Sandy Ground, St. Martin: The Strip Between Marigot and the Lagoon
A narrow spit carrying the road, the lifting bridge and the French side's everyday shops.
Why Go
Sandy Ground is the thin band of land west of Marigot with the sea on one side and Simpson Bay Lagoon on the other, so narrow in places that you can see both from the road. The lifting bridge that lets boats into the lagoon from the French side is here, and so is a run of shops and small restaurants that serve people who live on the island rather than people visiting it. It is not a destination. It is where you eat well for very little, buy a pair of glasses, and cross a bridge that stops the traffic twice a day.
The Experience
The road runs the length of the spit with houses, workshops and small businesses either side, and beaches at both ends of it. On the lagoon side the water is flat and full of moorings; on the sea side it is open and often rough, and the strip is low enough that spray reaches the road in bad weather. The bridge is the local event — traffic backs up, masts go through, everything resumes — and it is worth knowing the schedule if you are driving between Marigot and the western beaches. Away from the road the area is straightforwardly residential and unglamorous, which is exactly why the food is priced for residents. Baie Rouge and the Terres Basses beaches begin a few minutes west, and Marigot with its market is a few minutes east. That position is really the whole argument for knowing the strip exists: it sits between the French side's best food shopping and its emptiest beaches, and almost every visitor drives its full length twice a day without ever stopping on it.
What to Try
Eat here rather than on a beach. La Cuisine de Monique and Rice upon a time are the local kitchens worth going out of your way for, Le Tropicana and Natural Café cover the daytime, and Wonderfood SXM is the informal one. J.M Beer is the local drink. The shopping along this stretch is the French side's practical retail rather than duty-free — Opticien Saint-Martin, Alain Afflelou, Hot Look Vision, GO Sports SporTech, Lipstick and Adopt Parfums are the shops residents actually use, with Goldfinger Jewelry for the other kind of purchase. On the water, Tropical Jet SXM, Jet Paradise, Boat Paradise SXM and Boating Concept all launch from this side, and Baie Rouge a few minutes west is the beach to pair with a morning here. Hillside Eco-Retreat is the quiet place to stay.
Insider Tip
Time the bridge. The Sandy Ground lifting bridge closes the only road along this spit whenever it opens for boats, and it opens on a published schedule that every resident knows and no visitor checks — being caught on the wrong side of it is a twenty-minute lesson. And eat lunch here at least once: the kitchens along this road serve the same French-Caribbean cooking as Grand Case at a fraction of the price, because the customers are people who work on the island.
The Practical Stuff
Sandy Ground sits between Marigot and the western end of the French side, about twenty-five minutes from Princess Juliana airport across the open border and five minutes from Marigot. You need a car; the strip is long, there is no footpath worth the name, and the road carries all the traffic between Marigot and Terres Basses. Parking is free and informal along the road. This is the French side — the euro is official with US dollars widely accepted, French is the everyday language, and shops keep French hours including a genuine lunchtime closure and Sunday closing. The bridge openings stop road traffic several times a day. Hurricane season runs roughly June to November, and a low, narrow spit between two bodies of water is exposed by definition.
Common Questions
Where is Sandy Ground in St. Martin?
On the French side, a narrow strip of land west of Marigot with the sea on one side and Simpson Bay Lagoon on the other. Note that Anguilla has its own, unrelated Sandy Ground.
What is the Sandy Ground bridge?
The lifting bridge that lets boats between the sea and Simpson Bay Lagoon from the French side. It opens on a published schedule and closes the only road along the spit each time.
Is Sandy Ground worth visiting?
For the food and the practical shops rather than for scenery. It is a residential strip where the French-Caribbean cooking costs a fraction of Grand Case prices, and it is five minutes from Marigot.
Is there a beach at Sandy Ground?
There is sand at both ends of the strip, and Baie Rouge and the Terres Basses beaches start a few minutes west. The sea side here is open and often rough; the lagoon side is flat and full of moorings.
Do you need a car in Sandy Ground?
Yes. The strip is long, there is no proper footpath, and the road carries all the traffic between Marigot and the western end of the island.
How far is Sandy Ground from Marigot?
About five minutes east, and roughly twenty-five minutes from Princess Juliana airport across the open border. Grand Case is fifteen to twenty minutes north.
Pair It With
- La Cuisine de Monique Guide — The lunch that justifies the detour.
- Baie Rouge Guide — The beach a few minutes west along the same road.
- Boat Paradise Sxm — The water, from the French side of the lagoon.
