St Martin/St Maarten
Flights

American Airlines Is Adding Three Daily Flights to This Bahamas Paradise of Sandbars, Swimming Pigs, and Empty Beaches

beach in exuma

The water curls around a white sandbar, spreading into shades of turquoise so vivid they almost seem invented. A few miles away, yachts gather near a tiny cay, their hulls suspended above the sea. Beyond them, an empty beach waits behind a stretch of shallow water, with no footprints and no buildings in sight. This […]

St Martin/St Maarten

Caribbean Photo of the Week: Sunset in Simpson Bay

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from CJ reader Michele Korteweg, who sent in this beautiful shot of sunset in the Simpson Bay Lagoon in Sint Maarten. It was taken on board Calypso, “the boat that took us on a tour through the lagoon and to a wonderful restaurant in Marigot. Not a bad way to […]

St Martin/St Maarten

Why You Need to Visit Pinel Island

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon CJ Travel Editor Ever felt like you need a vacation from your vacation? A place where you can skip the sightseeing, paddleboarding, and zip-lining that’s cluttering your to-do list and simply sit? If you’re in St Martin there is such a Paradise, and its called Ilet Pinel. Hop the 30-person ferry from […]

St Martin/St Maarten

At St Maarten’s Sonesta Ocean Point, a New Kind of All-Inclusive

Redefining all inclusive design  By Alexander Britell ST MAARTEN — The hotel room. There are so many, big and small, in the Caribbean, and to this day no one really seems to be able to define what a “Caribbean” hotel room should look like. At the end of the day, though, does it really matter? […]


Why You Need to Visit Pinel Island

It’s the little corner of the Dutch side of St Maarten known for the famous Sunset bar, the Sonesta resort and the Casino Royale. But hidden on the main street in the neighbourhood of Maho is Gio’s, a top-grade gelateria that also, more, importantly, serves up some serious espresso. (Gio’s also has a location on […]

Air France Expanding St Maarten Flights

More flights to caribbean hub By the Caribbean Journal staff Air France is expanding its flights to St Maarten, the company announced this week. The new service will mean an additional flight on Saturdays between Paris and SXM Airport, increasing its offer to eight weekly flights in winter 2015. The additional flight will be operated […]

At Saint Martin’s Ocean 82, The Art of Seaside Dining

A wonderful eatery in Grand Case By Alexander Britell SAINT MARTIN — It’s hard to find a bad meal on Grand Case Boulevard. In fact, it’s just about impossible. The question, then, is where to eat, whether at the waterfront Creole “lolos” or one of a number of high-level French Caribbean, haute-cuisine eateries. That brings […]

St Martin’s Beach Bar Island

Above: Pinel Island (All photos by CJ) By Alexander Britell PINEL ISLAND — It isn’t an easy choice. Not here, not in the late morning sun with St Martin’s hills towering across the bay. Here on Pinel Island, there is little — no roads, no cars, no hotels; just an idyllic stretch of sand and a […]

A Secret Hotel in St Martin

Above: Hotel L’Esplanade (All photos by Caribbean Journal) By Alexander Britell GRAND CASE — The palm trees know. You can see it in the way they shake, the way they wave in the wind in the late afternoon. They know there’s an extra level of tranquility, an additional degree of quiet up here. Here, in […]

Enjoying Le Sand in St Martin

Above: the beach at Le Sand in St Martin (All photos by Caribbean Journal) It’s not really a secret — French St Martin has some seriously beautiful stretches of beach. Perched just off the waves at Nettle Bay in St Martin is one of the island’s best beach lounges. It’s called, fittingly, Le Sand, and it’s […]

A Must-Visit Food Truck in St Martin

Above: the BM Snack food truck in St Martin (All photos by CJ) By Alexander Britell ST MARTIN — It’s the doughy, crunchy, spicy wonder: the bokit, the famous street sandwich of the islands of Guadeloupe. But thanks to a pair of culinary entrepeneurs, you can now find it in St Martin. Just past the […]

Island Bites: At Sandy's in St Martin, Classic Creole Cooking

Above: Sandy’s Creole Cuisine in Marigot (All photos by CJ) Just at the edge of the ferry terminal in downtown Marigot, St Martin, you’ll find a cluster of tiny eateries. As with almost all of the restaurants in this Caribbean culinary hub, you can’t go wrong at any of them: but for a down-home, delectable […]