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Looking for where to shop, eat, drink and dance in St Maarten? You’ve come to the right place. With its fabulous French boutiques and Dutch duty-free shopping, thriving bar scene, and delicious mélange of cuisines, St Martin is an absolute playground for the young at heart. Please note that this is the follow-up article to our ‘Fun Things to do in St Maarten’ article, so if you’re looking for day-off activities like zip-lining, rum-tasting, perfume making and beach clubs, we suggest you mosey on over to that article and check it out.
Local Lolos
During your time in St Martin, you must eat at least once at a ‘lolo’ — the local, unpretentious open-air eateries that dot the island. Pull up a plastic chair by the sea or by the markets and tuck into barbecued Caribbean specialities: lobster and fish, Caribbean chicken and pork ribs rubbed with delicious Caribbean spices. Yum! Our lolo picks:
Sky’s the Limit, Grand Case
Rosemary’s, Marigot
Bateau Lavoir, Marigot,
The Original Fat boy BBQ Jimmy’s, Philipsburg
Yvette’s Restaurant, Quartier Orleans
Restaurants
A part-French, part-Dutch Caribbean Island with a huge number of tourists is always going to result in an exciting cuisine. And St Martin really delivers, with an outstanding line-up of restaurants. Here’s a small selection of different foodie experiences.
For Classic French: L’Auberge Gourmande, Grand Case, set in a Creole cottage.
For romance by the sea: La Cigale, Laguna. Dine under coconut palms overlooking the lagoon.
For Sunday Brunch: Emilios, Dutch Cul de Sac, set in an old stone sugar cane house.
For tropical garden and sea views: Sol e Luna, Orient Bay. French with a Caribbean twist.
For Lobster by the pool: Astrolable, Orient Bay. Immensely popular lobster night on Fridays.
For an exotic Moroccan vibe: Le Marocain, Marigot. A feast for the senses.
For fresh homemade pasta: La Spiga, Grand Case. Great Italian in a Creole setting
Both sides of St Martin offer excellent shopping, with Marigot favouring colourful markets and upmarket boutiques, and the Dutch side offering duty-free electronics and jewellery as well as big designer names like Cartier and Tiffany. The two sides of the island offer quite a distinct feel to the shopping experience, with cruise ship passengers snapping up the duty-free bargains under the palm trees in Phillipsburg, while over in Marigot, a leisurely boutique shopping session is interrupted by a long lunch in the marina. Two sides of the island, two very different vibes! No matter where you end up, you’ll have a fabulous shopping experience.
For markets: Marigot Markets on the French side is a fantastic spot to wander through the stalls and soak up the French-Caribbean atmosphere. Breathe in the scent of local spices and fruits and browse the crafts and handmade souvenirs.
For duty-free electronics, jewellery, and perfumes: Front Street, Phillipsburg on the Dutch side is the place to go to enjoy duty-free bargains, and it’s a lively gathering of shops and stalls lining a beautiful palm-lined street.
For independent, upmarket boutiques: Marigot, French side. There are plenty of boutiques around Marigot, with a lovely cluster in the Marigot Marina. If you prefer the air-conditioned mall shopping experience, try the West Indies Mall.
For big-name designers: Front Street in Phillipsburg also has most of the recognisable fashion brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Tiffany’s, while Cartier and some other high-end brands sit inside Sint Rose Shopping Mall, also on Front Street.
For small speciality shops and souvenirs: Phillipsburg’s Old Street, with its strip of 19th-century houses, is home to little speciality stores. Keep your eye out for the little alleyways that run between Old Street, Front Street and Back Street, as they are a trove of great little finds and souvenir shops, including Amsterdam, a little Dutch shop and cafe-bar selling Dutch cheese and beers (along with tiny painted clogs, of course.) There’s even live music in the evenings and a restored trolley car sitting outside.
The Dutch side of the island is a bit of a gambling paradise with over 20 casinos, while the French side has no casinos at all.
The big player is Casino Royale in Maho Beach, a mega-casino over 21,000 feet. Other contenders include Coliseum Princess Casino, Jump Up Casino, and Casino Rouge et Noir.
For lively bars by the water, it’s hard to go past the rustic Rusty Rocket Rum & Burger Saloon, or the famous Soggy Dollar Bar in Simpson’s Bay. For a drinking experience you’ll never forget, head to the mega-iconic Sunset Beach Bar in Maho, where you can drink your beer while watching the jumbo jets come in low over the beach to land.
A newer addition to these iconic bars is the Sandbar Beach Bar, offering live music and food truck food every night of the week except Mondays. It’s right on the beach, and also has deckchairs and umbrellas available. Cheap, cheerful and a lot of fun.
Also, don’t forget that a lot of the beach clubs have DJs in the afternoon and are a great place to watch the sunset and get your night off to a good start. Rainbow Cafe on Grand Case Beach is a top spot to kick off the party.
There is an abundance of bars, live shows, and nightclubs on the island, concentrated largely on the Dutch side. Note that many Caribbean venues have dual identities as both restaurant and nightclub, and often have events, live music, and shows — basically an all-in-one extravaganza that changes personality as the night wears on!
A few of the favourite nightspots include:
Red Piano Lounge for live music
Mykonos for a swanky outdoor nightclub with a pool
Platinum Club for live shows
Hole in the Wall for a relaxed venue with bands playing old hits,
We Lounge for sophisticated cocktails with DJ, and
The Refuge for live music and DJs by the pool near the sea.
Well, that should get you started! St Martin/St Maarten is an epic place to be based, whether it’s for a quick break between charters or home base for the season. Keep safe and have fun!
ALLURIA is part of the fabulous Bluewater Charter Management Fleet and is based in Sint Maarten until the end of April. Available for charter at a weekly rate of $190,000. ALLURIA surpasses your Benetti expectations, offering an exceptional charter experience. The professional and experienced crew on board is ready to craft unforgettable moments. We highly recommend you check her out.
