Terres Basses, St. Martin: The Lowlands and Their Private Beaches
A villa peninsula with the island's longest beach and almost nothing else on it.
Why Go
Terres Basses — the Lowlands — is the flat western peninsula joined to the rest of St. Martin by two thin causeways either side of Simpson Bay Lagoon. It is French, it is almost entirely residential, and it holds the three beaches that people who have been coming here for years quietly rate above the famous ones: Baie Longue, Baie Rouge and Plum Bay. There are no hotels, no shops and no nightlife on the peninsula. You rent a villa, you buy food elsewhere, and you get some of the best sand on the island with nobody on it.
The Experience
The peninsula is low, dry and green, with villas scattered along the ridges and down toward the water, and roads that go nowhere in particular. Baie Longue is the long one — over a mile of pale sand curving away, usually near-empty, with no facilities of any kind. Baie Rouge is shorter, more dramatic, with rock arches at one end and a reputation for undertow when there is swell. Plum Bay sits between them, small and quiet. The whole area is silent after dark in a way the Dutch side never is. Because the peninsula is French but reached through Dutch territory, most visitors staying here shop and eat on the Cupecoy side of the border, which is five minutes away and where the practical businesses actually are. The arrangement suits people who want a villa, a car and their own company for a week, and suits nobody who wants to walk out of a door and find a bar. It is the quietest address on an island that is not otherwise quiet.
What to Try
The beaches are the point, and they need nothing from you but water and shade — there are no vendors, no loungers and no bars on Baie Longue, which is exactly why people who like it like it. For food, the nearest cluster is over the border at Cupecoy: Mario Bistrot at The Cliff and Taô Garden for the serious dinners, Da Andrea for Italian, La Chingona Taqueria and the Mousse BBQ food truck for the informal end, and DASHA Resto & Bar for the in-between. Market Cupecoy, Carrefour Express and Tung Yuen Supermarket are where villa guests stock up. On the water, Blue Odyssey Diving, Jet Extreme and Boat Serenity SXM operate from this end of the island. Starz City Casino covers the evening if the villa terrace does not.
Insider Tip
Bring everything with you to Baie Longue. There is no shade, no water, no bathroom and no bar on the island's longest beach — it is a mile of empty sand and that is the entire proposition. Take an umbrella, take more water than you think, and go early or late rather than at noon. And treat Baie Rouge's water with respect on days with swell: it is beautiful, it is photogenic, and it has a real undertow that catches confident swimmers.
The Practical Stuff
Terres Basses is about ten minutes from Princess Juliana airport and five from Cupecoy, reached across one of the two low causeways beside Simpson Bay Lagoon. Confusingly, it is French territory approached through the Dutch side, and the border is open with no formalities. You need a car; there are no shops, no restaurants and no public transport on the peninsula itself. Parking at the beaches is free and informal, usually a dirt pull-off. The euro is the official currency here although the shops you will actually use are on the Dutch side and take dollars. There are no facilities on any of the beaches. Hurricane season runs roughly June to November, and a low peninsula between a lagoon and the sea takes water from both directions.
Common Questions
What is Terres Basses?
The flat western peninsula of St. Martin, also called the Lowlands — a French, almost entirely residential area of villas holding Baie Longue, Baie Rouge and Plum Bay, with no hotels or shops of its own.
Is Baie Longue worth it?
If you want over a mile of near-empty sand and nothing else, yes — it is the island's longest beach and among its emptiest. There is no shade, no bar and no bathroom, so bring everything with you.
Is Baie Rouge safe for swimming?
On calm days it is lovely. When there is swell it has a genuine undertow that catches confident swimmers, and there is no lifeguard. Judge the water before going in rather than after.
Where do you eat in Terres Basses?
Not on the peninsula — there are no restaurants. The nearest cluster is at Cupecoy over the Dutch border, about five minutes away, which is also where the supermarkets are.
How do you get to Terres Basses?
Across one of two low causeways beside Simpson Bay Lagoon, approached through Dutch territory even though the peninsula itself is French. The border is open with no formalities, and the airport is about ten minutes away.
Do you need a car in Terres Basses?
Absolutely. There are no shops, no restaurants and no public transport on the peninsula, and the beaches have only informal dirt parking.
Pair It With
- Baie Longue Guide — A mile of sand with nothing on it.
- Mario Bistrot at The Cliff Guide — Dinner over the border, five minutes away.
- Blue Odyssey Diving — The water, from the island's western end.
