St. Maarten / St. Martin: Double the Countries, Double the Fun!

St. Maarten (http://www.st-maarten.com/) / St. Martin (http://www.st-martin.org/) is awesome. One little island, two separate countries. The Dutch own the lower portion (St. Maarten) and the French colonized northern St. Martin, where the topless beaches are. Figures. Alpaca isn't into public nudity so we stayed on the repressed Dutch side.

Oddly, one of the best beaches (with great snorkeling, natch) is actually the one closest to the pier. This was surprising, but one look at the electric blue water and you know it's fine. The sand is soft, there are plenty of beach chairs (with low rental prices - or merely a requirement that you buy a drink or two from the bar that owns them), cabana boys and beach vendors to serve your every need and the water is a perfect temperature year-round. Alpaca couldn't ask for anything more.

Husband is drawn into the Bose store every time we're in St. Maarten. Shock. I'm drawn to the jewelry stores. Shock. Alpaca put us both to shame by being intrigued by the old-fashioned schoolhouse-style Courthouse. Such the intellectual. But then he relented and allowed us to take his picture looking silly above the Sharky's sign.