Picture this: a jellyfish sting, a hurricane, a flat tire, and a stunning hotel. If I had to summarize my birthday trip to Saint Martin, that would be it! I started planning this adventure in March, and what was initially supposed to be a trip to Paris somehow shifted to Saint Martin. Spoiler alert: I picked the end of hurricane season—big mistake! We went from October 20th to 27th. But hey, I thought, how bad could it be? I travel to Jamaica all the time during hurricane season. Well, Hurricane Tammy had other plans. She decided to hang around, moving slowly between a category 1 and 2. Editor’s note: Don’t book Saint Martin during the off-season.
Now, here’s a fun fact I didn’t expect: hurricanes can cause sinus infections! Yep, thanks to the pressure drop after the storm, I was down and out for a full day. But let’s not dwell on that because the show must go on.
Enough of the weather woes. Let’s talk about the highlight: the beautiful Morgan Resort in Saint Martin! This place was really nice. Perched on the cliffs with stunning ocean views greeting me every morning, it was the kind of hotel you’d want to return to again and again. If you don’t mind being that close to the airport. The rooms were gorgeous, the food was top-tier, and honestly, it could’ve been even more fun if I’d visited during the peak season when there were more guests around. The food was good but pricey so keep that in mind.
And naturally, nothing was stopping me from hopping over to St. Barts! I mean, why wouldn’t I? (If you’re curious about that side trip, check out my Ferry to St. Barts post.)
For my birthday dinner, Ty took me to Palapa Steakhouse, and let me tell you, it was very cutesy. The restaurant had such a great vibe with delicious drinks and food. Honestly, while the dinner was good, I probably spent more time taking pictures around the restaurant than actually eating!
Now, whenever I’m in the Caribbean, I know rum is the drink of choice, so it was only fitting that Ty’s next surprise was a Rhum tour. We headed to Topper’s Rhum, where we tried—wait for it—over 50 different shots of flavored rum! Yes, 50! They have just about any flavor you can imagine: Rhum Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Jalapeño, and so many more. I’m not usually a fan of flavored liquor, but I have to admit, there wasn’t a single one that tasted bad or made me feel sick. Of course, I had my favorites, but overall, the selection was surprisingly good. As part of the tour, we also had a mini cooking session to pair with all those shots, which was the perfect touch. After sampling all the rum, I left feeling happily buzzed and satisfied.
Since we were visiting during the off-season, many attractions were closed, but we still managed to have a fantastic time. One of the highlights was a surprise perfume-making session at Tijon. The experience was so fun and unique! When we arrived, they had us smell different scents to figure out what we wanted our signature fragrance to be. Then, they walked us through the process, and we got to play chemist—complete with lab coats! We each created three scents and chose our favorite to take home. The best part? They keep a record of all the fragrances you create, so you can order your second or third favorites online later. We wrapped up the experience with a glass of champagne, which made the whole thing even more special. Now, I’m thinking of creating a custom scent for every travel memory. To cap off the evening, we took a short five-minute drive to Grande Case for some drinks to celebrate my last night on the island. It was the perfect way to end the trip!
Check back in for the next adventure!
Tina Simone 
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