General Info
Country: Sint Maarten – a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region | Language: English & Dutch | Currency: USD & EUR | Flag: 🇸🇽 | When visited: April 2026
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🗺️ Check out the post about the cruise https://text.tchncs.de/yulko-polo/transatlantic-repositioning-14-days-cruise-expectations-vs and our full cruise tracking with pics as well as other trips: https://www.polarsteps.com/vlgk/24904509-cruise
As we've been to the island only 1 day during the transatlantic cruise, the information below will be not full and more relevant for someone going on a cruise, not a proper visit.
🚗 How to commute
There are few various options how to get to the city center or port from the international airport of Sint Maarten as well as to move around the island: taxi, a rental car or a local public transport – vans. We've been moving around the island by foot and using the public transport: it's really cheap $2/€2 per person for 1 way ride pretty anywhere on the whole island, including both Dutch and French side. Bus stops are not that obvious sometimes, but if you see a van with a sign with some destination (for ex. Marigot or Maho Beach etc.) on the front window, you can always wave them, and they will stop, and you can hop on.
🏨 Where to stay
This time we've been visiting the Sint Maarten just briefly as 1 of the ports of our transatlantic cruise. That's why we haven't been staying overnight there and can't share any recommendations.
🍽️ What and where to eat
We got out breakfast on the ship, and somehow due to the hit we haven't been eating anything while visiting the island the whole day. We only bought a soft-ice in McDonald's and went shopping at the Super U on the French side in Marigot 🤷♀️.
👀 What to do and what to see
It's important to remember that the island is divided into 2 parts: Sint Maarten – the Dutch side – and Saint Martin – the French side. Both are different and woth a visit.
Check out various beaches to swim in a turquoise Caribbean water and chill on the beaches with white sand. The biggest beach right in the city is the Great Bay beach – it's huge, but there are no trees or shadow whatsoever. More than a half of the beach is covered with sunbeds, which you can rent along with umbrellas for a day. There is a long promenade along the whole beach with a lot of shops, cafés, bars and so on. The other popular beach you may want to check is Maho Beach – a famous place where people make photos with huge landing airplanes, because the beach is located just against the international airport of Sint Maarten.
Walk around the Philipsburg and also enjoy the nature and wild life like iguanas.
Go to Saint Martin – the French side of the island. You may travel to Marigot in like 30 minutes with the public transport and basically visit 2 countries, enjoy nice views as well as check the Monument of 320 years of Franco-Dutch Friendship for just $2 per person one way :)
Go shopping tax-free. If you want to buy some luxury goods with affordable prices you may want to check various shops on the Dutch side.
Other possible things to do include: – visiting the Bell's lookout point and enjoy panoramic view over the whole Dutch part of the island. – going to beaches like Plage Grande Case on the French side and enjoy snorkeling with beautiful fishes there. – hiking to Pic Paradis on the French side to enjoy views other the French side of the island and monkeys.
💡 Some highlights
- Dutch side is some kind of special economical or tax-free zone, so they have USD as the main currency there and all prices are indicated in $. Although they also accept EUR with $1:€1 ratio :)
- Due to that special economic conditions it is something like a wild west there, and you right away feel that kind of “free spirit” around. That had surprised us a lot and felt interesting and unusual.
- On the Dutch side you won't have an EU roaming, while on the French side (Saint Martin) you will have it and be able to use your mobile phone and data like at home in EU.
- If you have more than 1 day, you may go for a day trip to other islands near there: either to Saint Barthélemy or Anguilla.
