Sint Maarten Trip Highlights

Happy Wednesday guys!  I’m back north in my favorite city, happy to be home, but definitely missing the sunshine!  This was my first trip to Sint Maarten and it was incredible!  I’ve been to quite a few islands in the Caribbean and it was definitely one of my favorite… the beaches are beautiful, there’s a lot of them with great beach clubs/restaurants attached, and the people of the island are so, so kind.  And as a Francophile I definitely love that the island is so French!

While I need to go back and explore so much more, I’m sharing below notable things I did and places I went along with my thoughts.  I hope some of you get to visit and experience some!  Feel free to comment or email any questions.

Bisous,

Laurelle

Roxxy Beach & Club

This was by far my favorite beach we spent the afternoon at!  I loved the overall vibe, but more specifically loved it because the restaurant, food, & drinks were fantastic in terms of taste and quality (the sushi was amazing), the beach was clean with no rocks or seaweed, the bathrooms were nice & clean, the staff really kind, and the music was great.  It was the only beach we went to twice per my request!

Roxxy Beach Water Sports – Jet Skiing

Next door to the Roxxy beach club, this who we did our jet ski ride with.  Our guide Orlando was fantastic, giving us almost an extra 30 minutes (we did the 1 hour ride)!  He made sure we all knew what we were doing and were comfortable & capable by the time we worked up to getting some air time and going fast.  I can’t wait to go back again and do the 2 hour ride!

Maho Beach

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip!  Maho Beach is right next to the airport, so you get to see the planes fly in right above the beach!  I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to an airplane!  We arrived around 4 and stayed for a few hours, hitting the bar I’m mentioning next, Sunset Beach Bar, for a drink and snacks before the kids and I enjoyed hanging out on the beach watching planes fly in and take off as the sun set.  It was so neat.  I don’t know that I’d spend an entire beach day there as Sunset Beach Bar wasn’t my favorite and it gets so windy every time a plane takes off, but it’s definitely fun for a few hours, especially at sunset!

Sunset Beach Bar

This was where we hung out to watch the planes fly in and take off, which was of course so cool!  I didn’t love the bar/restaurant as it wasn’t that nice, but I will say the food was solid and the view obviously fantastic!

Anse Marcel Beach

This beach was stunning!!  Probably my second favorite to Roxxy, only because I just loved the vibe & music at Roxxy so much!  The restaurant is absolutely fantastic; it’s so classy, the food presentation is beautiful, and they have little cabanas you can get with probably around 7-8 other people that overlook the beach.  The beach itself is also really beautiful, no stones or seaweed, soft white sand, and it’s actually quite large!  I want to go back and have dinner at the restaurant next time, as this time we only had snacks/lunch food on the beach.  There’s also supposed to be turtles which we sadly didn’t see this time.

Grand Case - Shopping

This was such a cute little area on the island!  It's basically a long street filled with restaurants and shops, with cute little lights and people enjoying strolling around.  The one shop we went in had so many cute things, even some for the kids. I left with some jewelry I'm obsessed with!  I also loved the two restaurants there we ate at...

Barranco Grand Case

This was my favorite restaurant of the trip!  Not only was the food great, but the decor was stunning and it was open air and overlooked the beach.  The service was also fantastic; the owners are lovely... they were there & involved!  It checked all the boxes in my book and I'm definitely going to return if I can next time I'm in Int Maarten.

Blue Martini Grand Case

This was such a fun little restaurant!  There was live music, darts and games, and just a fun vibe.  It was also outside, but a lot under a covering.  The food was great, and the drinks were pretty good (both Laura and I asked for off menu drinks so that could have been why they weren't great).

BZH

This was a cute little pizzeria & creperie at the bottom of the hill Laura's house was at, and a last minute plan as we were all tired the day I arrived, but it hit the spot!  It's an outdoor restaurant thats half on a deck, half in a garden; it's so charming!  We loved the ambiance and vibe, and had such a fun night there.  The food was also great!

Palapa Restaurant

This was such a cute little spot!  It has an exotic feel and is in a giant tent with Moroccan decor and lots of greenery.  I had fantastic salmon sashimi and overall we thought the food and drinks were great!  It's really close to Roxxy beach, so it's a great dinner option if you're in that area.

Kontiki Beach

This was the first beach we went to!  The beach itself wasn't my favorite as there was a fair amount of seaweed, but it was still nice!   I loved that there were girls walking up and down occasionally selling cute bathing suit coverups and other things.  We had lunch at the restaurant attached and the food was good and waiters so nice!

Friar’s Bay

Another great beach!  We didn't buy chairs or go to the restaurant, but the beach & water were lovely and theres a fun open door that says 'Friar's Bay' that's cute for a photo opp!