Sint Maarten vs Saint Martin, oh no we didn’t!

Flamboyant Dutch Sint Maarten or chic French Saint Martin? Ok, we just couldn’t, we’ll leave that up to you! Comment and let us know, but for clarity sake, here’s some information that will help you if this is in fact your first trip to the dual nation island of Sint Maarten/ Saint Martin.

Sint Maarten or St. Maarten, the Dutch side of the island boasts the exciting casinos, more nightlife, and larger resort style accommodations.

Saint Martin or St. Martin for short, the French side, on the other hand has no casinos, less nightlife, and hotels that are smaller and much more intimate and personal, many with kitchenettes and most including breakfast. Although there are many good great restaurants on the Dutch side, if your style is fine dining then that’s French Saint Martin-1, Dutch Sint Maarten-0.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference might be the use of currency. On the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, the Netherlands Antilles guilder is the official currency, while the Euro remains the currency of choice on the French side of Saint Martin. It’s always good to know however, that almost all businesses on both Dutch Sint Maarten and French Saint Martin accept U.S. dollars.

Whatever your choice, there is border free movement between both the Dutch and French sides, so you get the best of both worlds on your next Sint Maarten Vacation!