Island Life: My Saint Martin Journey

Sun, Sand, and a Little Bit of a Food Quest

I recently returned from a trip to the beautiful island of St. Martin and I'm here to share a little bit about my experience.

St. Martin is an absolute gem – stunning beaches, friendly locals, and a vibrant culture. However, when it came to finding readily available and diverse vegan options, it proved to be a bit of a challenge.

As someone who embraces a plant-based lifestyle, one of the joys of travel for me is exploring the local vegan cuisine. However on this trip I knew that plant-based food was going to be limited. Many menus leaned heavily on fresh seafood and traditional Caribbean dishes featuring meat.

Island Vibes: A Blend of Two Worlds

For those of you who don’t know, the island has a dual French and Dutch heritage. We stayed in the North on the French side of the island and travelled down to the Dutch side a few times. There are signs (and flags) saying you’ve entered the Dutch side but no official border.

Both sides of the island are welcoming and friendly. On the French side, I found a more rustic and quietly charming Caribbean vibe. It had a laid-back, unpretentious feel, with a slower pace of life. That being said, the roads told a different story! The traffic could be surprisingly wild and busy, with motorcycles weaving in and out. You definitely needed to stay alert while driving or even crossing the street. Despite the chaos, drivers often showed unexpected courtesy, stopping to let cars merge and being considerate to pedestrians.

Crossing over to the Dutch side, the energy definitely picked up. There was a more bustling and commercial feel, with brighter colours, lively music, and a more active nightlife scene.

This contrast between the tranquil, rustic French side and the more vibrant Dutch side gave St. Martin a unique character, offering different experiences depending on which part of the island you were exploring. Personally, I enjoyed the French side more.

Navigating Meals: A Plant-Based Approach in Saint Martin

When it came to food and drinks in St. Martin, we found a good balance between enjoying our vacation and staying mindful of our food preferences. Our days typically started with a relaxed breakfast, including coffee, at our Airbnb. Plant-based milk was surprisingly scarce in restaurants; in fact, we only found one café that offered it. So, we picked up some soy milk at the grocery store. Interestingly, while the French shops only stocked cartons of shelf stable plant-based milk, we did find a plant-based creamer in a shop on the Dutch side – a small treat for our morning coffee!

A delicious iced coffee with plant-based milk. Lulu’s Corner, 97 route de cul-de-Sac, 97150, Saint-Martin

Lunch was often our bigger meal of the day, when we ate out in a local restaurant. Vegan options were scarce but most restaurants offered a vegetarian dish or two. Sometimes we had to choose a few side dishes to put together for a meal.

For dinners, back at the Airbnb, we had simple and lighter meals. Since we were on holiday, we didn’t want to do a lot of cooking or washing dishes! We bought fresh vegetables and had salad with a French baguette one night. Another night we had pasta. This flexible approach allowed us to enjoy the local culinary scene while still feeling good and sticking to our plant-based preferences for the most part.

A Taste of the Local Scene

To get a feel for the authentic food scene in St. Martin, we decided to have lunch at the Lolo’s in Grand Case. The term "Lolo" originated during the plantation era. Warehouses that held slaves and merchandise eventually became local restaurants. Retailers used a sale unit called a “lot” and the name of these businesses evolved to “lolo”. Now the Lolo’s are open-air eateries which serve authentic Caribbean dishes. They are famous for the BBQ chicken and ribs.

While the focus is heavily on these grilled meats, I was able to order some side dishes for my meal. The rice and beans were delicious as were the fried plantains and the Johnny cakes, which are small, somewhat dense, slightly sweet fried breads, that are a popular side dish with BBQ meats. One thing to note, they only take cash which we didn’t notice was printed on a sign, until we went to pay. Thankfully I had some US money.

I also enjoyed the plantains at D’s Beach Bar & Grill, where they have beach service.

Our dinner at the Rainbow Cafe in Grand Case was an entirely different vibe than the Lolo’s. It had a lively and loud club atmosphere downstairs. We dined upstairs on the rooftop patio, while enjoying the music. The patio was covered but open air, providing a nice ambiance. We were particularly grateful for the covered patio when a big rainstorm rolled in just as we were finishing our dinner.

Despite the higher price point, the food was delicious. We decided to order several dishes to share, including the nachos and guacamole, the 'So Fresh' salad, roasted potatoes, and the Crazy Spicy Vegan Sushi rolls.

Another one of our favourite places to eat, was Avantika, a Thai restaurant located in Simpson Bay. For anyone following a plant-based lifestyle, this spot is a must visit as they have a wide variety of clearly marked vegan choices on their menu – a welcome change from some of the more limited options we encountered elsewhere. You have the choice of dining indoors (I thought the air conditioning was too chilly) or enjoying the warm evening air on their outdoor patio (what we chose). We were impressed by the generous portion sizes. I took my leftovers back to our Airbnb and ate them for lunch the following day.

Finding Avantika was a bit of an adventure in itself; the restaurant sign is positioned above a Hookah Bar, leading to a brief detour into the wrong restaurant! However, the staff at the Hookah Bar personally guided us around the corner and upstairs to Avantika.

Travel Lesson Learned: Always Phone Ahead

Before travelling anywhere, I alway research the vegan food options and make a list of places to eat. There is nothing worse that traveling all day and being tired and hot and then not being able to find somewhere to eat. So on my list was Freedom Fighter's Ital Shack, which appeared to be the only fully vegan restaurant on the island. Located in Philipsburg, the capital of Sint Maarten (the Dutch side). We were really looking forward to having lunch there after a morning of browsing the tourist shops and picking up some souvenirs. However, after a long walk in the hot sun, we discovered the restaurant was closed. The owner noticed us outside and explained that they had just returned after being away for a few days and wouldn't be reopening until the following day. Unfortunately we were heading home the next day and couldn’t return.

It was a good reminder that a quick phone call to verify opening hours is always a wise move, especially when online information might not be completely up-to-date – a lesson we learned that day, particularly after a similar disappointment earlier when the Yoda Guy Movie exhibit in Philipsburg was also unexpectedly closed.

The Fruit Scene

When it came to fruit, our experience was different from our usual resort stays where we fill our plates with fresh fruit like mango, pineapple and papaya. While the local grocery store offered familiar staples like apples, bananas, and grapes – which were perfect for a quick and easy breakfast at our Airbnb before heading out for the day – the tropical fruits I had hoped to find on the island weren't as readily available in the supermarkets or on restaurant menus. However, I did enjoy fresh mango in poke bowls and pineapple in a couple of dishes that I ordered. I later discovered that mangoes are typically in peak season during the early summer in St. Martin. Perhaps the timing of our trip meant we missed the height of the local fruit harvest.

Vegetarian Poke Bowl from Loterie Farm Restaurant and Vegan Pineapple Curry from Avantika.

Adventures at Loterie Farm

Our visit to Loterie Farm was an entire day of adventure and relaxation. We started with a hike to the top of a mountain that had a breathtaking scenic view.

The best part of the hike was on the decent where we came across a bunch of playful monkeys! I was so excited!! We spent a long time watching them play and we took lots of photos and videos.

After our hike, we headed to our reserved poolside cabanitas, the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy our welcome drinks.

Once the restaurant opened, we made our way there for lunch. While you have the option to order food directly to your poolside lounger, we wanted to soak in the restaurant's atmosphere.

The menu offered several vegetarian options, including gyoza, hummus, edamame, and a veggie burger. I opted for the vegetarian poke bowl, which was fresh and absolutely delicious! Our waiter was incredibly friendly, and the view from our table was stunning – we even spotted a couple of monkeys in the distance. After a delicious lunch, we grabbed iced coffees to go and returned to our poolside cabinata. While my husband and son went on a ziplining adventure through the trees, my daughter and I enjoyed some cocktails and relaxed by the pool. They have many different cocktails and mocktails. Our poolside waiters were also friendly and attentive.

Beach Bliss

No trip to St. Martin is complete without experiencing its famed beaches!

One of the most popular experiences was a visit to Maho Beach, which is on the Dutch side of the island. It is famous for it’s closeness to the Princess Juliana International Airport. Despite the warning signs, people gather on the beach to take photos of the planes taking off and landing.

We decided to watch the planes while having lunch at Tortuga. We got a table looking out on the water and it was a perfect place to watch while enjoying delicious food and refreshing drinks.

For a more classic beach experience, Grand Case was a dream. The sand was incredibly soft and the water was that quintessential clear, brilliant blue you often see in postcards – perfect for a refreshing dip. Since this was just a quick stop on a day of adventure, we brought our towels and just set up on a quiet part of the beach. There were very few people around.

It was surprising to see a number of run-down and deserted buildings right along the beachfront in Grand Case, a reminder of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the ongoing recovery process.

We happily spent a whole day at Simpson Bay Beach, on the Dutch side of the island. We rented lounge chairs and umbrella’s from D's Beach Bar and Grill. We got there early to get chairs but it was surprisingly quiet all day. They have beach service so we could order drinks and food right from our lounge chair. Our server was very friendly and kind!

After a hot and disappointing morning in Philipsburg, we ventured to Orient Bay. This beach is on the North-West side of the island and is one of the biggest and most popular beaches.

After a yummy lunch at Bikini Beach Restaurant, we secured beach lounge chairs and umbrellas (free with lunch purchase). The chairs had cushions and were very comfortable. It was late afternoon and the weather started turning cloudy and then rainy so we didn’t end up getting beach service but the bar was close and we could bring drinks to our chairs. Orient Bay seemed very different from the rest of the island that we had visited. It had a more modern and resort vibe.

Beyond the Beach: The Art of Perfume at Tijon

When I was researching ‘things to do in St Martin’, I came across a highly recommended experience: a perfume-making workshop at Tijon Parfumerie in Grand Case. This was something completely new for us, and it turned out to be a highlight of our trip. Mimi, the owner of this franchise, was incredibly informative and passionately guided us through the world of perfume creation. She explained the different layers of fragrance – the top, middle, and base notes – and introduced us to the various scent families, helping us understand how different aromas interact. Over the course of the workshop, we each had the opportunity to create three distinct and unique scent combinations. After a lot of sniffing, we chose our favourite creation to bottle and take home as a personalized souvenir. I would recommend a visit to Tijon, to anyone looking for a unique activity on the island!

Exploring More of the Island

Beyond the popular beaches and dining experiences, St. Martin offered even more to discover. In Grand Case, we found a great photo op under the pier.

For a dose of history and incredible panoramic views, we made our way to Fort Louis. Built in 1789, this fort once defended the port of Marigot, protecting valuable harvests like salt, coffee, sugarcane, and rum stored in the warehouses below. Today, you can explore its ruins by climbing the 91 stone steps, starting from the parking lot behind the Catholic church.

Finally, my favourite souvenir shop was One by K. This shop had a great selection of local crafts and fantastic comfy clothing. I bought a necklace, tank top and a dress! There is also a cute cafe attached but we didn’t get a chance to eat there.

Final Thoughts

We thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to St. Martin and would absolutely recommend traveling there. Here are a few key recommendations from our experience: rent a car to easily get around the island and explore at your own pace; if you have dietary restrictions, staying somewhere with cooking facilities will significantly minimize the stress of not finding many options on restaurant menus; and finally, remember you are on vacation and on 'island time' – things don't always work as quickly or as smoothly as you might be used to, so embrace the relaxed pace!

Have you visited St. Martin? What were your favorite discoveries or challenges? Share your thoughts in the comments below!