St. Maarten: sun-soaked paradise

Getting into St. Maarten in the Caribbean takes about four hours from New York by flight. We had heard of the great beeches of the place, 37 at last count. Sue, who loves beeches, had jumped up in excitement at Sheena’s, our travel agent’s, office.
We landed at the Princess Juliana airport which has a duty-free shop, a restaurant, a bank, even car rentals.

The airport taxi delivered us to one of the world’s best hotels booked by Sheena on Orient Beach called La Plantation. Arriving there I felt I was stepping into Grimm’s fairyland- one with palm trees and a swimming pool. Beautiful furniture with great downy beds and pillows and mosquito nets reminiscent of the sets of Cleopatra made our two-day stay very comfortable. Plus, we had this long balcony overlooking the ocean; all very exotic and glamorous.

We went for a walk down Orient Beach in the evening after tea. This beach is clearly demarcated for aquatic sports. We saw some lovely diving and snorkeling spots. Charming huts – called ‘tiki’ huts – line this particular beach.

The next morning we went to explore Marigot, the capital of the French side of the country. This tiny little place with only four streets to boast of nestles rather smugly next to the Marigot Bay. This infinitesimal megapolis packs in quite a bit in terms of bustling crowds, a handicrafts’ bazaar, designer outlets housing the trendiest wares from the world over (all tax-free, by the way). Great bistros and coffee houses make it look very French.

We couldn’t resist visiting that evening the Dutch-side capital of this interesting and diverse little country. So we drove down to Philipsburg where most people speak English. The place is more well-developed than its French counterpart and happens to be a real shopper’s paradise. Since we were not in the mood for any shopping we were content to sit out at the harbor at a wayside café and watch the ships dock.
It was evening by the time we got back, tired, hungry but immensely happy.