Saint Martin is part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It is home to busy resort beaches and secluded coves.
The island represents the smallest landmass in the world shared by two sovereign nations. We disembarked on Sint Marteen which is the Dutch side on the south. The capital is Philipsburg. Marigot serves as the capital of the French side on the north.
On March 23, 1648, a treaty was signed between the Dutch and French to agree to share the island and live in unity. There are open borders between the French and Dutch sides. Five border crossings exist.
According to local folklore, to determine the border, a Frenchman and a Dutchman started at the same point (Oyster Pond) and walked around the island in opposite directions to meet on the other side.
Legend says that the Frenchman, drinking wine, walked faster and covered more ground, while the Dutchman, drinking stronger genever (Dutch gin), walked slower, or stopped, resulting in the French claiming more territory. However, the actual division resulted from complex negotiations, with the French occupying roughly 54 square miles and the Dutch holding 32 square miles.
There is a population of 100,000 with 120 nationalities. They have more cars than people. The existence of many food choices and fusions shows that the island is multicultural. It is known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean.
St. Marteen has lots of traffic which means many roundabouts. On each roundabout, an element of the history of the island is showcased.
The Arawok indigenous people came from South America in the 14th century in search of salt. They called the island Soualiga (Salt Island). Salt was harvested and exported for 500 years until the 1960’s. Now tourism has become the main industry.
By 1644 the Spanish outnumbered the Dutch. Hmmm. Where did they go??
Slavery was abolished on the Dutch side in 1848. However, it lasted until 1863 on the Dutch side. Slaves on the Dutch side tried to escape to the French side to gain freedom.
10-10-10 refers to October 10, 2010, the historic date when Sint Maarten became an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On this day the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved, and the southern Dutch side of the island gained its own government, constitution, and increased self-rule.
The Dutch side is more Americanized and has fast food stores and megastores. (Is that our best import???) They have Amazon, but next day delivery isn’t available. It takes seven days so they need to plan ahead. US dollars are accepted as well as credit cards. Sint Marteen can dock up to six ships a day.
The Rotary Club has a big presence here. There is even a hill named Rotary Hill.
The French side remains very European. English is prevalent on the entire island. Some residents speak seven languages.
Saba is one of six Dutch Caribbean Islands: SSS and ABC. Saba is only 5 sq. miles. It has the distinction of the shortest runway in the world, 1,300 feet long, about the length of an aircraft carrier.
The 1933 King Kong movie featured the Caribbean island of Saba to represent “Skull Island”. The film used the silhouette of this craggy, volcanic, Dutch Caribbean island as the backdrop for King Kong’s home. It was not filmed on-location with actors, but its likeness and silhouette were used.
The Flying Dutchman is the steepest zipline in the world. One needs liquid courage. When at the top, one can see all of the six surrounding islands on a clear day: Anguilla, St. Barthélemy (St. Barths), Saba, St. Eustatius (Statia), St. Kitts, and Nevis.
Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017 damaged 90% of the country. When a hurricane develops in the Gulf of Mexico, there is a 70% chance that it will hit the island.
Gas has been as high as $8 and as low as $3 but currently is $6/gallon and comes from Venezuela.
Sint Maarten was featured in 2025 on the TV series Below Deck. Too racy for me!!
Dutch school on the island has only six weeks for a summer break whereas the French side gets July and August off.
On the Dutch side, a student will learn in Dutch and have French and English electives. Or a student can go to the English school and take classes in Dutch and French. On the French side, subjects are taught in French, and English is an elective.
The Brown Pelican is the national bird. The yellow sage was designated the national flower. Conchs and dumplings, a thick stew, is the national food of Saint Maarten.
Rental cars are automatic, but driving tests are on a manual transmission. The Dutch and French both drive on the right hand side of the road.
There is dual electricity voltage since the French is 220 and the Dutch is 110.
Nude beaches exist on the French side. Prisoners are flown to Guadalupe to serve time. The Dutch side keeps prisoners here.
Leaders can be seen in grocery stores, etc. There are no secret service, entourage, or limousines.
Princess Juliana Airport was built in 1942 by the USA for military reasons. It is the second busiest airport in the Caribbean behind Puerto Rico and voted best terminal in the region.
We are headed to the Sunset Beach Bar restaurant on Maho Beach that is located at the end of the runway. The planes come in for a landing right above our heads so we took our earplugs and watched planes of all sizes.
The runway is 7,500 feet long, and the planes must have a sharp high angle to clear the mountain when taking off.
It was a very hot day. My dermatologist would be proud of me because I covered up ALL my skin whenever possible.
My kids would say that I look Amish.
Flight Radar 24 is the app that they use to see the times when planes are landing.
Weather often takes the beach away but they restore the sand because it is such a tourist attraction.
A ten-minute rain is called liquid sunshine.
Today is Valentine’s Day…so sweet.
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