We where very please to read that Pinel Island is now back up to speed and open for business. It is a truly great place and we look forward to getting back there soon…. read on to see why.

Most seasoned tropical travel adventurers are very familiar with St. Martin, Pinel Island St. Martin , not so much. That is a true pity. Just a  short ferry ride from French “Cul de Sac” on Orient Bay, Pinel Island St. Martin is a must for a great day trip. Your day starts on a bench in an open air boot that seats only 12. No worries though, the trip only takes a few minutes, then you are on the dock of Pinel Island. Pinel is a very small island but you will be surprised how easy it will be to fill up an entire day. The main beach is beautiful and the water is perfect with soft white sand that runs out a pretty good ways before it gets deep. This beach is not clothing optional. If you are looking for a little more of an all over tan the other side of the island has a smaller, more secluded stretch of sand for that. To get to the other side of Pinel, footwear is well advised as the small trail is a little tough on bare feet.

Two great Restaurants on Pinel Island St. Martin

Directly behind the main beach is a really great complex that includes a very nice gift shop and two really exceptional restaurants. Someone really went to a lot of trouble to make these facilities look old and quaint with a weather beaten feel. Far from most tropical tourist traps, Pinel Island St. Martin really pulls it off. It is very comfortable and still feels authentic. The gift shop has a nice range of products to choose from and we particularly loved the little yellow “sugar birds” flying around that lived in the tree in the middle of the shop. As for the restaurants,  the Yellow Beach restaurant had a BBQ and burger kind of feel to it and looked  like they did a good job at it. We had a light lunch at Le Karabuni,  which specializes in seafood. The very nice and helpful waitress assured us that because the fish boats stop there first, they had the freshest seafood on St Martin. Watching the wait staff wade out to a lobster trap just off shore, take out a lobster, hold it up as to say, how about this one, you can’t argue with the freshness. We had a lightly seared Wahoo that was cooked and seasoned to perfection. Just on shore in Cul de Sac is the hotel combo with Le Karabuni restaurant, The Karabuni Lodge  We recommend checking them both out. The best seafood we had on St. Martin was Le Karabuni Restaurant.

Snorkeling a Nature Reserve,  Pinel Island St. Martin

The whole of Pinel Island is a nature reserve and a short walk from Yellow Beach takes you to a great little reel set up for you snorkeling pleasure. The Tikoko Snorkeling Trail is a smallish but action packed snorkeling adventure. With several packages, you can choose the level of  fun you want. We were surprised at the range of underwater flora and fauna just off the shore. Because of its ease and convenience the Tikoko Snorkeling Trail is especially a great adventure for people just getting into snorkeling.

All in all, a day spent exploring the tiny little gem known as, Pinel Island St. Martin makes for a perfect day in the tropics.  Who could possibly not love an island that has an ice cream boat that comes right up to the dock…. JOY!