One of our favorite things to do is to go over to pinel Island. There is a boat that runs from the french cul de sac. It is approximately $8.00 round trip. The boats start running at 9:30 and the last boat off the Island is 5:00. It is such a pretty Island with very calm waters, it has multiple restaurants and a bar, in which they will put a table in the water so you can have drinks or a bite to eat right in the water, which is pretty neat. There is a small gift shop also that is cool, it is an open hut with sand floors. We have seen iguanas in the gift shop. Next to the gift shop there is an area that has lots of iguanas that are used to being fed by humans. There is also lots of walking trails that are nice. There is two beaches, yellow beachand brown beach. It is a great relaxing day. We pack a small cooler and enjoy the day. Make sure you pack plenty of sunscreen especially if your the type that likes to walk trails. We have also rented kayaks and paddled over to pinel. You can rent single kayaks or double ones. We rented a double kayak for about $30.00, which includes vests and a dry vac bag for your belongings. Its an easy paddle over to the island and there is also a smaller island that we stopped at on our way back. Pinel Island is a must see for sure whether you take the relaxing boat or a kayak over.
Enjoy your first visit to St Martin and I'm sure you'll have many more.
Ellen