Details About St. Maarten

Attractions

Compete in an actual race on an America's Cup shortened course. Grind a winch, trim a sail or just sit back and enjoy. Professional sailors will give you a quick lesson, then you're off to compete on Stars and Stripes, one of the most famous sailboats in the world.

Activities

• Rendezvous at one of the newest and trendiest restaurants in French St. Maarten. Explore Orient Bay, the French Riviera of the Caribbean, with over 1 1/2 miles of white-sand beaches.
• Admire the delicate nature and dazzling colors of hundreds of butterflies as you tour St. Maarten's popular Butterfly Farm.

Adventures

• Tour the saltwater lagoons by kayak, and discover egrets, plovers, heron and pelicans.
• Discover the undersea world of coral reefs and exotic fish as you take a snorkeling expedition through Shipwreck Cove.

Shopping

There are about 500 duty-free shops on St. Maarten with prices 25% to 50% below those in the U.S. The selection of jewelry and watches is premier on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. Friendly competition between merchants guarantees excellent prices on emeralds, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, gold and silver. St. Maarten offers a wide selection of fine jewelry and watches from such well-known designers as C2K, Caribbean Hook, Honora, House of Tanzanite, John Atencio, John Hardy, Kabana, Roberto Coin, Starnight, White Diamonds, Alfex, Concord, Faconnable, Gucci, Maurice Lacroix, Michele, Movado, Wenger, La Nouvelle Bague and more. Be sure to try a bottle of St. Maarten's own guavaberry liqueur. The guavaberry is exclusive to this island.

Currency

The official units of currency are the Netherlands Antilles guilder (ANG) and the Euro (EUR). However, U.S. dollars, traveler's checks and credit cards are widely accepted.