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St Maarten Information
Size: 16 square miles St. Maarten (Dutch side), 21 square miles St. Martin (French side) Population: 35,000 (Dutch side), 30,000 (French side) Capital: Philipsburg (Dutch side), Marigot (French side) Language: St. Maarten (Dutch/Papiamentu/English); French St. Martin (French/Patois/English) Currency: Dutch Side, Antillean “Florin” or Guilder (US$ Dollar widely accepted); French Side, Euro (value varies, but some French Side businesses accept dollars and Euros at par if you pay cash; it pays to ask). Climate: 82-85 degrees year round with constant breezes. Sometimes hotter in Summer. In mid-winter, low 70s is considered an unusual cold wave; locals wear sweaters and some wear coats and everybody complains about "how cold" it is Electricity: Dutch side 127/120 volts 50 cycles (Adapters not needed for American appliances.) French side 220 volts 60 cycles (Adapters a must for American appliances.) Time: Atlantic Standard (one hour ahead of U. S. Eastern Standard Time) Telephone: Dutch side-Dial 011+599+5+local number French side-Dial 590+590+ local number (590 – 690 for calls to cellular numbers) Drive On: Right hand side of the road |
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Thirty-six
beautiful beaches ring this tiny half-French, half-Dutch island in the West
Indies. Once a sleepy European-flavored cousin to the busier U.S. and British
Virgin Islands to the north, St. Martin/St. Maarten has seen development—and
tourism—rise dramatically over the past decade. But even if the beaches aren’t
quite as empty as they once were, the island is still a charming, relaxed
Caribbean destination.