“Sint Eustatius has the product. The challenge is getting people here.” For about the seventh time in the past hour, I repeat these exact words to Luceta. Luceta works for the government here on Sint Eustatius, or Statia as it’s normally called. Her portfolio involves tourism, and she is intimately involved in the island’s brand…
In 1636, Dutch expansion in the New World was in full swing. Over the past decade or so, colonies had been set up in New Amsterdam (now New York), as well as Caribbean islands like Sint Maarten and Curacao. But fueled by the desire to monopolize trans-Atlantic trade routes (in contrast to the goals of…
This isn’t an article about food. I mean, yes, it is an article about food. But it’s so much more than that. The concept for this was originally to write about Flavors, a celebration of the culinary traditions of the island. So I set about to try all sorts of restaurants, from casual to more formal,…
This isn’t an article about food. I mean, yes, it is an article about food. But it’s so much more than that. The concept for this was originally to write about Flavors, a celebration of the culinary traditions of the island. So I set about to try all sorts of restaurants, from casual to more…
For most of us, travel to a beautiful Caribbean island is a life’s dream, something for which we save, for which we plan. We want it to be perfect, that island scene from the movies: clean white sands, beautiful turquoise waters teeming with life, a tropical drink and a sunset adding some color. We are…
“You mean the pirate statue?” I’m in the cruise terminal in Sint Maarten. Entering was an ordeal in itself, as I’m not a cruise ship passenger, so my meeting needed to be pre-confirmed along with a copy of my passport. This is, after all, an international port. I’m here for one thing: a statue of…
“Welcome home,” John says to me with a smile. This is just my second time staying here at the hotel John Leone owns, the Seaview Beach Hotel in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. But even after four nights on my last trip, it did feel like home, and checking in, being greeted like this, does indeed have…
There is a difference between a country and a nation. A country is a political entity made up of a government and laws. A nation, on the other hand, is a people with a common identity. Sint Maarten is a relatively new country, having existed as an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of the…
A bottle of French wine is on the counter of my room when I check into Grand Case Beach Club. It’s a lovely touch, and a first reminder that here on the tiny divided island of St. Martin, the “French side,” as Saint-Martin is affectionately called, is fully a part of France. Yes, this -…
About ten years ago, I promised my nephews (best friends’ kids but don’t tell me I’m not their “actual” uncle) that I’d take each of them on a trip for their high school graduation, assuming they were still nice to me at that point. Well, the first one graduated, and - somewhat surprisingly to me…