TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Trip Report - February 2025

Seeking relief from a tough midwest winter we landed in St Martin on Groundhog Day. Walking down the steps to the tarmac we went in the new entrance on the south side of the terminal. Our AA flight from Miami was the third that day and arrived just after a large KLM plane. There were plenty of people in the arrivals area which is a very long hallway almost the length of the terminal. We had pre-registered in the US but still had to wait for a kiosk to open where we scanned our passport and had our picture taken. Then to a gate where our picture was taken again and we were ready to leave the terminal. No more agent to stamp the passport.
We didn't have checked luggage so we were out in the sunshine after about 40 minutes. There we were met by our driver from Nono Car rental. Nono drives you from Juliana Airport to your car on the French side of the island.

I switched off my phones primary SIM over to an eSim from Airalo. The eSim works on a second line on most phones. Airalo sells a Caribbean package called Island Hopper that covers 26 countries. You download before you leave home, install and it is ready to go when you switch on landing. It does not specifically state that it works on the Dutch side of St Martin but it did. It worked on the French side as advertised. I had the 2 GB 15 day plan for $15. It is data only so no phone number. Google, email, WhatsApp, text and other internet based apps. I had it on a 4g phone at LTE speeds of 4m down and 1 up so it is not very good for video chat. Carriers switched between Telem, Flow/Chippie, Digicel and Dauphin. Airalo is a China based company so maybe not for business or government work!

While our driver was leaving the airport I opened Google Maps and looked at traffic. Just about every route was green! My doubts about it's accuracy were proven wrong when we arrived at our resort in record time. Grocery stores are not open late in the afternoon on Sunday. Maybe that was why traffic was light.

Our day had started at 2am with a drive to Detroit. We had a nice breakfast in Miami but with Biscoff and soda most of the day we were "losing altitude" by sunset.

We headed to Orient Village for a light dinner. Le Piment wasn't open on Sunday and there are several new names for restaurants but we chose Maison Mere. It is roomy and under a roof in case of a shower. It seems to appeal to an older French customer which is a pretty good sign. We only stayed for a short meal but my wife liked the scallops and I had triggerfish. The fish was generous in size and delicious with a tureen of buttery sauce but that was it. No garnish of any sort. The plate looked a little pale.

We stopped at Petite Casino for fixings for breakfast such as milk, bread and eggs. The cheap Mississippi eggs of previous years were nowhere. Super U had a sign in French and English apologizing for the supply problem with eggs. Eggs were 6 euro everywhere so we went back to Petit Casino for our second dozen.

The beginning of our stay was at Residence Adam et Eve. We would have liked to stay longer than 4 nights but that was all we could get and we booked last August. We had the Master suite. My wife now insists we stay again so we booked for February 2026 while we were there since it seems the Resid is very popular.

After 4 nights we moved to the Alamanda for a week. Walk out the door and turn right you are at the back of Maison Mere and on to the rest of the Village restaurants and shops. Turn left out the door, cross their adequate parking lot and you are at Wai Plage, Orient Beach and the ocean. It is one of the latest to be remodeled. The furnishings were modern and comfortable. We would stay there again as well.

We are beach people so are up with the sun to enjoy beach walks, lounging and swimming. The Club O beach is our favorite and about 1000 foot walk from where we stayed in Orient Village. This year the old Papagayo Restaurant was removed from the seashore. It looks a little better but did not open up much beach. There is now much less sand at the extreme south end of the beach. This place was favorable because it is out of the wind with a calmer surf. No more. There was also 5 old villas removed from the shoreline. It looks better but the seating area has rocks and coconuts near the surface so it is uncomfortable sitting. St Martin needs to consider beach replenishment before they lose their income. Florida pumps a lot of sand to keep up with erosion.
There is over 300 chairs available on Club O Beach. I have heard they cannot expand the seating because of government restrictions. Two thirds of the Club Orient Beach is bring your own seating so Club O could double the number of chairs without restricting the b. y. o. seating. I had to arrive before 8 am to tag a couple chairs. Most were already tagged. When the Bare Necessities Cruisers showed up there were close to 1000 people. The parking lot now charges. It was always full and cars are jammed along the beach road all the way to the Village. The outhouse was improved over last year.

For a change we went to Galion Beach. Our first trip to the island was in 2013 and we went to Galion. Along the road in was a horse stable and the Butterfly Farm. The beach had a small snack bar. All that is gone. There are no facilities. It is a very beautiful beach. It is a crescent shaped bay over half a mile across open to the ocean but without the wind and waves at Orient Beach just to the north. There is a big sand bar stretching about half way across from the north end. It is reached off Highway 7 for the old entrance for Club Orient but turn right at the pond and follow the signs for SXM Surf Club.

Our other adventures included our annual climb of Pic Paradis. Pulling in to Loterie Farm we were surrounded by a dozen monkeys. They no longer seem to inhabit the jungle but seem to gather from the garbage cans, gardens and fruit trees of residents along Pic Paradis Road. The climb through the islands only jungle is more rewarding if you stop and listen for birds and animals, the running water from the creek and see the lines of ants crossing your path. Don't get ants on you! From the Pic you can see most of the island except more vegetation is obsuring some of the views. If you do make the climb wear good laced shoes. My wife wore her fake athletic shoes with the stretch no tie laces. It was a slow and painful descent for her.

Lotterie Farm has a restaurant/bar in a jungle tree house as well as a pool and DJ. DJ is not very loud during the day.
Our evenings were mostly at restaurants in Grand Case. Our favorite Bistronome was closed. It was the favorite of others too in it's short life. Stories were told that the proprietors are now looking to open in St Barts.

We decided to savor the sunsets.

Calmos Cafe has a tiny entrance across from the parking lot at the bridge near the lolos. The free parking lot nearby seemed to always be full. Moments before 6 we pulled in just as someone was leaving. Walking in to Calmos you see a large bar and a few tables. It's young, irreverent and much like a beach bar made from rough lumber and decorated with flotsam. It does have a roof and is open to the bay. It also has two smaller decks on a lower level right near the waves splashing on some rocks.

The sun sets in February just after 6 and sets behind the mountain between Grand Case and Happy Bay. After toasting the end of daytime we had Duck Confit Parmentier. If you Google a picture it looks like what my Scottish grandmother made as shepherd's pie. Grandma had a lot of shepherds in the family who ate a casserole with baked mashed potatoes on top. This was not like that. It was a 4 inch pie shell of baked mashed potato filled with the shredded duck and a covering of baked mashed potato. It was delicious and made a better presentation on a plate. It was an actual pie.

Our next sunset was at Lava. I think this is the largest restaurant in Grand Case. It is between the lolos and Ocean 82. Once again we got a lucky spot at the free parking lot near the bridge. Walked past a gate on the Boulevard manned by a St Martin policeman. I had seen many military looking gendarmes around but this was the first police.

Lava has a big entrance with views of the bay, the bar and a large table for a big group dinner. It has about a 150 foot uncovered deck overlooking the water. There are two 50 foot banquettes facing the bay with tables and chairs facing the banquette. I thought about sharing the banquette with my wife for a view of the bay but it would have been too cosy with the other tables. It could be set up for groups. The rest of the deck is bar stools along the rail and an area of low armchairs more for drinks and conversation. Lava is French/Mediterrean/Middle Eastern. We had the mindset of different main courses. My wife had the sea bass and I had the lamb. The sauce on mine smelled so good. The smoke drifting in from the lolos not as good. Try to get a seat closest to Ocean 82.
Our third sunset in Grand Case was at Ocean 82. You sit before walls open to the ocean. A roof overhead protects from the occasional shower. We had run out of luck with the free parking and drove close to Ocean 82 to the $5 lighted parking lot. The parking pass is refunded by the restaurant.

As we entered the restaurant a van from Grand Case Beach Club pulled up with a half dozen diners. We were seated one table in from the window. They don't seem to have a problem filling the place. Our seating was a little cramped but not unpleasant. We were informed the Local Red Snapper was not available due to a strike in France. I thought is was a little more local than Europe.
Started with the Traditional Escargot. Then a Whole Sea Bass in Salt Crust. It came out on a cart. The salt crust was a fish shaped case of salt and herbs cut open and the fish removed, flambeed if you wish and deboned. Dinner ended with a "Lemon" with Zuzu which is a dairy dessert enclosed in a lemon flavored shell. Entertaining and a great meal.

Strolling along Grand Case Boulevard we noticed the Catholic Church has finally been reconstructed. The windows and doors were open and it is very well lit inside. It really brightens up the block. Sunday Mass is at 9 am. Highlight is the Caraibes choir.

Next night in Orient Village we went to Ti Palm. The is the restaurant beside the pool at the Palm Court Hotel. It is between the two traffic circles just away from the beach and past the rest of the shops in the Village. We were seated right along the pool. My wife had a Palmentier of Lamb. It was constructed similar to the one a Calmos with a mashed potato pie shell. I had the beef tenderloin. For entertainment our Sicilian friend ordered the Authentic Alle Vongole Linguini. The host pushes a cart to the table with a giant wheel of cheese, scrapes some of the cheese from a bowl shape carved in the center of the wheel. Fires up a small burner, heats the sauce with clams, flambes and pours the linguini and sauce into the bowl carved in the cheese. It was stirred a few times and placed on the plate. I would go back just to watch that again.

This is the first time we didn't go to anything in Marigot or on the Dutch side of the island. Our car rental taxi drove us to Juliana Airport. Google maps traffic was correct again only it was dark red this time through Marigot. Our driver gave us the grand tour of the town but got us to the airport with plenty of time. Curiously the day before Valentines I saw no decorations. I thought that was different from previous years

We had downloaded our boarding passes at the hotel and for the first time just went upstairs to security.

There is now high speed internet on St Martin. At Adam et Eve wifi downloads were over 100 meg. Our suite at Alamanda had wifi 6 on Dauphin Fiber at 400 meg down and up. This means a lot not just for tourists but for businesses on the island.

For only the second time in 22 trips through that airport our AA plane to Miami was boarded from a jetway.

There's a lot of construction at MIA. Doors locked, escalators out of commission etc. It seems like you walk miles to Immigration.
Do you know there are some airports where you don't have to go through TSA twice on an international return? Miami in not one yet.

We sat in a line of 30 planes for an hour waiting for weather to clear for take off. There was six inches of snow on the driveway at home but we are already booked for next February in Saint Martin.

Hi. I edited your report to add some returns to make it easier to read.

Thanks much for the report!

Enjoyed traveling along with you. You mention a restaurant in GCc near ocean 82. Lava. That doesn’t sound familar. Did you mean Java?

Lava - Sounds as though you mean Java?

"Do you know there are some airports where you don't have to go through TSA twice on an international return?"
New to me as I've returned through MIA many times. Twice this last year and only went through TSA/PRE once each time.

Ah ha. Spell checker didn't catch Lava/Java. I had the menu in front of me when I wrote this. Java as in coffee or Indonesia.

Scuba: I entered the secure area of MIA by being screened in St Martin. Then I was led through baggage pickup at MIA (an unsecured area) and had to be screened again. Delta has started secure all the way on flights between London and Dallas. Hopefully it will expand to other flights.

There is no TSA at SXM. Only in the US which you need to go through on a connecting flight from a foreign country after passport control. In this case for you MIA.