In March 2026, having both just retired, we headed to Saint Martin (Sint Maarten) to meet up with a couple of friends who sailed there in the fall. There, we stayed on our friends’ boat for a few days, enjoying the cruising lifestyle – which, to be clear, is really just fixing things in exotic places – and then set out on our own, staying in AirBNB places across the island to explore.
Our trip coincided with the 2026 Heineken Regatta, hosted by the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. Each day, in the afternoon, all the racers returned through the Simpson Bay Bridge to Cole Bay, where all the festivities were. Each night was a party!
Once we disembarked from our friends’ boat, we rented a dilapidated scooter from “Adventurous Tours” in Philipsburg (it worked, but the light didn’t work, the horn didn’t work, the blinkers didn’t work, the seat didn’t lock, and there was no foot rest for the rear passenger on the left side) and rode to Point Blanche for a delightful hike, complete with a swim hole.
Scootering on Saint Martin is an unforgettable experience. For one thing, traffic seems to always be at a standstill. On a scooter, this means frequently putting a foot down to stop. This is especially vexing when going uphill, where you must really goose the throttle every time you get going so you can get enough speed up for balance. What people do is ride BETWEEN the lines of traffic, down the middle of the narrow roads. A 2 hour traffic jam turns even a conservative scooter rider into a daredevil.
The next day, we moved onward to Pic Paradis on the French side of the island. There, we hiked to the top for great views of island. And we saw monkeys! (Apparently, these are an invasive species and the government has been trying to control them.) After the hike, we thought we’d just dip in the pool and have lunch. Well, lunch was no problem – we had made a reservation – but the pool was an additional fee, and then to rent a chair or towel, additional fees on top of all that. We opted out of the whole pool experience, figuring there were plenty of beaches to enjoy.
We enjoyed numerous other trips around the island. We eventually returned our scooter from Adventurous Travels and rented one from Rent-a-Scoot (a much better experience! It worked, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable).
We chose to spend our final nights at a more posh villa on Cole Bay, closer to the airport (close enough to walk if need be). This was a delightful place with a small kitchen area so we could cook our own meals, and was very conveniently located near a supermarket, restaurants – all within easy walking distance. And a cool sea breeze whisked through our villa day and night, making it excellent for just hanging out and enjoying life!
