Bartender Daryl Brooks’s tamarind martini is reason enough to stop by this Marigot lolo. He uses a mix of locally grown tamarind (“tamarine” in French) and vanilla to make the award-winning drink, along with Midori and maraschino cherries. “It’s more of a refreshing drink, not too strong and not too sweet,” Brooks says. Hot Spot also specializes in burgers, pasta, and grilled meat plates by chef Renoldo Fleming, who deadpans that it’s the best food on the waterfront. Breakfast might include caramelized French toast made from baguettes with bacon and fruit, and on Fridays, the kitchen barbecues everything but the oink. Another occasional delicacy is Fleming’s turtle soup, meaty and studded with tender potatoes. Saint-Martin lore says turtle soup is a natural Viagra, so it’s especially popular with male clientele. Message the lolo on Facebook to ensure the tamarind martini and turtle soup, both limited specials, are available. [$]

The menu at Sandy’s Creole Cuisine might look like ones you see at other Creole restaurants on the island, but there’s a big difference in the execution and intention. Owner Christine Illidge (Sandy is her father’s name) is doing something fresh: “Modern Creole without all the grease,” as she describes it. But that doesn’t mean she’s abandoning tradition. Sandy’s was crowned the best authentic Creole restaurant in Saint-Martin’s 2021 Festival de la Gastronomie. The red snapper is moist and meaty, served with fresh tomato salsa, sauteed zucchini, and green salad. If you’d prefer shrimp, choose among the barrage of preparations offered in the shrimp mania special; the tender crustaceans are served in spicy tomato sauce, lightly fried, and napped in garlic butter, but the coconut shrimp captures the ideal flavor and texture of a dish known across the Caribbean. [$$]

As the proprietor of the oldest lolo in the area, Rosemary Lendor is the unofficial doyenne of the Marigot waterfront, especially after her spot was blessed with a visit by St. Anthony of Bourdain in 2012. Dressed in a bright plaid shirt that matches her tablecloths, she’s equal parts restaurateur and raconteur. Visit her for breakfast, and you’ll be rewarded with ginger-bay leaf bush tea and a heaping plate of salt fish, roasted green bananas, scrambled eggs, and a warm dish of johnnycakes, the fried or baked flatbread that’s a staple of Saint Martin Creole cuisine. [$]

Nearly every Saint Martiner will tell you it’s the seasonings that make the island’s cuisine so distinctive. So before heading home, stock up at this little spice stand in Marigot run by Marianne Gregoire-Celestine (who shows off her own spicy personality in a tourism video). She and her husband started with a local version of Jamaican jerk seasoning and have expanded to include fresh nutmeg seed still in the mace, Caribbean curry powder, and magic spice, their No. 1 seller that’s good on everything from meat to pizza to a cup of bush tea. [$]

The Lainez family has owned this island favorite for more than 30 years. It’s the kind of place where the walls are covered in photos of cycling and tennis teams sponsored by the restaurant. You’ll see people lined up outside during peak hours, stopping in for a cup of bush tea (tisane) which changes daily; orange juice spiked with ginger; or tropical smoothies with mango, soursop, papaya, and pineapple. On the food menu, the turnovers filled with guava paste or banana are signatures, savory croissants come filled with salt cod and tuna, and breakfast sandwiches are on offer with bacon and eggs. [$]

Loterie Farm is a sexy eco-resort where energetic visitors can hop on ziplines or hike in the tropical hills — but most people flaunt their beach bodies by the Jungle Pool. The kidney-shaped water is refreshed by waterfalls, and ringed by mango trees, variegated vines, chaise longues, and cabanas. The extensive drink menu includes rum punch, passionfruit daiquiris, pina coladas, mojitos, margaritas, and fruity zero-proof creations. The resort’s restaurant also makes everything from salads and burgers to platters filled with beef samosas, barbecue riblets, accra (salt cod fritters), crab-spinach dip, and hummus. Don’t be alarmed if you see giant iguanas on the DJ platform or eating fern fronds next to your cabana. They were here first. Admission is 25 euros per person or 8 euros for a cabana. [$$ - $$$]

For generations, native Saint Martiners have infused Caribbean rum with spicy guavaberries. Nothing like the juicy guava fruit trees from Latin America or Asia, this native tree (Myrciaria floribunda) is in the same family as clove and allspice, and its sweet-tart berries give the rum a spicy, bittersweet flavor. “It’s not Christmas without guavaberry,” says Louis Maccow, who founded the Guavaberry Colombier with his wife, Luz-Maria Maccow. After perfecting their recipe for the traditional spirit, the Maccows created a lighter version with a softer guavaberry taste, along with a vast line of liqueurs infused with everything from mango and sorrel (hibiscus flower) to coconut and cashew fruit. The surprise hit: the creamy peanut liqueur you never knew you needed. [$$]

One of four lolos clustered in central Grand Case right near the waterfront, Sky’s the Limit, run by Jacqueline Lake-Carty, serves generous portions of barbecued meat with lots of sides starting at 10 euros. After nearly 20 years in business, word has gotten around, so you might have to wait a while for one of the booths painted bright red, yellow, and green. But you won’t mind once you taste the ribs, whole fried snapper, lobster, or chicken served with seasoned rice, plantain, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, and green salad. [$ - $$]

While there’s no rum distilled in Saint-Martin (there’s not enough water to grow sugar cane), fine cane spirits from surrounding islands like Martinique and Guadeloupe are ubiquitous. You can taste your way through a selection of nearly 120 bottles at this moody, cozy rum and Cuban cigar bar next to Le Pressoir. Settle into one of the leather barrel chairs and talk with rum aficionado Jason Thomas through sips of Habitation Saint Etienne’s VSOP Très Vieux Rhum Agricole or the Trois Rivières Rhum Vieux de l’Ocean from one of Martinique’s oldest distilleries. [$$$]

Grand Case was once known for its abundant natural salt pond, which produced salt crystals to be ground into powder with metal presses. One of those historic salt presses is on view (along with other artifacts) in the circa-1872 Creole building that houses Le Pressoir. After working as a manager for the previous owners, Milaure Soucy took over the restaurant with partner Gill Sacconi, and the duo have reimagined it as an intimate dining experience filled with little surprises. Choose your three-course adventure from chef Jerome Droingt, who reinvigorates classic French dishes with local ingredients. Standouts include the foie gras terrine spiked with Rhum Clement, and roasted pineapple and coconut chutney, while main courses bring a rustic bouillabaisse with local fish, island-raised hen breast stuffed with porcini mushrooms, or tender Iberian pluma steak stuffed with candied duck and dressed in thyme gravy. [$$$]

Sitting on the Villa Hibiscus terrace near the top of Pic Paradis, the tallest mountain on the island, you can watch the sun slip behind the peach and purple horizon, a show soundtracked by the cacophony of frogs, crickets, and monkeys. It’s an unforgettable experience, rivaled only by the restaurant’s tasting menus created for just 16 guests each evening. Chef Bastian Schenk previously worked with Anne-Sophie Pic and Joël Robuchon, and his small team won top awards for cuisine and service at the 2021 Festival de la Gastronomie. The high-tech farmhouse kitchen turns out dishes like grilled chestnut mousse with black truffles, seared scallop with smoked sabayon and yuzu, and poached chicken breast stuffed with confit thigh in a mushroom ivoire sauce. His wife, Sabine, who grew up on the property, leads the adept service team. Besides the stunning view, another constant is the signature hibiscus cocktail, which makes a lovely start or end to a meal. Menus range from 60 to 150 euros per person depending on the number of courses and wine pairings. [$$$$]

The Anse Marcel Beach resort teleports guests to the French Riviera. Tastefully sized yachts are moored in the azure bay, sunbathers bronze on chaise longues, and tan umbrellas flutter in the breeze. Owner Jean-Pierre Pisoni, a native of Cannes, created a restaurant to complete the experience. The open dining area feels like a grand airy cabana where every table has an ocean view. Start with a glass of Château Puech-Haut Argali Rosé and olive tapenade crostini that firmly places the flavors in the South of France. Then dive into local white fish tartare dotted with kumquats and seaweed or a selection of French cheeses, before splurging on a local spiny lobster picked from a mod vertical tank, tenderly roasted, and paired with melted butter. The drive over the hill to Anse Marcel is quite scenic, so get your camera ready. [$$$$]

This popular corner bakery and cafe near the Marigot waterfront (owned by the team from Bacchus) knows their way around proper French pastries. They’ve got all your favorites — deep golden and flaky croissants, pain au chocolat, and tart au citron — along with cafe press, teas, and tisanes. The biggest revelation is the pistachio financier, which outshines other versions of the buttery cakes that are usually smaller than a business card; here, they’re delightfully large, pale green muffins. [$]