ZiNG Caribbean – May-June 2019

88 |ZiNGCARIBBEAN

StMartin

comprisesthe

French,northhalf

oftheLeeward’sdual-nation

isle,SaintMartin–the

smallestislandintheworldto

besharedbytwocountries

(theotherbeingStMaarten).

Itwasfirstsightedby

ChristopherColumbusin 1493

andclaimedbytheSpanish;

then,afteryearsofdispute,

theSpanishrelinquishedSaint

MartintotheFrenchandthe

Dutch,whodividedtheisland

betweenthemin1648.

Tiny,multi-cultural

StMartinhasdiversecharms

todelightandthrill.Youcan

findarichmixoflandscapes,

traditions,sounds,coloursand

aromas,fromitsquietsunsets

toitsaddictivenightlife.

TheFrenchcapital,

Marigot,isagoodplace

tostart.Ithasabuzzing

waterfrontmarketplace

whereyoucanbuyanarrayof

fruitandvegetables,spices,

localmeatsandfishfreshly

caughtthatday.Therearealso

restoredCreoleandcolonial

housesand,overlookingthe

bay,theruinsofFortLouis

(builtin1789)whereyou

canlearnabouttheisland’s

T

HIGHLIGHTS

1

Marigot

Strollthepretty

waterfrontpromenade

andgoshoppingin the

luxuriousboutiquesof the

livelycapital.

2

PicParadis

Exploretheslopesof

thehighestpoint(424m),

hometo theonlytropical

forestontheisland.

3

LoterieFarm

Headto thispeaceful

greenhavenwhereyou’ll

findhikingandziplining

trailsaswellasa natural

spring-fedpool.

4

GrandCase

Relaxonthisbeautiful

stripof whitesandand

danceto thebeatof the

livebandsthatplayin the

beachrestaurants.

FACTFILESIZE:54.4SQKMCURRENCY:EUROPOPULATION:32,300LANGUAGE:FRENCH,

ENGLISHMAINCITY:MARIGOTDRINK:GUAVABERRYLIQUEURDISHOFTHEDAY:JOHNNYCAKES

fractioushistory.

Awatersportsandhiking

paradise,StMartincaterstothose

whoenjoyactiveadventures.

Learntosail,takeahikealonga

ravine,walkthroughbutterfly-

flittedforest,hoponabike,go

ponytrekkingorenjoyaround

ofgolf.Onandinthewater,you

cantryeverythingfromsurfing,

windsurfingandwakeboardingto

jet-skiing,kitesurfing,waterskiing

andkayaking.Thedeep-sea

fishingisfantastic,too,asisthe

diving,with 45 siteslistedaround

theisland;therearealsoseveral

wrecksforexperienceddivers

todiscover.

StMartindishesupsomeof

thebestcuisineintheCaribbean

tosuitalltastes–fromthe

lolos(streetfoodstalls)selling

traditionalJohnnycakeswith

saltfishtohigh-endrestaurants

servingfineFrenchfood.The

busymainstreetofGrandCase

isagoodplacetotreatyour

palate–hereyou’llfindanarray

ofdeliciousdishes,aswellasa

beautifulbeach,alivelyvibeand

lotsoflivemusic.

WWW.STMARTINISLAND.ORG

5

TijonParfumerie

Visittheon-sitelabto

createyourownperfume

from 330 essentialoilsin

thisexquisiteboutique.

LIATfliesdirecttoSintMaarten

fromStKittsandTortola

ST MARTIN

DON’TMISS!

BILLFISHTOURNAMENT

OneoftheCaribbean’smost

prestigiousfishingcompetitions,

plusplentyofonshorefun.

WWW.BILLFISH-TOURNAMENT.COM

ALL IMAGES ST MARTIN TOURIST OFFICE

F CUSON...

http://www.liat.com | May - June 2019

Grand Case

ST MARTIN

Orient Beach

Paradise Peak

Marigot Orleans

Simpson Bay

Philipsburg

SINT MAARTEN

Guana Bay

TERRES

BASSES

MahoBay

Princess Juliana

Airport

LIAT TRAVEL GUIDE & INFORMATION