eating abroad

The Best Places and Hotspots on Saint-Martin

ilet pinel

On the small island of Saint-Martin, the weather is always wonderful, the sandy beaches are beautiful, the sea is turquoise blue, and you’ll find more than 300 restaurants on the island, from authentic Lolo’s to fine dining restaurants. In short, it’s the ideal holiday destination for escaping the Dutch winter.

 

Foto van culinair journalist Sharon van Lokhorst

Saint-Martin—isn’t that just Sint Maarten? You won’t be the first person to wonder, and the answer is yes and no. The island, situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, has a French side—Saint-Martin—and a Dutch side, called Sint Maarten. Columbus discovered the island on 11 November (Saint Martin’s Day, ha!) 1493, and it covers approximately 86 km2, about the same size as Terschelling. But that’s more or less where the comparison ends.

Handy, a beach towel with an explanation

Sun, sea and beautiful beaches

The average temperature on the friendly island is 27 degrees. The seawater is also wonderfully pleasant, averaging around 26 degrees. An added bonus: there’s always a lovely breeze, so it never feels unbearably hot. Every now and then there’s a refreshing rain shower, but it never lasts long; before you know it, the sun is shining again. The only time that wind can truly become unbearable is during hurricane season (which runs from 1 June to 30 November), when things can get extremely wild here. The devastation caused by Hurricane Irma (6 September 2017) is still visible on the island.

But tragically enough—or perhaps more accurately, fortunately—hurricanes also create opportunities. You’ll see plenty of new construction on the island, but in an authentic style. Lots of colourful houses, often with beautiful woodwork. Combined with the lovely light, it creates an instant holiday feeling. Welcome to the Caribbean!

These are the best places and hotspots to visit when you’re on Saint-Martin.

The Marigot market

As a true foodie, you’ll naturally want to explore the local market as soon as possible. It’s the perfect place to soak up the real atmosphere and buy fresh herbs and other delicious treats. At the market in the capital, Marigot, they sell plenty of freshly caught fish (such as red snapper, yellow snapper, kingfish and mahi-mahi), tropical vegetables and fruit, spices, meat and—yum!—fresh coconuts.

Pic Paradis (by quad!)

From the market, you can walk straight to Fort Louis with your fresh coconut. It was built in 1789 for the French king and was intended to defend the harbour of Marigot, where the island’s harvests, such as salt and coffee, were stored while awaiting further transport. You’ll have an even more beautiful view if you head to the top of Pic Paradis, which, at 424 metres, is the highest point on the island. When the weather is clear, you can also see the surrounding islands, such as St. Barths, St. Eustatius and Saba. Tip: book a quad tour (with Quads and furious) and ride to the highest point. The tour also takes you through Dutch Sint Maarten, which is considerably more commercial (high-rise buildings and lots of casinos) than the French side.

Les Délices Créoles

Do you like starting the day with a substantial breakfast? Then Johnny cake is the answer. Story goes that the fried bun was actually called Journey cake; people used to take it with them when they went to work. They were often on the road for hours, so something filling was welcome. But some travel journalist or other didn’t quite understand the name, and ever since then it has been called Johnny cake. Johnny cake looks like a pale bara and tastes like a doughnut. Delicious! You can buy it everywhere, such as at the Marigot market and at Les Délices Créoles, around the corner from the market. You can fill your Johnny cake with salted fish or egg, or order a plate with Johnny cake. Be sure to have the homemade herbal tea with it, a mix of lemongrass, mint and other island herbs. Wonderfully refreshing like a summery chai, and a great counterpoint to the rich Johnny cake.

Baie Rouge and Anse Marcel

There are 37 white sandy beaches across the entire island. Baie Rouge and Anse Marcel (Marcel Bay) are particularly beautiful on Saint-Martin. Baie Rouge is also known as Red Bay, because of its pinkish-red sand. The sand gets its colour from washed-up pieces of broken coral. Because of its secluded location, it’s also a popular spot for nudists (on the western part of the beach), so if you want to lie topless on the beach—or bottomless, or both—this is your beach. You can also snorkel very well here. The small beach of Anse Marcel is lovely too. You’ll find many families with young children there; the water is shallow and the beach is well sheltered.

Cynthia’s Talk of the Town

Across the island, you’ll find so-called Lolo’s: hugely popular traditional eateries. You’ll eat the best ribs, fish, meat and barbecue chicken there. At the well-known Cynthia’s Talk of the Town, the marinated chicken is fantastic, and the spare ribs are excellent too. Be sure to order the home made potato salad and coleslaw here as well.

La Villa Hibiscus

Besides traditional Lolo’s, you can also have a chic lunch or dinner on Saint-Martin. Restaurant La Villa Hibiscus opened last July and is truly wonderful. The location alone, in Mont Vernon… The restaurant is very spacious and blends beautifully into the green landscape. If you can’t relax here, you won’t be able to relax anywhere. Choose a table overlooking the mountains or near the open kitchen. Be sure to order a cocktail too. It’s prepared at the table by the mixologist, who worked at Pure C** in Cadzand with top chef Syrco Bakker a few years ago. The price-to-quality ratio is excellent; for 65 euros, you get a lunch menu that’s so delicious you could eat your fingers. Add the beautiful view and wonderful service, and you have a winning combination.

Le String Beach

Le String Beach at Orient Bay is also a lot of fun. Thanks to the delicious food and relaxed beach vibe, it’s a popular spot with locals too. From the chef and staff to the guests, everyone is cheerful here. Loosen your belt by one notch, because the portions are enormous!

Grand Case: ‘Gourmet Capital’

The village of Grand Case is about a ten-minute drive from Marigot. Although you can eat well in Marigot too, Grand Case is the place on the island to find the most delicious restaurants, from authentic Creole cuisine to fine dining. It’s not called the gastronomic capital of Saint-Martin for nothing.

Villa Royale

For a late-night snack, Villa Royale is a wonderful spot. It’s one of the most popular Creole restaurants on Saint-Martin. Don’t be put off by the uninviting fluorescent lighting, because this is actually a really fun place. Especially when one of the guests is celebrating a birthday. Then the music gets turned up a few notches, and the staff dance and clap you into your next year of life. Here too, as the name suggests, they don’t believe in micro-portions… But everything is so delicious and pure that you’ll probably finish your entire plate.

La Part des Anges

Le Pressoir is Saint-Martin’s best-known fine dining restaurant and, according to experts, the best restaurant on the island. Le Pressoir is famous not only for its restaurant, but also for the rum and cigar bar in the same building, called La Part des Anges. In the special lounge, you can sip a Caribbean rum, such as Mount Gay from Barbados, the oldest rum brand in the world (first bottle: 1703). Even better is a Rum & Food Pairing dinner (95 euros). Over five courses, you learn all about the history of rum, the best food matches and why they work.

Sunset café

In Grand Case, you’ll also find Hotel Grand Case Beach Club, one of the nicest hotels on the island because of its fantastic location. Settle into the terrace of Sunset café for a refreshing drink with a beautiful view of the bay. Then: a dip in the ocean.

Rainbow café

Possibly the most beautiful seaside spot of all: Rainbow café. The décor, beachy vibe and location directly on the beach are phenomenal. In the restaurant, you have a view of the ocean and a truly wonderful seat. The prices may take some getting used to (think St. Tropez). It’s even more expensive here than the chic Le Pressoir and La Villa Hibiscus, but the view, décor and atmosphere make it completely worthwhile. Choose a table by the water and your day can’t go wrong. There’s also a lovely little shop above the restaurant, in case you’d like to take home a souvenir for yourself.

Îlet Pinel

Saint-Martin has another ace up its sleeve—and what an ace… In about ten minutes, you can take the ferry from Cul de Sac to the most paradisiacal beach ever (hello, Bounty island!): Îlet Pinel (Pinel Island). A return ferry ticket costs 10 euros, but if you have the time, a longer trip (for example with Carribean Marines) is highly recommended. The route to Îlet Pinel along the coast of Saint-Martin is unbelievably beautiful. Keep your camera ready: you’ll definitely want to capture the moment you arrive. The palm trees wave you welcome, seemingly saying, ‘Come on, come on into paradise.’

Yellow Beach and Karibuni

Îlet Pinel is a nature reserve and uninhabited. There are therefore only two commercial beach bars on Îlet Pinel: Yellow Beach and Karibuni. They close at around 18:00. At Yellow Beach, the sun loungers are yellow, boats gently bob on the water, lobsters are caught from the sea, and guests drink wine at tables in the sea. Settle onto one of the loungers by the sea and order the Famous Pina Colada. The rum-based cocktail with coconut cream and fresh pineapple juice drinks like a liquid dessert. Have the lobster pizza delivered into the sea or have lunch at the beach bar itself. At Karibuni, the atmosphere is a little more subdued and alternative, but at least as delicious.

Guavaberry factory

Besides the beautiful sandy beaches, Saint-Martin’s nature is also stunning. It’s very green, and all kinds of things grow and bloom there, such as guava trees. What’s special is that the guava tree grows only here on the island. People have tried planting it on other islands, but the stubborn guava tree only wants to take root here. And the islanders know that the berries can be used to make delicious guava juices infused with rum. It’s very common to do this at home, but it’s done more professionally at the Guavaberry factory Colombier tradition. They also ferment all the other fruit from the island here. The peanut-and-rum variety is particularly special, as if you were drinking a liquid Snickers. A fun detail: wrapped around the bottle caps is a piece of the traditional headscarf worn by Creole women, known as the ‘coiffe en madras’. In the factory shop, you can buy all the flavours and do a little tasting. Strong stuff, so be careful!

November: Fête de la Cuisine

If you’re visiting Saint-Martin in November, you can also attend the gastronomic festival Fête de la Cuisine. Throughout November, the entire island is dedicated to gastronomy. Star chefs from the Netherlands, France and other parts of the world come to share knowledge and find inspiration, and together with local chefs, bartenders and wine professionals, they spend a month presenting the finest dishes and food-and-wine pairings. Every year, the Fête de la Cuisine puts a local ingredient in the spotlight; this year, plantain takes centre stage. You’ll find plantain (boiled, grilled and fried) in many different dishes across the island. At the festival grounds (Gourmet Village), you can sample the tastiest local specialities, and there are plenty of performances. A fantastic atmosphere!

FavorFlav’s Sharon at Fête de la Cuisine

Highly recommended!

A direct flight from Amsterdam to Philipsburg (the capital of Sint Maarten) takes approximately 8 hours. Although Dutch and French are the official languages on the island, English is the most widely spoken language on both sides of the island. And conveniently, the euro is the official currency on Saint-Martin (the Netherlands Antillean guilder is the official currency in the Dutch part of Sint Maarten, but the dollar is used most often). Rent a car (with light traffic, you can drive around the island in about 2 hours) and take it easy; Saint-Martin is the ideal place to leave all the hussle behind and enjoy yourself!

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