Bikini Beach Bar

On the beach in Grand Case – St. Martin’s self-declared gourmet capital – Captain Frenchy looks like a classic down-and-dirty beach shack until you notice the kitchen’s actually running a legitimate restaurant program. Wooden deck seating, loungers on the sand, and a crew that looks like they stepped off a pirate ship in the best way. Order a cold beer, a rum drink, or – since you’re in Grand Case – a properly chilled rose or glass of champagne. Family-friendly, well-placed for a beach-stroll break, and busy enough that dinner reservations are wise. The location and the classic beach-bar energy are still the draw.

Kakao brings a stylish European beach club aesthetic to Orient Bay, decades of the French side welcoming the world’s most discerning beach lovers distilled into one cosmopolitan stretch of sand.

A family-run beach restaurant right on the sand in Orient Bay, opened by two St. Martin natives with deep roots in the island’s hospitality scene — Shana’s family owns La Belle Époque and Bali Bar, Achille’s comes from Ô Plongeoir. The kitchen turns out French-Caribbean fusion under a French-trained chef, from mahi-mahi ceviche to a beef-and-lobster surf-and-turf special, backed by a curated wine list. Full beach service, ocean breeze, and a Sunday DJ party make Aloha one of Orient Bay’s most welcoming stops.

One of Orient Bay’s most established clubs, Kontiki runs full lounger service and a strong cocktail program on the same long, brilliant stretch of sand that made this beach famous in the first place.

The French side of St. Martin runs at a noticeably calmer pace than Dutch Sint Maarten, and Karibuni captures exactly that relaxed rhythm with cold rose on the island’s quieter eastern shore.