St. Martin, Lunch and More!

When we first arrived in St Martin/St Maarten in 1975, we instantly fell in love with the island. At that time it was rather undeveloped, beautiful, and with the most amazing food and incredible Euro-Carib tropical soul. After experimenting with other Caribbean islands, we decided this was OUR island … we could actually live here. We returned each year to decompress from our hectic urban lives, even if only for a long weekend. We watched the island grow and develop into a world class destination and finally, we bought a villa. Change continues to today on this dual nationality island (½ French + ½ Dutch) yet some things have stayed the same. It’s certainly interesting to watch the ongoing evolution.

Every year there are new restaurants, new stores and new condos and resort developments (some good, some bad). We have a gorgeous new airport that we thought we’d hate (too modern) but now just love it because it’s … modern! No more dilapidated dump. Sadly, change also means that some of our old favorite haunts have either closed or aren’t as good. What has stayed the same however, is how much we love it here no matter how much it changes. We love the access to incredible food and wine and the continued brilliance of many of our favorite restaurants. We love the laid back attitude, the weather, the sky in the morning and evening and the amazing views. We also love that you can fly anywhere in the world from here.

Most of all we love the people, both the locals who were born and bred here and expats from Britain, Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.S. They enrich our lives and add so much joy and fun to them. Where else can you play croquet on the beautiful lawn of the “Brits” one day, sit under swaying palms where local musicians are jamming the next and have your portrait done by a renowned native son artist later in the week? That magic vibe runs through everything the island has to offer and even if you’re not living here, you’ll still be struck by it.

Looking back on my time here, I’d say that the island gradually began to change in the mid-80’s, going from a sleepy backwater kinda’ place to what is now one of the most happening islands in all of the Caribbean. Tax advantages and the beautiful lifestyle brought a new generation of entrepreneurial French citizens along with “cowboys” from the U.S and the European Union. More frequent flights brought more tourists and best of all, they brought gorgeous fresh food. Our food markets and wine shops offer outstanding gourmet products from around the world. Today, the island is referred to as the food capital of the Caribbean and the gleaming new Princess Juliana Airport is the second busiest hub after San Juan.

Landings and take offs are still a fabulous source of entertainment. The island has the most photographed runway in the world.  Locals and tourists alike mingle at the Sunset Beach Bar located on Maho Beach at the base of the runway. Watching Air France’s huge Airbus and KLM’s 747’s take off and land is something else. You can’t imagine planes that huge almost touching the water as they drop to the ground. Plus, you can enjoy a casual meal and drink while plane and people watching.

You could easily eat out every day for a month on St. Martin and still not exhaust the possibilities – French, Indian, Japanese, Moroccan, Lebanese, Mexican, Thai, Italian, Russian, Caribbean, fusion, Rastafarian cuisine and more.  If you want to really “go native”, opt for a long lunch at a great restaurant, where you can combine good food, wines and interesting friends with the beach, a pool or a wine cave. We love the lunches here. While you can generally snag a table during the week without a reservation, you MUST make reservations on Saturday and Sunday at the following places. Try a bottle of white or rosé Sancerre or Muscadet with your lunch. Here are a few of our favorite spots:

Le Sand in Baie Nettle is a big favorite. It’s very new and very, very good. The atmosphere is laid back sexy “Euro” and there is a fantastic bar and beach area. The staff is friendly and they operate like a well-oiled machine. Most days or nights, you’ll be sitting next to French or Dutch locals or some international ex pat. The food, which is a combination of French with local touches, is beautifully prepared and sublimely delicious.

Dreams sits right next to Le Sand on Baie Nettle and like Le Sand, it has an excellent beach. The food is more eclectic than Le Sand and more casual with tapas, sushi and local style dishes. While both restaurants are great for kids, Dreams is probably better.

Palm Beach in Orient is the newest addition to the culinary/beach scene there. It’s much more private and elegant than most of the Orient beach restaurants as it sits at the end of a private road, just before Orient proper. You feel as if you are on a gorgeous private plantation.

While not a beach place, Bacchus tops the list of places we love for lunch given the fact that it’s only open for lunch. And only the French would put a world class culinary mecca in the industrial warehouse district. Bacchus is the brainchild of Benjamin Laurent, one of the Caribbean’s’ top wine distributors and it sits in front of his wine warehouse. The food is brilliant, traditional with a modern twist. Benjamin loves to use local ingredients. Sometimes he has actually caught the fish himself! You can also get “take away” here which is a pretty good thing.

If you dine at La Fourmi in Les Mall West Indies, you will probably be the only non-French person there. This is a fabulous find, tucked away on the 2^nd floor of the mall in a quiet spot with both indoor (a.c. cooled) and outdoor seating. The chef blends traditional French recipes with local touches. The place is only open for lunch as the staff moves to their other location for dinner, the fantastic La Ciagle in Baie Nettle.

A unique lunch experience is Loterie Farm, a beautiful place inland in Pic Paradis, one of the last surviving rainforests on St Martin. Built on the ruins of an old plantation house, the location is simply beautiful with views of the forest, comfortable banquettes and a great breeze. We love the tapas bar for lunch. If you want to make a day of it, book a cabana around their gorgeous natural pool. And if you’re totally adventurous, try zip-lining through the rainforest, not for the faint of heart.

For a more local Caribbean experience good lunch options include Sky’s the Limit, Talk of the Town and Jermaine’s lolos (which means a restaurant owned and operated by locals) in Grand Case right in the middle of town. The specialty here is grilled food and local “sides,” like rice and beans, plantains, conch sausage, stuffed christophene, etc. This is also the best place for fresh, Caribbean lobster at an incredible price. Grilled ribs, chicken and fish are also delicious.

And for the best moules frites go to Tropicana in the Marina Royale for Friday lunch. The chef also prepares some of the best frites on island. You sit at the marina’s edge and savor excellent food and very good wine. The chef and his wife own the place and the wife is pure entertainment.

The country Code for the island of St Martin/St Marten is (590).

The city code for French St Martin is (590) and the city code for Dutch St Maarten is (721).