Tag: Caribbean

Map of the island.

A bird’s eyeview of the harbour and shopping area.

Westin Resort

Hussein, Alia, Sabiya and Noorali

First, we should get the name right. Is it St. Maarten or St. Martin?

Both names are correct. The northern part of this Caribbean island is French with 21 square miles (54 km2) of land. The southern part of the island is Dutch with 16 square miles (41 km2) of land. The French call their part of the island St. Martin and Dutch call their part of the island St. Maarten. Collectively, the two territories are known as “St. Maarten/St. Martin”.

This tropical island is the smallest inhabited island in that area with a population of the entire island of approximately 72,000 people. Both parts of the island live in harmony. You can go from one end of the island to the other without restrictions. No questions are asked. But culturally the two areas are different.

We arrived at the Princess Juliana International Airport on St. Maarten’s side of the island. We were impressed by the ultra-modern airport for such a small island. It offers nonstop flights from the United States, Canada and Europe. We had to fly to Toronto and then take a flight to St. Maarten.

We stayed at the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten. It is a beautiful resort featuring 310 luxurious guest rooms and 15 suites, each with french doors leading to a balcony with an ocean or island view. Our rooms faced the beautiful beach. The resort offered many beach activities including the usual water sports.

Touring the island, we immediately realized how different the two parts of the island were.

On the French side, they speak French or English with a distinct French accent. They use Euro as their main currency and the main town, Marigot, has a distinct European flavour. The clothing stores have mostly European style apparels. About 35,000 people live on this part of the island. The French side is known more for its nude beaches, clothes, shopping (including outdoor markets), and rich French and Indian Caribbean cuisine.

On the Dutch side, English is more widely used although Dutch is the primary language. Netherlands Antillean guilder is their main currency although American dollar is accepted on both sides of the island. The main town, Philipsburg, looks and feels like a typical Caribbean island town. About 37,000 people live on the Dutch side. This part of the island is known for its festive nightlife, beaches, jewelry, exotic drinks made with native rum-based liquors and plentiful casinos.

The island is also known as a shopper’s paradise as it offers high quality duty-free goods in numerous boutiques. Popular goods include local crafts and arts, exotic foods, jewelry, liquor, tobacco, leather goods as well as most designer goods.

Salt and sugar cane industries are dead. The main economy is tourism and many Caribbean cruises include a stopover in Philipsburg. Phillipsburg has twelve gambling casinos and four duty-free streets full of shops and restaurants along the harbour. Also there is a beach and a board-walk just where the ship docks. One million tourists visit the island each year.

If you are an ardent environmentalist and a naturalist and are looking for a nudist colony then keep French side in mind. They don’t believe in wearing designer clothing on nude beaches. I wonder where I lost my Speedo!

We had a wonderful and relaxing time. I would not hesitate to go again (http://www.st-maarten.com/).

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Beautiful sunrise.

One of the many sports you can enjoy.

A beautiful view of the palm tree beach and the ocean.

The famous Half Moon Bay. From left to right: Hussein, Alia, Sabiya and Noorali Bharwani.

Shirley Heights sunset.

I love Antigua. You may wonder what is so exciting in Antigua that I should almost travel 24 hours to get there. From Medicine Hat to Calgary to Toronto to Antigua – yes it is a long way from where I am sitting at home. If I am looking for a direct flight with minimum number of changeovers then there is a choice of only one airline – Air Canada twice a week from Toronto to Antigua.

Apart from the inconvenience of a long flight for Westerners (Torontonians have to just hop over the ocean and be in Antigua), Antigua offers breathtaking beauty with blue waters, 365 beaches (one for each day of the year), good food, cocktails and relaxation. It is sunny and warm all year with soothing trade winds.

Antigua (pronounced an-TEE-gah) is an island in the West Indies. It has a circumference of 87 kilometers. It has a population of about 70,000. It is the largest of the Leeward Islands, and the most developed and prosperous due to its upscale tourism industry, offshore banking, internet gambling services and education services, including two medical schools.

The capital city is St. John with a population of 30,000. The island has an international airport (VC Bird International Airport) which is serviced by many major airlines. It has deep harbour to accommodate large cruise ships.

It has secluded, powdery soft beaches. The island is internationally famous for yachting and sailing. It has two 18-hole golf courses and they charge US$40 for green fees and US$30 for power cart. You cannot complain about that.

There is no shortage of enticing bars, Calypso music and Caribbean cuisine with peace and tranquility to go with it. It is a slow paced island, requires patience for pleasure and happiness. There is no shortage of soft adventures like scuba, snorkeling, boating, fishing, and much, much more.

In 1784, the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed to Antigua and established Great Britain’s most important Caribbean base. And now over 200 years later Antigua and Barbuda have become premier tourist destinations. Barbuda is just 15-minute flight or 90-minute ferry ride from Antigua. Barbuda has a 17-mile pristine and untouched pink shell beach. It is also a haven for seabirds.

Going to Antigua, you get to enjoy two islands in one. Not a bad deal. Except for me. In Barbuda, I was rock climbing and missed my step, fell and got a bad wound on my right leg. Being a surgeon, I had to fix it myself.

Antigua is home of one of the world’s foremost maritime events, Sailing Week. The coral reefs attract snorkelers and scuba divers from all over the world. There are several historic sites such as Betty’s Hope sugar mill, St. John’s Cathedral and Nelson’s Dockyard. You can tour the island in one day without any rush. And there is duty free shopping.

You have to spend one evening at Shirley’s Heights. It is a lovely hill with a view of Antigua’s southern coast. You can watch the sunset while drinking Jamaican rum. There is a barbecue every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. which is popular with tourists and locals. There is food, bar, music and dancing late into the night. Long live Shirley Heights!

Next time you are planning a holiday, say “Yaman, it is Antigua!”

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!