St. Maarten & St. Martin keeps winning “Best for Foodies” attention

GREAT BAY-MARIGOT--St. Maarten & St. Martin is continuing to land on international “best of” travel roundups that highlight the destination’s culinary depth, from beachside dining and barbecue culture to French-Caribbean fine dining and a year-round calendar of food-focused experiences.

Recent coverage between November 2025 and February 2026 points to a consistent theme: visitors and travel editors are increasingly framing the island as one of the Caribbean’s most rewarding places to travel for food, thanks to its dual-nation identity, diverse communities, and unusually wide range of dining options for a single destination.

Recent international highlights, November 2025 to February 2026

• Grand Case in the spotlight: Grand Case received fresh attention in late 2025 and early 2026 as a food-forward destination, with multiple travel features describing its main dining strip as a standout culinary experience in the Caribbean.
• Beach dining culture featured: Orient Bay was included in a Caribbean “gourmet beaches” roundup that emphasized the strength of its beachfront restaurant scene.
• Beach bars and iconic dining names: A January 2026 “best beach bars” list highlighted Grand Case mainstays, reinforcing the destination’s blend of relaxed beach atmosphere and serious food.
• Food as part of the essential travel checklist: Travel + Leisure described the island as a “melting pot of culinary traditions,” urging visitors to seek out local dishes and roadside barbecue culture as part of the experience.
• Ongoing recognition from travelers: Tripadvisor rankings and traveler reviews continue to reflect strong destination performance overall, supporting the island’s visibility in mainstream travel planning.
• Festival Gastronomie on the French side has also become an important part of that culinary story, with each edition drawing more attention beyond the island as chefs, restaurants, and partners use the festival to showcase St. Martin’s French-Caribbean dining culture. Its mix of tastings, special menus, chef collaborations, and community-forward programming is helping push the destination’s food identity into more international travel conversations, especially among visitors who plan trips around dining rather than just beaches.
• On the Dutch side, St. Maarten Flavors continues to grow as a practical, visitor-friendly showcase of local cuisine, pairing restaurant participation and special menus with a wider push to highlight the island’s everyday food culture.

What these “best of” mentions are signaling

Across the recent roundups, the island is repeatedly associated with:

• High concentration of dining variety in a compact, easy-to-explore destination
• Distinctive food neighborhoods that make culinary exploration feel organized and discoverable, especially Grand Case and the Orient Bay area
• A mix of formats, from lolos and roadside grilling culture to white-tablecloth French-Caribbean dining
• Food-driven travel seasonality, supported by recurring culinary events highlighted in travel guidance

Travel features and visitor guides increasingly present St. Maarten / St. Martin as a place where food is not a side activity, it is central to the trip design, with mornings built around bakeries and markets, afternoons anchored by beachfront restaurants, and evenings shaped by fine dining and neighborhood hotspots.

Maintaining that reputation will require treating food as a core tourism product, not a side benefit. The island should protect and promote the full range of its culinary identity, from lolos and roadside barbecue to French-Caribbean dining, by tightening food safety and service standards, investing in chef and hospitality training, and strengthening links between restaurants and local farmers and fishers so “local” becomes more than a slogan.

Industry experts agree that a smart next step is a coordinated year-round calendar of small, well-produced culinary moments, chef collaborations, tasting trails, and signature events that keep St. Maarten and St. Martin in the travel conversation outside peak season. Just as important is consistent storytelling, clear wayfinding for culinary districts like Grand Case and Orient Bay, and a shared marketing push that makes it easy for visitors to plan food-led itineraries and, for the industry, to keep quality and authenticity high.

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