From the airplane, St. Martin is a green stone resting in unimaginable blue. I’ve seen the color of this water before, but these shades of turquoise truly astonish.
St. Martin is the world’s smallest inhabited island divided between two nations – French on the north, Dutch on the south. An odd arrangement, but it’s worked for 360 years. Although firmly established as a premier vacation destination, St. Martin’s humble northwest corner is quietly known as the “gourmet capital of the Caribbean.” And this, combined with that stunning, stunning blue, makes for a divine recipe.
Grand Case is the epicenter of this gourmet distinction. This little strip of bustling road, neatly nestled where mountain meets sea, feels so French that only the Caribbean water reminded me I was not in France. It’s like a nightly festival: walking the road at dusk, reading handwritten specials on chalkboards, returning greetings of “bonjour” to friendly faces and strolling slowly until the perfect restaurant calls you in.
The integrity and pride in each bistro, café and restaurant is evident from the moment the server greets you to the end when the chef is giving heartfelt instructions for how to prepare his secret morel cream sauce as you’re fervently writing this sacred recipe on a napkin. Cuisine in this delicious town is a celebration every night of the week.
St. Martin is brimming with immaculate beaches, abundant nightlife, kind locals and the best chocolate croissant you’ll ever eat while standing under a palm tree. And while the notion of ever leaving seems almost absurd, a huge advantage of traveling to St. Martin is its proximity to neighboring islands. Anguilla and St. Barths are a short ferry trip away.
For a truly unique experience, consider Saba. It’s a 5-square mile rock sitting thousands of miles above the ocean’s surface with a thousand people living on top. Literally. And most of its inhabitants have been there for generations. With trails for hiking and walls for climbing, Saba is also one of the world’s top 10 diving destinations. A quick ferry ride from St. Martin, this “Queen of the Caribbean” provides an interesting contrast to our busy American lives.
St. Martin and its neighboring islands are more than snorkels and casinos, beach towels and sunburns. They’re bursting with culture, cuisine and tiny corners where time stands still. Sweetening this gourmet location even more, you can travel during the off season of May-October, booking rooms and flights for one-third of the peak-season prices.
