Sint Maarten Info

Right now you are probably sitting back and dreaming of your holiday in Paradise....or maybe you're anticipating your return visit with an eagerness to relive the sights and sounds that captivated you and made you fall in love with our island paradise - St.Maarten.

The Dutch Side

Whether you already know, or are a first time visitor, St Maarten (pronounced Sint Maa-hr-ten) is an island where you can have adventure, excitement and relaxation. We offer an ideal mix of sporting activities, vibrant nightlife, natural beauty and secluded comfort with all the necessities of home right at your fingertips if you need them - the choice is yours!

St. Maarten with its busy cruise port and bustling commercial district, has long been an active center for trade and tourism. More developed and at the same time more informal, it is very Dutch in flavor and still has strong ties with fellow compatriots in the other Netherlands Antilles. 

You can windsurf, snorkel, go hiking, horseback riding, enjoy great cuisine, shop to your heart's delight, or test lady luck in the many world-class casinos. St.Maarten offers a unique experience for every visitor, but what truly makes our tiny paradise unique is its dual Dutch/French heritage.

The smallest island in the world ever to have been partitioned between two different nations, St. Martin/St. Maarten has been shared by the French and the Dutch in a spirit of neighborly cooperation and mutual friendship for almost 350 years.

The border is almost imperceptible. and people cross back and forth without ever realizing they are entering a new country. The only marker is a monument between Union Road and Bellevue, testifying to centuries of peaceful cohabitation and the treaty that made the arrangement possible. All the same, each side has managed to retain much of the distinctiveness of its own national culture. 

The French Side

The French tend to emphasize comfort and elegance. The beaches are secluded, the luxury resorts provide lavish accommodations, and the restaurants offer some of the finest dining experiences anywhere in the Caribbean. 

The latest French fashions can be found in many of the shops, and the smell of fresh croissants and pastries mixes everywhere with the spicy aromas of West Indian cooking. Small cafés and charming bistros add a decidedly Gaelic and cosmopolitan flair to the place. On the whole the atmosphere remains very relaxed.

Between the two different cultures in St. Martin and St. Maarten, vacationers will be able to find just about every kind of activity they might want for a perfect holiday in the sun.

More Sint Maarten Info
Area: Area: 34 sq. km (13 sq. mi)
Population: +-32,000
Capital city: Philipsburg
People: Mixed African and European descent
Language: English, Dutch (official) and French and more
Government: Municipality of the Netherlands Antilles

Environment
The terrain is largely green, with more palms, hibiscus and cacti to ferns or forests, although there are a few thickly vegetated areas in the interior. Herons, egrets, stilts, pelicans, laughing gulls and other shorebirds are plentiful in the island's brackish ponds. Frigate birds can be spotted along the coastline, hummingbirds and bright yellow-bellied banana quits are common in gardens and there are colorful woodland birds in the hills. Lizards are abundant and can be seen scurrying about on walkways and other sunny areas. 

The average daily high temperature is 28°C (83°F) in January and 30°C (86°F) in July. The average low temperature rarely dips below 22°C (72°F). 

Culture
The island culture has its roots largely in African, French and Dutch influences, though scores of more recent immigrants, many of them have added their own elements to this multicultural society. The tourist boom of the past few decades has resulted in such an influx of job-seekers from elsewhere in the Caribbean that only about 20% of all residents were born on the island. 

Dutch is the official language, though in practice English is the first language spoken, Dutch the second. Most island-born people are multilingual and can speak English, French and Creole. There's also a sizable Spanish-speaking immigrant community, mainly from the Dominican Republic. 

Events
Sint Maarten Carnival usually begins the second week after Easter and lasts for two weeks, with steel band competitions, jump-ups, calypso concerts, beauty contests and costume parades. Sint Maarten Day on 11 November commemorates the peaceful 1817 reconciliation of the Dutch with their French neighbors. 

The Heineken Regatta, held the first weekend in March, features competitions for racing yachts, large sailboats and small multi hulls.

Public Holidays
1 January - New Year's Day

Easter Holidays
• April 13 - Good Friday,
• April 15 - Easter Sunday
• April 16 - Easter Monday

April 30 - Queen's Day
May 1 - Labor Day
May 24 - Ascension Day
October 21 - Antillean Day
November 11 - Sint Maarten Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 26 - Boxing Day

Facts for the Traveler
Visas: US and Canadian citizens don't need visas or passports, only proof of citizenship.
Time: Atlantic Standard Time (GMT/UTC minus 4 hours)
Electricity: 110V, 60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Telephone: (599)-54

Currency
Netherlands Antilles florin (NAf). Dollar (US$)

Attractions
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten's main town, is centered on a long, narrow stretch of land that separates Great Salt Pond from Great Bay. There are some older buildings mixed among the new, but overall the town is far more commercial than quaint. Most of the action is along Front street, the bay front road, which is lined with boutiques, jewelry shops, restaurants, casinos and duty-free shops selling everything from Danish porcelain to Japanese cameras and electronics. History buffs can visit the Sint Maarten Museum, which has displays on island history with Arawak pottery shards, plantation-era artifacts, period photos and a few items from the H.M.S. Proselyte, the frigate that sank off Fort Amsterdam in 1801.

Wathey Square, over looking Great Bay on the south, is the town center of sorts. It boasts a tourist information booth, a wharf where cruise ship tenders dock and an old courthouse that dates from 1793. On cruise ship days, vendors on the square sell drinking coconuts and souvenirs; more street vendors, selling T-shirts and wood carvings, can be found at the north side of the courthouse.

The tiny Sint Maarten Zoo & Botanical Garden has some 35 reptile, bird and mammal species. It's located on the north side of Great Salt Pond. Maho Bay, on the southwestern shore, is Sint Maarten's main resort area. It feels a bit like the Las Vegas Strip: while little more than a block long, it's dense with multistory buildings housing exclusive jewelers, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and a huge resort and casino. Maho Bay has a nice enough beach except that it's at the very end of the airport runway. The area is even marked with a sign warning beach goers that 'low flying and departing aircraft blast can cause physical injury'!

Cupe Coy Bay If you're looking for a beach that's quiet but not totally secluded, Cupe Coy is a good choice. Its white sands are backed by low sandstone cliffs that have been eroded in such a way that they provide a run of small semiprivate coves. 

Activities
Sint Maarten has beautiful white-sand beaches, ranging from crowded resort strands to long secluded sweeps. Most of the best and least developed beaches are on the French side. Dawn Beach has good snorkeling and swimming. Snorkelers can expect to find waving sea fans, soft corals and small tropical fish. When the swell picks up, Mullet Bay can be good for body boarding.

The most popular diving is at Proselyte Reef, a few kilometers south of Philipsburg, where in 1802 the British frigate HMS Proselyte sank in 15m (50ft) of water. There are 10 other dive sites in that area, including coral reefs with caverns.

The island has good bicycling. You can cruise around Simpson Bay Lagoon, or cross to the French side and pump up to the top of 425m (1395ft) Pic Paradise.

Getting There & Away
Travelers from the US have the best air service to Sint Maarten. There are direct flights between Philipsburg and New York and Miami. There are also direct flights from Paris and Amsterdam; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Antigua; Guadeloupe; and St Barths and Martinique, some of which land in Espérance on the French side.

Cruise ships land passengers in Philipsburg. There are numerous daily ferries to and from Anguilla; daily catamarans to and from St Barths; and a ferry several times a week to and from Saba. Yachts can clear immigration at Philipsburg; there are marinas at Philipsburg, Oyster Pond and Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Despite its dual nationality, the border crossings between the French and Dutch sides are marked only with inconspicuous signs and there are no stops or other formalities when crossing over.

There's a departure tax of US$20 from Juliana Airport.

Getting Around
Renting a car is the best way to get around Sint Maarten. There are scores of agencies and your home driver's license is valid. Driving is on the right. There are also motorcycles (motorcycle license required), scooters and bicycles available.

Taxis are plentiful and are a convenient and inexpensive way to get around during short stays.

There are two kinds of buses available: public buses that run between Philipsburg and Mullet Bay, Simpson Bay and Marigot on the French side; and smaller (and more frequent) private minivans. Service to other destinations on the Dutch side is sketchy, so touring the whole island by bus is not practical. Although there are no airport buses per se, if you're traveling light, you can try catching one of the Philipsburg-Mullet Bay buses, which pass right by the airport.

Philipsburg is about a 15-minute drive from Juliana Airport. Taxis are available to and from Philipsburg.