St Maarten Travelers Recommend

St. Maarten (and its French counterpart, St. Martin) is considered the melting pot of the Caribbean. Three days are enough time to experience the island’s rich diversity of cultures and activities, and even venture farther afield in the Lesser Antilles. Here’s how to make the most of your time there.

Day 1: Adventures on land

Spend your first day getting oriented on this 2-nation island. Start with a guided tour of the main attractions on both sides of the border. Active travelers might opt for a biking tour, while those who prefer traveling independently might purchase a hop-on hop-off bus pass. In the afternoon, try one of the island’s outdoor adventures: sail down Sentry Hill on the Flying Dutchman zipline (one of the world’s steepest); head off-road on a guided all-terrain vehicle ride to some of the island’s most beloved beaches; or if you’re traveling with kids, check out the aerial obstacle course at Loterie Farm. In the evening, enjoy the numerous restaurants, bars, and casinos at Maho Bay, St. Maarten’s version of Las Vegas. 

Day 2: Experiences at sea

Today is your opportunity to savor the white-sand beaches and turquoise waters for which the Caribbean is famous. Spend the day on a small-group sailing excursion along the coastline, stopping to swim or chill on the beach—or take a speedboat to Tintamarre and Pinel islands to explore the underwater world at some of St. Maarten’s top snorkeling spots. Alternatively, go deeper with a beginner-friendly scuba diving experience in Simpson Bay, or parasail above Orient Bay Beach. Wind down your day on the water with a romantic sunset cruise, Champagne in hand.

Day 3: Caribbean island hopping

St. Maarten is a desirable destination in its own right, but it’s also an excellent base for exploring other islands in the Lesser Antilles. A popular day trip takes visitors to Anguilla—known for its long beaches and lively beachside barbecues—with a stop at Prickly Pear Cays for some swimming and snorkeling along the way. Or, hike through the indigenous rain forest on the pristine island of Saba, grabbing lunch afterward in quaint Windwardside. Alternatively, gather your friends or family for a private day trip to glamorous St. Barth. At the end of a busy day, relax with a quiet dinner at your hotel.

With its fine white sands, turquoise waters, and clear blue skies, Anguilla is an earthly paradise for beach lovers. For those visiting neighboring St. Maarten, this idyllic Caribbean island is an easily accessible day trip. Here’s what you need to know about Anguilla day trips from St. Maarten.

Highlights

• Choose a tour that involves sipping Champagne while sailing across the glassy Caribbean waters.

• Don a snorkel and swim among schools of tropical fish off the shore of Prickly Pear Cays, a pair of uninhabited islets off the coast of Anguilla.

• Tuck into succulent Caribbean barbecue at a beachside grill. 

• Lie out on the soft sand or swim in the warm waters of Shoal Bay, Rendezvous Bay, Maundays Bay, Sandy Island, and Meads Bay.

Things to Know

• Journey times to Anguilla can be as short as 15 to 20 minutes if you’re departing from Marigot on the north coast on the French St. Martin side of the island. From Simpson Bay on the southern Dutch St. Maarten side of the island, water taxis to Anguilla take 20 to 25 minutes.

• If you want to explore Anguilla independently, opt for a round-trip transfer. Alternatively, try a guided sightseeing tour that includes visits to various beaches and bays. For the ultimate luxury experience, consider a private charter.

• Most day trips from St. Maarten last six to eight hours.

• Many tours include lunch, on-board refreshments, and the use of snorkel gear. Immigration fees are typically not included. 

Fringed with vibrant coral reefs and home to more than 30 official dive sites, the two neighboring countries of St. Maarten and St. Martin have some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the Caribbean. Whether you want to float along with the tropical fish, enjoy a thrilling open-water dive, or explore a sunken shipwreck, here are your options.

Simpson Bay

At the western tip of St. Maarten, the warm waters around Simpson Bay offer plenty of snorkeling opportunities, while certified divers can enjoy wreck-diving around Simpson Bay Bridge. Look out for lobsters, sea turtles, stingrays, and even the occasional reef shark hiding within the walls of the wreckages. Just up the coast, Mullet Bay is also great for snorkelers.

The Maze

Just off the south coast of St. Maarten and a short boat ride from Philipsburg, The Maze makes for an ideal scuba diving excursion; common sightings include sea turtles, stingrays, and giant French angelfish. Nearby, Teigland is another sunken-ship dive spot; the wreck plays host to hundreds of species of fish, as well as a large number of eagle rays.

Baie Rouge and Happy Bay

On the French side of St. Martin, Baie Rouge and Happy Bay are prime spots for a snorkeling adventure. A vast expanse of coral hugs the shoreline, and you can dive in right from the beach. 

Creole Rock

Located off the north coast of St. Martin, Creole Rock offers calm waters and excellent visibility, making it a snorkeler’s paradise. Look out for pufferfish, barracuda, and maybe even the elusive frogfish; head farther out to explore the deserted beaches and fish-filled waters of Tintamarre Island. 

Philipsburg is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Caribbean, with a beachfront that can feel more like South Beach than a secluded Caribbean escape. This unique island outpost boast a friendly blend of Dutch and West Indian cultures, and though the capital itself is quite small—about a mile wide by three or four block deep—it offers something for everyone.

Day 1: Dig into St Maarten’s history

Start with a visit to the St. Maarten Museum, where you can see artifacts from Fort Amsterdam and the shipwreck of the British frigate HMS Proselyte, which sank nearby. Then head to the other side of town to explore the ruins of the town’s original colonial defenses. Right on the edge of town, Fort Willem sits atop Fort Hill, offering great views of the bay and the chance to wander among the foundations of the fort. Continue farther west, passing through the Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, to find Fort Amsterdam at the end of the peninsula.

Day 2: Shop till you drop

As you walk down Front Street, it won’t be hard to understand why Philipsburg is one of the top shopping destinations in all the Caribbean. The entire island is duty-free, which means you can find great, tax-free deals on high-dollar items like electronics, jewels, perfume and much more. Front Street is the unequivocal heart of the island’s high-end shopping, so if you’re game, you can spend a full day or more perusing.

Day 3: Kick back on the beach

Great Bay Beach runs the entire length of the town, so no matter where you are in Philipsburg, you’re never more than a few blocks from the beach. And this wide strip of soft sand is the ideal spot to spend a day touching up your suntan. The recently added beachfront boardwalk is a 50-foot-wide pedestrian thoroughfare where you can walk or bike among local crafts vendors. Along the way you can find beach chairs for rent—some proprietors will even throw in a bucket of cold beers with the chair rental—and whenever hunger hits, you can pull up a chair at a nearby restaurant without leaving the beach.

For travelers averse to the hustle on Philipsburg, Grand Case may be the cure. The sleepy French village sits near the northern end of St. Martin, offering a boulevard packed with bakeries, cafes and open-air BBQ shacks, incredible views of nearby Anguilla, and not much else aside from blissful relaxation. 

Day 1: Eat like a Parisian

Grand Case doesn’t have a cruise ship dock, duty-free shopping malls or clanking casinos, but it does have some of the best French cuisine in the Caribbean. Spend your first day exploring the town, starting with a morning stroll to the boulangerie for croissants. Then make your way to the beach, where some restaurants offer free beach chairs and umbrellas as you snack on fish tartare and cold beer. 

Day 2: Go island hopping

Grand Case overlooks the British island of Anguilla, and it’s a perfect jumping off point for a day trip to this nearby island. Join a local sailing or snorkeling charters to spend a day cruising around Anguilla, stopping at Shoal Bay, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, or cruising the Prickly Pear Cays where you can swim and sunbathe on a remote desert island.

Day 3: A road with a view

Take a day to explore around the island by car, starting with a drive to the top of Pic Du Paradis, the island’s highest point at 1,492 feet, offering unbeatable views of Marigot, Philpsburg and the surrounding islands. On the way down stop at Loterie Farm, a 150-acre private nature preserve where you can hike old plantation trails through the island’s last remaining tropical forest to find St. Martin’s iconic Guavaberry trees.

The island of St. Martin offers some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean, with dozens of dive sites dotted around the coast. As the capital and main port on St. Maarten—the Dutch side of the island—Philipsburg is the ideal departure point for a diving adventure. Here are your best options for diving there.

Creole Rock

One of the best dive sites on the French side of St. Martin island, Creole Rock is known for its high visibility and abundance of marine life—pufferfish, barracuda, sea turtles, and rays are all common here. Catamaran tours from Philipsburg typically sail around the beaches of Grand Case Bay before cruising out to snorkel or scuba dive around Creole Rock.

Simpson Bay

West of Philipsburg, the sheltered waters around Simpson Bay are ideal for snorkelers, while the Simpson Bay Bridge is a go-to destination for divers. Certified divers can explore the sunken ruins of three shipwrecks; sightings include eels, lobsters, stingrays, and Caribbean reef sharks.

The Maze

Along the south coast of St. Maarten, the Maze (sometimes called Mike’s Maze) is named for its magnificent coral gardens, and it’s also a prime location for spotting sea turtles, giant angelfish, and stingrays. Diving excursions often combine a dive at the Maze with a wreck dive nearby to the Teigland.

Prickly Pear Cays

Neighboring Anguilla also has a number of dives sites easily accessible by boat from Philipsburg. The most popular are the Prickly Pear Cays, where divers can explore a number of sunken ships, spot nurse sharks and barracuda, and swim among schools of butterfly fish, snapper, and grouper.

Stretching along the north coast of St. Martin, Grand Case Bay is a top destination for snorkeling and scuba diving, with easy access to some of the Caribbean’s most impressive reefs. From wreck dives to diving with sea turtles, here are some of the best scuba dive sites around Grand Case Bay.

Creole Rock

Just a 5-minute cruise north, Creole Rock is a paradise for snorkelers and scuba divers known for its calm waters and high visibility. Dive in to explore the vibrant corals and look for pufferfish, barracuda, sea turtles, and eagle rays. 

Tintamarre

A little farther out, the island of Tintamarre is best known for the Tugboat, an intentionally sunken boat accessible to certified divers only. Common sightings include eels and stingrays, and if you’re lucky you might spot a dolphin or two. 

Turtle Reef

With a maximum depth of 30 feet (10 meters), Turtle Reef is suitable for all levels including first-time scuba divers. It’s a prime spot to see hawksbill sea turtles, green turtles, and moray eels, as well as a huge variety of reef fish. 

Basse Espagnole

Between St. Martin and tiny Tintamarre Island, Basse Espagnole is another great choice for certified divers, with dramatic coral formations and elkhorn coral. Sightings include reef sharks, juvenile nurse sharks, lobsters, and barracuda.