Are you wondering when you will be able to travel to St Martin again? The good news for some is now! St Martin is currently open for tourists from Saba, Sint Eustatius, Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba, Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, the British Virgin Islands, Europe, and North America.
There are however some travel requirements…but those will be rewarded:
"With all the travel restrictions we went through and are still going through, St Martin has been very quiet, and nature has been recovering & replenishing. The Island is now more pristine than ever both on shore and under water."
With this blog, I hope to help you make your St Martin travel dream come true as soon as possible! I have made a summary to help guide decisios regarding when and how to go about travel to Sint Maarten. First, I will take you on a virtual tour to St Martin.
A virtual tour of St Martin/Sint Maarten
St Martin is one of the Most culturally diverse places in the Caribbean. The Island is shared between the French and the Dutch. Here are my favourite things about the Island:
The New Orleans vibe of Marigot
Once a fishing village on a swamp, Marigot is a typical and authentic Caribbean town. The small town offers a hill fort and charming architecture. Bright coloured buildings predominate.
St Martin’s pristine beaches
There are many great beaches to be found around the Island. One of them is the famous Maho Beach, where people gather to watch planes land on the island's short runway, their feet on the warm sand! Cupecoy, in the South West of the Island offers a series of small beaches with gentle waves and incredible sunsets. Orient Bay is the most famous beach on the French side, with kilometres of white sand and great waters. The beach offers wind sports, bars, and luxury accommodation.
St Martin’s world class French and Creole cuisine
The Island is known as the Caribbean culinary capital. You can find excellent French restaurants or local Creole food, plus many fusions of the two cuisines. The street food is so flavourful, try the coal fire grills BBQ! The best culinary experiences are to be found on the French side of the Island, specifically in Grand Case.
The View from Pic Paradise
Pic Paradise is the highest point on the Island! The mountain is very lush and offers a breath-taking view on of St. Maarten/Martin, the surrounding sea and islands.
Underwater treasures
The waters of St Martin are relatively shallow and tend to remain warm and clear. It is a great place to learn or practice diving! You will come across sharks, turtles, dolphins, colourful tropical fishes, and areas of coral. There are even a few wreck dives! If you prefer, you can always practice snorkelling! There are many fabulous spots around the Island, right from the beach.
How to make your dreams come true
As you can see on our Corona News page, there are some requirements to take into account. As per July 1st 2020, passengers are required to take a COVID-19 RT-PCR test, with proof of negative results no older than 72 hours prior to the day of arrival (children aged 10 and under are exempt from testing). I would advise checking your own government website on how to get tested (if it is possible to get tested).
Be prepared to keep yourself safe during your travel: wear a mask at the airport and in the aeroplane. Make sure you have enough clean masks to change when needed. Avoid touching your face and try to wash your hand as often as possible. I would even recommend keeping a mini liquid hand soap and a hand sanitizer with you in case there are not any around. Make sure to keep social distancing at the airport. Some airlines are taking the time to clean planes in-between flights, but feel free to quickly wipe your armrest and the air circulation knob. Be prepared to undertake a health screening once at the airport in St Maarten. You might want to consider that getting out of airport arrivals might take a bit longer than usual when wishing to connect to any further transfers.
I would also recommend checking your travel and medical insurance. Be aware that in most cases, travel insurances do not cover extra travel costs incurred due to the virus! Check that your medical insurance is covering the COVID-19 illness also when you are abroad.
As this is an unprecedented situation, things can remain uncertain. For this reason, I would advise keeping informed about the travel restrictions and requirements. You can do so by checking our Corona page, which is updated daily. You can also check the requirement for your airline and hotels on their respective websites.
Going through the formalities has its rewards
These requirements can feel a bit overwhelming, but the reality is that St Martin now offers a window of unprecedented opportunity! With all the travel restrictions we went through and are still going through, St Martin has been very quiet, and the nature recovered and replenished. The Island is now more pristine than ever both on shore and under water. Those returning first to St Martin will be rewarded by an experience of the island at its most pristine in decades! So, my advice would be not to wait too long before making your dream come true!
"Those returning first to St Martin will be rewarded by an experience of the island at its most pristine in decades!"
Feel free to contact us with your questions or any booking enquiries.
About the author
Hi! I'm Axelle, the StMartinbookings.com
writer of this blog post.
If you have questions or feedback, feel free to contact me on:
[email protected]
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