lovely couple who own the Passaat and host the cruise if you’re interested, e-mail me!

For us, shopping takes place on Front Street in Philipsburg or the Marigot Market.  The Marigot Market is full of different vendors offering local produce, fresh fish to souvenirs or handmade jewelry.

This year we experienced Sarafina’s for the first time.  My parents ported in St. Marteen earlier this year and mentioned this fabulous bakery, so we had to try it for ourselves.  So much deliciousness to choose from!

So, shopping and sweets!  Perfect combination, right?  Okay, so last but not least… you really need to stop by the Sunset Grill too!  Why?  Well, it’s at the end of the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport and you’re sure to get quite a show as the jumbo jets soar right over your head!

You can actually hear the radio tower too.  It’s a pretty cool place — cold beer, the beach and overhead entertainment.  It really is a must see.

That’s all I got…. besides some random herds of goats you’ll see every now and again crossing the streets.  True story. Ha!

And on that note, here’ s a couple of additional breathtaking photos!  If you haven’t already, I hope you’re able to visit the island yourself.  You’ll make memories of a lifetime!

Thanks for visiting the Island of St. Maarten with us (virtually speaking)!

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