One Island, Two Flags, Endless Flavour
Saint Martin is an 88-square-kilometre island in the northern Leeward Islands, shared since 1648 between France (53 square kilometres) and the Netherlands (34), and known for beaches, markets and one of the Caribbean's strongest restaurant scenes. The Treaty of Concordia created the arrangement, and the result is a place where French boulangeries and Dutch-side boardwalks sit within a short drive. The island had about 73,800 residents in 2019 and over 70 nationalities, with English-based Creole as a common language and an easy, cosmopolitan mix.
Two capitals give the island its rhythm. Marigot, on the French side, has a harbourside market where stalls sell spices, fruit and crafts, and a hilltop fort with long views. Philipsburg, on the Dutch side, curves along a bay with a beach-fringed boardwalk and plenty of shopping. The hills of the interior rise to Pic Paradis at 424 metres, giving walkers a wide view over both halves of the island. It is a compact destination with a very international pulse.
Grand Case Dining and Orient Bay Days
Food is the island's signature. Grand Case, a village on the French side, is celebrated for a seafront street of restaurants where French technique meets Creole spice, from simple roadside grills known as lolos to polished tables with sea views. Orient Bay, with its long, lively beach, is the place for water sports and relaxed beach clubs, while Simpson Bay and the lagoon offer a calmer, marina-side atmosphere. Each corner of the island offers a different mood, and visitors can sample several in a single week.
Maho Beach, beside Princess Juliana International Airport, gives plane-spotters one of the Caribbean's best-known viewpoints, with aircraft passing low over the sand. Beyond the beaches, the island's market stalls, cheese shops and rum counters provide a different kind of discovery. For an airline or booking partner, the combination of international gateway and two-flag culture is a strong selling point, particularly for travellers who want variety within a single trip.
Read the full St Martin and Sint Maarten guide on Visit Travel Group, or see StMartin.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.