St. Maarten Hotels
Hotels in the territory of St Maarten are often required for tourists who require short term accommodation. Some tourists may want to see the culture, the history, the tourist attractions, the society, and scenery of the region. Some may want to use a hotel that has a good views and good access to culture and to tourist attractions. Some may want a hotel that has a good reputation. Some may want a hotel that is large or small. Some may want a hotel that is luxury or cheap.
Saint Martin is a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km east of Puerto Rico. The 87 km² island is divided roughly in half between France and the Netherlands Antilles; it is the smallest inhabited sea island divided between two nations. The southern Dutch half comprises the Eilandgebied Sint Maarten (Island area of St. Martin) and is part of the Netherlands Antilles. The northern French half comprises the Collectivité de Saint-Martin (Collectivity of St. Martin) and is an overseas collectivity of France.
Collectively, the two territories are known as St-Martin/St. Maarten. Sometimes SXM, the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport (the island's main airport), is used to refer to the island.
The main towns are Philipsburg (Dutch side) and Marigot (French side).
Philipsburg is the main town on the Dutch side of the Netherlands Antilles island of Sint Maarten, on a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. It is also the capital of all of Sint Maarten. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus on 11 November 1493 but there was already an Arawak settlement there before he made the discovery. Philipsburg was founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy, and soon became a bustling center of international trade. Two historic forts bear witness to Philipsburg's strategic importance in St. Maarten's history: Fort Amsterdam and Fort Willem. The main shopping district, Front Street, is in the heart of the city. Philipsburg has a port that is home to many cruise liners, including the Carnival Valor.
Marigot is the main town and capital on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. Originally a fishing village on a swamp for which it was named, Marigot was made capital during the reign of King Louis XVI, who built Fort St. Louis on a hill near Marigot Bay. Today, that building is the most important in Marigot. Marigot is typical of Caribbean towns, with gingerbread houses and sidewalk bistros. Market days are every Wednesday and Saturday morning, where one can find everything from coconuts, avocados, sweet potatoes and plenty of other tropical fruits & vegetables, all kinds of spices and fresh fish, to fine batik wraps, local arts, crafts and paintings.
Sint Maarten, the Dutch side, is known for its festive nightlife, beaches, jewelry, exotic drinks made with native rum-based guavaberry liquors, and plentiful casinos, while Saint-Martin, the French side, is known more for its nude beaches, clothes, shopping (including outdoor markets), and rich French and Indian Caribbean cuisine.
Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin is home to several world-class accommodations, including hotels, villas, and timeshares, many of which are privately available for rent or sale. Some properties have over 200 rooms, while others have fewer than twenty. Many are located directly on beaches and in upscale shopping districts. Villas pepper the coast, boasting private beaches. Some are private residences, while others are available to affluent renters.
Rental cars are the primary mode of transportation for visitors staying on island. The island is served by several well-known agencies. If any driving is expected off the major roads (such as to some of the more secluded beaches), a 4-wheel drive is recommended. Traffic on the island, however, has become a major problem; long traffic jams between Marigot, Philipsburg and the airport are common.
In
1493, Christopher Columbus embarked on his second voyage to the New World. According
to legend, Columbus sighted and perhaps anchored at the island of Saint Martin
on November 11, 1493, the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours. In his honor, Columbus
named the island San Martin. This name was translated to Sint Maarten (Dutch),
Saint Martin (French and English).
When Columbus sailed these seas, St. Martin was populated, if populated at all, by Carib amerindians. The former Arawaks had been chased by the warlike Caribs coming from the North coast of South America a short time before the arrival of the Spaniards who followed in Columbus' wake. The English word cannibal is derived from an Arawak word which referred to the Caribs. The Arawaks were a relatively cultured, agricultural people who fashioned pottery and whose social organization was headed by hereditary chieftains who derived their power from personal deities called zemis. The Caribs, on the other hand, concentrated on warfare. They killed and, allegedly, ate the Arawak men, then "married" the Arawak women.
The Caribs' territory was not completely conquered until the mid-17th century when most of them perished in the struggle between the French, English, Dutch, Danes and Spanish for control of the West Indies. The Dutch first began to ply the island's ponds for salt in the 1620s. Despite the Dutch presence on the island, the Spaniards recaptured St. Martin in 1633 and, one year later, built a fort (now Ft. Amsterdam) and another artillery battery at Pointe Blanche to assert their claim and control access to Great bay salt pond. The Spaniards introduced the first African slaves to the area in the 16th century but the main influx of African slaves took place in the 18th century with the development of Sugarcane plantations by the French protestants and some Dutch jews. Slavery was abolished in the first half of the 19th century, whereupon on some of their territories the British imported Chinese and East Indians to take the place of slaves. Thus, St. Martin and the other islands are populated by a mixture of Amerindian, European, African, Indians and Asian peoples. West Indian cultures such as in St. Martin are, consequently, exceedingly rich and varied.
On March 23, 1648, France and the Dutch Republic agreed to divide the island between their two nations, so they signed the Treaty of Concordia.
The island area of Sint Maarten (Dutch: Eilandgebied Sint Maarten) is one of five island areas (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, encompassing the southern half of the island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten.
Maho Beach is a beach situated in St Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles, on the Dutch side of the island. The place is known worldwide because of the Princess Juliana International Airport that is situated immediately adjacent to the beach.
Fort Willem, easily recognizable by its television transmission tower, is a historic fort that lies just to the west of downtown Philipsburg, Netherlands Antilles. Built in 1801 by the British, it was taken over by the Dutch in 1816. It's an easy hike up to the fort, with a scenic panorama of Philipsburg and neighboring islands at the top.
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