St. Martin, as it’s called on the French side, or Sint Maarten, as it’s called on the Dutch side, is the smallest island in the world to be divided between two nations, France and the Netherlands, and it’s been this way since 1648! The two sides are friendly, with the border crossings marked only by signposts, no customs, no formalities. St. Martin is the northern side of the island and Sint Maarten is the southern side. Both sides are duty-free, and the two island capitals, Philipsburg and Marigot, are full of shops selling duty-free merchandise. The island is located in the Leeward Islands, about 150 miles southeast of Puerto Rico, 20 miles north of St. Bart’s and five miles south of its nearest neighbour, Anguilla.

It was originally inhabited by Arawak Indians, who called it Sualouiga, meaning land of salt, but they had all disappeared before the first Europeans landed there in the early 1600s. Dutch and French settlers lived on the island amicably, and eventually divided the island in two, with the Dutch taking the southern half and the French the northern half. Originally a plantation economy was established, slaves were brought from Africa and trade flourished. Tobacco, indigo, cotton, cocoa, coffee and sugarcane were harvested. The Dutch also harvested huge amounts of salt, which was shipped to Holland for use in the herring industry. But when slavery was abolished in the mid 1800s, the economy declined dramatically, with ex-slaves leaving the island to look for work elsewhere. The salt exporting industry ended by 1949 and the remaining population existed on subsistence farming, fishing and money sent by relatives abroad. However, in the last 40 years, tourism has made a tremendous change in the economy, with hotels, resorts and villas lining the shore, and cruise ships are attracted by the duty-free shopping, the casinos, the beaches and watersports. The tourist boom of the past few decades has resulted in such a large influx of job-hunters from across the Caribbean that only about 20% of all residents were born on the island.

The official language of Sint Maarten is Dutch, but English is widely spoken and taught in the primary schools. In St. Martin, French is the official language – English is also used on the French side, but not as commonly as in Sint Maarten. The French side is predominantly Catholic, while the Dutch side has more variety, with Anglican, Baptist, Jehovah’s Witness, Methodist and Seventh Day Adventist churches.

St. Martin is a commune of Guadeloupe, and has a distinctly French air – policemen wear kepis, and French restaurants, bistros and clothing stores are everywhere. Sint Maarten belongs to the Netherlands Antilles, with its headquarters in Curacao – its capital’s few streets are lined with duty-free shops, cafes and bars. The climate is typical of the region – with the daily high temperature in January 83F and the low 22F. In July the average daily high is 86F while the low is 76F. The heaviest rainfall is from August to November, the lightest from February to April.

The terrain is green, but dry, with palms, hibiscus and cacti more often than ferns or forests, except for a few areas in the interior. Shorebirds, such as herons, egrets, stilts, pelicans, and laughing gulls are plentiful in the island’s brackish ponds, and frigate birds can be seen soaring above the beaches all over the island. There are the usual bananaquits and hummingbirds everywhere, feeding on the tropical flowers, and a butterfly farm on the east side of the island has 45 varieties of colourful butterflies imported mainly from Brazil and Indonesia.

Driving around the island is easy, with one main road around the western side and another around the eastern, with side roads leading to beaches well marked. Marigot, the French capital, and Philipsburg, the Dutch capital are each about a 15 minute drive from the airport, but traffic can get tied up, especially in the late afternoon.

Important things to know before you go:
Electricity – on the French side the voltage is 220V, 60 cycles, and plugs have two round prongs. On the Dutch side it’s 110V, 50 cycles, and plugs have two flat prongs. So if you’re going to stay on the French side, transformers and adapters are definitely necessary!

Currency – On the Dutch side the official currency is the Netherlands Antilles guilder (NAF), however US dollars are easily accepted there; on the French side, the official currency is the French franc (F) but the US dollar is widely used as well.

Time – St. Martin operates on Atlantic standard time year round, one hour ahead of eastern standard time, which means that the only time the US east coast and St. Martin are in step is during the daylight saving time of summer.

Water – There are water desalination plants on the island, but some places still use catchments. The desalinated water is safe to drink from the tap, but the quality of catchment water is variable. Inexpensive bottled water is available in most grocery stores on both sides of the island.

Weights and Measures – both sides of the island use the metric system, with road signs posted in kilometers, and food in kilograms.

Newspapers – two on the French side – l’Hebdo and St. Martin’s Week, both in French; on the Dutch side there are The Daily Herald and Today, both printed in English. The International Herald-Tribune, New York Times, USA Today, etc., are available at larger grocery stores.

TV and Radio – on the Dutch side cable TV carries a full range of North American network programs and movie channels, while on the French side you are limited to three French-language channels, CNN news and a couple of English movie channels. Radio on the Dutch side includes The Voice of Sint Maarten at 102.7 FM and 1300 AM – news is at 1 pm and 6 pm in English. For European news in French, there’s RFO at 88.9 FM.

Banks – Dutch banks are generally open Mon. – Fri. from 8 am to 3 pm, with extra hours on Friday 4pm to 5 pm. French banks are open weekdays 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, and 2:30 pm to 4 pm. Money can also be changed at the post office. Major credit cards are accepted virtually everywhere.

Business hours – On the Dutch side, business hours are normally Mon – Sat 8 am – 6 pm, with an hour or two off for lunch. On the French side, businesses open Mon – Sat 9 am – 12:30- pm, and 3 pm to 7 pm, with slight variations. Some shops will open on Sunday and holidays to accommodate cruise ship traffic.

Activities
Beaches – The island has 10 miles of beautiful white-sand beaches, all open to the public. Some of the 37 beaches are secluded, and some are crowded, and on some you can even rent beach umbrellas and chairs! On the Dutch side, some of the best beaches are Cupecoy, Dawn Beach-Oyster Pond - the best bodysurfing beach when the waves come rolling in, Maho Bay, Mullet Bay and Simpson Bay. On the French side, try Baie Longue, or Baie de Grande Case, with barbecue huts serving inexpensive local fare; and for the clothes-optional fans, Orient Beach, on the east coast, is extremely popular. It’s also got great windsurfing. Other great sun and sand places include Baie Rouge, Baie de Friar and Baie aux Prunes.

Boating and Sailing – The island’s waters and winds make it ideal for boating – you can rent motorboats, speedboats or sailboats, hire a crewed or bareboat catamaran, or even charter a yacht! Jet-skis can be hired, or you can go waterskiing if the conditions are right; sunfish sailboats can be rented at some resort-area beaches, and deep-sea fishing and yacht charters can be arranged through the marinas. When the swell picks up, Mullet Bay and Orient Bay can be good for boogie boarding.

Diving and Snorkeling – The water temperature here is rarely below 70F, and visibility is usually excellent, averaging about 100 ft. The most popular diving is at Proselyte Reef, named for the British frigate HMS Proselyte that sank about one mile south of Great Bay in 1801. Today it is almost completely covered with coral, with a wide variety of colourful fish as its inhabitants. In Simpson Bay, the tugboat Annie lies in 25-30 ft. of water, with fish and other marine life around it, and off the north shore, in Grand Case Bay, is Creole Rock – great for underwater photography of its beautiful fish and marine life.

Some of the best snorkeling on the Dutch side can be found around the rocks below Fort Amsterdam off Little Bay Beach, in the west end of Maho Bay, off Pelican Key, and around the reefs off Dawn Beach and Oyster Pond. On the French side, the area around Orient Bay, Caye Verte, Ilet Pinel, and Flat Island are beautiful. You can rent snorkeling gear at most dive shops and hotel beach huts: the going rate is about $US $10 a day. Many of the dive shops offer half-day snorkeling tours for around US $35.

Windsurfing - two of the island’s top windsurfing spots are at Orient Bay and at the north end of Baie de l’Embouchure. There are beginner’s courses, or one-hour private lessons, and you can rent surfboards and boogie boards from places like the Windsurfing Club, Tropical Wave or Windy Reef shops.

Other water-based activities include touring on the 50 ft. catamaran Bluebeard II, the 45 ft. ketch Gabrielle or the 76 ft. catamaran Golden Eagle. They can take you around Anguilla, or to a nearby island for a picnic lunch; and the 91 ft. Lady Mary sails around the island each evening from Simpson Bay; the fare includes dinner, open bar and live calypso music!

Hiking – Pic Paradis, St. Martin’s highest point, is the island’s most popular destination for hikers. For those who don’t want to try it on their own, guided hikes are offered by St. Martin Action Nature, an organization that helps keep the island trails clear, and Sint Maarten’s Heritage Foundation, affiliated with its museum in Philipsburg. Other trails lead from the Pic Paradis area to Orient Bay, Orleans and the Dutch side of the island.

Golf – only one course on the island – the 18 hole championship Mullet Bay Golf Course.

Other sports available on the island include tennis, with over three dozen courts, and horseback riding, with several places offering lessons and rides in the country.

The capital of St. Martin, Marigot, has a distinct French, rather than Caribbean feel. It has good restaurants, with dozens of sidewalk cafes, bistros and bakeries. The famous Marigot Market on the Marigot port is open daily, but Wednesday and Saturday morning is the time to go, when vendors come from nearby islands with spices, produce, fresh fish, crafts and exotic cloth – a very lively place with island music playing in the background as well. The ruins of Fort Louis, also called Fort de Marigot are in the hills overlooking the harbour and town, with beautiful views making the 91 steps up worth the while! Ferries also leave from here to go to Anguilla and St. Barts.

The capital of Sint Maarten, Philipsburg, is centered on a long, narrow stretch of land that separates Great Salt Pond from Great Bay. This is distinctly a more commercial rather than quaint town, with most of the action along Front Street, lined with boutiques, jewelry shops, restaurants, casinos and duty-free shops selling everything! There is a small, but growing museum – the Sint Maarten Museum with displays on island history, hurricanes, Arawak pottery and plantation-era artifacts, and a little shop downstairs sells an assortment of Caribbean arts and crafts. And for the children, go see the Sint Maarten Zoo & Botanical Garden – a small zoo, with about 35 species of reptiles, birds and mammals, set up very nicely for small children, who can get quite close to the animals. There is also a petting zoo and a small playground there.

There are several advantages to visiting St. Martin/Sint Maarten. There’s good airline service, so you don’t have to spend half your life getting there. The 37 square mile island is home to two sovereign nations, Sint Maarten (Dutch) and St. Martin (French), so you can experience two cultures for the price of one. And the island is ideal if you like to have lots of things to do. It’s a bustling place now, with cruise ships putting into port at Philipsburg, and ferries leaving from Marigot to other islands, Anguilla, St Barts or St. Eustatius, (most of which can be explored as well on day trips from St. Martin). Yet in spite of the island’s high level of development, it’s still possible to find a quiet stretch of sand on which to enjoy the island’s ever-present sunshine.