Quartier d'Orleans

Follow the locals to Yvette's restaurant, in a private house, for the island's best creole-Cajun cooking. All the St. Maarten favorites are dished up in big portions. This is the place to try pickled conch, stuffed crab backs, conch and dumplings, coconut curry chicken, and curry goat. Fried plantains, rice and peas, and hot johnnycakes come on the side. It's hard to find, so consider scoping it out in the daylight before your visit, or come for lunch.

If you arrive early in the morning when the butterflies first break out of their chrysalis, you can marvel at butterflies and moths from around the world and the host plants with which each evolved. At any given time, some 40 species of butterflies—and as many as 600 individual insects—flutter inside the lush screened garden and hatch on the plants housed there. Butterfly art and knickknacks are for sale in the gift shop. In case you want to come back, your ticket, which includes a guided tour, is good for your entire stay.

A coral reef borders this quiet, protected beach, part of the island's nature preserve. The water is calm, clear, and quite shallow, so it's paradise with young kids. It's a full-service place, with chair rentals, a good restaurant, and water-sports operators. Kiteboarders and windsurfers like the trade winds at the far end of the beach. On Sunday there are always groups picnicking and partying. To get here, follow signs to the Butterfly Farm and continue toward the water. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; small children; swimming; windsurfing.