Overview
For travelers who'd like to mix a Caribbean-style beach vacation with European food and flair, the Dutch/French island of St. Maarten/St. Martin is an ideal choice.
Tucked at the top of the Guadeloupe Archipelago, just 144 miles from Puerto Rico, this island's two sides share beautiful beaches, hilly terrain, a host of coves and bays and hotels in every price range, but the pace and personality of each side differs tremendously.
The French side offers a more sophisticated, laid-back milieu and some of the best dining in the Caribbean. It's cafe society is in the capital Marigot. People-watching is a thriving sport at cafes like La Vie en Rose. Also downtown is a flourishing open-air market that offers a mix of traditional Caribbean souvenirs and lovely locally made art, along with the requisite upscale tourist traps found elsewhere in the islands.
Best of all, visitors can sample the sights and sounds of both sides without much trouble. At 37 square miles, it's relatively easy to get around, but make sure to bring along a good map, as many roads are less than well marked. Many travelers opt to rent a car for a day or so to soak up the island's full flavor; others opt for public bus service, or take a taxi after negotiating a rate.
Visitors often spend a day frolicking on the beach, head to the restaurant-rich village of Grand Case on the French side for a sumptuous meal and repair to the casinos of the Dutch side before calling it a night.
In addition, St. Martin is an ideal jumping-off point for visits to tiny Saba and neighboring Anguilla, both of which can be reached by ferry. English is spoken in most of the big hotels on St. Martin, but be aware that it is very French, right down to the baguettes, the wine and the language.
History
Before Columbus arrived here during his second voyage in 1493, the island had already been inhabited for some one thousand years.
The Arawak Indians settled on the island around 800 AD. This tribe arrived from the Orinoco river basin of South America and migrated up the chain of Caribbean islands. They named the island “Sualouiga” or “ Land of Salt ” for the abundant salt-pans and salty water that were found in abundance. Artifacts from the Arawak civilization can be viewed at the St. Martin Museum.
The few fresh water springs around Paradise Peak, Mount William, Billy Folly, and in the Lowlands could only support a small population, and this is where they mainly tended to congregate. You can find a number of artifacts from this period preserved in the St. Martin Museum: On the Trail of the Arawaks.
Centuries following, the aggressive, cannibal, Amazonian Carib Indians settled on the island and named the island “Soualiga” or “Salt Island” after the island's most prevalent mineral resource. This tribe migrated from North America and is what the entire Caribbean is so named after.
According to island legend, on November 11, 1493, Christopher Columbus claimed the island (but did not set foot) for Spain on his second voyage, then proclaiming it St. Maarten from the religious day of St. Martin of Tours. To this day, St. Maarten celebrates this day as St. Martin/St. Maarten's Day.
The Dutch settled on the island in 1631 to set a post between their other two territories in Brazil and Nieue Amsterdam ( New York ). The Spanish overthrew the Dutch government, leaving. However, the Dutch did not heed in the reacquisition of this island and unsuccessfully raided the island for the next 15 years. After a notably hard-hitting victory to remain on the island, the Spanish Commander, asked permission to abandon the island and in 1647, the King of Spain granted him permission.
According to legend, some Dutch and French were left behind by the Spanish and established small villages throughout the island. The Dutch and French joined forces to keep the Spanish from settling on the island. This was finally achieved in 1644 when the Spanish abandoned their claims to the Eastern Caribbean.
Today, tourism is the island's primary source of income. Princess Juliana Airport was established in 1943. The first hotel opened on the island in 1947, the Sea View. The Dutch started promoting tourism in the 1950s while the French didn't publicize until the 1970s.
St.Martin (French) is a commune of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas department of France. Islanders are entitled to vote in French elections.
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