Thread: Too much info on St. Maarten

This is more information from the guide book I put together for my family two years ago. History and misc info on St. Maarten:


St. Maarten

When the Spanish closed their colonial fort on St. Maarten in 1648, a few Dutch and French soldiers hid on the island and decided to share it. Soon after, the Netherlands and France signed a formal agreement to split St. Maarten in half, as it is today. Philipsburg displays its Dutch heritage in its architecture and landscaping. The island offers endless stretches of beach, beautiful landscapes and great shopping.

St. Martin/St. Maarten officially split in 1648. This divided island is the smallest territory in the world shared by two sovereign states. Philipsburg is the Dutch capitol. It is frequently crowded and is considered by some to be a virtual mall. The cruise docks at Phillipsburg on the Dutch side of the island. Merigot is the capitol of the French side. It is described as looking like a “French village transported to the Caribbean. Merigot is said to have some of the best cuisine in the Caribbean. It has many good bistros and restaurants. Per Frommer’s guide, it is legal to have an open container in public on any part of the island, though the officials are very strict with any littering, disorderly behavior or drunk driving.

Suggestions for things to do on St. Maarten. You can compete in an actual race on an America's Cup shortened course. Grind a winch, trim a sail or just sit back and enjoy. Professional sailors will give you a quick lesson, and then you're off to compete on Stars and Stripes, one of the most famous sailboats in the world. You can also tour the saltwater lagoons by kayak, and discover egrets, plovers, heron and pelicans or discover the undersea world of coral reefs and exotic fish as you take a snorkeling expedition through Shipwreck Cove.

There are about 500 duty-free shops on St. Maarten with prices 25% to 50% below those in the U.S. The selection of jewelry and watches is premier on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. Friendly competition between merchants guarantees excellent prices on emeralds, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, gold and silver. St. Maarten offers a wide selection of fine jewelry and watches from such well-known designers as C2K, Caribbean Hook, Honora, House of Tanzanite, John Atencio, John Hardy, Kabana, Roberto Coin, Starnight, White Diamonds, Alfex, Concord, Faconnable, Gucci, Maurice Lacroix, Michele, Movado, Wenger, La Nouvelle Bague and more.

Phillipsburg is known for having good discounts on imported goods. Front Street has all the action. A busy craft market can be found behind the courtyard on Back Street. St. Maarten has its own guavaberry liqueur. The guavaberry is exclusive to this island. The guidebooks recommend taking a bottle of this liqueur with you when you go. A recommended restaurant in Phillipsburg is L’Escargot.

Several guides recommend seeing the butterfly farm. More information on this can be found at www.thebutterflyfarm.com. Merigot also has several art galleries of note. Gingerbread and Mohagany are the most respected Haitian art galleries in the region. The best snorkeling on this island is considered to be on the French side.
The time zone is 4 hours ahead of California. The official units of currency are the Netherlands Antilles guilder (ANG) and the Euro (EUR). However, U.S. dollars, traveler's checks and credit cards are widely accepted. The official language on the French side is French and the official language on the Dutch side is Dutch (go figure). Most people do speak English.

My last visit to St. Maarten, one of my most fav ports, shows how much things can change in a short time. The dock area of Phillipsburgh and the main thorough fare has undergone a multi million dollar face lift. A beautiful walkway from the dock up to a pier load of various and novel new shops. The downtown area has had a major rework of roadways and store fronts into a most appealing and comfortable walk area. If only the Dutch were a little longer legged the island might have been divided more evenly in half.

I do like St Maarten. Look forward to going again. Are we ready? lol

Annieeee

I like Marigot better. The beaches are great on either side.

Looks like we are going to try to do a tour with Joyce Prince here. If that doesn't work out, we may just rent a jeep.

There is another company that I am looking at for an island tour...for $40 pp. If anyone is interested...let me know...we need 7 people...I currently have 5...

We hired a cab here and had a lot of success. He took us all over and took us to restaurant row in the French area (outside Marigot) when we were talking about grabbing some lunch. He even dropped us off and came back an hour later to pick us up. We bargained for the rate and saw much more than most of the other people we talked with. I might try this again.