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How We Spent 2 Weeks in Spain and Portugal – Part 2

I really wanted to visit Portugal. There is a lot of buzz in the travel community about the old-world charm of Lisbon, the beauty of the Algarve region, and port wineries of Porto. Roman, Ksenia and I agreed that we wanted to see it all and decided to spend the second part of our trip in Portugal visiting Porto, Lagos, and Lisbon.

The fifth day of our trip we spent traveling from Spain to Portugal.

Unfortunately, our early morning flight from Barcelona to Porto was overbooked and we didn’t get on that plane. The airline “Vueling” only offered us the next flight at 8pm, so we would be in Porto by 10pm. There would be no time left for any plans of sightseeing or port tasting in Porto.

We were very disappointed. But things happen when you travel. All you need is to use every opportunity for taking advantage of the unpleasant situation. We checked in our luggage, took the subway to Barceloneta and spend several hours on the beach. Later, we got back to the airport and hopped on our plane which was delayed several times.

Barcelona beach — Our early morning flight from Barcelona to Porto was overbooked. So, we decided to spend extra hours on the beach.

Porto

The sixth day of our trip we were planning to spend in Porto exploring the city and visiting the famous port houses. Unfortunately, the real-life interfered in our plans and we got stuck in Barcelona for one extra day and no chance to see the city of Porto.

When we checked in to Flores Village Hotel and Spa it was already late, dark, and cold. The receptionist was very friendly and offered us a glass of port while we were checking in.

Flores Village Hotel and Spa in Porto

The hotel had a perfect location in the old part of the town in an elegantly renovated 18th-century building with modern amenities. Our 1st floor room was very spacious and lovely decorated. It was facing the narrow street below with people strolling after dinner.

Next morning we had breakfast at the hotel with great selection of local cheeses, meat and sausages, fruits, eggs, bread, pastries, and options of juice, coffee, and tea.

The taxi ride from the hotel to the train station was around 20 minutes. The taxi driver was very nice and pointed at several historical sites and gave us a brief history of Porto. We liked what we saw.

Porto, Portugal - Old Town — Beautiful buildings of Old Town in Porto

The city was small and manageable after the big and bustling Barcelona. The construction cranes and scaffolds were everywhere, because the city was going through the major renovation time. I could see myself exploring the beauty of this place when we come back and stay a little bit longer next time.

Traveling from Porto to Lagos

The seventh day of our trip we spent traveling from Porto to the Algarve region.

You can travel from Porto to Lagos by train or bus. We took a train with two connecting stops in Lisbon and Tunes. The ride is almost 8 hours long. We had a two-hour stop at the main train station in Lisbon “Gare do Oriente”. Then another 4.5 hours from Lisbon to Lagos with a very quick transfer in Tunes.

Lagos

We arrived in Lagos at the end of the day and stayed there for four days.

Why we choose Lagos?

Lagos is a beach town in the South of Portugal region known as Algarve.

The Algarve is well known for its warm and dry climate, beautiful sandy beaches framed by jagged rocks and green hills with orange and lemon orchards.

Lagos, Portugal - white-washed houses — White-washed houses with terracotta tiles – newer part of Lagos

A little bit of history:

Lagos is located along the Atlantic Ocean. It’s an ancient town with more than 2000 years of history. In the 6th-century, it was occupied by the Visigoths, later by the Byzantines, then by the Moors in the 8th-century.

The city of Lagos was the capital of the Algarve region in the 13th- and 14th- centuries. The first great Portuguese sea expeditions embarked from here. The first African slave market in Europe was held here.

Lagos old town is defined by 16th-century medieval walls and stretches between Praca Gil Eanes (the main square) and the fort.

The wide pedestrian street along the bank of Bensafrim River is called Lagos Promenade. You can take a pleasant walk with the views of palm trees and busy little boats. We found that most of the tourists spend their evening time in the old town. It’s packed with all kind of restaurants, funky cafes, bars, and nightclubs. The atmosphere is very relaxing and enjoyable.

Beaches:

The beaches around Lagos are famous for their dramatic scenery.

The most popular beaches are Praia da Batata, Praia Dona Ana and Praia do Camilo. The picturesque cliff formations work as a background for secluded sandy beaches with crystal clear waters.

Dona Ana Beach in Lagos, Portugal — Dona Ana Beach

Dona Ana Beach (Praia Dona Ana) is the most popular with stunning views. You need to use wooden stairs to get to the beach. There are a basic restaurant, and a kiosk for rentable chairs with umbrellas.

Camilo Beach (Praia do Camilo) is more secluded. The view from the top is breathtaking. Picturesque cliffs embrace the little sandy beach with blue waters. There are wooden stairs to get down to the beach. Don’t forget to bring your own blankets, umbrellas, but you will not be disappointed.

The beach is a sheltered bay and perfect for swimming and suntanning. There is a seafood restaurant on the cliff above the beach with a spectacular view. You may need to book it in advance. We tried to get there, but it was always fully booked.

Where to stay in Lagos:

We stayed at Villas D. Dinis Charming Residence.

Villas Dinnis Hotel - Villa Rose — We stayed at Villa Rose in Lagos. This complex of small villas is a part of Villas D Dinnis Hotel.

It’s a complex of small villas or option of rooms in the main building. The hotel is for adults only. We stayed at Villa Rose. The Villa Rose is a complex of 5 attached suites and has a little pool to share, the cabana style patio with lounge chairs and another one with beds.

Our corner suite was clean, spacious and had a small roof terrace with a beautiful view of the neighborhood. The best part that it was very close to Dona Ana beach.

Where to eat in Lagos:

Fresh fish served in many Lagos restaurants

There are so many good places to eat in Lagos. Most of them serve fish and seafood caught no more than a few hours earlier.

Most of the restaurants are located along Rua 25 de Abril. We dined a couple of nights there and were a little bit disappointed. The choice of dishes was catered to the tourists with long menus in English.

Then one night we decided to try several places outside of the main drag and liked them more.

Our favorite dishes were deep-fried squid, steamed tiny clams and grilled seabass all served with plenty of vegetables.

Lisbon

After four days in Lagos, we said good-bye to this lovely beach town. The last leg of our trip was Lisbon. Saturday morning, we hopped on the early train to Tunes and one hour later changed to the one going to Lisbon.

Lisbon at glance:

Lisbon is Portugal’s coastal capital. One time it was Old World capital of the huge empire stretching from Europe to Brazil to Africa and to China. The city was built on seven hills and has many spectacular views.

Old Town of Lisbon is an interesting combination of the narrow and steep streets with mosaic sidewalks, tall buildings adorned with multicolored tiles, decorative wrought-iron balconies, trendy cafes and designer boutiques. It is old and modern, trendy and charming all at once.

Lisbon - city view — Our favorite spot with the best city views at Miradouro de Sao pedro de Alcantara

It was our first time in Lisbon, so we decided to walk, explore the city, and enjoy the relaxed café culture of Portugal.

We had booked an Airbnb apartment which was in the old city of Lisbon in the residential neighborhood of Principe Real. The apartment was a short walk to downtown called Baixa.

The Baixa district is the heart of Lisbon. It consists of grand avenues, impressive plazas and shopping boulevards with trendy boutiques.

Places we visited:

Praca do Comercio is Lisbon’s largest open square situated next to RioTejo (River Tagus). You can tell that it’s a focal point for events, festivities, shopping, and dining.

The monumental Arco da Rua Augusta is at the entrance of Praca do Comercio. The arch was built to mark the reconstruction of the city after the 1755 earthquake.

On the other side of the Arco da Rua Augusta is the main shopping street Rua Augusta. This wide pedestrian street has many fashionable boutiques and upscale hotels and restaurants.

The Elevator Santa Justa is one of the major tourist attractions right off Rua Augusta. This giant elevator was designed by an apprentice of Gustav Eiffel and considers as an artistic marvel of the industrial age. The lift takes you 32 meters up inside the ornate metal tower to the platform with spectacular city views.

By the end of our trip, we were tired and didn’t book any city tours in advance. But the basic hop on and hop off tour helped us to go around the city in a more relaxed way.

CitySightseeing in Lisbon

Roman and I bought the bus tour tickets from CitySightseeing company. It was very affordable – 44 euros for two of us and you can spread the tours in two days.

Cathedrals of Old Town of Lisbon — Beautiful cathedrals of Old Town

The first day we went with a red line bus tour. There were two amazing places we wanted to come back and explore more: Torre de Belem (Tower of Belem) and Mosteiro dos Jeronimos.

The next day we took a blue line bus tour. The tour started at Praca do Comercio and took us east of the city along the river, old and new docks and warehouses, through modern buildings of Oceanario de Lisboa and Gare do Oriente (train station) and then down south through Jardim Zoologico and very popular Parque Eduardo VII.

Places we want to visit next time:

After staying in Lisbon for four days we already knew that we need to come back and explore this city in full.

Here is our list:

Torre de Belem (Tower of Belem) is the 16th-century fortress placed on the Tagus River. It was built to welcome the returning sailors. It was from Belem that Vasco da Gama set sail for India at the end of the 15th-century and returned a year later.

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monastery) is a large complex including a church, cloisters, and galleries in combined Renaissance and Gothic styles. It was built as a celebration of the discovery of a sea route to the Orient and beginning of Portuguese’s golden age.

Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. George castle) is another Lisbon’s famous landmark. The castle was once the heart of a walled city that spread downhill as far as the river. It was built on the original site of the Moorish castle which was defeated in 12th-century by Crusaders. There are spectacular views overlooking the historic center of Lisbon.

Take away from our trip

It was our first visit to Portugal. We liked the places we had visited, we liked the fresh food and very friendly Portuguese people. During our travels, we come across countless construction sites in every city. Portugal is a country with many old and medieval buildings which are being preserved and restored. The process is slow.

Lisbon - narrow and steep streets ofOld Town - — Narrow and steep streets of Old Town in Lisbon

There are tourists everywhere and the streets are narrow and steep. And yet every place we visited had its own distinct charm. There is a lot of history and beautiful architecture around every corner. We are planning to come back and explore this country next time.

How We Spent 2 Weeks in Spain and Portugal – Part 1

Related Post: Our Trip to St. Martin

Have you visited Portugal? What places did you visit? Share your comments below.

How We Spent 2 Weeks in Spain and Portugal – Part 1

by Maggie 2 Comments

Barcelona is like no other city in the world. It is full of amazing architecture, great art, tasty cuisine, and beautiful beaches. You can spend days exploring this big metropolis and never feel tired of it. It is not a surprise that Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in Europe.

For our family vacation, we decided to spend at least four days exploring Barcelona, then move to Portugal and spend eight days visiting Porto, Lagos, and Lisbon.

Our trip started with an overnight flight from Boston International Airport to Barcelona with Iberia Airlines.

First day in Barcelona. The day began with unpacking our suitcases and then walking around to get some groceries and bottled water. We discovered that our new neighborhood – Placa de Tetuan – is a quiet residential area within a short walk to many popular tourist places. As a bonus, our Airbnb apartment had a good size roof terrace with an amazing city view. We could even see famous Sagrada Familia towers from our windows.

Santa Caterina Market

Our first long walk was to Santa Caterina market, located not far from the Barcelona Cathedral. The popular market had a big variety of fruit and vegetable stalls combined with local cheeses and Iberian ham. On a way home, we stopped at the wine store and bought several bottles of local wine. We had our dinner on the roof terrace overlooking Placa de Tetuan park and enjoying the breathtaking view of the city.

Dinner on the roof terrace in Barcelona, Spain — Our first night dinner on the roof terrace overlooking Placa de Tetuan park and the city of Barcelona

After dinner, we headed towards the Arc de Triomf, which was a short walk from our new home. This monumental arch was built in Moorish Revival architectural style. It served as the main gate to Barcelona World Fair in 1888. The arch opens to a wide promenade surrounded by palm trees and obelisks.

Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, Spain — Arc de Triomf

At the end of a promenade there is a big green space of Ciutadella Park. This historical garden has the city zoo, a small lake with a beautiful fountain, and classic building of Palace of the Parliament of Catalonia.

Second day in Barcelona. We were still jet-lagged but decided to follow our plan and visit Park Guell in the morning and then spend the afternoon on the beach.

Park Guell

The Park Guell is one of the main attractions in Barcelona. It was designed and built by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi between 1900 and 1914. Originally the architect got a commission from capitalist E. Guell to create a park around his family summer residence. The only portion of the original project was completed. The land was later sold to the city of Barcelona and turned into a public park.

The park occupies a small area, but it is beautifully designed and full of architectural elements in Gaudi’s signature style. It’s colorful, cheerful and whimsical. There are grottoes, a colonnaded hall, winding stairs and other creative structures decorated in multi-colored tiles.

Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain — Park Guell was designed and built by famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. It is cheerful and whimsical

We walked around the park for several hours and then climbed on top of the hill located outside of the park. Here we found a small terrace with the best panoramic views of the whole city and blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Walking around the park and climbing up the hill for the city views is a wonderful experience. But you get tired fast going up and down the hills. The best way to relax and feel that you’re still on vacation is to spend some time on the beach.

Barceloneta

The city of Barcelona has many beaches which are stretching over 4.5 km (2.8 miles) of coastline along the Mediterranean Sea. Barceloneta is one of the most popular ones and is closest to the city center. It is easily accessible on foot, bus or metro.

There is a walkway which runs along the sandy beach and several bars and restaurants. We didn’t find many places with rentable chairs and umbrellas. But there were many local vendors who sold the beach stuff for 10 to 12 euros.

After spending the whole afternoon on the beach, we strolled along crowded with tourists and locals’ promenade and had a relaxing dinner at one of many waterfront restaurants.

On our third day in Barcelona, we decided to explore the old city and then stroll along Las Ramblas all way down to the Harbor Front.

Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter)

The Gothic Quarter is the oldest part of Old Town of Barcelona. There are remains of ancient Roman buildings dating back 2,000 years. However, most of the buildings and historic monuments are from the Middle Ages.

We wandered around. The streets of the Gothic Quarter were narrow and dark. Old buildings were built very close to each other, so the windows are opened right into your neighbor’s living room or kitchen. The dry clothes rods were hung above the pedestrians together with the geraniums flowers boxes. I could tell that the sun hardly ever reaches the bottom of these streets. It looked old, dark and mysterious. It was full of history.

Dinner at Gothic Quarter's restaurant in Barcelona, Spain — We had dinner at one of the Gothic Quarter’s restaurant before heading down to La Ramblas

After walking the streets of the Gothic Quarter, we took a short walk from the Old Town to the city center – Plaza Catalunya (Placa de Catalunya).

La Rambla

You can call “La Rambla” as Barcelona’s most famous street or a social hub. It’s located just off Plaza Catalunya and leading right down towards the spectacular Harbor Front and the beach. It is often called Las Ramblas because it’s a series of several different streets.

This wide avenue is lined with many shops, restaurants, and outdoor cafes, making it one of the most popular hangouts in Barcelona. At night, groups of locals and tourists stroll along La Rambla or sit at the outdoor café with a glass wine. There are many street performers or live music bands.

We spent some time enjoying this lovely street and a bustling hive of activity. But you need to be careful and watch your wallet. With thousands of tourists and locals wandering around there is a chance to get pickpocketed.

On our last day in Barcelona we were planning to visit La Sagrada Familia and then to go and see the light and music show of Magic Fountain of Montjuic at night.

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family)

La Sagrada Familia is one of the most popular attractions in Barcelona. The church is in the northern part of the city with tall towers soaring high above all other monuments. It’s a creation of the city most famous architect Antoni Gaudi. He was commissioned to design this basilica as a neo-Gothic church in 1883. But instead of following the plan, Gaudi created one of his famous surrealistic Art Nouveau architecture. He worked on this monumental church until his death in 1926. It was left unfinished.

We bought tickets online for the escorted tour around the church and were happy to skip the long waiting lines. It was my first time to see the interiors of this iconic building after the complete restoration. It was hard not to be entranced by the beauty of this enormous space soaring 90 meters high. I think everyone was admiring the decorative elements of the ceiling and multi-colored stained-glass windows.

La Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain — La Sagrada Familia Basilica – interiors

The exteriors looked equally stunning with 18 towers of different heights, each dedicated to a biblical figure.

However, the restoration process is still going on. The cranes and construction equipment not always look pretty on the travel photos. The whole team of architects and construction workers is trying to finish this never-ending project by 2026. By that time, it will be a celebration of 100 years of building a church started by the famous architect in the 20^th century and finished in 21^st by his followers.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

The light and music show of Montjuic fountain is one of the most amazing spectacles in Barcelona. The show gathers big crowds of tourists and locals who watch the spectacular display of light, water, and music.

Magic Fountain in Barcelona, Spain — The light and music show of Magic Fountain of Montjuic

It’s free of charge, but you need to verify the time and the day of the show. On our first visit to Barcelona, we missed it by arriving too late to the site.

The water fountain was built at the bottom of the Montjuic hill with a grand building of National Palace in Neo-Baroque style on the top. The cascade of large staircases adds another element to a stunning view.

After watching the show for almost one hour, we walked down the hill to Placa d’Espanya. This place is one of Barcelona’s most important and biggest squares. It was built for 1929 International Exhibition and still serves as a popular place for city’s festivities, celebrations, and fireworks shows.

Walk to Placa d"Espanya in Barcelona, Spain — After the show, we walked down the hill to Placa d’Espanya

Places to Eat in Barcelona

There are so many great places to eat in Barcelona. International and local food is super tasty here. For us, foreigners, Spanish food is all about tapas and paella. However, in several places, we had a great experience with simple dishes made from fresh ingredients, like tomatoes, artichokes, peppers, and eggplants. But my favorite food was all kind of sea products fresh from the Mediterranean Sea.

I have a list of places where we liked to eat:

Fiberbug – Brunch -Bar-Bistro. This place has a good selection of salads, sandwiches, tea, coffee, and pastries. We brunched there several times.

Restaurante Arume – a gourmet restaurant with a combination of Galician and Catalonian cuisines. Great octopus, carpaccio and paellas. It’s a small place, but the food is outstanding. We ordered the highly recommended house drink “Blackberry Mojito” and were not disappointed.

Café de L’Academia – this restaurant is in the middle of the Gothic Quarter. It’s very popular with tourists and gets very crowdy. The reservations are essential. Our food was excellent. The grilled octopus and the baby squid were super tender. My favorite was an eggplant terrine with goat cheese. A wonderful combination of fresh ingredients and flavors.

During our four days visit, we saw many beautiful places. I can see why people go back to Barcelona again and again, there’s so much to do and see. I would stay here longer and explore this wonderful city for weeks.

The next morning, we took a taxi and arrived 40 minutes later at Barcelona International airport to continue our journey to Portugal.

This part concludes Part 1 of our family vacation trip.

Related Post: Our Trip to St. Martin

Have you visited Barcelona? What places did you visit? Which attractions in Barcelona do you consider to be the most interesting? Share your comments below.

Our Trip to St. Martin

by Maggie 2 Comments

St. Martin/St. Maarten is a charming slice of Caribbean Paradise that is so easy to fell in love with.

Since the 17^th century, the island has been shared by the Netherlands and France. However, there is no official border between the two sides and no passport is required to get from one side to the next.

The French side calls the island Saint Martin (capital Marigot) and the Dutch side Sint Maarten (capital Philipsburg). The island is a melting pot of cultures, history, food, and activities.

St. Martin’s Dutch side is well known for its festive nightlife, sandy beaches, casinos, and jewelry shopping.

St. Martin’s French side is known for its nude beaches, “Mardis de Grand Case” street festival, clothes shopping, and gourmet restaurants.

Roman and I first visited the island when we were on a Caribbean cruise. We spent around 6 hours on the Dutch side, enjoying the beach, food and some shopping. This time we decided to spend a whole week on the island and explore it in full.

Where is it located?

St. Martin is a tiny island located in the northeast part of the Caribbean not far from Puerto Rico. Several airlines fly directly to the island from Europe, US, and Canada. The Princess Juliana International Airport is considered one of the busiest airports in the Caribbean.

It’s also a favorite port of call for many Caribbean cruises and a popular base for island hopping.

We flew to St. Martin from Boston Logan airport with Jet Blue airlines to spend a week exploring.

As a tourist, I got the feeling that this 34 sq. miles island may offer many things to see and to do compared to similar size Caribbean islands.

Our list of places to visit and things to do in St. Martin

The Dutch side of the island:

Explore Philipsburg

Philipsburg is the Dutch capital of the island and it is located within the stunning view of Great Bay blue waters. It’s easy to walk around a few streets of this town sandwiched between the Salt Pond and Great Bay.

There are many beach front restaurants serving up the fresh catch of the day, Caribbean lobster and conch fritters. The Boardwalk is the most popular place and has many options for lunch and dinner. You can go for a swim in the pristine waters of Great Bay, lounge on the beach and then come back to the Boardwalk for a tropical cocktail.

If you like to shop, Philipsburg is the ideal location. Front Street is lined with high-end boutiques and jewelry stores. You’ll find plenty of fine jewelry, watches, designer clothes and more. It’s duty-free heaven for shoppers!

Maho Beach and Airplanes

Maho beach is world famous for low-flying airplanes. There is a community of people who try to capture the “rush” of jets flying right over their heads. Many “plane spotters” and tourists try to capture the thrilling experience as the planes land or take-off at Princess Juliana International Airport.

We went to Maho beach, but unfortunately never spotted any airplanes. We did enjoy a couple of cocktails at the beach bar and heard stories about people being blown into the water the jet blast of large planes.

The French side of the island:

Orient Bay (Baie Orientale) Beach

Orient Bay beach - St. Martin — Orient Bay Beach at Kontiki Bar

St. Martin island is blessed with 37 gorgeous beaches. But Orient Bay beach is probably the most famous in the entire Caribbean. But be warned! Parts of this beach is famous for its nudity.

This 2-mile-long, white powdered sand beach is beautiful and protected from the Atlantic waves by a reef. So, the snorkeling here is just incredible.

Orient Bay is the only beach on St. Martin with many bars and restaurants directly located on the beach.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Irma left a trail of devastation on Orient Bay. All beach bars were wiped out. All vegetation and many coconut trees were swept away. However, the beach still consists of a large curve of white sand and the colors of the sea are still spectacular. The vegetation is growing back quickly, and the beach bars are reopening.

We had a wonderful lunch at Kontiki Bar. After that, we spent the rest of the day swimming in clear tropical waters and lounging on the beach chairs with matching umbrellas. No wonder this beach is called the “St. Tropez of the Caribbean”.

Grand Case – Fishing Village

St. Martin has a reputation of a culinary melting pot of cultures and flavors. The small beach town of Grand Case on the French side is often called a “Culinary Capital of the Caribbean”. Many top chefs of the world opened their restaurants here. You will find an interesting mix of French Caribbean and Creole cuisines. If you want to get a taste of less expensive food, try to eat at the local “Lolo”.

Open-air barbecue stand "Lolo" — The barbecue stand is called “Lolo” by locals. It means “locally owned, locally operated”.

The open-air barbecue stands are called “Lolo” by locals. They are a good place for a well-seasoned rack of ribs, chicken or grilled red snapper served with rice, beans, and coleslaw. The full platter costs from $10 to $20, and a real bargain on pricey St. Martin.

I would highly recommend dining here at least once. The Grand Case Boulevard and the beach are lined up with restaurants and Lolos. So, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Grand Case’s Street Festival

The colorful “Mardis de Grand Case” festival starts on the second Tuesday of January. It held every Tuesday evening for 12 weeks.

We were lucky to see the last parade of the year. We drove to Grand Case with friends. There were many tourists and locals sitting at Lolo’s or just walking around. The street was lined up with vendor’s tables and stalls selling art, crafts, and food.

St. Martin's street festival — The local dancers dressed up in colorful costumes

We had dinner at one of Lolos and watched the parade. The dancers in colorful, tropical costumes walked the street under the rhythms of Caribbean music.

I would recommend visiting the event if you happen to be on the island during these months.

Pinel Island (Ile de Pinel)

Pinel Island's beach — Pinel Island’s beach

Pinel Island is located at the North East side of St. Martin and set in the heart of the French Marine Park. The place is popular with locals and tourists.

One day we decided to visit this little treasure in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. We drove to the Cul de Sac on the French side and took a small boat/ ferry for a five-minute ride.

The first thing you see is a picture-perfect scenery – the turquoise water and the white sand of the beach surrounded by coconut trees.

There are two cute French restaurants and a souvenir shack at the back of the main beach. The island is a perfect place for a relaxing day of swimming, snorkeling or sunbathing with a glass of cold rum punch.

Hike to Pic Paradis

Pic Paradis is the highest point of the island at a height of 1,391 feet. It rises from the center of St. Martin on the French side not far from the village Colombier.

One day we decided to go hiking with friends who stay on the island every year for a few weeks. We were lucky that they know this area well. We followed the trails all way up and come to one of the two observation decks. The view from the deck over the island and lush rain forest below was spectacular. On our way down we saw a group of wild monkeys eating peacefully within the shade of big trees.

Loterie Farm

We never stopped at Loterie Farm which is located at the foot of the mountain. But we passed it on our way back from Pic Paradis. I had a feeling that I would love to spend some time at this secret hideaway.

A former sugar plantation, this private nature sanctuary is very popular with tourists. Loterie Farm is well-known as a place for great food and drinks in the lush green surroundings, and swimming pools with cascades and tropical cabanas.

Marigot

Marigot is a capital of the French side of St. Martin. Before going on this trip, I read a lot about this town. It was described as a pleasant place with brightly colored Creole-style houses, chic boutiques, and delicious restaurants.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Irma brought a lot of damage to this charming place. We saw many houses in ruins without roofs, doors, and windows. The whole island suffered huge devastation after September 2017. The town is slowly recovering from the hurricane, but it will take time before the traces of the disaster will be removed from the island.

Where to stay in St. Martin?

When it comes where to stay, it can depend on what you’re looking for. The island offers a wide range of accommodation, from five-star resorts to charming boutique hotels. There are many timeshare or condo rental options. Most hotels and resorts are located on the island’s beaches. Regardless of whether you choose to stay on the Dutch or French side, everything is relatively close and easy to access with a rental car.

We stayed at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort. Divi is part of large chain resorts.

Divi Resort on St. Martin — Divi Little Bay Beach Resort

St. Martin’s Divi resort is located on a peninsula within walking distance of Philipsburg on the Dutch side of the island. It is a timeshare resort with 235 rooms, three pools, four restaurants, a mini-mart, and a gift shop. You can choose from an all-inclusive package (rare option on the island) or room only.

Hotel location: located on its own private beach facing Little Bay waters. It is a perfect location for a relaxing stay on a tropical island. You’ll need to rent a car if planning to explore other sides of the island.

Hotel room: our room was spacious and comfortable with a scenic view of Little Bay beach. The room had an open concept of sleeping and sitting areas with a kitchenette and a bathroom with a Jacuzzi and large-size shower room.

Hotel amenities: the hotel has a full-service spa, gym, water-sports center, and several shops. There are two swimming pools located at Seabreeze bar and new infinity pool on the hilly side of the resort. The bars and restaurants provide a great mix of fine dining and casual poolside snack options.

Hotel value: we paid $2,600 per person for all-inclusive air and hotel package. I believe that on this island where hotels are quite expensive, this was a good value for our money. We stayed at the resort for seven days and enjoyed a good service, great amenities, food, and a beautiful beach.

dinner at Divi resort's restaurant — The sunset and dinner at the resort’s restaurant

There are so many reasons to visit the island: history, culture, beaches, food, fun, and shopping. We didn’t have time to take in all the sights of this beautiful island.

But we were happy to explore and experience a small piece of this paradise that is a little Dutch and a little French.

Have you ever visited St. Martin?