Grand Case: the gastronomic capital of the Caribbean

A kilometre of restaurants facing the beach has made Grand Case, on the French side of Saint-Martin, one of the Caribbean's densest culinary destinations.

The village is easily explored on foot.

Along the main street of the village, dozens of restaurants and lolos, traditional Caribbean street grills, serve freshly caught fish and lobster just steps from the beach.

The Grand Case beach, sheltered and with calm waters, remains ideal for a swim between courses of a long Caribbean dinner served almost beachside.

Moving along the coast, one reaches Friar's Bay, a more secluded beach accessible by a brief walk through coastal vegetation, often nearly deserted.

As evening falls, the village's evening market offers local crafts and live music during weeks of higher tourist traffic.

The lolos of Grand Case—simple open-air grills without pretense—often serve fish and lobster prepared with the same care as expensive restaurants, earning the village its own gastronomic fame.

Saint-Martin remains divided between a French side and a Dutch side on the same small island, with no visible border between the two halves, a rare case in the Caribbean.