St. Maartin

General Information

Since we’ve visited St. Martin multiple times, we wanted to provide you with a list of activities to enjoy while on the island, rather than a fixed itinerary. Here are some of our recommendations for beaches and activities:

Beaches:

St. Martin has many beautiful beaches to explore. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Maho Beach: Located directly across from the airport runway, Maho Beach offers a thrilling experience where you can get up close to the planes as they land. The take-offs are just as exciting; the force of the air from the plane can send you flying into the water! It’s a fun spot, and kids especially love watching the planes come in so close.

Maho Beach

• Dawn Beach: This beach, on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island, is known for its powerful waves. While it’s not considered safe to swim here, we enjoyed playing in the sand and dipping our toes into the water. At the far end of the beach, we climbed the rocks for some amazing views.

• Orient Beach: A large beach with many shops leading up to it, Orient Beach also offers a variety of water sports. We had a great time jet skiing and parasailing with FlyAddiction, a company based at the beach.

• Petit Plage: A small, secluded, and very beautiful beach. We enjoyed walking along the pathways that lead from the nearby restaurant, which wind through lovely gardens full of exotic and tropical flowers and trees.

Petit Plage

• Pelican Key: Located at Simpson Bay Resort, Pelican Key is a large and stunning beach. It offers breathtaking views of both the ocean and the sunset.

• Indigo Beach: We stumbled across this quiet, picturesque beach by accident, but it quickly became one of our favorites. It’s a lovely size with gorgeous ocean views, and there’s a beach bar serving kosher drinks, making it an ideal spot to relax.

• Cupecoy Beach: This beach is absolutely stunning, with rock outcroppings and small sandy areas tucked between them. Some parts of the beach are clothing-optional, so be mindful to head toward the family-friendly sections at the very end. 

  

  Cupecoy Beach

• Happy Bay Beach: Another beautiful beach with a nice stretch of sand leading into stunning turquoise waters. Happy Bay is a clothing-optional beach, so while we found that others at the beach were appropriately covered, it’s a good idea to check it out first if you're planning to visit.

Activities:

There’s no shortage of exciting things to do in St. Martin. Here are some activities we loved:

• Rainforest Adventures St. Martin: We had an unforgettable time at this adventure park. We went summer tubing down a sizable hill, took a chairlift to the peak, and enjoyed ziplining across valleys hundreds of feet below us. The best part was the zipline off the cliff—it’s one of the steepest in the world, and the speed at which you descend is exhilarating!

Zipline views

• Sailboat and Snorkeling: We rented a boat from a company at Simpson Bay and cruised along the coast, stopping to snorkel. While the boat ride was beautiful, it was a bit nauseating at times, so we recommend a catamaran or motorboat for a smoother experience.

• Rhino Safari Tour: We had a fantastic guided tour with Rhino Safari Excursions. After learning how to operate the rhino boats, we explored the waters, including the boat graveyard and coral reefs. The guide was excellent, and the experience was one of the highlights of our trip.

• Ferry to Anguilla: The public ferry departs from Marigot Marina every 45 minutes, offering trips to both Anguilla and St. Barts. We chose Anguilla, and once we arrived and passed customs, we took a car service to Shoal Bay East, which was absolutely stunning. The beach is known for its soft pink sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters. We walked along the beach to escape the crowds and enjoyed what felt like a private slice of paradise.

  Be sure to bring along your passport when choosing to explore any of the islands, since you will be entering a different country upon arrival.

  

  Shoal Bay East beach