Sint Maarten, the “Dutch side", is known for its festive nightlife, fun beaches, and plentiful casinos, while Saint-Martin, the “French side", is known more for its sexy daylife of world-famous nude beaches, jewelry and clothes shopping, exotic drinks made with native rum-based Guavaberry liquors, and rich French Caribbean cuisine.
The island is served by many major airlines that bring in large jets, including Boeing 747s, carrying tourists from across the world on a daily basis. This fuels the island’s largest revenue source, tourism. The airport is famous for its short landing strip - only 2130 meters, which is barely enough for heavy jets. Because of this, the planes approach the island flying extremely low, right over the beach. Countless photos of large jets flying at 10-20 meters over relaxing tourists at the beach have been dismissed as photoshopped many times, but are nevertheless real [1].
Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin is home to several world-class accommodations, including hotels, villas, and timeshares. Some properties have over two hundred rooms, while others have fewer than twenty. Many are located directly on beaches and in upscale shopping districts. Villas pepper the coast, boasting private beaches. Some are private residences, while others are available to affluent renters.
Related Travel Information
Saint-Martin
This is the french side of the island of St Martin (french) / St Maarten (dutch). Situated in the North Eastern Caribbean, between Anguilla, Saint Barths, Statia and Saba, it is administratively a commune of Guadeloupe . St. Martin is often wrongly claimed to be the smallest territory in the world shared by two countries and the only one divided without a frontier (A much smaller island in the north Baltic seaĻis shared between Sweden and Finland ). St Martin options include: duty-free shopping for French luxury items, water sports, scuba diving, golf, horseback riding, tennis, and side trips to
Saint Martin is a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 150 miles east of Puerto Rico. The 88 kmē (38 square-mile) island is divided roughly in half between France and the Netherlands: the southern, Dutch half is called Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; the northern, French half is called Saint-Martin and is part of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. Collectively, the two territories are known as, "St.-Martin/St. Maarten", "St. Martins", or simply, "SXM". (SXM is the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport, the island's main airport.)
Political status
France and the Netherlands agreed to divide the island on November 11, 1648.
Sint Maarten is part of the Netherlands Antilles, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands though not in the European Union. Its currency is the Antillean Guilder. A proposed restructuring of the Netherlands Antilles would see Sint Maarten become an independent component of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its own right.
Saint-Martin is part of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas department of France and therefore in the European Union. The official currency in Saint-Martin is the Euro. In 2003 the population of the French part
History of Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten
In 1493, Christopher Columbus, an Italian sea captain financed by Spanish royalty, embarked on his second voyage to the New World. According to legend, Columbus sighted and perhaps anchored at the island of Saint Martin on November 11, 1493, the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours. In his honor, Columbus named the island San Martin. It is now more commonly known as Sint Maarten (Dutch), Saint-Martin (French), and Saint Martin (English).
When Columbus sailed these seas, St. Martin was populated, if populated at all, by Arawak or Carib Indians. The Arawaks were subjugated by the warlike
The island is prone to hurricane activity, especially in the late summer and early fall months and tourism is usually down dramatically during this time. Many shops, restaurants, and other local businesses close completely during hurricane season.
Neighboring islands include Saint Barts, Anguilla, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Kitts, and Nevis.
