Last August, I traveled to St. Maarten for my best friend’s 30th birthday. Right after our vacation it was devastated by Hurricane Irma. It wasn’t the best time for me to do a recap last August, but now is the perfect time as the island has been welcoming visitors all year long. This has been one of my favorite girl’s trip to date and I would recommend this destination to anyone.
Here are a few travel tips if you’re planning to head to St. Maarten for a vacation:
Where to stay in St. Maarten
We stayed at two different hotels in St. Maarten, the reason for this was because we traveled to St. Barths and Anguilla as well and wanted to try out a new place when we returned to St. Maarten. The first hotel we stayed at was Flamingo Beach Resort and the second, Simpson Bay Resort. Both of these hotels are located on the same property but we had two completely different experiences. Simpson Bay Resort had more of a luxurious feel compared to Flamingo Beach Resort and the rooms were much better, too.
What to do in St. Maarten
First thing we wanted to tick off our bucket list was Maho beach. This is the beach where you can see the airports preparing for landing at the airport. At Maho beach you can grab food and drinks and lay out on the beach. However, like most beaches, the beach chairs aren’t free. We preferred taking a cab to the beach which was about $20 and a few friendly locals were kind enough to drop us back to our hotel.
At night we headed over to Tantra Nightclub for Ladies Night. We were lucky enough to be in St. Maarten on a Wednesday when Ladies Night is held so we enjoyed free entry and free drinks all night long. If you plan on checking out the scene at Tantra, the party doesn’t really start until about 12 a.m. so take your time, grab dinner and pre-game nearby.
The rest of our days, besides eating everything in site, we did a lot of sightseeing on our own. A cab to and from Front Street is about $1.50 per person but you must pay attention to the signs on the window. We accidentally took on to the wrong location and let’s just say the driver wasn’t too happy about it.
Front Street is the perfect place to do all of your souvenir shopping. St. Maarten is said to have the best jewelry so if you want to get something for yourself or a loved one, the prices are pretty reasonable. Also, I highly recommend heading to the Takata Ice Cream stand for freshly rolled ice cream made from coconut cream.
What to eat in St. Maarten
Before my trip to St. Maarten, I met someone that was from the country and they suggested I eat the Chinese food out there. Let’s just say we had it almost every night and definitely wanted to take some home with us. Other than that, we ate and drank like a true local from having Guavaberry Rum Tasting on Front Street to eating cod fish fritters and more.
What to wear in St. Maarten
Click to shop!
What to read next: Solid One-Piece Swimsuits to Add to Your Cart
