At the end of 2022, I decided I would travel more. My scratch map is not going to scratch itself off! Well, I kicked off 2023 by grabbing my passport and hitting the islands. Saint Martin was an absolute dream, and it came with the opportunity to visit some neighboring islands while there.

We did get to visit Anguilla and Saint Barth’s while there, but I’ll get to those in a later post. This one is all about Saint Martin and all it had to offer. For those who don’t know, there are two sides – a French and a Dutch. It is very touristy, so many do speak English, along with Spanish. As an island, there is no shortage of shoreline and sunshine to take in, which is exactly what we did.

We stayed at Secrets, an all inclusive right on the water. The resort had multiple themed restaurants, from Japanese and Hibachi to a steak house, morning and afternoon buffet and 24/7 room service with the best chicken fingers and rice. Every night, they had entertainment in the lobby, with local artists and singers on hand to sing along to.

Day 1 was a wash by the time we landed and made it down a huge mountain to the hotel, but day 2 started with fun in the sun. We booked excursions for the week, and stayed on the resort to experience all it had to offer, including the open bar, and of course, amazing scenery for a photo shoot.

Day 3 we did a four-hour ATV tour of the island. Our guide took us to both sides, private beaches and lookout spots before heading to the famous Maho Beach. This is the place right next to the airport that you’ve probably seen on Instagram. As planes land and take off, they literally fly directly overhead, so close, you feel like you might blow away. The beach also has a restaurant and bar area where there is music, food, drinks and a good time. 10/10 recommend.

Day 4 and 5 we headed to Anguilla – with an accidental wrong turn that I’ll touch on – and Saint Barths. Both days left us exhausted, but room service saved the day. Day 6 was another stay on the resort day for one final go at relaxing and all-you-can-eat-and-drink.

If you do decide to pack your bags and head for Saint Martin, here are a few things to know:

This is a given, but pack sunscreen!

Depending on which you stay on, you’ll need an outlet adapter. We were lucky our hotel had USB chargers, but be sure to keep that in mind if traveling with multiple electronics.

Traffic can get heavy around morning and afternoon rush hour so be sure to leave enough time to get around if you’ve booked an excursion.

If you have the time, definitely consider day trips to the neighboring islands. There are ferries that take 15 minutes to an hour or so depending on which one you pick. You’ll have to pay taxes, so bring cash, but it’s great to make the quick trips while in the area. More on these, as promised, coming soon, so stay tuned!

Until next time…

-Jae Marie