st. maarten splurge

In a country where street signs point you to the nearest jewellery store
(all of which serve complimentary
cocktails), its no wonder lovers of the ultra-luxe head to St. Maartens.
Divided into Dutch and French areas, the 39 beaches have white sand,
crystal blue water, and very few tan lines.

Stay
While sunburned tourists bunk down in hotels,
we tried a slice of local life in a secluded
villa on the French residential side of the island. Private pool,
daily maid service, ocean viewjust like home. From USD$500/night, www.islandhideaways.com

Do
When youre this close to decadence, it would be a
crime not to hop on a ferry
for a day trip to St. Barths. A chair rental on the beach is US$30, but
its the $13 Diet Cokes and $26 Bikinitini cocktails (coconut rum and
pineapple juice) that gave us sticker-shock giggles. Packed with the
finest Euro trash in the world and enough designer boutiques to make you
dizzy (Hermes, Dior et al.), its a true slice of how the other,
overly-tanned half lives.

Eat
With an abundance of fresh ingredients and
gourmet restos, you can have Lai Lai barbeque chicken on the beach by
day and a five-course dinner every night. Temptation
certainly lived up to its namethe French onion soup ($18) topped with
Gruyère is simply the best weve ever tasted. www.nouveaucaribbean.com

Relax
Getting to the beach may not always be easy
(youll need a carand an excellent sense of directionto make it down the
twisty, dirt roads) but the journey is worth it. Most beaches are
clothing optional, including the busy and very popular Orient Beach and
the quiet and secluded Cupecoy Beach. Pinel Island (a 5minute boat ride
from the coast) is must-see for its natural, untouched beauty. No
electricity, no cars, no roadsso leave the BlackBerry at home.