Expan Experience: Discovering the French side of Saint Martin

The island of Saint Martin is becoming a trendy destination amidst the beauty of the Caribbean Sea. There are many reasons why travelers from all over the world are choosing this paradise on Earth; the main one, clearly, is the opportunity to experience two destinations in one: Sint Maarten, the Dutch side, and Saint Martin, the French side .

In this edition of Expan Experience , Cynthia Moya , Sales Supervisor, tells us about her recent adventure on the French side of Saint Martin , a fascinating destination for its beaches, its multiple accommodation options, the ease of exploring the island by car, top-notch gastronomy and adrenaline-filled excursions.

The experience at the destination: Better by car

" Saint Martin is an island divided between two countries: Saint Martin on the French side and Sint Maarten on the Dutch side. The FAM is called Fly-In because upon arrival, we had a car available for each FAM participant —there were approximately 61 or 63 of us—and each person had their own car to drive, visit the island, and follow the designated itinerary ."

When we arrived at our destination, we realized that all the itineraries were different . Before this FAM trip, we received surveys asking us, for example, what kind of activities we wanted to do, which hotels we were interested in visiting, and based on that, they created an itinerary . You always found yourself in the same group, but you never had the same itinerary as someone else. That was super fun .

They would give you the meeting point for the activity—a restaurant, a hotel—the address, the time, and you had to get there on your own. At first, I felt a little scared, because obviously I was in another country, and I was a bit afraid of getting lost, but as the days went by, I realized that driving on the island is super easy , that there aren't that many roads, and that if you happen to take the wrong route, you can quickly find another one .

After that, I didn't want to let go of the car. After this experience, I think renting a car is almost essential to really get to know a destination ."

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Diverse beaches

" Saint Martin is a Caribbean island, so the climate is tropical, with lots of sun and heat in general . It's not a very rainy place. It's an area affected by hurricanes, so that should be taken into account for certain dates ."

The island has approximately 37 beaches between the Dutch and French sides , so having a car and exploring it makes perfect sense. The truth is, each beach is quite different from the others. Some have bigger waves and are more popular for wind sports, while others are like lagoons with turquoise water, calm seas, and incredibly white, crystal-clear sand. There's something for everyone .

The island isn't big. To give you an idea, it takes no more than half an hour to get from one point in the Dutch sector to the French sector ; that's the longest it took me to get from one place to the other. You can get from one beach to another in 10 minutes. I'd also recommend a car because there's no public transportation—you don't see buses or taxis, there's no Uber —so it's not very easy to get around .

Accommodation and dining options

" Having explored the island myself, I would recommend staying in a hotel with just breakfast and exploring on your own . That's truly the charm of the place; it's the best way to experience it. Many hotels, apartments, and houses have kitchens—most of the ones I visited did. There are also very good supermarkets on both sides of Saint Martin with reasonable prices. You could stay in a hotel, for example, with breakfast included, cook one meal a day, and then go to a restaurant ."

The French side is particularly noteworthy for its gastronomy . I truly believe it's one of the destination's strongest points. You can really tell you're in France . The food is spectacular. So many things, seafood, so many meats—tomahawk steak, offal. I really tried to sample a wide variety of dishes. And each one was like a work of art , accompanied by excellent wines .

On the other hand, the French side has excellent service. People greet you with a smile every time . They're always offering advice, like recommendations or wine suggestions for each meal. The atmosphere on the French side is kind of hippie-chic; the vibe is more relaxed, with live music, and some restaurants even have grills on the beach at night for cooking .

Saint Martin Essentials

Marigot, the capital of Saint Martin, is a marina where ferries depart for neighboring islands like Anguilla and Saint Barth , which are about an hour away. Many people who visit Saint Martin take the opportunity to explore these islands. In Marigot, you'll find food stalls, fresh fish, restaurants, and a shopping center . Cruise ships also arrive, though fewer than on the Dutch side .

I stayed in Orient Bay , which was my favorite area to stay in because there's so much to do outside the hotel, like a main street with restaurants and minimarkets. There's a plaza that's not very noticeable during the day, but at night it's lit up and full of outdoor restaurants . The vibe in Orient Bay is relaxed, ideal for young adults . The beach is full of restaurants and beach clubs. One restaurant hosts barbecue nights on Saturdays, with live music or a DJ, creating a really cool atmosphere .

Another popular area is Grand Case , a large beach with a street lined with restaurants of all kinds, from open-air grills to gourmet establishments. There's also the Grand Case Hotel Beach Club, with two beautiful beaches, ideal for those seeking calm waters .

I visited Anse Marcel Bay , where catamaran and jet ski tours depart. It's a tranquil bay with lush vegetation. There's a hotel there, Secrets, which is soon to open as a Hyatt, and I'd recommend visiting the beach for the day .

Another well-known beach is Baie Rouge , on the French side and near the northern edge of the Dutch side. I also visited the Belmond Hotel La Samanna , a luxury hotel with villas and a dreamlike beach, ideal for high-end guests—one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen .

What to do in Saint Martin

" Saint Martin is known for its many activities at sea. For example, catamarans and yachts are very common there. People offer services like , 'I know someone who has a private yacht and can take you to the neighboring islands or for a trip with food and other things.' Water sports like windsurfing, kitesurfing, and jet skiing are very popular on the various beaches."

One activity I did was jet skiing. This tour, called the Sunset Tour , was unforgettable and is one of my favorites. It departed at approximately 5:00 pm from the Marigot marina and lasted two hours. It's called the Sunset Tour because at the end we watched the sunset while we were doing the activity . We were a group of eight people with two guides, one in front and one in back to assist in case of any difficulties .

The tour began with 15 minutes in the bay to familiarize ourselves with the jet ski, learning how to accelerate and brake, and the instructions for maintaining a safe distance . Then we headed out to sea, which was an extreme experience. At first, I struggled to maneuver the jet ski, but with the guide's help, I improved .

We explored various parts of the coast until we reached the beach at the La Samanna hotel, where the guide brought out champagne to toast the sunset. We stopped at three points for explanations about the area. On the way back, I was much more skilled at handling the jet ski, although the sea was rougher. It's an extreme tour and not for everyone, but it was an incredible experience .

Tips and recommendations

• Avoid going between August and October because that's hurricane season , and some restaurants and hotels close. It's not worth going if everything isn't open.
• I got an eSIM from Airalo through an app; it cost me $10 for 1GB of data and it was great because, since I had a car, I needed internet to use Google Maps and get around . All the hotels have Wi-Fi, and so do the restaurants. If I went to the Dutch side, I lost internet access because the eSIM only worked on the French side . The same went for roaming .
• Use sunscreen every time you go out for any reason . Even if it's cloudy, the sun is very strong.
• Staying with breakfast only isn't the best option. It's not a destination for an all-inclusive hotel because there's so much to see, so many places to eat, so many beaches to discover, and if you go all-inclusive you'll really miss out on all of that if you don't leave the hotel; it's like you haven't truly experienced the essence of the destination.
• Driving is easy, and there aren't many roads or routes, so it's not difficult to understand the island. In fact, on the last day I often didn't use the GPS because it was always the same route for everything.
• Travel insurance . Always carry travel insurance, for any destination.
• Regarding air travel, from Chile you can reach Saint Martin with Copa or American Airlines .
• On the French side, everything is charged in euros, while on the Dutch side it's in dollars . However, I recommend bringing dollars because it's more convenient and the exchange rate was almost the same everywhere . If you paid 30 euros, they charged you 30 dollars. They also accept credit cards.