#StMaartenStMartin

2 min

A perfect St. Maarten Beach: beautiful Mullet Bay

On the half French-half Dutch island of St. Maarten, beaches exist to suit almost every personality, every taste, and every generation. There’s Le Galion, with its family-friendly, placid waters on the French side, or Maho Beach with its party atmosphere, rocking beach bars, and incredibly loud, low flying planes. (For a look at exactly how low these planes fly over Maho Bay, check out this post.) But just near the famous beach that airliners cross on their way to the Prince

2 min

Historic Fort Louis: a "must see" on your St. Martin vacation

The Dutch-French island of St. Maarten/St. Martin may have 37 beaches where you can bliss out, but that's not all this tropical island offers travelers. During the week the Island Runaways recently spent exploring this Caribbean destination, we discovered several intriguing sights, including the charming capital of Marigot, on the French side of the isle. If brightly painted, Creole architecture and flair make you smile, you'll want to spend time here. Perhaps buying freshly

2 min

Caribbean getaway tip: Try St. Martin's tranquil Le Galion beach

During our recent tropical island getaway to St. Maarten/St. Martin, the Island Runaways oohed and aahed over the bright turquoise seas at Mullet Bay beach and the secluded splendor of Baie Rouge or Red Bay. Both beaches were alive with the sound of waves and crashing surf; Mullet Bay especially was popular with body borders and even surfers. Yet we'd come to St. Martin with our littlest "island runaway" and so eventually we wanted someplace tranquil and soothing to swim. Did

2 min

Philipsburg's Beach, Bars, and Boardwalk: a St. Maarten attraction

If you visit the waterfront of many Caribbean capitals, you won't exactly find a stretch of amazing beach and turquoise-dappled ocean. (I'm looking at you, Kingston and Port-of-Spain!) And that's entirely natural, because these island capital cities, like many sea-front towns across the world, are working ports. Instead of sun loungers, you'll see industrial machinery and warehouses, or high-rise office buildings dedicated to commerce. So, it was a refreshing surprise to disc

3 min

Marigot: St. Martin's charming capital town

One of the most endearing thing about the Caribbean island of St. Maarten/ St. Martin is that it possesses two cultures, one Dutch and one French, and therefore, two capital towns, Philipsburg and Marigot. In terms of a tropical island getaway, this translates to getting two West Indian destinations for the price of one! While diminutive Phillipsburg boasts eye-popping duty free shopping and a boardwalk fronting the beach, the French capital of Marigot has another type of att

3 min

Not so touristy after all: graceful Grand Case beach, St. Martin

If you've been following our Island Runaways blog, you know that Zickie and I aren't exactly big fans of "tourist-y." Sure, we are often tourists ourselves but the word "tourist-y" can unfortunately translate into uncomfortably crowded beaches and cheese-y, fake-y venues. Not always, of course, but sometimes, yes. Since one of us comes from Jamaica, and knows the islands as a native-born son, we definitely value authentic island experiences. So, the reputation of Grand Case b

4 min

Island Serendipity: Discovering Palm Beach Bar on Orient Bay, St. Martin

Don't you love travel serendipity? By that I mean, don't you love stumbling across a fabulous find? Sure, I read travel guidebooks, fellow travel blogs, magazine articles, and loads of free travel brochures when I'm planning a tropical island getaway, but nothing compares to a spontaneous discovery. So, Zickie, our littlest Island Runaways member, and I are exploring the Caribbean paradise of St. Maarten/St. Martin this week, and trying to see as many of the 30+ beaches this

3 min

More Airplane Excitement than We Bargained for: Maho Bay, St. Maarten

As any travel bloggers worth their salt know, on St. Maarten/ St. Martin you've got to visit Maho Bay. Not because the ocean and sand look so spectacular -- although they do -- but due to the fact that one of the shortest aeronautical runaways in the world starts merely steps away from this tropical beach. (KLM flight ready to land. Photo by Laura Albritton.) The runway on the nearby isle of Saba is in fact shorter; Saba's strip is the shortest commercial airstrip in the worl

3 min

Sublime St. Martin: Baie Rouge beach

So, we've arrived on St. Maarten/St. Martin, the half-Dutch, half-French island in the Caribbean, just south of Anguilla and east of the British Virgin Islands. We Island Runaways are out exploring this gem of a tropical isle. People say that Baie Rouge or "Red Bay" is one of the most beautiful beaches, but sometimes people exaggerate. So, keeping this in mind Zickie and I didn't have overly extravagant expectations. In fact, the place was difficult to find, because the sig

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Articles & photographic inspo for your own island travel. From the Florida Keys to the Caribbean.