Loterie Farm and the Fly Zone

Loterie Farm is a peaceful 135-acre private nature preserve near the bottom of Pic du Paradis. Designed to preserve island habitats, it offers a rare glimpse of Caribbean forest and mountain land. Visitors can go horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, take ecotours or practice meditation and yoga. All the trails at Loterie Farm begin at the base of the 1400 ft mountain and lead to the top of St Martin’s highest point, Pic Paradis, offering views of Orient Beach, St Barth and Anguilla. Lunch, from 12-3 pm, and dinner, from 6:30-9:30 pm, is served at the Hidden Forest Café, Tuesday through Saturday. The Café is open from 12-6 pm on Sundays and is closed on Mondays. Bon Apetit featured this treehouse-like eatery in their February 2005 issue. All dishes are made using only the freshest ingredients found on the island and each is garnished with fresh flowers from the property.

Loterie Farm's newest attraction, the Fly Zone, allows you to soar over the forest canopy via a series of ropes, cables, and suspended bridges. Zip-lines are suspended high above the forest reserve, soaring between 200 year old mango and mahogony trees. Ti’Tarzan is a special area with suspended bridges and swinging ropes that was designed for children. All participants on the Fly Zone and Ti’Tarzan are required to wear closed shoes or footwear that is secured to your feet.

Rte. de Pic du Paradis

Phone: 590/87-86-16 or 590/57-28-55

Cost: $5, 1½-hr tour $25, 4-hr tour $45

Hours: Daily, from sunrise to sunset.

Video of 747 Landing at Princess Juliana

If you've ever landed at the Princess Juliana Airport or watched planes land from the Sunset Bar, you know how low they can go. But, the KLM 747 landing in this You Tube video would have won a limbo contest!

YACC: Yet Another Caribbean Cocktail

Caribbean Cocktail Recipe

1 1/2 ounces light rum
1/2 ounce blue curacao
2 ounces pineapple juice
1 tablespoon simple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Fresh papaya or pineapple wedge, garnish

In a cocktail shaker, blend together all the ingredients, except the garnish. Pour into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with papaya, and serve.

Come Enjoy the Food and Drink at The Greenhouse

The Greenhouse Bar and Restaurant is located in Bobby’s Marina in Philipsburg right on the water with a beautiful view across Great Bay. It has enjoyed a reputation for good food and fun since 1986. Their Happy Hour is a full 150 minutes of two-for-one drinks, and their menu features steak, ribs, lobsters, and the freshest fish in the Caribbean. Here's a sampling of their regular specials.

Happy Hour

Daily from 4:30 until 7:00

Two-for-one drinks and reduced prices on appetizers

Voted the Number One Happy Hour on the island two years in a row!

Margarita Monday

Every Monday, All day and night

Two-for-one Jose Cuervo margaritas and Corona beer

Tex-Mex food specials

It Snows on Wednesday

Two-for-one Beck's beer all day and night

Snow crab and Dungeness crab clusters for $15.95 per pound

Friday Lobster Mania

Fresh lobster from Saba for $17.95 per pound

Pick your own from the tank

Summer Specials at Mary’s Boon Beach Plantation

Mary's Boon Beach Plantation Hotel is located on a spectacular three-mile stretch of white-sand beach in Simpson Bay, just south of Princess Julianna Airport. Although the resort is secluded, it is just minutes away from great shopping, restaurants and casinos. In the November 2003 and 2005 issues of Conde Nast Travel magazine, Mary's Boon was selected as one of the top ten hotels in the Caribbean. They offer 26 beachfront and garden plantation-style rooms and suites, some of which are one- and two-bedroom beach bungalows. The hotel is offering the following summer specials through the remainder of August and September.

4-Day Package – From $399, plus tax and service
4 nights accommodation
Welcome bottle of champagne
Daily breakfast
One dinner for two in their world-famous beachside restaurant

7-Day Package – From $699, plus tax and service
7 nights accommodation
Welcome bottle of champagne
Daily breakfast
Two dinners in their world-famous beachside restaurant

Diving and Snorkeling Resources

St Maarten offers excellent snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities with visibility in the water ranging from 100 to 200 feet. The wreck of an English battleship from 1801 lies in Great Bay, and the plentiful coral reefs attract a variety of fish and other sea life. In addition to the listings below, many hotels have dive operators on-site. Certified divers should remember to bring their licenses and diving logs.

Blue Ocean, Baie Nettle, 05 90 87 89 73

Neptune Dive Center, Orient Bay, 05 90 50 98 51

Scuba Fun Dive Center, Great Bay Marina Building, Pointe Blanche, Philipsburg, 599 557 0505

Scuba Fun Dive Center, Port Lonvilliers Marina, Anse Marcel, 05 90 8736 13

Dive Safaris, Simpson Bay, 599 545 3213

Dive Safaris, Bobby’s Marina, Philipsburg, 599 542 9001

The Scuba Shop, Palapa Marine, Simpson Bay, 599 545 3213

The Scuba Shop, Captain Oliver’s Marina, Oyster Pond, 05 90 87 48 01

Full-Moon Party at Kali's Beach Bar & Restaurant

Located on beautiful Friar’s Bay, Kali's Beach Bar & Restaurant hosts a full-moon party on the beach with a large bonfire, reggae music and BBQ. The party is so popular that people come from Anguilla and St Barth. The bar and restaurant are open every day and serve lunch and dinner. Some claim that Kali serves some of the best BBQ on the island. You can also have drinks or eat while sitting under an umbrella on the beach, if you wish.

Friar’s Bay is between Marigot and Grand Case. On the outskirts of Marigot, as you are headed toward Grand Case, you’ll see a sign for Friar’s Bay on the left. Turn left at the sign and just continue on the road for another 5 minutes or so. You won’t see another sign and you’ll wonder where the beach is. But, just keep going. Eventually, you’ll come to an unpaved road that leads to a parking lot at the edge of Friar’s Bay, a beautiful crescent bay with a wide, sandy beach. An easy 10-minute hike from the north side of Friar’s bay will take you to Happy Bay. This palm-lined crescent bay is surrounded by green hills and has good snorkeling around the rocks just off the beach.

YACC: Yet Another Caribbean Cocktail

Painkiller

2 oz dark rum
1 ½ oz orange juice
4 oz pineapple juice
1 oz Coco Lopez (cream of coconut)

Mix the juices and Coco Lopez and pour over ice. Add rum and top with grated nutmeg. Garnish with a slice of orange or pineapple and a cherry. Enjoy!