St. Maarten Travel Guide

My husband and I visited the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Maarten recently for the first time, and loved it! I am sharing where we stayed and everything we did in this post, so you can reference it if you ever visit the island. You can find links to the outfits I wore on the trip (& my favorite luggage) in this post.

ABOUT THE ISLAND:

The island is actually shared by 2 nations. The name depends of which side of the island you are on: the Dutch side is called Sint Maarten and the French side is called Saint-Martin. Each side has its own government and capital, but you can move freely between the 2 without passport control. You can get to St. Maarten either by plane or cruise ship. We took a direct 4 hour flight from our home in Charlotte NC to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM). A passport is required for entry into the island.

Cars are available to rent, and many people opt to rent one at the airport to explore the full island. They drive on the right side of the road on St. Maarten, but some of the roads are hilly and narrow, so we opted to take a cab when we explored off property.

**Plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas available at JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa**

WHERE WE STAYED:

We stayed at the newly renovated JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa on Dawn Beach located on the Dutch side of the island. It is a 30 minute drive from the airport and in a quieter area which we really enjoyed. The resort just opened in 2024, so the entire property is beautiful and newly designed. There are multiple types of rooms and suites available including some with their own plunge pool.

There is a large infinity pool (the largest on the island!) with ample chairs and umbrellas, and you don’t even have to leave the pool if you want a drink, as there is a swim up bar. The resort offers a beach area with plenty of chairs plus there are cabanas to rent at the beach and pool. Attendants are walking around to take your food or drink order and can bring it right to you.

The resort also offers a fully equipped fitness center, pickleball court and kids club. Hibiscus Spa is a beautiful spa on property that I highly recommend as I had a wonderful massage there. If you book a treatment, plan some extra time to enjoy the relaxation room, steam room and sauna at the spa.

You can even take cooking and mixology classes at JW Culinary School located on the property. They offer interactive cooking and drink making experiences led by an in-house chef.

I cannot say enough good things about the kindness of the staff and hospitality we received from everyone at JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa. From the moment they greeted us with complimentary rum punch at arrival, until the time they put our luggage in a taxi on the way back to the airport, the service was outstanding.

WHAT WE DID:

Because of all of the amenities at the resort, we stayed on property during much of our stay. We did explore 2 different beaches in other parts of the island that we enjoyed - each for different reasons. Maho Beach, the famous “airplane beach” is a must see in St. Maarten. It is located at the end of the airport runway and offers incredible views of planes landing just over your head. Mullet Bay is located not far from Maho Beach and is a beautiful large beach with umbrellas and chairs to rent. Mullet Bay is a great option for swimming and snorkeling. There are a few restaurants located at both of these beaches for grabbing a drink or a bite to eat.

There are plenty of other things you can do on the island, including a day trip to St. Barths or Anguilla, jeep tours, sunset cruises and so much more. The staff at JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa can help coordinate any of these activities.

WHERE WE ATE:

The JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa offers multiple restaurants on site, so we enjoyed most of our meals on property. Liguria is a fine dining restaurant open for dinner and offers delicious Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and an excellent wine list. Carambola is a laid-back restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We enjoyed breakfast here each day overlooking the pool and beach. It offers a nice selection of seafood for lunch and dinner as well as a variety of other options. Breeze offers casual dining right on the ocean. You can sit at a table to eat or enjoy your food and drinks from your pool or beach chair. You can find out more about all of the dining options at the JW Marriott here.

Our favorite meal of the trip was at Ocean 82 in large part due to the stunning sunset views. It is located right on the water in the Grand Case area, about a 20 minute drive from the resort. Ocean 82 is a fantastic fine dining restaurant with delicious French cuisine. Be sure to make a reservation in advance so you are there at sunset, and request a table right on the water.

There were a few other highly recommended restaurants that we did not make it to including Java, another French restaurant located near Ocean 82 with amazing sunset views. Be sure to make a reservation in advance and note that they are closed on Mondays. Big Fish, a seafood restaurant not far from the resort, was also recommended and has great reviews.

I hope this recap is helpful if you decide to visit St. Maarten in the future. If you are looking for some vacay outfit inspo, you can find links to the outfits I wore on the trip (& my favorite luggage) in this post.

We really enjoyed our visit to the island and we will definitely be back!

Thank you to JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa for sponsoring this post. All content, opinions and photos are my own.

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