Bucket List 196: Sint Maarten!

The Road Travelled · Tales From Sint Maarten · Photos

Country 68/196: The Netherlands – Sint Maarten. Sint Maarten, the Dutch half of the island it shares with France, offers a curious blend of Caribbean charm and European bureaucracy. Officially a “constituent country” of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it’s anything but straightforward, much like its demographics, with only 2% of residents actually Dutch. The island is a cultural patchwork shaped by immigration, tourism, and resilience, especially following the devastation of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Today, it’s home to microbreweries, award-winning beaches, and one of the world’s most notorious airports, where incoming planes skim terrifyingly low over the beach. Say hello to the charming Sunil over a pint at his fantastically named Dutch Blonde Beach Bar.

The Road Travelled

Tales From Sint Maarten

Double Dutch

April 30th, 2025 Jack Noah Rees

I Need Stories

After a week merrily hopping around the southern Windward Islands, our second began further north among the Leeward Islands, landing first at the intriguing—and delightfully perplexing—Saint Martin. It is one of only two Caribbean islands divided between two distinct countries (the other being Hispaniola, shared somewhat uneasily by Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Here, though,…

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