25 Unbeatable Things to Do in Saint Martin and St. Maarten

After nearly three weeks exploring this dual-nation island – and four other shorter visits under our belts – coming up with our favorite things to do in Saint Martin was easy.

We j’adore-d feeling the French vibes. Then we decided to go Dutch.

This way we got the best of both beautiful worlds, er, countries.

Even though St. Martin/St. Maarten is a tiny Caribbean island, there are many activities to lap up – and almost as many wonderful resorts to rest your sun-kissed body.

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About the island’s two sides

St. Martin/St. Maarten (aka “The Friendly Island”) is one of the Leeward Islands. It’s about 190 miles east of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea.

French St. Martin

The island’s French side is known for its classy beach clubs (and nude beaches!), markets and high-end restaurants. It has a French-Caribbean vibe.

Dutch St. Maarten

The island’s Princess Juliana International Airport and cruise port are found on the Dutch side, near St. Maarten’s capital of Philipsburg.

This side of the island is more the party side – known for its casinos, nightlife, rum drinks, duty-free shops, cruise port energy and stunning beaches.

Is one side of the island better than the other?

We dish on the differences in detail in our guide on Saint Martin vs. Sint Maarten.

Visit two countries in one vacation

Unlike most borders between different countries, there’s no passport or immigration office when you cross from the French side to the Dutch (and vice versa). You can travel freely between both sides without stopping.

Because it’s like two islands in one, you can have two very different vacations by staying on both sides. Talk about getting the most out of your vacay!

Best things to do in St. Martin (Saint Martin)

1) Chill, then party, at a Grand Case beach club

With 37 beaches, the island isn’t short of dreamy slices of sand and sea.

One of our favorites? Grand Case Beach – a one-mile crescent on the sheltered leeward side, where calm turquoise waters meet golden sand so thick your feet sink in with every step.

While some buildings still bear the scars of Hurricane Irma, it’s mostly now lined with new boutique hotels, restaurants and beach clubs.

You can always shake out your towel anywhere on the beach for free, but the real fun (and shade!) is at the beach clubs.

The French side of St. Martin is famous for them – and Grand Case has some of the most happening ones!

Picture topless champagne-sippers, gray-haired Rastafarians, moms toting babies on hips, kids building sandcastles and jetsetters drifting in on cigarette speed boats straight out of a James Bond movie.

Two sunbeds and an umbrella cost between $30 and $40 USD, sometimes waived if you grab lunch or it isn’t busy.

Below are the best beach clubs in Grand Case, typically open from morning till late.

Rainbow Café, St Martin

Rainbow Café is the place to be.

It’s classy and chic – with lounge chairs and poofy white bean bag sunbeds under umbrellas on the sand.

When it’s time for lunch, wander up to the open-air restaurant and settle in for a languid long lunch the way the French do.

Captain Frenchy

Cheek-to-jowl with Rainbow Café, Captain Frenchy by Fred is another standout Grand Case beach club. It’s a touch more laid-back… at least until 4:00 pm, when DJ sets turn it into a lively afternoon party on select days.

Drinks pack a punch – our rum-and-passion-fruit cocktail and mojito knocked us out for a couple of hours.

With padded cushions at least four inches thick, the beach beds are also seriously comfortable.

Le Temps des Cerises

Part boutique hotel, part restaurant, part beach club, Le Temps des Cerises is always a cool spot to linger. Good music, great food, warm service – you really can’t go wrong here.

Grand Case Beach Club

For a quieter vibe, head to the beach club section of the Grand Case Beach Club Hotel.

Set on its darling little cove (Petit Plage), this spot has no music – just the soothing sounds of wavelets lapping the beach. And when you’re thirsty or puckish, the Sunset Café invites at the water’s edge.

2) Learn how to make perfume

Ever fancied creating your own signature scent? At Tijon Parfumerie, you actually can.

You’ll start by choosing a base scent, then layer it to create your perfect aroma. They’ll walk you through it so you feel like a pro perfume designer. Plus, you can add your scent to lotions, massage oil and even linen mists.  

We left proudly clutching our custom perfume, and they saved our formula so we can reorder anytime.

It’s fun, a little artsy and definitely one of the most unique things to do on St. Martin.

3) Snorkel with turtles at Tintamarre Island

True sailing and rum punches

We boarded their custom-designed sailing catamaran at Petit Plage in Grand Case, wading knee-deep in the water to reach the ladder at the stern. (You can also board at Anse Marcel.)

The day was especially windy, so we had a true sailing adventure! One couple stood at the bow like Titanic’s stars, arms wide as the sea spray flew.

Meanwhile, the bar was open – and what the heck, we happily accepted rum punches sprinkled with fresh ground nutmeg and cinnamon (unlimited premium drinks are included).

Turtle spotting, beachcombing and lunch

At Tintamarre, we snorkeled in search of turtles. We had no luck in the water, but one surfaced near the boat to say “hello” as we returned.

We also strolled the island’s secluded White Bay, combing the shore for shells.

Then before long, it was time for lunch! Think fresh crusty bread, pasta salad, chicken salad, tuna with a cream sauce, couscous – and the best part, delicious stinky soft French cheeses and chilled Chardonnay.

On the way back, we swam ashore to Happy Bay’s nearly empty (nude) beach for a stroll.

4) Visit Loterie Farm

So what is it? One of the coolest St. Martin attractions.

Set on 100 acres of lush land in Pic Paradis, it’s like a beach club – but without the beach and in the middle of the tropical jungle.

There are cascading swimming pools, private huts and treehouse-style lounges. We spent a wonderfully lazy day here, cocktails (or rosé) in hand, occasionally dipping into the pools and spotting iguanas.

If all that lounging sounds boring to you, or you need to get your adrenaline rush on, there are ziplines and hiking trails to scratch that itch.

Loterie Farm has regular parties with DJs and food-and-drink specials, so look out for those when you’re on the island.

5) Taste rum at Canne & Melasse

In St. Martin, you can have your rum and taste it too.

Head to the sexy Canne & Melasse (connected to Le Pressoir restaurant, #8 below) and sink into those oversized leather lounge chairs. The dim glow, the walls lined with amber-hued bottles… It’s a whole mood.

Thankfully, the “rum tender” is there to walk you through your snifters, pulled from a collection of more than 130 premium Caribbean rums. Pair your tasting with a Cuban cigar for the full experience.

6) Escape to Friar’s Bay Beach

A few minutes’ drive south of Grand Case leads you to one of the most beautiful beaches in St. Martin.

The narrow dirt road to get to Friar’s Bay Beach is a bit of a disaster though – we had to drive our plucky little Kia rental very slowly to navigate around rocks and potholes.

But the beach is absolutely worth every bump! Sheltered from the wind and surf, it offers calm clear waters perfect for swimming.

We spent a couple of relaxing days at this beach – reading, swimming and watching youngsters learn to sail at the nearby sailing school.

When the heat of the day eases come mid-afternoon, hoist yourself off your beach chair on Friar’s Bay Beach (#6), and set off on a walk to Happy Bay Beach.

The 15-minute walk along the coastline takes you up and over a shrub-covered hill to Happy Bay.

The ocean views on the walk are fabulous – yachts bobbing in the turquoise sea – and then you get to Happy Bay Beach.

This drop-dead gorgeous beach is wild. It’s undeveloped, with no beach bars.

It also happens to be a nude beach, so feel free to go for a full-body tan.

Most people we saw were wearing swimsuits. But we did make out an older gray-haired couple in the distance, walking hand-in-hand along the sand, bare bums glinting white.

8) Dine in Grand Case

The French side of St. Martin is renowned for its French restaurants (unsurprisingly!), and nowhere is that more deserved than in Grand Case.

Before Hurricane Irma, a slew of legendary French bistros and other restaurants lined Grand Case Boulevard. Grand Case was known as the “culinary capital of the Caribbean.”

Today, it’s pretty well reclaimed that honor again.

We also loved getting our Italian on at Spiga, which serves up yummy home-made pasta.

9) Visit Pinel Island

The ride over is on small wooden water taxis seating about 20 people. They run every half hour, and you pay cash onboard ($12 USD round-trip).

The star, though, is the beach itself – turquoise water, golden sand and a backdrop of swaying palms.

10) Chill at Orient Bay Beach

To truly soak up the best of St. Martin, you have to spend a day at Orient Beach.

Famous for its nude beach section, this epic beach – almost 1½ miles long – is a gorgeous expanse of powdery white sand. While Grand Case Beach has coarser gold sand, the sand at Orient Beach is as fine as talcum powder.

On the windward side of the island, it’s a hotspot for windsurfers and kitesurfers. Watching them fly over the waves is endlessly entertaining!

Orient Bay Beach clubs

Lining the beach is a string of inviting beach clubs.

Sargassum seaweed

Orient Beach is afflicted with a little sargassum seaweed that has washed up on the sand.

But many beach clubs rake the seaweed and beach in the morning so the sand is mostly seaweed-free.

Orient Bay Village

As for Orient Bay Village itself (behind the beach), it’s a pretty cluster of pastel-colored holiday homes, townhouses and villas, plus some boutique hotels and a central shopping/dining area.

This dining area has several very pleasant restaurants surrounding a circular plaza, which are open at night for dinner.

11) Go jet skiing at Anse Marcel

For more beaching and water fun – and to get away from other people – head to Anse Marcel. Tucked away on the island’s north coast, it’s a secluded cove with calm water great for swimming.

It’s not entirely secret as a couple of luxury hotels dot the area. Still, it’s not as crowded as the island’s headline beaches.

12) Indulge in lobster at L’Astrolabe

Friday night is lobster night (with live music!) at L’Astrolabe, the excellent French restaurant at Esmeralda Resort in Orient Bay. We enjoyed a grilled lobster dinner for 39 Euros (about $45 USD) – a steal for the quality.

Make reservations, though. Their Friday lobster feast is the hot ticket.

If you want to start strong, go for the lobster-and-cognac bisque, served as a foamy cappuccino poured over fois gras ravioli. Also memorable – the fresh scallops with smoked pork belly and mushroom tempura.

And if you’re craving crepes Suzette for dessert, it’s flambéed at your table.

13) Eat at a lolo

Here’s something else you must do in St. Martin – eat at a lolo.

A lolo is a casual open-air eatery serving authentic local dishes at affordable prices. Some are fancier than others, but sitting at a picnic bench or simple table with plastic chairs is the norm.

It’s all about the food, which tends to be meats and seafood grilled fresh in front of your eyes – fresh lobster, fish, ribs and chicken, with all the fixings your little stomach desires.

14) Watch the sunset at the Sunset Café

Come for terrific sunset views on the island and stay for the food.

Set upon a craggy bluff dividing Grand Case Beach and Petit Plage, the Sunset Café (connected to the Grand Case Beach Club) is one of the island’s prime perches to watch the golden orb drop into the sea.

With sweeping vistas of the beach, the Caribbean Sea and Creole Rock in the distance, it’s the kind of spot where you’ll find it hard to tear yourself away.

If you don’t have other dinner plans, all the better. Order mussels and fries (moules frites) or fresh local fish and seafood served French-Caribbean style.  

15) Watch the planes land at Maho Beach

For airplane spotting par excellence, hit Maho Beach.

It cozies up to the island’s main airport, which has an extremely short runway. And if you’re standing on the beach when a large passenger jet roars in low to land, you’ll be in for quite a blast. Literally!

Serious plane spotters come from all over the world to get a close-up view of the aircraft swooping down mere feet above their heads.

Just don’t get too close to the fence separating the airport runway from the beach, as the jet blast is seriously strong (and can be dangerous).

To hang out in some comfort, you can rent a lounger for $10 USD. You probably won’t want to spend the day on the beach, though, as it’s noisy and crowded.

Our preferred way to plane-spot is to plop ourselves down at a rainbow-colored picnic table at the Sunset Beach Bar. Order a burger, sip something cold and enjoy a front-row seat for the landings.

Driftwood Boat Bar also offers cool beachy vibes, great jet spotting – and cheaper drinks – at the other end of Maho Beach.

16) Try your luck at a casino

Gambling is something else you can only do on the Dutch side (St. Maarten).

17) Hop over to wild, wonderful Saba

The island of Saba is a tiny unspoiled eco-paradise, famed for rainforest hikes, cloud-covered peaks and some of the Caribbean’s best scuba diving and snorkeling.

It’s easy enough to make a day trip from Saint Maarten, as the Edge Ferry to Saba (from Simpson Bay) is only about 75 to 90 minutes.

18) Shop in Philipsburg

Head to St. Maarten’s capital, Philipsburg, for a shopping spree along Front Street. It’s lined with souvenir shops, restaurants and boutiques to make this an all-day shopper’s paradise.

When you’ve worked up an appetite, stroll over to the beachfront boardwalk for a refreshing drink and a delicious lunch or dinner.

If you’re arriving by cruise ship, you’re in luck – Philipsburg is just a short walk from the dock, making it easy to shop and explore the town.

19) Paddle a kayak in Simpson Bay

See Simpson Bay from a whole new angle!

Slip into a kayak and paddle past mangroves and all the gleaming mega-yachts that call the bay home. Keep an eye out for the countless crabs scurrying about.

The paddling itself is pretty easy. You only kayak for about 40 minutes before sliding into the water to snorkel over a coral reef and around rocky caverns. Then you climb back into your kayak for the return trip.

All in, this kayaking and snorkeling adventure takes under three hours.

TriSport runs this tour a couple of times a day. Go in the morning if you can – the light is gorgeous, and you’ll beat the midday heat.

20) Enjoy a day trip to St. Barts

All it takes is a passenger catamaran ferry ride to whisk you off to the glam island of St. Barts.

The playground of celebs and elites the world over, it’s only a 45-minute ferry ride away, so you’ll spend most of the day feeling like a high roller on the island. 

There’s lots to see and enjoy on St. Barts, but no one would blame you for spending your entire day trip lazing on the beach. (Shell Beach is an easy 10- to 15-minute walk from the Gustavia marina.)

21) Hit the trails

Say what? Hiking in St. Maarten? Yep!

We hiked up Hope Hill on the French side, parking off the main road (between Grand Case to Orient Bay) near Hope Hill Villas. The dirt path winds through scrublands before opening up to knockout views over Orient Bay.

But there’s much more. Most of the island’s best hikes are on the Dutch side. Some are coastal, others are all about the view from the peaks.

22) Race an America’s Cup sailboat

Ever wanted to crew an iconic America’s Cup racing yacht? Now’s your chance.

No sailing experience is necessary. They’ll train you on the spot in your assigned crew position. Feel the ocean spray in your face as you trim the sails and grind the winches.

23) Fly on the world’s steepest zipline

You’ve had your thrill on the water. Now it’s time to soar through the sky!

First, you’ll ride a chairlift up Sentry Hill. Then you’ll strap in to rocket down the world’s steepest zipline, The Flying Dutchman. It’s over 2,800 feet long, with a staggering 1,050-foot vertical drop!

Full disclosure – we didn’t do this one ourselves. (George to Janice: “Are you crazy?”) But if you’re reading this, you are probably exactly the kind of thrill-seeker who’s game for it!

24) Swim at Mullet Bay Beach

A golf course backs up against the beach, protecting it from overdevelopment.

And while there are a couple of casual restaurants and beach-chair rentals, it never feels overrun. Bring your snorkel gear – the water is crystal clear and there’s a small reef nearby.

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