Interested in hearing your favorite restaurants in St. Maarten....and WHY it is your favorite! Will be there for 2 weeks in April and I don't want to come home and find out I should have dined somewhere! Thanks!

It's been a few years but my most memorable meal was not really a restaurant but on the NE side of the island there was this mini-island (small piece of land) called Penal Isle (sp).

For ~$5.00 you took a water taxi over to the island. You can rent beach chairs/umbrellas. A short stroll away there was this tiki bar/outdoor grill. You just went over to the cook and told him what to cook (fresh fish, kabobs....simple menu). The bare foot bikini-clad waitress brought us some homemade rum punch (gratis) and we had a couple bottles of nice French wine, sat under the thatched roof cover at picnic tables and enjoyed a great lunch.

Also if the Fish Pot is still open that was very good. The best restaurants are on the French side. Go to the marina in Marigot and hang out at some of the outdoor cafes and people/boat watch.

I would also recommend making reso's in advance for some of the better places. We went in March and had a problem getting into some for them.

Enjoy your trip....I love St Martin ^

St. Martin is my favorite Caribbean island for a few reasons. The most significant of those being the incredible dining available on the island.

Grand Case is where you want to be for good dining on St. Martin. One one street there are about 15 exceptional restaurants.

Spiga is the best italian restaurant on the island! I liked it so much I ate there twice during the course of my last week long visit in June. The food and service are superb. http://www.grandcase.com/spiga/

For high-quality French food there are so many offerings in Grand Case. I've tried about 5 different French restaurants there (all very good) but the one which stood out the most was Auberge Gourmande. http://www.laubergegourmande.com/

On the Dutch side, I always enjoy going to Cheri's Cafe near Maho Beach at least once during my visit. Certainly not fine dining, but they have some great burgers and lively environment.

I would not leave the island without visiting these three places. For any of the restaurants in Grand Case, be sure to get a reservation a few days in advance.

I hope this helps. PM me if you need more info.

-FlyerBeek

Well if you are ready to spend some money, I would recommend the Hotel Restaurant at La Samanna, Orient Express Hotels, very stylish and exceptional food as well as an unbelievable view

might try a search in the Caribbean Forum.

Mini Club on French side for a beachside treehouse like dinner. Quite fun and surprising good food.

Wajang Doll on Dutch side for wonderful rijistaffel(sp?).

don't miss the roadside BBQ places w/jerked and grilled foods. So good and cheap

We mostly stayed on the French side; pick up a Ti Gourmet when you land. A few suggestions by town:

• Grand Case: Bistrot Caraibes (very fresh lobster), Fish Pot (fancy), or just crawl through town
• Marigot: Claude Mini-Club for lunch; walk around the streets for dinner
• Orient Bay (where we stayed): Simple beach food, not the major attraction anyway
• Oyster Pond: Captain Oliver's (esp. if you like to swim at your restaurant)

You also might want to take a day trip to Anguilla.