Putting the Sin in Sint Maarten
Las Vegas calls itself Sin City because, supposedly, what happens there stays there. But Las Vegas also has 110-degree summers, no beach, and a strict drinking age that someone actually checks. Sint Maarten has all the freedom and none of the desert. Here's what most Americans don't realize until they land.
The Traveler Cup — Drinking Age and Public Alcohol Laws in Sint Maarten
Order a drink at a bar, restaurant, or beach club. Not finished when you're ready to leave? Ask for a "traveler" — a plastic cup the bartender will happily pour your remaining drink into. Now you can walk down the street, along the beach, or back to your hotel, drink in hand, completely legally. Didn't finish your bottle of wine at dinner? Cork it and take it with you.
In most of the United States this would get you a ticket. Here, it's what you do if you don't want to waste your hard-earned party cash.
The legal drinking age is 18 — though in practice, nobody's checking ID at the bar.
Casinos in St Maarten
Slots, table games, poker, baccarat, sports betting — Dutch Sint Maarten has more casinos per square mile than almost anywhere in the Caribbean. We've written a full guide to which ones are worth your time.
Adult Entertainment in St Maarten - Legal, and Without the Stigma
Sint Maarten has a long-standing, legal, regulated adult entertainment scene — and here's what surprises people most: women and couples are welcome everywhere, and about one in three customers at these clubs is a woman. Locals go because drinks are cheap and it's simply part of the nightlife. There's no wink-wink, no shame, no "what happens here stays here." It's just Tuesday night.
Here's the detail that breaks people's brains completely: one of the island's best Chinese restaurants has no sign, no name on the door, nothing. It's inside Club Carolina — yes, that kind of club. Politicians eat there. Business leaders eat there. Everyone on the island knows about it, and nobody thinks twice.
Don't take our word for it that there's no stigma. The Platinum Room — Sint Maarten's leading adult entertainment club — operates inside the Sonesta location at Maho Village, the island's largest and most mainstream hotel complex. Family vacationers and bachelor parties, same building.
Sint Maarten and LGBTQ+ Travelers
Sint Maarten has a welcoming atmosphere for LGBTQ+ visitors, and also the security of Dutch and French legislation. This is not the British-shaped Caribbean with their intolerance you might have heard about.
Cuban Cigars and Cheap Cigarettes — Smoking Rules in Sint Maarten
American visitors used to stepping outside in the rain to smoke will find Sint Maarten refreshingly relaxed — most restaurants and bars allow it, full stop. And here's the kicker for cigar lovers: Cuban cigars, illegal to bring home to the United States, are sold openly here, no questions asked. Cigarettes are absurdly cheap too — cartons start around $22, a fraction of US prices.
Why Americans Really Come to Sint Maarten
Strip away the beaches and the weather for a second — plenty of places have those. What Sint Maarten offers that almost nowhere in America does is the simple, old-fashioned freedom to be a grown adult making your own choices, without someone checking your ID, ticketing your open container, or judging where you had dinner. That's the real sin. And it feels pretty good.
For these reasons, and so many more, we assert that St. Maarten is the legitimate heir to the title of Sin City.
