Top Seven Things to Do in St Marten

Top Seven Things to Do in St Marten

1. Go to Friar’s Bay Beach – It’s not that popular and yet, it’s one of the nicest beaches on the Island. There are two restaurants and facilities. They offer lounge chair and umbrella rentals for the day. (I a paid $25 usd for three chairs and one umbrella.) The water is relatively calm and has the most beautiful color blue. Between the blue sky, the blue water and the white sand it is an amazing site to see. In addition to that, it’s secluded by surrounding hills. Although Happy Bay is another great choice, Happy Bay doesn’t have any facilities or restaurants. If you pack a lunch and ample supplies, Happy Bay would be my number 1 choice of beach on the Island.

   

2. Shop at Pearl Gem in Philipsburg – They have a wide assortment of gorgeous pearls and other gems at reasonable prices. The people were friendly but don’t let them push you into anything you don’t want to do. They are aggressive salespeople.
3. Go to Loterie Farm – Here you will do some strenuous zip lining in the middle of the Island. (I didn’t go, but my son and husband highly recommend this park.) Just beware, once you learn the clipping and unclipping out of the zip line, you’re practically  on your own so listen carefully and don’t go there if you are out of shape, you will definitely feel it the next few days!
4. Eat at a Lola, specifically Sky’s the Limit! This is a little shack is located with dozens of other little shacks in Grand Case. The lobster there was probably the best we had on the Island. Be prepared to wait to get served and don’t go if you are rushed for time!
5. Go on a Sunset Cruise – If you go on Monday evening, the price dramatically decreases to $18 per person from $40 usd. However, they do pack you on the sailboat. Also, the rum punch has a punch so beware!
6. Run around the Island – I ran six miles from my hotel to the airport over a bridge that connected both sides of the Island and ran around a luxury casino. I’m not sure if I could have done more than six because the roads are all broken up and there are no sidewalks. Be careful to dodge cars and watch huge potholes. It is dangerous but it is also beautiful!
7. Go Snorkeling with Billy Bones — My family and I went on a full day snorkeling trip on a speed boat. We started at a snorkeling farm where we saw a sunken helicopter and shipwreck. We also saw hundreds of fish. We stayed there for 20 minutes and then went over to a secluded snorkeling area and saw more fish. When we got on the boat after an additional 20 minutes, the captain told us we were done. “What about the turtle area?” my husband asked. Next thing we knew, we were riding 8 foot waves trying to get to the turtle area. We were flying all over the place and I felt at one point like I was going to fly out! There were no other boats around. We got to that park and saw one or two big turtles. We swam there for another twenty minutes before going for lunch on the French side of the Island. After lunch, the captain took us to Airport beach where we saw a plane take off and land. Great time, less the nauseousness that most of the crew on board experienced.

If there are any other suggestions for the readers, please list in the comments below…