Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin share a celebrated island and its own distinct charm, with the combined effect being a magnificent crossroads of colonial and Caribbean splendor. The luminous beaches are brilliant golden crescents, where you can snorkel, dive, windsurf and kayak in the warm and crystalline waters. Away from the beach are colorful open-air markets, sites rich in colonial grandeur, acclaimed restaurants of every flavor and variety, and an artistic community that brings the world's cultural elite to celebrate this tropical brilliance.

Fun Fact: The Arawak Indians were the first to inhabit the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten. They left their homeland in the Orinoco basin of South America and migrated along the chain of islands in the Caribbean. They gave it the name "Sualouiga" meaning "Land of Salt" for the salt-pans and the salty water they found here in great abundance.