The Dutch part of the island St. Martin is known as St. Maar-
ten and is a center of tourism in the Caribbean. You will find a
number of hotels, casinos and restaurants. In other words it's
quite busy there. The island offers European atmosphere and
is a favourite amongst Americans. Apart from its busy life St.
Maarten has numerous breathtaking beaches.

The capital city is Phillipsburg which is constructed on a nar-
row sandy land strip which separates the sea from the Great
Salt Pond. There are some colonial buildings and plenty of
shopping possibilities for tourists and cruise ship passen-
gers. It also has a tax-free status and on the island you will
find many things cheaper than elsewhere. The newly rebuildt
Promenade which leads to the Wathey Square is the cen-
ter of the city and more or less the whole of Front Street is
full of boutiques. Other tourist areas on St. Maarten are Maho
and Simpson Bay which have modern hotels, gift stores, ca-
sinos and the latter a nice yacht harbor. Nearby lies the most
visited tourist attraction on the island, the airport runway,
direct on a small beach. A "must see" venue with two busy
bars on each side of the beach, where you can sit and wait for
the next plane. The planes land just meters over the heads of
the many plane spotters!

From the hills of St. Maarten you can have a great view of the
entire island as well as the surrounding islands. Also worth vi-
siting is Fort Amsterdam, which was built in 1630 by the Spa-
nish.

On St. Maarten you can practise nearly every kind of water-
sport. Popular activities are day boat trips to nearby Anguilla,
Saba or exclusive St. Barth. The Mullet Bay Resort has a very
good 18-hole-golf-course.