Planning a Trip

Visitor Information

If you're going to either Dutch St. Maarten or French St Martin, contact the St. Maarten/St Martin Tourist Office, 675 Third Ave., Suite 1807, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 800/786-2278 or 212/953-2084 for the department servicing the Dutch side, and tel. 877/956-1234 or 212/475-8970 for the department servicing the French side). In Canada, the office for information about the Dutch side of the island is located at 703 Evans Ave., Suite 106, Toronto, ON M9C 5E9 (tel. 416/622-4300). For information about the French side of the island, contact 1981 Ave. McGill College, Suite 490, in Montréal (tel. 514/288-4264). Once on the island, go to the Tourist Information Bureau, Vineyard Office Park, 33 W. G. Buncamper Rd., Philipsburg, St. Maarten, N.A. (tel. 599/54-22337), open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

The tourist board on French St. Martin, called the Office du Tourisme, is at Route de Sandy Ground, Marigot, 97150 St. Martin (tel. 590/87-57-21), open Monday to Friday from 8am to 1pm and 2:30 to 5:30pm.

For information on the Web about the French side, go to www.st-martin.org. For information about the island's Dutch side, search out www.st-maarten.com.

Getting There

There are two airports on the island. St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport (tel. 599/54-54211) is the second-busiest airport in the Caribbean, topped only by San Juan, Puerto Rico. You can also fly to the smaller L'Espérance Airport, in Grand-Case on French St. Martin (tel. 590/87-10-36).

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300 in the U.S. and Canada; www.aa.com) offers more options and more frequent service into St. Maarten than any other airline -- two daily nonstop flights from New York's JFK and one from Miami. Additional nonstop daily flights into St. Maarten are offered by American and its local affiliate, American Eagle (same number), from San Juan. Ask about American's package tours, which can save you a bundle.

Continental Airlines (tel. 800/231-0856 in the U.S. and Canada; www.flycontinental.com) has daily nonstop flights out of its hub in Newark, New Jersey, during the winter months. However, in low season flight times vary. Delta Airlines (tel. 800/241-4141 in the U.S. and Canada; www.delta.com) flies in from New York City, and United (tel. 800/538-2929) also offers flights from New York. Both leave from JFK airport.

US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322 in the U.S. and Canada; www.usairways.com) offers nonstop daily service from Philadelphia and Charlotte to St. Maarten. BWIA (tel. 800/538-2942 in the U.S. and Canada, or 599/54-54646 on St. Maarten; www.bwee.com) flies from Trinidad and Jamaica to Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia with connecting flights to St. Maarten offered by partner LIAT.

LIAT (tel. 868/624-4727 in the U.S. and Canada; www.liatairline.com) has one flight out of San Juan. Other flights stop first at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands before going on to St. Maarten. Even so, the trip usually takes only 90 minutes. From St. Martin, LIAT, often with connections, offers ongoing service to Antigua, St. Croix, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Dominica.

If you're coming from St. Barts, there's at least one airline serving the short route directly to French-speaking St. Martin. Winair (tel. 888/255-6889 in the U.S. and Canada, or 599/54-54237; www.fly-winair.com) offers 15 flights daily between St. Maarten and St. Barts, as well as a variety of other islands in the Caribbean.

Getting Around

By Taxi -- Most visitors use taxis to get around. Since they are unmetered on both sides of the island, always agree on the rate before getting into a cab.

Rates are slightly different depending on which side of the island the taxi is based, though both Dutch and French cabs service the entire island. St. Maarten taxis have minimum fares for two passengers, and each additional passenger pays US$4 extra. One piece of luggage per person is allowed free; each additional piece is US$1 extra. Fares are 25% higher between 10pm and midnight, and 50% higher between midnight and 6am. Typical fares around the island are as follows: Queen Juliana Airport to Grand-Case: US$25 for up to two passengers and all their luggage; Marigot to Grand Case, US$15; Queen Juliana airport to anywhere in Marigot, US$15 to US$20; Queen Juliana Airport to the Maho Beach Hotel, US$6; and from Queen Juliana Airport to Philipsburg, about US$15.

St. Martin taxi fares are also for two passengers, but you should plan to add about US$1 for each suitcase or valise and US$2 for each additional person. These fares are in effect from 6am to 10pm; after that, they go up by 25% until midnight, rising by 50% after midnight. On the French side, the fare from Marigot to Grand-Case is US$15, from Queen Juliana Airport to Marigot and from Queen Juliana Airport to La Samanna, US$15.

For late-night cab service on St. Maarten, call tel. 147. Taxi Service & Information Center operates at the port of Marigot (tel. 590/87-56-54) on the French side of the island.

By Rental Car -- Especially if you want to experience both the Dutch and the French sides of the island, you might want to rent a car. The taxi drivers' union strictly enforces a law that forbids anyone from picking up a car at the airport. As a result, every rental agency delivers cars directly to your hotel, where an employee will complete the paperwork. If you prefer to rent a car on arrival, head for one of the tiny rental kiosks across the road from the airport, but beware of long lines.

Avis maintains offices on both sides of the island (tel. 800/331-1212 in the U.S. and Canada, 599/54-52847 on the Dutch side, or 590/87-50-60 on the French side; www.avis.com). National (tel. 800/328-4567 in the U.S.; www.nationalcar.com) is downtown on Airport Road, or at Queen Juliana Airport (tel. 599/54-54415). Budget (tel. 800/472-3325 in the U.S. and Canada; www.budget.com) has offices at the airport (tel. 599/54-54030), and at the cruise-ship terminal (tel. 599/54-30431). All these companies charge roughly equivalent rates.

All four major car-rental agencies require that renters be at least 25 years old. Your credit card issuer may provide insurance coverage, so check before your trip; otherwise, it may be wise to buy the fairly cheap collision-damage waiver (CDW) when you rent.

Drive on the right-hand side of both the French and Dutch roads, and expect traffic jams near the major towns. International road signs are observed, and there are no Customs formalities at the border between the two sides of the island.

By Minibus -- Minibus is a reasonable means of transport on St. Maarten/St. Martin if you don't mind some inconvenience and overcrowding. Buses run daily from 6am to midnight and serve most of the major locations on both sides of the island. The most popular run is from Philipsburg on the Dutch side to Marigot on the French side. Privately owned and operated, minibuses tend to follow specific routes, with fares as follows: Grand Case to Marigot US$1; Philipsburg to Marigot US$1.50.