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Sint Maarten/Saint Martin - At A Glance
~ 800: Settlement of Arawak Indians
~1300: Arrival of the Carib Indians
1493: C. Columbus sights the island on November 11, 1493
~1630: Dutch & French settle on the island
1644: Spaniards give up claims after attacking Dutch & French
1648: The island is divided between the Dutch and the French |
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Philipsburg (Dutch), Marigot (French)
Dutch/French dependencies
~ 39,000
English, Dutch, French
Antillean Guilder, Euro, US $ accepted
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St. Maarten/St. Martin - More Info
Have you ever wondered why sometimes you read Sint Maarten and other times Saint Martin? St. Maarten is the smallest island in the world peacefully shared by two nations. France and the Netherlands have shared the island since 1648: the southern half, part of the Netherlands Antilles, bears the Dutch name St. Maarten; while the French northern half, part of Guadeloupe, is called by the French name Saint Martin.
Are you wondering why there is an advertisement for an ice cream parlor, rather than a thorough review of the island's sights?
Every time we got our equipment ready in order to document this beautiful island, we started our day by having breakfast at Ingrid's "Vanille & Chocolat".
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Enjoying not only excellent food, but also an amazing view from Vanille & Chocolat's terrace, our breakfast turned into brunch. Forced by our curiosity about Dive Safaris Shark Dive, we finally walked over to Bobby's Marina with the prospect of being potential shark bait. After an adventure that exciting, which left us relieved to surface with all our extremities intact, only Ingrid's incomparable ice cream at "Vanille & Chocolat" would do. That's why you'll have to wait for further videos and photos until our return to St. Maarten.
"Vanille & Chocolate" is only a 20 minutes walk from the cruise ship pier in Philipsburg, between Front Street and Boardwalk, granting an amazing ocean view. |
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Shark Experience Dive - Dive Safaris
Long before we even knew that St. Maarten would become one of our travel destinations, we already heard about Big Mama's Reef and Dive Safaris Shark Experience Dive. Rumor had it, that in St. Maarten the sharks were actually hand feed, rather than just attracted by a bucket of frozen meat dropped into the water, the way it is done in the Bahamas. Needless to say, that before we could even take a look at the islands sights or beaches, we made sure to be on Dive Safaris roster for their next Shark Experience Dive. Read more details about this amazing dive on our shark video site. |
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