Traveling the Caribbean: My St. Maarten Experience

In the middle of the Caribbean Sea, lies the tiny gem of St. Maarten (or St. Martin, depending on which side of the island you’re on). One side is a French overseas territory, while the other is Dutch—both remnants of a colonial past. Our trip to St. Maarten was unplanned; in fact, we were meant to be somewhere else entirely. We planned to spend Thanksgiving week in Argentina, celebrating a friend’s wedding in the countryside of Mendoza. Instead, for reasons beyond our control, we had to pivot—canceling one trip and booking another just one week before departure.

Welcome to St. Maarten  

We arrived at the Morgan Resort on Dutch St. Maarten in the late afternoon and were ferried to the property by a coaster bus since rideshare companies don’t operate on the island. The lobby was a flurry of activity when we arrived, as the front desk worked through a rush of travelers who’d landed around the same time. A staff member served us glasses of rum punch, no doubt placating us while we waited almost an hour to check in.  

Our first-floor room sat right by the poolside, with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors opening onto a small balcony. It was from here that I noticed the first colors of sunset staining the sky. We strolled to the pool to watch as sailboats cruised romantically along the water—their white masts contrasting with the soft lavenders and pinks filling the sky. Music drifted toward us from unseen speakers, carrying smooth melodies from Tems and Sade, and the whole scene felt like the most beautiful welcome.  

Over the course of our vacation, St. Maarten rooted itself in our hearts, introducing us to warm, friendly people, golden-sand beaches, mouthwatering Caribbean barbecue, and a vibrant melting pot of Afro-Caribbean culture.  

Topper’s Rhum Distillery & Captain’s Rib Shack  

The Caribbean is the birthplace of rum. Unlike wine—made from fermented grapes—rum is produced by fermenting sugar cane, a plant that’s abundant throughout the islands, and reminds me of a sweet snack I enjoyed as a child in Nigeria.  

Before St. Maarten, I’d been on rum tours in Puerto Rico (the birthplace of Bacardi) and St. Kitts. Although both tours centered on the history and production of rum, each experience was distinct. So when I found a rum tour in St. Maarten, not far from our resort, I quickly added it to our itinerary.  

Julia, our tour guide, greeted us in the waiting area with a bright smile and led us to a small back room where other guests were already seated. Labeled rum bottles filled one wall, while the remaining walls were lined with wooden barrels containing aging rum.

She began the tour with a history lesson, recounting a story I’d heard before: Rum was discovered when boiled sugar was left to ferment in the sun. It took a while (and some health issues) for the initial testers to figure out how to distill the alcohol correctly, but once they did, the spirit we now know as rum was born. 

We also learned about the history of Topper’s Rum—a husband-and-wife-owned business, with the wife, Melissa, at the helm of rum production. In her lab, she experiments by infusing rum with flavors like banana, coconut, coffee, tea, and even spicy jalapeños. Throughout the tour, we sampled several shot glasses of rum paired with banana bread, ice cream, and chicken breast strips cooked with yes, more rum. 

After the tour, we strolled along the roadside to Captain’s Rib Shack, a barbecue joint Julia recommended for lunch. There, we enjoyed cold glasses of happy hour rum punch alongside well-seasoned plates of oxtail and ribs. The ribs were so flavorful that I couldn’t resist licking my fingers afterward.

Mullet Bay Beach & Maho Beach  

After a failed attempt to visit the nearby island of Anguilla, we spent an afternoon at Mullet Bay Beach. Under the bright sun, the ocean shimmered in a near-transparent shade of teal and offered a cool respite from the day’s heat. We spent hours lazing on shaded beach chairs, wading in the ocean, savoring delicious barbecue from Rosie’s Cafe, and soaking in a constant stream of Afrobeats and Soca melodies. This was one of my favorite things about St. Maarten: hearing Afrobeats everywhere. 

Later, we enjoyed lunch at Sunset Beach—a restaurant popular with tourists because it sits on the landing path for planes arriving at Princess Juliana Airport. We ate whole fried fish and fries, paired with bottles of locally brewed beers.

After lunch, we moved closer to the water to watch KLM and Air France aircraft approach the runway mere feet above our heads. The jet blasts were strong enough to spray beachgoers with sand, or even knock them off their feet. I love watching planes land—even from afar—so seeing the jets up close was exhilarating, if also a little bit terrifying. 

Orient Bay Beach  

While the Dutch side of the island retains a resort-town feel, the French side—where Orient Bay is located—feels much more residential. The streets are lined with homes rather than hotels, lending this other half a laid-back, sleepy vibe.  

We began our time in French St. Martin with a visit to the Good Morning Cafe, an outdoor breakfast spot filled with patrons conversing in French as they sipped on morning espressos. Our waiter greeted us with a cheerful “bonjour,” and though I returned the greeting, he continued in English (thankfully, because I don’t speak French). I ordered a plate of fluffy pancakes and eggs over easy, along with a hazelnut latte and freshly squeezed orange juice.  

After breakfast, we walked the short distance to Orient Bay Beach—a sprawling stretch of golden sand framed by rolling green hills and an ocean that gleamed bright under a sunny sky. Patterned kites cut through the air, adding even more color to an already picturesque scene. 

We settled at Bikini Beach Club under lime-green umbrellas facing the ocean. When we decided to go into the water, we were met with huge waves, and we held hands as the swells crashed over us, spraying water into our eyes and drawing laughter from our lips.

I watched as confident swimmers ventured further into the waves, admiring both their boldness and tolerance for the stinging salt water. Although I can swim, I’m always more cautious in the ocean, never quite trusting my skills in open, unpredictable water. 

We waded in the water for a bit, letting waves roll off our feet, but as clouds started to block out the sun, we transitioned back to shore and spent the rest of our beach day in lounge chairs, sipping spicy margaritas and relaxing into easy conversation beneath a beautiful open sky.  

***

St. Maarten was the perfect destination to help me forget our travel woes and enjoy some of the best Caribbean food, music, and beaches. It was an unforgettable trip and a vivid reminder that sometimes the best experiences are the ones you never planned.

Good to Know 

• From San Francisco, we flew American Airlines through Charlotte to get to St. Maarten. I searched for and booked flights through Google Flights. 

• We stayed at the Morgan Resort, which is within walking distance of restaurants and beaches. I really liked our stay here, particularly for the pool area which has a swim-up bar, a barbecue stall, and panoramic views of the ocean. 

• Rideshare apps are not available on the island, so our hotel concierge called taxis for us. However, we often held on to the driver’s number so that we could reach them ourselves when we were outside the hotel. Note: taxi fares go up about 25% after 10pm. 

• Travel with cash, particularly to pay taxi drivers. USD is widely accepted, especially on the Dutch side where things are priced in $. On the French side, it’s more common to see prices in Euro, but USD is also accepted. 

• St. Maarten is definitely on the pricier end for Caribbean countries I have visited, particularly on the Dutch side. We noticed this mostly with eating out at restaurants, and taking taxis, which regularly cost $30-35 for a 20-min ride. There are no meters in the cab, so make sure to agree with the taxi driver before starting your trip. 

• Some of my favorite restaurants were: Bistrot Caraibes, Captains Rib Shack, and Tortuga.

As always, 

thank you for reading!

---

Same Footprints, Different Sands