Pre trip:

I planned a St Maarten trip for March 2021. This was a surprise birthday trip for my fiancé. Traveling during the pandemic was different than the usual. 1^st I knew that in order to get back into the USA, I had to get a COVID test in St Maarten, so I needed to figure out if the place I planned on staying offered COVID test or if there was a facility close by. The resort next door offered the test but you have to pay $75.00.

When traveling to St Maarten I had to receive a COVID test up to 72 hours (5 days before departure). I received a rapid test (4 days before departure) and received my results same day. After getting my results, I submitted my test results on St Maarten Electronic Health Authorization System. You must complete this in order to get into the country and it can take up to 12 hours for processing. I completed the form 4 days in advance and received my approval within an hour. It cost $30.00 and provided me with a Protection Plan just in case I was exposed to COVID while on the island. The protection plan covered the cost for extra hotel cost, transportation, medical evaluation, isolation expenses, and more. 

When you arrive to the airport, have your pre approval certification, COVID test results, and passport ready. I would suggest printing the papers so the airline workers don’t have to touch your phone to review your documents. 

Before my trip, I purchased the iFly bundle from Walmart that included hand wipes, headrest cover, gloves and 2 mask for only $3.00. This is useful for the plane and airport.

During trip:

I visited St Maarten from March 13- March 17 and stayed at the Flamingo Beach Resort which is on the Dutch side of the island. I flew into Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM).

I traveled with Delta Airlines (flights $432.00 pp roundtrip) because they were blocking off middle seats, offering wipes on the plane, and gave snacks in plastic bags, etc. I booked this trip 3 weeks in advance so this was a bit last minute 😩.

I did not rent a car but I did hire a transfer before my trip using Viator, so the person waited for me outside of the airport with my name on their paper/clip board. This cost $24.00 total for 2 people and our hotel was about 10 minutes away. 

Things I did:

I did a 6- hour atv excursion with Splash in the Sun. This tour was magnificent. We rode around the whole island, French and Dutch side. We visited several beaches (including nude beaches), went to some of the highest mountain points, and so much more. The owner, Taz, also stopped to allow us to enjoy the beaches, have a bathroom breaks and lunch. I would highly recommend this. It was so much easier getting around the island on atv rather than a car. The cost was $140 per person.

 We also did jet ski. Jet ski for 1.5 hours gave us a tour of the external peripheral of the island. It was so beautiful seeing things that you can’t or unable to see while on the island. For me, the salt water really messed with my eyes and made them burn while driving the jet ski. Next time, I would wear goggles because I was driving the jet ski with one eye and could barely see. We went far out where the water was rough and also went to the calm water closer to the island to see the views.

We also went to the Hollywood casino which was one of the “best” casinos. They had $5.00 tables and I won each night that I played roulette. 

We ate at a lot of restaurants. But two that I would recommend are:

Pineapple Pete’s- food was AMAZING!!! The owner gave us free food to try. The stuffed shrimp, cajun chicken alfredo, jerk wings, Mahi burger, everything was so good. 

Sublime was an upscale restaurant. I tried the salmon and my fiancé had the lamb chops. They have really good drinks as well and the decor is beautiful.

During my entire trip I use on particular driver Gina. For me, it’s just better being with one person and speaking with them about my plans and texting via Whats app when I’m ready to be picked up or go somewhere.

I really enjoyed this trip and would visit again!