Welcome to St Maarten - St Martin

Update Hurricane Earl and Tropical Storm Fiona - 2pm, Sept. 1st, 2010

The eye of Hurricane Earl passed 40 miles north of St. Maarten - St. Martin in the morning hours of August 30th. The storm brought plenty of rain and strong winds, but did not cause any serious damage. Business, banks, the International Airport and other offices have reopened Tuesday at 12pm. Tropical Storm Fiona is still a non-event. At this moment the skys are overcast, there were some rain showers during the morning hours, but also plenty of sunshine. Resorts and most business on the Dutch side are still running on generator power, as the local utility company has decided not to restore service until Fiona passes.

Learn more about the Caribbean's most exciting vacation destination! If you appreciate gourmet food, world class duty free shopping, vibrant nightlife, pristine beaches, year-round warm climate and a cosmopolitan atmosphere with a Caribbean twist, Sint Maarten - Saint Martin is for you!

SINT MAARTEN - SAINT MARTIN provides vacationers the opportunity to enjoy three distinct cultures on one 37 square mile island.

Spellings

The dual identity of our island causes confusion about the correct spelling of the name: the Dutch side as part of the Netherlands Antilles is correctly called "Sint Maarten", the French side "Saint Martin". But there are all imaginable miss spellings around; even Air France flies to Sint Marteen. Also popular (leaving out the repetitive acronym for Saint) is Maartens, Maartin, Marten, Marteens, Martins and Martens, or the very creative Martaan, Martan. Some folks like to combine the names into StMaarten/StMartin.

The Dutch side's capital is Philipsburg, with a single 'l', not Phillipsburg and the popular tourist attraction Loterie Farm also uses only one 't', not the spelling of Lottery or Lotterie.

Why You Need a Rental Car!

A rental car is very helpful to get the most out of a vacation on St Maarten – St Martin. Even though the island is small in size – only 37 square miles – the mountainous terrain allows room for several towns and villages, with an amazing variation of landscapes. The infrastructure is acceptable by Caribbean standards, but doesn't compare to the quality of American or European road systems. Roads are build for slow to medium speeds, and 'sleeping policemen' (speed bumps) are widely used in residential areas.