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These 20 Laid-Back Beach Resorts Deliver a Caribbean Vacation Right on the Sand

beach at grand case beach club

You wake up, you head for the sand. Then you do it again. Some Caribbean vacation aren’t about striking statements or grand gestures. They’re not always about luxury — or, that is to say, they’re about another kind of luxury: the perfect beach day.  It’s that feeling of stepping onto warm sand with nothing on […]

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A New Boutique Hotel, "The Forest," Just Opened Its Doors in St Martin

forest hotel in st martin with stairs and trees

It’s a special corner of St Martin, anchored by a spectacular beach, some of the island’s best shopping and a growing collection of smaller boutique hotels: Anse Marcel, one of the jewels of the French side of the island.  Now, Anse Marcel is home to a new boutique property. It’s called The Forest, and the […]

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A Perfect Little Caribbean Beach on the French Side of St Martin

st martin beach

People often ask me about the best rums in the Caribbean. Which island makes the best one? What’s your favorite? I like to give the same refrain: “The best rum in the world is the one in your glass right now.” The same is true of beaches. The Caribbean does not lack for spectacular, unforgettable […]

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Caribbean Moment: Enjoying the Breeze on Orient Bay, St Martin

the sand at orient bay

There’s just about always a breeze here at Orient Bay on the French side of St Martin, where the beach bars abound, the food is world-class and the energy never stops. You can spend a week here and try a different beach club each day, some rustic shacks of wood and others Ibiza-style lounges on […]


A Perfect Little Caribbean Beach on the French Side of St Martin

For decades, it was one of the most famous (or infamous) places in the Caribbean: Club Orient, the beloved nudist resort set at the far southern corner of Orient Bay on the French side of St Martin.  In 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed the collection of beach bungalows frequented by au naturel travelers, leaving some torn […]

Exploring Saint Martin’s Orient Bay, Beach Bar by Beach Bar 

“You don’t need to worry about life. Just go with the flow,” she tells me. I’m chronicling beach bars in Saint Martin’s Orient Bay, and the very friendly woman advertising her beach massage business assures me the clouds overhead will soon subside.  There’s no time for a massage on a beach chair. But it’s very […]

The Caribbean’s Best Rum Shop Is on This Island 

“What is this place?” You walk through the sliding doors, turn right toward the rum section and your jaw suddenly drops. They’re all there, sparkling and bright, walls and walls of premium sugarcane mosaic.  We’ve traveled all over the Caribbean, and there’s nothing like this. If you’re a rum connoisseur, it’s as good at it […]

St Maarten Says It Is Seeing a "Significant Recovery" in Airport Traffic 

It’s most famous for its just-beyond-the-beach landings. But St Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport is now making its mark in another way: with a major improvement in passenger traffic.  Airport officials told Caribbean Journal that the airport has made a “significant recovery” in passenger movements so far in 2024.  That includes a very strong summer […]

St Maarten Has a Big Cruise Forecast for 2025

It’s one of the top cruise destinations in the region: St Maarten, which has been steadily seeing its numbers return to pre-pandemic levels buoyed by a stream of major cruise lines. Now, the island’s port has even bigger goals for next year: 1.5 million cruise passengers.  That’s the forecast from the Port St Maarten Group, […]

Delta Is Adding a New Nonstop Flight to St Maarten 

Delta Air Lines is adding a brand-new nonstop route to St Maarten, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The company is planning to kick off a new route between Minneapolis-St Paul and St Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport this winter.  The new Minneapolis-St Maarten flight will be operating twice per week, with service on Thursdays and Saturdays.  […]

Air Antilles, the French Caribbean Regional Airline, Is Back

French Caribbean airline Air Antilles has officially relaunched following a restructuring.  The regional carrier had ceased operations in 2023 following a bankruptcy, but launched its “first” new flight this week.  The airline was resurrected thanks to a takeover by a partnership between the Collectivite of Saint Martin and the EDEIS group.  Right now, the airline […]

Air France Is Doubling Its St Maarten Flights 

In what will be a serious lift to St Maarten’s tourism hopes, Air France is significantly expanding its flights between Paris and Princess Juliana International Airport, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The carrier will be doubling its daily service between Paris and St Maarten, airport officials confirmed this week.  That will mean two flights every day […]