French, Dutch, Caribbean: The joys of St. Martin/Maarten

SAINT MARTIN/SINT MAARTEN—Alain Joe, a.k.a Scooby, proprietor of a beachside barbecue joint that bears his nickname, considers himself both French and Dutch.

His mother was born in St. Martin, a collectivity of France. His father was born in St. Maarten, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Both are from the same island, a 37-square-mile Caribbean gem that is divided between the two European nations.

Joe went to school on the Dutch side. He now runs Scooby’s lolo, one of six beachside open air food stands, in Grand Case on the French side.

Since 1648, these two nations and their people have co-existed and co-mingled. It’s one of the rare places in the world where visitors can have a two-nation vacation on one compact island.

“We’re the smallest country in the world divided into two,” says William Bell, the promotional officer at the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. (St. Martin has its own tourism bureau.)

France has the majority stake with 21 square miles. The Netherlands has 16 square miles. But that doesn’t mean France dominates.

“We’re not very competitive,” Bell says as he gives me a tour of both sides of the island. “Basically, we try very hard to — how do you say? — benefit each other.”

In fact, of the two, the Dutch side is perhaps the more audacious. St. Maarten has loud bars, loud nightclubs and loud casinos, including Casino Royale with 21,000 square feet of gaming. Visitors can enjoy duty-free shopping at the massive Blue Mall.

Even the Princess Juliana International Airport offers an opportunity to be bold and brash. Located at the end of the runway, Maho Beach draws hundreds of sunbathers a day to watch planes land and to stand behind departing jets as the exhaust blows them into the water. (Note: The government does not encourage the practice.)

Next month, the Dutch side will become party central as host of the Heineken Regatta, a four-day sailing race with concerts and other festivities.

St. Maarten feels more American than Dutch. The dominant language is English, and the U.S. dollar is the currency of choice. During dinner at Skipjack’s one night, I can hear a singer at a nearby bar belting out tunes by Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel.

St. Martin, on the other hand, is much sleepier — and very French. French is the main language heard and euros are more prevalent than U.S. dollars.

In true French fashion, Grand Case is dotted with quaint, romantic restaurants that would please any gourmand.

Instead of hitting a casino or nightclub, I entertain myself with a long pleasant hike at the Loterie Farm, where the more adventurous types can zipline over a forest.

Shopping is done in the boutiques of Marigot, the capital of the French side, where you can find designer clothing and accessories.

Rather than big box hotels, visitors can stay at charming properties like the Mercure, which owner Baki Arbia calls a haven for artists. Arbia, who divides his time between Montreal and St. Martin, has commissioned an artist to paint works by Picasso, Basquiat and Miro on the exterior walls.

“Here you are in France,” Arbia says emphatically before offering me a croissant one morning.

But it’s not like one has to choose between the two countries. On a recent Monday, I have lunch in France and dinner in the Netherlands, no passport required.

“We have more than 300 restaurants on this island, and we’re the size of Disney World,” says Paola Morales, the catering and convention services manager at the Westin Dawn Beach Resort and Spa in St. Maarten.

In Grand Case, the culinary epicenter of St. Martin, I try Ocean 82, where I have a terrific tuna steak. The next day for lunch, I go to Scooby’s lolo, where for half the price, I dine on equally delicious snapper while sitting on a bench overlooking the water.

“This is the only place where you can get real local food,” Scooby boasts as he dices a potato.

In St. Maarten, I go upscale again at Temptation by local celebrity chef Dino Jagtiani, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and has cooked at award-winning restaurants in London. A French onion soup spiked with Heineken and Hennessy and baked with gouda and gruyere cheeses is as decadent and rich as it sounds.

Jagtiani likes to think of St. Maarten as the culinary capital of the Caribbean, even though Grand Cayman plays host to a much celebrated food festival each year.

“You have chefs here from all over the world,” Jagtiani says. “Indian, Lebanese, French, American, Chinese — you have such a broad scope of things.”

It's not just chefs who have been drawn here. Bell says the island is made up of people from more than 140 nations.

Nalia Muriel first arrived in St. Maarten from Spain 13 years ago. She intended to stay just for the summer. Now, she’s running St. Maarten Nectar, a company that makes natural beauty products.

“Summer never ends,” she says. “It’s difficult to leave.”

If there’s one thing both sides have in common, it’s that each has beautiful beaches — 36 in total. In St. Martin, I explore the family-friendly Galion Beach before heading to more trendy Orient Bay Beach, with its bars and clothing-optional section. In St. Maarten, moon-shaped Mullet Bay beach entices with its white sand and turquoise blue water.

Like Muriel, Topper Daboul, who along with his wife Melanie runs Topper’s restaurant and Topper’s Gourmet Rhum, found it difficult to leave. He’s from the USA but has lived on the island for decades.

“I feel 20 years younger here,” he says. “I can live in two countries. There are 400 restaurants, 13 casinos. There’s nothing missing here.”

Island-bound visitors should know that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently added St. Martin to a growing list of destinations that have had cases of Zika virus. Kate Richardson, director of the French Office of St. Martin Tourism, says only one person has been infected and that mosquito mitigation efforts are underway.