37 Don’t-miss St Maarten Adventures

By Kerry Biddle on 27th July, 2016

37 Don’t-miss St Maarten Adventures

Walk the Causeway Bridge at sunset.

Whether you’re a first-time visitor to St Maarten or long-time Soualigaphile, how do you know you’ve got the best out of the island? Simple. Work your way through Nick Marshall’s handy Bucket List of St Maarten’s unforgettable experiences, one for every square mile.

  1. See the St Maarten from 10,000 feet, falling at 125mph, strapped to one of the instructors at SXM Parachute in Grand Case.
  2. Take a sunset cruise on one of the many charter boats. Some have an open bar and BBQ, some just have drinks, or try the Wednesday evening lagoon pub crawl aboard Celine.
  3. Go full throttle and eat lagoon with Rhino Riders.
  4. Feel the breeze on your shoulders and the traffic in your wing mirror on top of a Quad Bike.
  5. Play poker at dawn at Starz casino, the island’s only 24-hour casino.
  6. Enjoy a cocktail from award-winning mixologist Paul Peterson, the island’s #1 shot-slinger, at Temptation.
  7. The day that watching the planes from Sunset Beach Bar no longer thrills you, it’s time to go. But that day will never come.
  8. Remind yourself why live music sounds better with an after-hours session at the Red Piano.
  9. Head to Friar’s Bay during full moon for the legendary beach party.
  10. Hike along the coast to St Martin’s own hidden beach, Wilderness Beach, yours alone for the day.
  11. See out the week with the beautiful people at the Big Sunday Buffet at Waikiki on Orient Bay, with a fashion show and dancers on the tables.
  12. Enjoy a freshly pressed sugar cane juice at the market in Marigot.
  13. Best local food on the island? That’ll be the Grand Case lolos, open-air BBQ at its best.
  14. Dress up and go to church. Find out why the island is so quiet on Sundays.
  15. Tuck into some ital food with an earful of righteousness at Freedom Fighters cafe on Bush Road.
  16. Hire a bike from Tri-Sport and visit the four borders in a day, at Bellevue, Oyster Pond, Lowlands and Belvedere.
  17. Hurtle down the island’s only zipline at Loterie Farm.
  18. Cool off at Carousel, St Maarten’s temple of exquisite Italian ice cream.
  19. Strap on scuba, snuba or snorkel gear and see the island from beneath the waves.
  20. Make the pilgrimage to the Yoda Guy on Front Street, because St Maarten ‘his home is’.
  21. Take the ferry a few hundred meters to Pinel Island, our own Robinson Crusoe patch.
  22. Cool off among the tropical plants at the Butterfly Farm.
  23. Make your own perfume at the Tijon factory in Grand Case.
  24. Take it slow on an SUP, a trend that is fast gathering speed in popularity.
  25. Head to Jet Extreme on Baie Nettle, for HoverBoard, FlyBoard and Jet Ski.
  26. Ride a horse through the surf, leaving from Seaside Nature Park, Lucky Stables, or Bayside.
  27. Sample authentic Creole cuisine at Yvettes, so famous it doesn’t even need a signpost.
  28. Take a daytrip to Saba, St Barts or Anguilla, on the horizon but worlds away.
  29. Best ribs on the island? Follow your nose to the smokers at Lee’s Roadside Grill.
  30. Where do the stars go to party in St Maarten? Tantra in Maho.
  31. Pssst. A secret. The whole island meets up at the weekend at La Bamba and Buccaneer for live music and dancing.
  32. Banish those memories of bad school food with a delicious brunch at Karakter, the school bus on the beach.
  33. Sample St Maarten’s national liqueur at the Guavaberry Emporium on Front Street.
  34. Walk the Causeway Bridge at sunset, St Maarten’s newest wonder. (See picture)
  35. Haggle with the doudous at the Marigot market for spices, lobster or magic potions.
  36. Treat your lungs to a shakedown with a hookah at Beirut.
  37. Ride the Party Bus, the best way to enjoy the island traffic.