Sint Maarten. Ahhh. Best. Vacation. Ever.

We had a great time in St Martin for so many reasons - the beaches are beautiful, the people are easy going & friendly, the island was safe to explore, and the food - French & Creole influences lead to some scrumptious meals.

For us, it was much needed time off and we agreed  to stay as disconnected from the outside world as we could.  We waived the in-room wireless access and had no cellphones.  It was 6 days of just us reconnecting 1:1.  I can honestly say, I think it was the best vacation I ever had. 

St Martin has 37 (!) beaches and we only had time for five (circled in red).  Each one had a distinct vibe, but the water was consistently blue and calm regardless which side of the island we visited.

We stayed on the Dutch side, but both sides accept the US dollar which was super convenient.

Plane Spotting was a fun thing to do.  We stayed near Maho Beach which is located at the end of the main runway at Princess Juliana International Airport and I didn't get tired of watching plane descend unto the runway.  You stand on a thin strip of sand to get up close and personal with a jumbo jets & mini planes midair.  We only got close to one jumbo jet, but the exhaust was extremely strong (and painful thrusting sand in my face) so I couldn't bear to stand there to take a picture!  Here is a puny plane instead. 

When you arrive, there are tons of free island maps.  If you look hard, you will notice that there is only one traffic light which I realized made driving there so nice! 

"Lolo's" are popular casual outdoor eating places mostly located in Grand Case.  Basically it is a no frills outdoor grill that cooks up chicken, ribs, & seafood over an open flame with all the fixings of home (corn, rice & beans, veggies, mac & cheese) for CHEAP.   Lunch for 2 with drinks = $14 USD.

It is hard to tell, but I circled the big fish that I snorkled with.  It was the length of my arm and I think it was a tarpon.  I will admit, the first time I saw it I thought I was going to have a heart attack, but I got brave once I realized it was friendly.  This is about knee deep water on Dawn Beach.

This is Baie Rouge and the undertow was SO strong.  Hubby is about 5 feet into the water and already neck deep.  Like a child, I almost drowned (long story), but hubby saved my life.

I guess off season begins in May and since we there the first week, we practically had every beach to ourselves.

St. Maarten/St Martin is known for it's food and they had some awesome french bakeries/pastry shops.  This was my absolute favorite so I needed to include them.  Best ice cappucino ever!



I can't wait to go back!