St. Martin / St. Maarten (Philipsburg)
Trip Summary
St. Martin / St. Maarten was one of the ports my husband and I visited over the summer on the Carnival Victory via their Southern Caribbean route, and it was definitely one of the surprise favorites of the trip! The island has two sections–the French side (St. Martin) and the Dutch side (St. Maarten), and our ship arrived in Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side. However, the island is small enough that you can visit both sides in a day.
There are a lot of cool things to do on the island, but at this point on the cruise, my husband and I just wanted a day of peace and relaxation, so we decided to quickly see Orient Bay Beach then rent a kayak and travel to Pinel Island, an island off the coast of the north shore of the French side.
Orient Bay Beach is also on the north part of the island where we had to travel in order to get to Pinel, and it was a great spot to hang out and enjoy the sun.
The great thing about St. Martin / St. Maarten is that all the beaches are full of fine, white sand that is perfect for walking along barefoot. It reminded me a lot of Aruba’s beaches–which are gorgeous–and like Aruba, St. Martin / St. Maarten is a spot I could see going back to for a week to enjoy all the place has to offer!
Knowing that we still had a lot to see, we didn’t stay too long at Orient Bay Beach. Pinel Island was still a kayak ride away, so we set off for the northernmost tip of the main island. You can take a short ferry over to Pinel, but we wanted to take our time getting there and enjoy the water and scenery, and I am so glad that we did, because we discovered an absolute treasure of a place along the way (more later on this place!).
The weather was gorgeous on the kayak trip over, and we spent the time taking pictures, watching the sea life, and admiring the coastline from afar. The water is very clear, and even as the depth became deeper, you could see the undisturbed sea bed below and the fish as they swam beneath the kayak.
When we got to Pinel Island, we arrived on one of the more popular beaches as we saw people packed as far as the eye could see. The island has several restaurants right on the beach, and everywhere you looked, you saw people enjoying the sun and the beautiful shoreline. The beaches there are all pristine with sugary white sand, so I could definitely see the draw to this gorgeous place!
For its gorgeous sands and clear water, Pinel gets high marks! However, the place is obscenely crowded, and you have to pay to use any of the chairs. There is hardly any beach space without chairs (or places to dock a kayak), so if you wanted to stay, you had to be in the water and hold all your stuff, and this was a big drawback, so it loses points for this.
Pinel Island: B
After staying for a bit and enjoying the water, we decided to head back. The crowds were bigger than we anticipated, so we thought we’d just start the paddle back at a leisurely pace, and this way, we could enjoy the day by ourselves.
It was on the way back that we discovered a surprise favorite! Petite Clef! This is a small uninhabited island off the coast, but oh, my goodness, is it the perfect getaway for a quiet afternoon! It looked like a cool place to stop and had a beach that we could anchor the kayak, so we paddled for the shore.
After securing the kayak, we started to explore and found all sorts of creatures and plants to admire. The island has a ton of lizards, so my husband especially liked watching them and following them around the island.
Petite Clef also has a lot more shade than Pinel Island because of all the bushes and trees, so we enjoyed sitting on the beach out of the sun and just watching the gentle waves as they came in.
There is nothing like having an island to yourselves, and Petite Clef was the perfect place for it, so I highly recommend a visit if you go! It is very small, so the only way to get there would be a kayak, but it is actually closer to the main island than Pinel, so it would be an easier (and more worthwhile!) trip.
Having found such an awesome place, we were sad to leave, but knowing that we would have to paddle back and then get back to Philipsburg before our ship left, we reluctantly started the trek there. The wind had picked up, too, so the paddle was going to take more work, and we wanted to make it back without worrying about the time.
Petite Clef: A
Luckily, we made it without any problems, but Petite Clef–it was my favorite part of the day! If you go to St. Martin / St. Maarten, and you want a relaxing and peaceful day, definitely go there! You won’t have to fight the crowds or pay to enjoy the beach, and the trip there and back is beautiful!
All in all, St. Martin / St. Maarten is a gorgeous island and a place to put on your bucket list! Make sure that it is on your cruise itinerary, too–it is not a place to be missed!
Favorite Experiences
Well, obviously Petite Clef! I wish we spent the whole day on the island, but I had no idea it even existed until we kayaked near it. Travel forums all mention Pinel Island and beaches on the main island, but this place is a treasure! It is a protected nature preserve, so the wildlife (lizards!) is abundant. The beaches are a bit rocky, but the island is small enough to easily kayak around, and there is a small cove with a sandy beach where we docked our kayak and spent the day. Really, the perfect spot!
What I Wish I Knew
Other than going straight to Petite Clef and staying there for the whole day, I don’t think there is much I would do differently. However, if I have the chance to go back, I will definitely see some of the other popular spots on the main island that I didn’t have a chance to see the first time around.
Maho Beach for be a for sure stop next time–this is the famous beach near an airport where planes fly directly over the beach as they come in to land. Seeing so many cool pictures of this spot, I was really torn on whether to see this beach or a more relaxing place. I loved the day we had, but if I had more time, I would definitely go here!
Also, there are a lot of other beautiful beaches like Mullet Bay, Simpson Beach, Cupecoy Beach, and Friar’s Bay among so many others. The 12 Metre Regatta is a yacht race you can participate in, and this is quite popular. There is also the Flying Dutchman–the steepest zipline in the world–along with a whole host of boat tours that will take you to some of the beaches and neighboring islands (such as Tintamarre Island), so whether you are only staying for a cruise stop or investing in a longer stay, there is tons to do and see!
If you go, there are travel forums here and here, so check those out when planning your excursions! There are plenty and all the activities make this a great island for the perfect vacation! I’d love to see this place again, so if you have any suggestions for what I should see while here, drop me a line!
I also post reels and TikToks regularly of all the places I’ve reviewed on here, so if you want to see some videos of what to expect, check out my social media here:
TikTok: @touristyteacher
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Happy travels!
