St. Martin » travel guide

St Martin
Location Map

• OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – French and Dutch.
• CAPITAL – French Side – Marigot. Dutch Side - Philipsburg
• HEAD OF STATE – President Nicolas Sarkozy represented by Prefect Dominique Lacroix
• FORM OF GOVERNMENT – St. Martin is an Overseas Region of France. St. Maarten is an autonomous region of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
• SIZE – 95 sq. km.
• POPULATION – French Side 35,000. Dutch Side 42,000
• RELIGION – Roman Catholic and Protestant
• ENTRY REQUIREMENTS – Please check the entry/visa requirements for your destination at the appropriate consulate or embassy in your country and do this as well in advance of your travel date.
• LOCATION – Saint Martin is located at the heart of the Caribbean Arc, or more precisely, at the north end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago.
• LANGUAGE – The official languages are French and Dutch. English is widely used.
• TIME DIFFERENCE – CET -5 (summer) CET -6 (winter)
• ELECTRICITY – 220 volts French Side. 110 volts Dutch side
• TELEPHONE – The dialing code for St. Martin is +590.
• INTERNET – Internet cafes in all towns.
• CLIMATE/CLOTHING – Tropical climate. Bring something in case of rain.
• HEALTH REGULATIONS – No immunization required.
• TRANSFER – The transfer from the Juliana International Airport (Dutch side) to FBC St. Martin takes 30 minutes.
• RENTAL CARS & TRANSPORT – Car, motorbike and bike rental is readily available.
• CURRENCY/MODE OF PAYMENT – Euro and Dollar

GETTING THERE:

Our FBC Center Windy Reef and all our accommodation are located in Orient Bay or near there in the French part of St. Martin.

When you leave the airport follow the road signs to Marigot and continue on the main road towards Grand Case. The first accommodation will be Over the Hill Guest House, which is located in La Savane on a hill to your left, before the town of Grand Case. Once you pass the sign La Savanve watch on the left for the sign that will guide you to the guesthouse.

From Grand Case you continue to Orient Bay and pass a small airport. Guests staying at Hotel Orient Bay/Jardin de Chevrises or Mt. Vernon will turn left into Rue de Cul de Sac after about 500 m. You will see a car wash exactly at the crossing where you have to turn left. After another 700 m turn right into Rue du Mont Vernon. Hotel Orient Bay/Jardin de Chevrises will come first and if you keep following the road until the very end, you will reach the apartment complex of Mont Vernon.

Guests going to Hotel Palm Court and L’Hoste Hotel continue on the main road to Orient Bay. You will follow the (only) road through a small residential area first, before arriving to the area where the hotels are located. Hotel Palm Court will be the first hotel as you close in towards the beach, it lays on the left hand side of the road, approximately 500 meters before the sea. The other hotels are literally at the end of the street, just next to the beach.

To reach the FBC Center Windy Reef you pass Orient Bay on the main road, drive up the next hill and down. A small road/dirt track (Rue due Coconut Grove) will be indicated on your left with various signs: The Butterfly Farm, Windy Reef and also a sign indicating Galion Beach. The center is at the end of the dirt track, on your right, in the most beautiful location you will find around.