And for our first rating of a tropical, clear, beautiful location in the Caribbean, we’ve chosen St. Maarten. We were a little worried about St. Maarten as the last few years have been spent repairing from the horrible hurricane damage. However, it appears that St. Maarten is back in full force and Phillipsburg is once again a busy city. It’s a gorgeous island packed with plenty to do and even gives you two options: Dutch side and a French side. For all you nude bathers out there, check out the French side. For all you family folk, stick to the Dutch side. One of the reasons we chose St. Maarten is because of all the Caribbean Islands, it’s argued they have the best food! They don’t call it “the culinary capital of the Caribbean” for nothing. I mean any Caribbean place has great sun and sea, but sometimes the food is considered questionable. It doesn’t appear to be the case here. For more info about St. Maarten, feel free to check out these three sites: Official Page, Experience St Maarten, and their online guide. Let’s get to the hotels.

Accommodations

#1 - Le Domaine De Lonvilliers

Our number one choice, The Hotel “Le Domaine de Lonvilliers”, a real treasure nestled in the middle of lush tropical gardens mirroring the quiet waters of Anse Marcel Cove, is the complete vacation paradise, offering a relaxing haven providing the services of an international hotel with a casually elegant style of island life. We highly recommend reading more reviews as well as visiting their home page (it’s all French). No worries though, there are a couple of other sites that talk about this hotel. Hotels.com has a great page dedicated to Lonvilliers. Hope you try them out!

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#2 - La Samanna

This was not an easy decision to make. Those that have been to St. Maarten a number of times understand that La Samanna is the most exclusive resort in all of St. Maarten. One would think that would make this hotel our number one choice. However, when we make our ratings we try and rate according to trips that aren’t necessarily catered to only the super rich. However, should you be able to afford this gem, by all means do so! Here is their website.

#3 - Grand Case Beach Club

Grand Case (pronounced K-Ah-ss) is located on the French side so if you want some good eats you might want to check out this resort. Plus, feel free to stroll around nude! In all seriousness though, this is a wonderful place. Take this snippet from their website: “The Grand Case Beach Club is one of the few intimate beachfront properties on St. Martin. We are just steps away from the quaint village of Grand Case, on the northwest coast of the French side of the island. Escape to Grand Case and feel truly secluded, but also find duty-free shopping, first-class dining, nightlife and casinos just a short drive away” Sounds good to us!

#4 - Oyster Bay Beach Resort

No we’re not talking about Long Island here From their website: “Perched on a palm-dotted promontory and surrounded by Dawn Beach and Oyster Pond is St. Maarten’s most private and distinctive hideaway – Oyster Bay Beach Resort.” Don’t you love the word “Perched?” Pretty solid round of reviews as well.

#5 - Westin St. Maarten, Dawn Beach Resort and Spa

We haven’t found too many Westin’s that we didn’t like and this Starwood Hotel spot does not disappoint. The Starwood Website shows gorgeous pictures and this Phillipsburg palace is more than adequate if you want to relax and have a great time.

*That’s not all right? Of course not! There are over 80 great hotels in St. Maarten and Trip Advisor lists them all. Also be sure to check out Cheap Caribbean.

Restaurants

#1 -Spiga Restaurant, Grand Case

Spiga is located at the quiet northern end of Grand Case, away from mid-village crowds and noise. As you can see it’s a quaint little place but little will you know how amazing the food is. Travel guy’s parents, who have been frequenting St. Maarten for over 20 years as well as Roland Richardson, the most well known Artist in St. Maarten always say “it’s some of the best food you’ll ever have.” Here’s a link to their website.

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#2 - Saratoga, Simpson Bay

“Situated on the waterside at the Simpson Bay Yacht Club Marina, Saratoga has become a St. Maarten Institution for casual fine dining”…at least according to their website. But don’t just take our word for it. Travel Guy’s parents have stated that it’s simply amazing. We’re having a tough time finding reviews but we’ve heard that it’s a hands down must eat place in St. Maarten.

#3 - Le Bec Fin, Simpson Bay

Don’t be confused with the one in Phildelphia! Though we can’t really see confusing downtown Philly for St. Maarten. Unfortunately Le Bec Fin’s website is being upgraded right now but there’s still some great information on ti. Here’s a customer review from Igougo.

#4 - Mario’s Bistro, Sandy Ground Bridge

Just ask this snorkeler what they found out about Mario’s Bistro: “Our snorkeling instructor told us that if you ask anyone who comes here often or lives here that Mario’s is one of the top three restaurants on the island. During the busy season (which is pretty much year-round except for hurricane season), you have to call weeks in advance to get a reservation here. But in mid-September, we walked right in and had the best table in the place.” Here’s Mario’s Website.

#5 - Tropicana, Marina Port La Royale

From what we hear, the best pommes frites in the world! Well, I guess we’re sold

* We have to give you a few more recommendations as five just doesn’t do justice for St. Maarten. Bear in mind we have great sources including Roland Richardson, the island’s best known artist. Honorable mention goes to Le Chaniclair in Marina Port la Royal, Le Tastevin in Boulevard de Grand Case, and Le Montmarte in Atlantis World Casino. And that’s not all folks. Check out these sites for more cuisine: Villaparadijs, Hot Carib, SXM Restaurants

Fun things to do

When most of us talk about the Caribbean we think of sun, tans, beaches and doing NOTHING. And while the obvious swimming, pina colada and daiquiris, and being waited on hand and foot is what we want and certainly deserve on our vacations, it’s nice to get up do some stuff….isn’t it? Maybe? Please?

#1 - Prickly Pear Snorkeling Trip

Certainly there are tons of snorkeling trips available in most any Caribbean Island but Prickly Pear is one of if not the best in St. Maarten. “Prickly Pear Cay is a small uninhabited island located off the west coast of St Maarten. The crystal clear water and pristine beaches offer an exceptional day trip. The island offers a brief sense of solitude and how life would be on an immaculate deserted island. There are two restaurants and a bar which are serviced by staff who come in each day from the mainland of Anguilla.” We highly recommend the day trip. In addition to what you just read, here’s some more info from Prickly’s Page.

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#2 - The Butterfly Farm

First we’d recommend checking out their website. When we first thought of this place we weren’t all that sold on the idea. Seeing a bunch of insects didn’t sound too alluring. However, if you’re with kids it’s definitely a place to visit. Here are some reviews.

#3 - Pinel Island

We researched a bunch of sites for this one and take the Trip Advisor Reviews as proof that this is a place worth visiting. Here’s some more information about the location.

#4 - Fly Zone on French Side

MSNBC did a feature on this amazing excursion and we recommend viewing it. It’s a crazy adventure amongst a forest of tropical trees and wilderness. At the least, it’s a wild ride! The tour is located in Loterie farm. And here we thought the Caribbean is all beaches and pina coladas. Guess not!

#5 - Art Galleries

OK, so you’ve gone nuts. You relaxed, you stuffed your belly and you’ve even thrown yourself on a zip line located in a tropical forest. What in the world can you do next? How about settling down and looking at some art? St Maarten offers tons of galleries and we’d recommend Roland Richardson as a first stop. He’s nicknamed “The Father of Caribbean Impressionism” and we feel his work speaks for itself. Here’s a Yahoo Search we did on galleries in St Maarten. Check it out!

* We’ve also heard that the Pirates of St. Maarten Day Cruise is fun as well as the St. Maarten 12 Metre Challenge. For more activities and places to see in St Maarten we recommend visiting St Maarten’s homepage.

Conclusion

If we haven’t packed you with enough information and choices on St. Maarten then just indulge us and tell us that we have. There’s gotta be at least 100 things to choose from in this article. At the least you’ll be fed like kings and queens. We hope you make the trip to this wonderful place. Pick up some art, snorkel a little and be sure to stuff yourself good!

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