Places to Visit in Sint Eustatius, Netherlands Antilles, America
Saba Island in the northwest and Saint Kitts in the southeast. Oranjestad is the capital, USD is the currency and Dutch and English are the official languages of Sint Eustatius.
Geography of Sint Eustatius:
Sint Eustatius coordinates with 17°29′ N latitude and 62°58′ W longitude covering an area of 21 km².
History of Sint Eustatius:
The name Sint Eustatius was derived from Saint Eustace, Christian martyr and soldier saint. On 10th October 2010, Sint Eustatius became one of the special municipalities of the Netherlands while the Netherlands Antilles were dissolved.
How to reach Sint Eustatius?
F.D. Roosevelt Airport serves the island of Sint Eustatius with scheduled flights to and from Saba, Sint Eustatius (also called as Statia or Statius) is a small island as well as a special municipality of the Netherlands, located in the Caribbean, surrounded by Sint Maarten, catered by Winair. It also operates charter flights to Montserrat and Saint Barthelemy, served by FlyMontserrat and St Barth Commuter respectively.
There is no public transport in the island, but taxis and cars are available at both airport and Oranjestad city centre. Some travel agencies offer advance booking facility for tourists convenience.
Boats are available on special occasions for nearby islands, Saba and Sint Maarten.
Culture, Food and Shopping in Sint Eustatius:
Dutch and English are the official languages of Sint Eustatius but natives use English-based Creole for communication. Local people are friendly and they show great respect towards tourists and guests.
Oranjestad is the major settlement on the island housing most of the major restaurants, shops and travel agencies on the island.
There are few accommodation centres in Sint Eustatius but the area houses plenty of food corners with traditional and international cuisines and the major food corners include:
- Cool Corner Bar & Restaurant
- Blue Bead Bar & Restaurant
- Smoke Alley Bar & Grill
- Kings Well Bar & Restaurant
- Sandbox Tree Bakery
- Ocean View Terrace
- Stone Oven Bar and Restaurant
Things to do in Sint Eustatius:
- Diving
- Snorkeling
- Hiking
- Visiting gardens and historical sites
Places of interest in Sint Eustatius:
Quil National Park:
The Quill National Park is a popular tourist attraction on Sint Eustatius, maintained by the non-profit foundation STENAPA. It is located on the north end of the island. Hiking fee is charged $6 for the year and $2 is extra for a guided hike.
Sint Eustatius Marine Park:
Sint Eustatius was opened in 1998 to preserve underwater nature. It offers the great diving facility, and the diving sites include coral reefs, drop-offs and canyons. There is yearly pass offered to regular visitors, costing US$20 and single dive pass is available for US$4. Dive tag for the upkeep is must.
Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden:
The Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden is within the Quill National Park featuring a variety of indigenous plants and flower species. It is sited at the base of the park.
Other places of interest in Sint Eustatius include:
- Scubaqua Dive Center
- Golden Rock Dive Center
- Fort de WindtDive Statia
Best time to visit Sint Eustatius:
From March to June to will be the ideal time to visit Sint Eustatius during which there will be very less crowd (July and August is high season).
Accommodation options in Sint Eustatius:
Sint Eustatius is a small island housing many natural attractions such as marine parks and botanical gardens. It is also renowned for its accommodation centers but less in numbers. Due to this, tourists can refer nearby Saba Island for more facilitated resorts and hotels. The prominent hotels and resorts in Sint Eustatius are listed here below:
- Kings Well Resort
- The Old Gin House
- Golden Era Hotel
- Country Inn
- Statia Lodge