St Martin/St. Maarten FAQ
The Friendly Island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten is the smallest land mass shared between two countries.
Holland and France have shared the island for hundreds of years, most of the time peacefully. Being but a mere 37 miles2 in size you might think it would be too small to be inspiring, but you will find yourself enthralled by the breathtaking landscapes, many hued, turquoise blue waters, beautiful white sandy beaches on the 34 beaches the island boasts, delicious food at the more than 300 restaurants on spread allover the two sides, Duty Free shopping since the entire island is a duty free zone, exciting nightlife with casinos and, of course, glorious Caribbean sunshine and year round warm weather. You are also close enough to a several other Caribbean islands, St. Barthelemy, Anguilla & Saba to mention a few, that a day trip should be on everybody's list.
Geography:
- Size: 16 square miles St. Maarten (Dutch side), 21 square miles St. Martin (French side)
- Population: 35,000 (Dutch side), 30,000 (French side) both approx.
- Capital: Philipsburg (Dutch side), Marigot (French side)
Political Status:
- St. Maarten is Dutch, Netherlands Antilles, but is moving toward autonomous country status affiliated with Holland, similar to Aruba's status.
- French St. Martin is a dependency of Guadeloupe Island , but it is moving toward a semi-autonomous relationship with France and the European Union.
Languages:
- St. Maarten (Dutch/Papiamentu/English)
- French St. Martin (French/Patois/English)
- English Spoken Everywhere
Currency:
- Dutch Side: Antillean Florin or Guilder (US Dollars widely accepted)
- French Side: Euro (€) (value varies, but some French Side businesses accept dollars and Euros at par if you pay cash; it pays to ask)
- US$ WIDELY Accepted
- Credit cards accepted at most places, but ask. Visa & Mastercard are more widely accepted than American Express. Travelers Checks are also widely accepted.
Climate:
- 82F - 86F (28C - 30C) degrees year round with constant breezes. Sometimes hotter in Summer. In mid-winter, low 70's F (low 20's C) is considered an unusual cold wave
Electricity:
- Dutch side: 127/120 volts 50 cycles (Adapters not needed for American appliances.)
- French side: 220 volts 60 cycles (Adapters a must for American appliances.)
Time:
- Atlantic Standard
Getting There:
St. Martin/St. Maarten is well serviced from anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. A selection of airlines and cities with connections to Philipsburg is listed below.
From:
United States:
Canada:
Europe:
St. Martin/St. Maarten is well serviced from anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. A selection of airlines and cities with connections to Philipsburg is listed below.
From:
United States:
- Spirit Airlines direct from Fort Lauderdale
- American Airlines direct from New York, Miami and San Juan
- US Airways direct from Philadelphia and Charlotte
- United Airlines direct from Chicago
- Continental from Newark
- Delta Airlines direct from Atlanta
Canada:
- Air Transat from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax
- Air Canada direct from Toronto
Europe:
- KLM direct from Amsterdam
- Air Holland direct from Amsterdam
- Air France direct from Paris
Travel Documents:
- Firstly.....
US CITIZENS WILL NEED PASSPORTS...Again, US CITIZENS NEED PASSPORTS
to travel to and from St. Martin/St. Maarten and in fact to and from anywhere in the Caribbean!
We cannot stress this enough - GET A PASSPORT
All others, please check your respective governments for requirements.
Getting Around:
- We recommend renting a car. Book one before you go and pick it up in the airport ... or negotiate a good price at the many rent-a-car desks in the airport.
The island is small and quite easy to get around. In fact, last time we were there, we circumnavigated the island several times and still had quarter of a tank of gas when we left.
There are taxis and busses, but really, a car is the way to go. - Driving is on the right hand side of the road.
Phones:
Each side of the island has their own phone system.
Each side of the island has their own phone system.
- Dutch Side: Dial 011+599+5+local number
- French Side: Dial 590+590+ local number (590 + 690 for calls to cellular numbers)
- When on the island ask about how to call from the Dutch side to the French side, or vice versa. It is an International Long Distance call from the island to France and back to the other side. Wow!
FOOD SHOPPING:
- There are many markets, supermarkets, grocery stores et. al. on the island. We like the Grand Marché just north of Philipsburg on the road to Marigot. It is pretty much like grocery shopping in Miami, with the same products on the shelves. Prices on most items is higher due to the fact that most things are imports. There are some exceptions such as liquor which is priced quite reasonably.
- No matter where you buy, watch food expiration dates. They're widely ignored.