8 Days in Beautiful St. Maarten With Kids
Visit St. Maarten with kids for a sunny and tropical family vacation. A Leeward Island in the Eastern Caribbean, this petite, hilly island belongs to two countries. The southern portion, Sint Maarten, is a part of the Netherlands, while the northern section, Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France.
St. Maarten is a common cruise ship stop, but we decided to try it out for eight days of sun, sand and sea. We toured both sides of the island extensively – read on to discover what we did in St. Maarten with kids.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed on this site belong to the original authors only and do not necessarily represent those of Next Family Getaway. Please visit our Disclaimer & Disclosure page for further information.
Tips & Advice
- If you don’t want to shell out for umbrellas and chairs at every beach you visit, you can rent them from Pack Light (2 chairs + umbrella $35/week). I came across this option in my research, although we didn’t personally use them.
- Mosquitos can be bothersome at night but there’s no need to bring spray from home. You can buy Mosquito Milk at most pharmacies or stores on the island. We preferred the roll-on form.
- Don’t forget to look for views of Anguilla, St. Barts (Saint Barthélemy), and Saba. You can see all three from various points on the island.
- Take a look at how many cruise ships are in port at Philipsburg for each day of your trip. On the day with the most ships, take a day trip to Anguilla or St. Bart’s, or make this the day you visit Anse Marcel on the opposite side of the island.
- For families: Each night enjoy the sunset on a beach, eat a proper meal in a restaurant, and recuperate in the A/C of your hotel room.
- Streets can be narrow, rutted, and dramatically steep with hairpin turns. Please drive mindfully! In other places, roadways are paved and perfectly fine. Although we drove throughout the Dutch side in the evenings without problems, I wouldn’t recommend driving across from the Dutch to French side or vice versa after dark.
Itinerary
Day 1: Morning at Friars Bay Beach/Afternoon in Marigot (Marigot Market & Fort St. Louis)
Day 2: Anguilla day trip
Day 3: Morning at Mullet Bay & plane watching at Maho Beach/Afternoon in Philipsburg (Front Street/Back Street/Boardwalk)
Day 4: Morning at Anse Marcel Beach/Afternoon at Grand Case Beach
Day 5: Morning at Pinel Island/Afternoon at Orient Beach
Day 6: Morning at Little Bay Beach & Fort Amsterdam/Afternoon at Loterie Farm & Pic Paradis
Day 7: Morning at Great Bay Beach/Afternoon at Parotte Ville Bird Park & Rainforest Adventures St Maarten
Day 8: Morning at previously-visited favorite beach/Afternoon at Loterie Farm & Pic Paradis
Note: This suggested itinerary can be easily adjusted based upon your own preferences. Even we adjusted ours on the fly!
Table of Contents
- Things to Do in St. Maarten
- Where to Eat in St. Maarten
- Things to Do in St. Martin
- Where to Eat in St. Martin
- Where to Stay
- Getting Around
- Shopping
- Safety
- Additional Things to Do
- Our Favorites
Things to Do in St. Maarten
Beaches
The Dutch beaches are not unlike those on the French side – the quality of sand and color of water remains similar. Make sure not to miss out on the following pretty beaches when in St. Maarten with kids!
Little Bay Beach
Recommended Visit: ½ day
Tips: You can park at the Divi Resort and rent umbrellas and chairs. If you’re a guest, umbrellas and chairs are free. Be certain to check the cruise schedule and, if possible, don’t visit on a day when ships are in port. Avoid sitting near the outdoor restaurant area of the beach; we noticed leftover bones chucked into the sand on more than one occasion!
Our Opinion: This is a fantastic option when in St. Maarten with kids. Not only is it calm, shallow and sandy, there’s excellent water quality, too. There’s also a lone dock left of the beach which was the perfect springboard into the ocean for my kids.
On the other hand, we disliked how the chairs and umbrellas were packed so closely together, and we found the beach to be very, very busy every visit. Unfortunately, the chairs/umbrellas attendants were unpleasant each time – particularly when they discovered we were guests and therefore not required to pay!
Philipsburg is a heavily visited cruise port, and when ships are docked the area becomes a bustling hub of activity. St Maarten itself feels commercialized and Americanized.
Mullet Bay
Recommended Visit: ½ day
Tips: We found our offline Google maps were incorrect and took us past the road that led to the parking lot. As a result, we had to loop back but were able to find the parking lot on our own. The chairs/umbrellas set-up attendant was a happy, polite Jamaican. He came by to let us know they were closing at 4pm and would need the chairs/umbrellas back. Chairs and umbrellas were $15US.
Our Opinion: Although the water is brilliant blue and mostly clean, on our visit the waves were a bit strong for our 7-year-old. As a result, she wanted one of us in the water at all times.
This beach is next to the airport and offers a fantastic view of planes coming in to land. You can’t go to St. Maarten with kids and miss this! Of course, you could watch from the famous Maho Beach five minutes down the road where the planes literally pass over your head – but when we went there was no parking, it was jam-packed, and the approaching planes were deafening.
All things considered, Mullet Bay turned out to be the perfect alternative to watch arriving planes. However, we didn’t enjoy the intermittent smell of airplane exhaust. Luckily there was also the occasional whiff of yummy BBQ from the beach restaurant. We ordered some delicious BBQ chicken and fries at $8US.
A steady stream of beach vendors passed by offering foot massages and wares, but they weren’t rude, only persistent.
Parents take note: We saw a few topless women here, so if you’re not European you may want to forewarn your children to avoid curious questions!
Want More Caribbean? Check out: How to Do a Day Trip to Anguilla from St. Martin
Other Activities
As mentioned, we prefer the beach to most other activities, but we did try to see a little more of St. Maarten with our kids.
Fort Amsterdam
Recommended Visit: 20 mins
Tips: You’ll need to park at the Divi Resort and trek to the opposite side of the complex. From there it’s a short walk up a small hill.
Our Opinion: Frankly, there isn’t much left of the historic Fort Amsterdam, but nevertheless it remains a great place to see a small piece of history if in St. Maarten with kids. The view looking back over Philipsburg and Great Bay is stunning and absolutely worth the trip here. You can capture some spectacular photos and see the cruise port.
Philipsburg Boardwalk
Recommended Visit: 1 – 2 hrs
Tips: Generally speaking, nearly everything here is only open on days when a ship is in port, so check the ship schedule before you go. At the same time, visiting on a non-ship day allows for a peaceful walk, especially after dinner as the sun sets.
Our Opinion: There are shops, restaurants, and a long stretch of beach that can be immensely crowded. Although it was worth one visit, there was nothing that drew us back a second time.
Where to Eat in St. Maarten
The Green House
We had supper here on an evening when almost all restaurants on the boardwalk were closed. While it’s a decent location and we liked the open air seating, the food was average. Still, it’s an okay choice when in St. Maarten with kids. The hostess/waitress was an older woman who was very nice. We spent $50US for a family of four.
Lazy Lizard Beach Bar & Grill
We popped in here for lunch after shopping on Front and Back Streets. As there were no ships in port the boardwalk was deserted which meant we had an optimum view of the empty beach and bay. Our cheerful server brought us 2 pineapple juices, 2 chicken sandwiches, and 1 chicken curry at $47US. Whereas the chicken curry was good, the sandwiches were average.
Gelateria Milano
Flavorful, but $12US for just 2 servings. Gelateria Milano has a prime spot on the boardwalk with a small playground opposite in the sand, making this a choice place to stop by in St. Maarten with kids. Playgrounds are scarce on the island!
Gizmos (Divi Resort)
We had a terrible experience here. There’s no better way to describe it. First, the waitress brought bottled water with nothing to open it with (this type needed an opener), and no cups. She appeared to be the only waitress working and the place was a zoo, so we had to wait to flag her down and ask for these things.
We could forgive this one mistake however when she finally brought glasses, she gave us ones that had been used, stacked, and returned from another table. Luckily we noticed there was sticky liquid in three of them and a leftover cherry in the fourth before we poured water into them. She still did not bring an opener for the water. The waitress was stone-faced and offered no apologies.
It was late and we were all starving, so we stayed put and ordered chicken skewers only to be told there were no chicken skewers left – and it was only 6pm! Therefore we had to ask for the menus back again. This time we chose pizza.
In the end we waited nearly one hour for the pizza, which tasted like frozen pizza. Our bill was $50US. Even though we were staying at the Divi Resort, we never returned to this restaurant and would not recommend it.
Fort Amsterdam Café (Divi Resort)
This is a small, deli-type café in the Divi Resort. As this was where we stayed, we only ate here since it was convenient. It is reasonably priced, but not somewhere you should go out of your way to visit. It could be a good option if you are visiting Little Bay Beach.
La Sucriere
La Sucriere is a superb little bakery offering up toothsome treats. We enjoyed everything we tried here. The exterior patio overlooks the Simpson Bay Lagoon offering a peaceful place to delight in your coffee and pastry. It’s a great place for breakfast, lunch, or a treat when in St. Maarten with kids.
Pizza Italy
We ate here on two separate nights and had delicious pizza both times. The food was priced well and served in large portions, and the servers were nice. On our visits, there were tantalizing desserts like tiramisu and Nutella cheesecake. In other words, this is an ideal restaurant when in St. Maarten with kids who may want a plain old pizza for supper! We paid $50US for 3 pizzas.
Buccaneer Beach Bar
Our server was full of smiles, but she was also extremely busy – the place seemed poorly staffed (this seemed to be a pattern in St. Maarten). The food was terrible. We spent $80US on food and drinks for our family of four.
The beach bar was strongly redeemed by its atmosphere. We went early (about 5pm) on a Friday night, and it soon became hopping. There was a live band playing, people dancing, and drinks flowing.
Although this might not seem like a place to go to in St. Maarten with kids, there was a surprising amount of children. This could be because it was a Friday night. I had read it was a great night to bring kids, and it was!
A fireball was lit at sunset next to an outdoor movie screen set up in the sand. They played the movie Turbo and our kids had the time of their lives watching it while intermittently jumping up and racing around the sandy beach with other children.
Plan to go early to get a table and a parking spot!
Carousel
A tempting smorgasbord of flavours are available here, but the mojito flavour was my personal favorite. The restaurant was teeming with customers the night we came, and our server bordered on the line of rude. Unsurprisingly parking was an issue, and although a security guard was directing cars where to park, he did so in a manner that put cars in positions blocking other cars. As a result you had to wait to leave if you were blocked in.
Pineapple Pete
We arrived early at 5:15pm and there was no wait. We ordered the chicken finger burger, jerk chicken wrap, and two kids meals for approximately $65US. Generally speaking the food was good, atmosphere great, and our server polite, if quiet.
Our kids were absolutely thrilled to receive frisbees as well as an upside-down ice cream cone sprinkled with M&Ms with their kids meals!
They were also given a paper menu to color. My daughter was determined to finish hers, and was extremely satisfied and excited when they taped it to the wall alongside many others.We would highly recommend having dinner here at Pineapple Pete when in St. Maarten with kids.
McDonald‘s
Even when you’re in St. Maarten with kids, it can be hard to avoid fast food. We found a McDonald’s one day – because it can be interesting to see what local menus are like compared to at home.
We spent $30US for lunch for 2 adults and 2 children.
If you want to sample France in the Caribbean, this side of the island is for you. There’s a distinct change when you cross the imaginary border from St. Maarten to St. Martin, which artfully reflects its French heritage.
Things to Do in St. Martin
Beaches
It’s impossible to visit an island in the Caribbean without taking time to see a beach or two. At least, this is always true for us! Our top family-friendly recommendations for St. Martin include Anse des Pères, Anse Marcel, and Pinel Island.
Friars Bay Beach/Anse des Péres
Recommended Visit: ½ day
Tips: You can park at Kali’s Beach Bar or continue past to park near the Friars Bay Beach Cafe on the opposite end of the beach. You can rent chairs and umbrellas from either restaurant.
Our Opinion: We spent much time on this beach, and each visit the water was the perfect condition for our kids to safely swim and snorkel. There’s a lovely view of Antigua across the sea. We strongly preferred the ‘French side’ of the beach, or the Friars Bay Beach Café section, for reasons you can read about in our review of Kali’s Beach Bar.
Parents take note: We saw a few topless women here, so if you’re not European you may want to forewarn your children to avoid curious questions!
Anse Marcel
Recommended Visit: ½ day
Tips: Bear in mind that our offline Google maps did not have correct directions at the very end of our route here. Therefore, we had to wing it in the last five minutes in order to find the entrance to the parking area. Hint: head downhill towards the bay!
I planned our visit here on a day that coincided with many ships in port so we could be on the opposite end of the island. As a result, we avoided the majority of the busy traffic and people congestion that suffocates the island on such days.
You can rent chairs and umbrellas near the restaurant – two chairs plus one umbrella were €20.
Our Opinion: We were unaware chairs could be reserved until we arrived, so our beach attendant needed to check to see which chairs were available. Luckily it wasn’t overly busy the day we were there and the lack of people made the afternoon peaceful and refreshing.
The water here is stunningly turquoise and the conditions were absolutely safe for our kids to happily swim for hours. This beautiful little cove with a gourmet restaurant is not to be missed.
Pinel Island
Recommended Visit: ½ day
Tips: Visit on a day when there are no or few ships in port. Pinel Island is a popular cruise excursion, and can easily be overwhelmed with people. The little gift shop has some beautiful items for sale. Two chairs plus one umbrella was $25US.
Our Opinion: The boat ride from Cul-de-Sac leaves from a tiny dock and is a five minute ride on a small, open-air boat. The trip passes through some unpleasant, polluted areas of water, and we felt the roundtrip ticket was overpriced.
I’m not sure how so many people rave about the beach on Pinel. Let’s just say we didn’t entirely enjoy our visit. Because this is a small slip of sand the beach chairs were almost on top of each other, which meant there was an annoying amount of overcrowding. It was also first come, first served, so people rushed to claim spots.
The swimming area is large and shallow but – unfortunately for us – we encountered murky water conditions that day. The surface color was a deceiving, pretty turquoise. Even if the water had been clean and clear that day, we dislike overpopulated beaches. In short, we would not recommend Pinel Island. There are much better beaches to visit on St Martin or St Maarten with kids.
Don’t forget to explore: 12 Months 12 Countries: What’s On Your Travel Bucket List?
Other Activities
With limited time and a desire to remain on budget (and beach), we only did one activity on the St. Martin side of SXM.
Parotte Ville Bird Sanctuary
Recommended Visit: 30 mins – 1 hr
Tips: Visit on a rainy day, or after lunch to avoid the afternoon sun on the beach.
Our Opinion: My husband and daughter love places like this, where birds will happily sit on your shoulders or hands to enjoy cups of birdseed. The collection of birds here is impressive. It was a delight to see their colorful feathers and intelligent eyes up close and personal. We found the friendly staff on the grounds to be both knowledgeable and eager to answer questions.
It’s not a huge establishment but out front they have shaded picnic tables and a small play area for younger children. This worked well for my son – who is not fond of birds – to hang out. This is one of the few places we found playground equipment on the island.
Following our bird visit, we took in some local history in the one room museum next to the sanctuary building.
Where to Eat in St. Martin
Kali’s Beach Bar
Thumbs down for rude, slow and unfriendly service. However, the perfectly seasoned grilled chicken and fries were delicious, if expensive.
Umbrellas and chairs are available for rent.
L’Express Bakery by bacchus
We visited the Marigot location near the Marigot Market. Thumbs up for their delectable pain au chocolat.
Friar’s Bay Beach Café
Thumbs down for service; we had to hunt down the server every time. On the other hand, the food was presented well, and the atmosphere relaxed (likely why the service was touch and go). Undoubtedly the vibe on this side of the beach is distinctly European. We loved the background soundtrack of French music that played from the café.
Umbrellas and chairs are available for rent.
Anse Marcel (Restaurant)
Unquestionably the Anse Marcel restaurant is très chic. We only ordered food and drinks on the beach. Although delicious, they were pricey – two drinks alone were €50.
On a separate note, the bathrooms are beautifully done. Umbrellas and chairs are available for rent.
Croissant Royal
We really enjoyed this open-aired restaurant backing onto the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Our server was a warm, easygoing French man who was quite pleased when we attempted to speak some French to him! We ordered 1 chicken sandwich, 1 grilled cheese, 1 tasty paysanne, and 1 omelette, plus a cafe latte and large bottle of water at $43US. Unquestioningly the paysanne was amazing!
Yellow Sub
In Orient Bay we chose the Yellow Sub for lunch one day. We ordered a cheeseburger, children’s chicken and fries meal, and chicken skewer at $63US. Despite being fashionably plated, the taste was subpar.
The open-air seating creates a casual, beachy atmosphere. Whereas we found the service hospitable, it was also very slow. Eventually we had to ask for the cheque, which likely was just due to different cultural expectations.
Don’t forget to stop by the bakery next door. They had a selection of tempting treats at reasonable prices, so make sure to indulge here for dessert. We enjoyed 4 mini macarons and 2 mini eclairs for $8US.
Where to Stay
When we go on vacation, I tend to prefer booking a hotel – although not an all-inclusive resort – over an Airbnb. As a mom, it’s nice to have someone else make the bed, change the garbage, and clean the bathroom. Returning to a tidy room after a long day out exploring is refreshing.
While Airbnbs in St. Martin/St. Maarten seemed reasonable, we decided to spend a little more for a hotel stay. The Divi Little Bay Beach Resort was an affordable option in this category and seemed ideal when staying in St. Maarten with kids. It did offer an all-inclusive option, but this didn’t appeal to us as we enjoy exploring places to eat outside our hotel.
Unfortunately, although the resort appeared recently renovated post-hurricane, it had been sloppily and poorly done.
Pros: Ocean-front room; Little Bay Beach; good location; clean sheets and towels; lots of parking
Cons: Unhappy, unfriendly, rude staff; terrible restaurants (service, wait-time, food); room condition
Room: The first room we were given had a significant amount of water leaking from the ceiling onto the bed which had clearly gone unnoticed for some time! There was a large water stain on the ceiling.
The second room we were given had no serious issues but water only dribbled from the bathroom tap. We needed to contact maintenance to fix it as you couldn’t even wash your hands. The bath did not drain properly, and there wasn’t always enough water pressure to flush the toilet.
The ceiling fan was broken. The fridge was dirty and not cleaned before us. Toilet paper wasn’t restocked without a request.
By 4pm our room had not been cleaned on multiple days, and one day the maid even told me she was off at 4:30pm and didn’t have time to clean it that day! I objected as we needed fresh towels and bedding, so she relented but was not happy about it.
Unfortunately, we wouldn’t recommend the Divi Resort. If you do opt to stay here, the all-inclusive option is NOT recommended.
Getting Around
In my research, the same car rental names were repeatedly recommended – Kenny’s Car Rental and Starlite – but unfortunately they were completely booked. After reading so many bad experiences with other agencies, we decided to pay a little more and book with Hertz.
Well… the car we received wasn’t in great shape. The steering wheel was peeling, the radio didn’t work, and there was a cigarette-shaped hole in the front passenger’s seat. Yet, they insisted this was one of their best cars!
Nevertheless, it did the job, and considering how battered most vehicles are on the island, driving a mint-condition, shiny car around probably wasn’t the best idea anyway.
Note: We downloaded Google Off-line maps for both sides of the island. They were accurate about 90% of the time and extremely helpful.
Shopping
Groceries
Carrefour (4 locations) – Like any North American grocery store; don’t forget to browse the madeleines section!
Cost-U-Less (Bush Rd) – Comparable to Costco.
Souvenirs & More
While we didn’t do much recreational shopping, we did spend an afternoon exploring Front Street and Back Street in Philipsburg. We purchased a few gifts and souvenirs such as local rum in hand-painted bottles. We found parking in a lot near the Philipsburg Market with an RBC branch and an ATM next door. They charged us a very reasonable $3US for two hours of parking.
We also attempted to visit the market in Marigot, but we went on a day when next to nothing was open. This was our fault however since we purposely opted to visit on an afternoon when there were no cruise ships in port, hoping to avoid throngs of cruisers. In retrospect, this was a mistake!
Safety
Overall, we never felt really unsafe on the island. We used the same common sense that we use in any place and had no problems.
For instance, we left nothing of value in our car. We did venture out after dark in the evenings on the Dutch side to buy groceries or have dinner and did not feel unsafe walking to our car.
Nevertheless, we still recommend using normal precautions as you would in any unfamiliar location.
Additional Things to Do
Vacations are usually not long enough, and you can never do everything in one visit! Here are some places we didn’t get to experience in St. Martin/St. Maarten with our kids but may be of interest to your family:
- Orient Beach – We tried to experience the famous Orient Beach, but the day we went it was extremely windy. The water was too wavy and full of seaweed. Disappointed, we left and crossed to the opposite side of the island to enjoy a bonus day at Friars Bay Beach instead.
- Baie Rouge – We also wanted to visit Baie Rouge, but were never able to find access to it, despite my prior research.
- Maho Beach – Too busy and too loud for us and impossible to find parking. We opted for Mullet Bay instead.
- Lotterie Farm
- Rainforest Adventure
- Pic Paradis
- Horseback riding at Seaside Nature Park
- Emilio Wilson Park
Day Trips
If you can spare a day for island hopping, do it! Read about our day trip to the next-door island of Anguilla. The beach at Shoal Bay is breathtaking, and you won’t regret leaving St. Martin for one day to experience it!
Alternatively, try St Barts (Saint Barthélemy) for something ritzier. There’s also Saba for the adventurous hiker or diver.
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Our Favorites
Food: Madeleines & chocolate croissants
Activity: Friars Bay Beach & day trip to Anguilla
Kids’ Choice: Pineapple Pete Restaurant
St. Martin or St. Maarten With Kids?
We spent ten days here in April of 2019, soaking up the sun and spending as much time on the beach as we could. The island still looked considerably beaten and battered from Hurricane Irma. Nearly two years later, trees were still often mangled tangles in the hills, and banked and half-sunken boats continued to dot the shore.
As we toured the island we passed debris, exposed wires, and pipes lined the roads, culverts and ditches. Yet, it is clear enormous recovery work has taken place and continues daily. While locals seemed either dispirited or remarkably positive about the future, the surrounding sea remains unimaginably, blissfully turquoise.
St. Maarten
All things considered, the Dutch side is compact, cluttered and more Americanized. It’s not as scenic as the French side. For whatever reason, people seemed tired, impatient and decidedly unwelcoming.
St. Martin
Generally speaking, the French side has more open spaces and a sophisticated yet relaxed vibe. Collectively, people appeared happier, more hospitable, and friendly; we much preferred this side for this reason. In summary, if we ever return, we will certainly choose to stay in St Martin over St Maarten.
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