St. Maartin

Basics: Although St. Martin is a small island in the Caribbean, it is divided between two countries—France and the Netherlands. While driving, you will cross the border between the two many times, but there is no need for a passport.

Kosher Food: For kosher food, we brought frozen milk, hot dogs, hamburgers, and buns. The rest of our groceries were purchased at the local supermarket.

Chabad offers lunch and dinner items for takeout, and we ordered sandwiches and dinners from them. The food was always well-packaged and delicious.

Shabbos: For Shabbos, we both, participated in the Chabad meals at the Rabbi’s house on Friday night and at the shul on Shabbos day as well as ordered food to our hotel room from Chabad. The resort we stayed at was quite a distance from Chabad, and when we traveled to St. Martin with our son, we opted to dine at the hotel to avoid the lengthy trip back and forth. The meals at Chabad were lovely, and we thoroughly enjoyed the company of the residents and other guests. The food was also very tasty.

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Minyan: There is generally a minyan at Chabad for Shabbos throughout the year, as well as sometimes during the week. Be sure to contact the Rabbi regarding the minyan schedule before booking your trip.

Weather: The weather in St. Martin is beautiful year-round, with plenty of sunshine and a refreshing ocean breeze.

Hotels and Attractions: We stayed at the Sonesta Resort, which features both an adult and a family resort area. Both are beautiful! We especially enjoyed the kiddie pool with water slides.

While some attractions require prior bookings, we found it relatively easy to secure reservations that fit our schedule.