St Maarten

St. Maarten will always hold a special place in my heart. Back in the early 2000s, I had a timeshare here and would spend two full weeks each year exploring every corner of the island. Cupecoy Beach and Club Orient were longtime favorites, each offering their own unique charm, whether it was the cliffside views or the clothing-optional freedom.

But like many in the Caribbean, this island was hit hard by Hurricane Irma in 2017. My return in 2018 was bittersweet. I took a bus tour around the island under heavy gray skies, rain tapping gently against the windows as we passed homes and hotels that still sat in ruin. Buildings I remembered fondly were reduced to broken shells. That trip became less about sightseeing and more about quiet reflection. There’s a heaviness to seeing a place you love so changed, and I felt it in every puddled road and collapsed rooftop.

In 2023 I returned again, this time under blue skies with a lighter mood. I wandered the shops of Philipsburg for a bit and then caught a cab out to Maho Beach. If you’ve never been, picture this: you’re lounging at Sunset Bar with a drink in hand, the ocean sparkling in front of you, and a massive commercial jet thunders just feet overhead as it comes in for landing at Princess Juliana Airport. It’s exhilarating and oddly calming at the same time. Watching planes land just above the beach has become a bit of a tradition for me now, it’s a reminder that travel is still full of magic.

Some buildings are still in rough shape, and you can see reminders of Irma scattered across the island. But there’s also resilience in the bright paint, the warm hospitality, and the energy of visitors and locals alike filling the beaches again.