Fast Facts

Banks -- On the Dutch side, most banks are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4:30pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm. On the French side, they are usually open Monday to Friday 8am to noon. It's easy to find ATMs. On the Dutch side, several banks are clustered along Front Street in Philipsburg. On the French side, most banks are along rue de la République in Marigot.

Currency -- Despite the dominance of the euro since January 2002 within the mother country, Holland, the legal tender on the Dutch side is still the Netherlands Antilles florin (NAf); the official exchange rate is NAf 1.77 for each US$1. U.S. dollars are widely accepted, and prices in hotels and most restaurants and shops are most often designated in dollars as well. On the French side, the official monetary unit is the euro, with most establishments widely quoting and accepting either dollars or NAf guilders as well. At press time, the U.S. dollar was trading at US$1.30 to the euro. (Just before you leave home, you can check the current exchange rates on the Web at www.x-rates.com.) Prices throughout this section are given in U.S. dollars for establishments on the Dutch side, and in either euros or U.S. dollars for establishments on the French side.

Documents -- U.S., British, and Canadian citizens should have a passport, plus an ongoing or return ticket and a confirmed hotel reservation.

Electricity -- Dutch St. Maarten uses the same voltage (110-volt AC, 60 cycles) with the same electrical configurations as the United States, so adapters and transformers are not necessary. However, on French St. Martin, you'll usually need transformers and adapters. To simplify things, many hotels on both sides of the island have installed sockets suitable for both European and North American appliances.

Emergencies -- On the Dutch side, call the police at tel. 599/54-22222 or an ambulance at tel. 599/54-22111; to report a fire, call tel. 911 or tel. 120. On the French side, you can reach the police by dialing tel. 17 or 590/87-88-33. In case of fire, dial tel. 18. For an ambulance dial tel. 15.

Hospitals -- On the Dutch side, go to the Medical Center, Welegen Road, Cay Hill (tel. 599/54-31111). On the French side, the local hospital is Hôpital Concordia Mont Accords, near Marigot in Concordia (tel. 590/52-25-25).

Language -- The language on the St. Maarten side is officially Dutch, and it's officially French on St. Martin. But most people speak English. A French-based patois is spoken by a small segment of the local populace, as are French Creole, Spanish, and Papiamento.

Liquor Laws -- On both sides of the island, liquor is sold in grocery and liquor stores on any day of the week. It's legal to have an open container in public, though the authorities are very strict about littering, disorderly behavior, and drunk driving.

Safety -- If possible, avoid night driving -- it's particularly unwise to drive on remote, unlit, back roads at night due to carjackings. Also, let that deserted, isolated beach remain so. You're safer in a crowd, although under no circumstances should you ever leave anything unguarded on the beach.

Taxes & Service Charges -- There is 3€ (US$3.90) departure tax for departures from Espérance Airport on the French side. However, for departures from Princess Juliana Airport on the Dutch side, there's a tax of US$30 (US$10 if you're leaving the island for St. Eustatius or Saba; if you're leaving by ferry from Marigot Pier to Anguilla, the departure tax is US$4).

On the Dutch side, a government tax of between 5% and 8%, depending on the category of hotel you stay in, is added to hotel bills. On the French side, hotels must levy a taxe de séjour (hotel tax); this differs from hotel to hotel, depending on its classification, but is often 5% a day. In addition to these taxes, most hotels add a (mandatory) service charge of around 10% to 15% to your hotel bill.

Telephone -- To call Dutch St. Maarten from the United States, dial 011 (the international access code), then 599 (the country code for the Netherlands Antilles), followed by 54 and then the five-digit local number. To make a local call on Dutch St. Maarten, dial 54, then the five-digit local number. But if you're calling "long distance" from the Dutch side of the island to the French side of the island, dial 00, followed by 590590 (the most prevalent international access code for French St. Martin) or for cellular phones 590690, followed by the six-digit local number.

If you're on the French side of the island and want to call anyone on the Dutch side, dial 00, followed by 599, then 54, and the five-digit local number. Know in advance that calls between the French and Dutch sides are considered long-distance calls and are much, much more expensive than you might have imagined, considering the relatively short distance.

French St. Martin is linked to the Guadeloupe telephone system. To call French St. Martin from the United States, dial 011 (the international access code), then 590 (the country code for Guadeloupe), then 590 again, and the six-digit local number. To make a call from French St. Martin to any point within French St. Martin, no codes are necessary; just dial the local six-digit French number.

To call the United States from the island, dial AT&T Direct at tel. 001-800/872-2881. To reach MCI, dial tel. 0800/99-00-19, and to reach Sprint, dial tel. 0800/99-00-87. On the Dutch side there are facilities for overseas calls, but from the French side you cannot make collect calls to the States and there are no coin-operated phones. At the Marigot post office you can purchase a Telecarte, giving you 40 units. A typical 5-minute call to the States takes up to 120 units. There are two public phones at the Marigot tourist office from which it's possible to make credit card calls. There are six public phones at the post office.

Time -- St. Maarten and St. Martin operate on Atlantic Standard Time year-round. Thus, in winter, if it's 6pm in Philipsburg, it's 5pm in New York. During daylight saving time in the United States, the island and the U.S. East Coast are on the same time.

Tipping -- Most hotels on both sides on the island add a 10% or 15% service charge to your bill; make sure you're clear on whether or not it's already included in the original price quoted to you. Most restaurants automatically add a service charge to your bill. If service has not been added (unlikely), it's customary to tip around 15%. Taxi drivers also expect a 15% tip.

Water -- The water on the island is safe to drink. In fact, most hotels serve desalinated water.

Weather -- The island has a year-round temperature of about 80°F (27°C).