Based in Lafayette, California, Tom Velken guides the Viking Real Estate Group and provides solutions spanning properly investments and sales. A world traveler, Tom Velken has taken several memorable trips to St. Martin in the Caribbean and was able to explore both sides of an island that features the legacy of French and Dutch cultures.
Encompassing 37 square miles, the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten is located in the Leeward Islands, approximately 200 miles east of Puerto Rico. It was split into two segments in 1648 with the Treaty of Concordia, which allocated the northern 60 percent to France and the remainder to Holland. Today, while French and Dutch are spoken in the respective overaseas collectivity and kingdom, English is widely understood and US dollars are accepted by most businesses.
One major distinction between the island’s sections is that, while the French St. Martin is relatively undeveloped and maintains a refined nature-centered atmosphere, the Dutch St. Maarten has three times more hotel rooms and features casinos and large resorts. In total, some 2 million people visit the island each year, with nearly all international travelers flying into the Princess Juliana International Airport near the Dutch capital of Philipsburg. One of the most popular destinations is Maho Beach and the neighboring Maho Village, which combines duty-free shopping with live cultural performances, as well as the spectacle of low-flying aircraft over the beach as they approach Philipsburg.
