ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN

(includes Isla de Pinel)

BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
●Bar at Love Hotel – 140 Boulevard de Grand Case (St. Martin); 590-590-298-714; love-sxm.com; on stilts right over beach; stellar wine list and excellent pre-dinner appetizers.
●Boo Boo Jam – Orient Bay (St. Martin); 011-1721-554-4670; fairly unremarkable beach bar (touristy) that on weeked nights becomes “ultimate French Caribbean danc party.”
●Red Piano – Pelican Resort (St. Maarten); 011-599-544-6008; live bands on many nights; try guavaberry rum.
●Sunset Beach Bar & Grill – Caravanserai Resort (St. Maarten); 011-599-545-2084; sunsetsxm.com; watch people jump at to tag landing aircraft at airport’s runway, visible in distance.

BEACHES
●Baie Rouge – St. Martin; lovely.
●Orient Bay – St. Martin; among island’s best beaches; warning – clothing optional.
●Petites Cayes Beach – St. Martin; to get here, you have to walk past landfill but trek is worth it; hike through nature reserve called “Wilderness,” past landfill, to island’s most northernmost tip; island’s most sweeping views.

HOTELS
●Hotel L’Esplanade – Grand Case (St. Martin); 590-590-870-655; lesplanade.com; charming boutique hotel on French side, overlooking downtown; all rooms have private kitchens and terraces.
●Karibuni Lodge – 29 Terrasses de Cul de Sac (St. Martin, overlooks Isla de Pinel); 011-590-690-643-858; lekaribuni.com; owned by Karibuni Restaurant owners; lovely.
●Love Hotel – 140 Boulevard de Grand Case (St. Martin, Grand Case); 590-590-298-714; love-sxm.com; right on beach; recently renovated; 7 rooms.
●La Samanna – Baie Longue (St. Martin); 590-590-876-400 or 800-957-6128; orient-express.com; Mediterranean-style, whitewashed property sits on beach's cove end; average food.

RESTAURANTS
●La Crepe en Rose – Boulevard de Grand Case (St. Martin, Grand Case); pink-&-white food cart that serves dessert crepes.
●Restaurant Karibuni – Baie Cul de Sac (Isla de Pinel); 011-590-690-396-700; karibunipinel.com; for lobster.
●Maximo Café – Porto Cupecoy (St. Maarten); 011-599-554-0333; seafood; French restaurant; expensive.
●Talk of Town Too – Boulevard de Grand Case (St. Martin, Grand Case); 011-590-590-296-389; not refined; open-air, French bistro meals; order lobster.
●Up on Key – 140 Baie Cul de Sac (Isla de Pinel); 011-590-690-773-545; uponthekey.com; for hamburgers and tequila-spiked shrimp.
●Yellow Beach – Baie Cul de Sac (Isla de Pinel); 011-590-690-338-833 or 011-590-690-771-500; best of 3 Isla de Pinel restaurants; barbecued seafood.

SERVICES
●Kakao Beach – Orient Bay (St. Martin); 011-590-590-874-326; kakaobeach.com; chairs in sand and tables with thatched covers.

SHOPPING
●Sarafina’s – Boulevard de France (St. Martin, Marigot); 011-590-590-297-369; bakery.
●La Sucriere – Boulevard de France (St. Martin, Marigot); 011-590-590-511-330; bakery.

SIGHTS & SITES
●Isla de Pinel – just off St. Martin; small island that used to house mentally ill (pinel Portuguese for “crazy”); beaching, hiking, and snorkeling.
●Princess Casino – Cole Bay (St. Martin, Port de Plaisance); 011-590-599-544-4311; princessportdeplaisance.com; gambling and live floor shows.