How to Spend 5 Days in St. Martin / St. Maarten Caribbean: 2022 Travel Guide

Trying to plan a trip to St. Martin / St. Maarten during COVID times? Well you’re in luck because this post is going to detail everything you need to know about going to this Caribbean destination. I’ll even have some super helpful tips you need to know that will make your trip much smoother. Plus if you are here because of my reel, I’ll show you the tutorial. Woohoo!

I took this 5-day trip in April 2022. This post is up-to-date with current restrictions but as we all know, COVID requirements are subject to change. Please make sure you check the St. Maarten website for the most recent updates.

What are the COVID requirements in St. Martin?

First and foremost, this island is owned by two different countries. The side of St. Martin is owned by the French and the side of St. Maarten is owned by the Dutch. If you are flying directly to the island, you will arrive on the Dutch side at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM). You need your passport to get on the island, but you will not need it when travelling between the French and Dutch sides.

As of May 2022, you do not need to submit a COVID test if you are fully vaccinated. However, St. Maarten does require you to submit your proof of vaccination and flight information on their website. This is in addition to your airline requirements. This form is called EHAS and you can only submit within 72 hours of your travel date so don’t forget! Once you submit the form and pay the required $15 travel insurance fee, they will email you a document if you are approved. Mine took about 3 hours for approval. You’ll need to show this approval document to customs in order to enter the island.

St. Martin / St. Maarten Day 1

On day 1 we took it easy. We went to Mullet Bay beach for lounging. There is a new restaurant bar called Kalatua that just opened up this past March. We quickly knew it was going to be our go-to spot for beachside relaxation. Their menu is fresh and cocktails are *chefs kiss*. One thing to note is that the only way to get to this restaurant is by walking through a golf course, taking a golf car chauffer, or walking along Mullet Bay beach.

For dinner we went to L’Auberge Gourmande which is a French restaurant located in Grand Case. This little restaurant has so much charm. Our waitress said its one of the oldest Creole buildings on the island. The limestone walls are covered in beautiful art from local artists (and they’re available for purchase)!

St. Martin / St. Maarten Day 2

On day 2 we went to a little French bakery called Jules for breakfast, then headed to Loterie Farm. It’s a little oasis with a pool, hot tubs, hikes, zip lining, and a restaurant. We booked a cabana for ~$85 which was totally worth it. When we weren’t in the pool we had a place to retreat to from the sun. The cabanas come with two cocktails per person or a bottle of rosé. There always DJ or dance music playing when you are there. At the end of the day we took a little walk around the grounds and ran into some monkeys! It was so fun to watch them run around, climb trees, scratch their butts, etc.

At night we went to Carnival Village to listen to live music and dance. The Carnival celebrations usually happen sometime between February and May. We found the Carnival schedule of events here. You can also ask around, someone knows where the party is! There’s usually some kind of event happening every night. And tons and tons of food. The live music was very loud (stadium style) so if you are sensitive to loud music take some ear plugs with you.

St. Martin / St. Maarten Day 3

On day 3 we got gazebo massages at Sonesta Hotel. The gazebo overlooks the water. It was so relaxing listening to the waves crash against the rocks during our massages.

After our massage we headed over to Topper’s Rhum Factory for a tour and tasting. I’m not that big a fan of rum, and this tour really changed my mind. They showed us how they make the rum, and how to cook with it! We would definitely go back to get more of their rum since not all the flavors are available in the United States. P.S. They also have an ice cream shop with some of their rum flavors! Double bonus: this rum is filtered well and doesn’t give you hangovers!

St. Martin / St. Maarten Day 4

After days of relaxing we decided to do a water excursion! We took a snorkeling boat tour with Captain Bob’s Speed Boat. I’ve booked several excursions with Viator and they never ever disappoint. This excursion has definitely made my top 3. This tour had 6 stops: Simpson Bay, Tintamarre Island, Pinel Island, Creole Rock, Mullet Bay, and Princess Juliana International Airport. You really go around the entire island of St. Martin with this tour. We saw so much sea life including turtles, rainbow fish, and squid. Bring your waterproof phone case for this one. View the full itinerary here.

For dinner we went to Pineapple Pete’s which has great local island food. Must try!

St. Martin / St. Maarten Day 5

One day 5 we went to Reveil Matin for breakfast, then beach hopping! Please note that many beaches on the French side of the island are nude optional.

Here’s a list of beaches to visit:

• Maho Beach
• Mullet Bay Beach
• Red Bay or Baie Rouge Beach
• Cupecoy Bay
• Great Bay Beach
• Orient Bay Beach
• Nettle Bay
• Friar’s Bay Beach

For our goodbye dinner we had all you can eat sushi at Rainbow Cafe. There’s a fun swing where you HAVE to stop to take an Instagram-worthy picture. I mean that’s basically what it’s there for ha! When you walk into the seaside restaurant make sure you look at the ceiling. It is boho heaven. There’s a mixture for flowers, rattan pendants, greenery flowing from the ceiling. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Plus there is a little boutique on the top floor you can shop at while you wait for your food. Make sure you get here early enough to watch the sunset 🙂

Addition Tips for St. Martin / St. Maarten

• In addition to credit cards, bring cash in USD. Many places are still cash only. They take US dollars so no need to take out guilders from the ATM. Plus the ATM fees are a bit high ~$6-7 per withdrawal.
• Rent a car, that way you can really explore the entire island.
• Both French and English are spoken on the island. I used Duolingo to spruce up on my conversational French! Don’t be afraid to try, the locals were very excited and super nice even when I butchered what I was trying to say haha.
• Bring a waterproof phone case. You’ll want to capture some beautiful sea animals if you do a water excursion.

Other Restaurants and Activities That Looked Good

Restaurants:

• Sunset Bar & Grill
• District 721
• Nowhere Special
• The Palms
• Buccaneer Beach Bar

Activities

• Rainforest Adventures SXM
• Tijon Perfumerie
• Fort St. Louis
• The Boardwalk
• Rhino ATV Safaris
• Paradise Peak Hike
• Guana Bay Hike
• Belvue Hiking Trails

How to Make a Travel Presentation Instagram Reel

Hey there! Thanks for watching my reel. I found the inspo on TikTok. Here’s a quick tutorial on how I made it using the Capcut app.

1. Make a PowerPoint presentation and press the spacebar on queue using the reel audio (7 seconds).
2. Overlay your background video (0.1 seconds each) at the 00:01, 00:03, 00:03 (10f), and 00:03 (20f) mark.
3. For the remainder, alternate videos of 0.3 and 0.4 seconds each until you hit 13 seconds total in your video.
4. Tada! You have a fun reel!