Dutch Blonde Experiences Goldfinger Boutiques ................................................................. Back cover

Tasty Island Treat

In the heart of historic Philipsburg, you will find

the Guavaberry Emporium. The old buildings are a national monument, built on the site of a Jewish synagogue and abandoned in the late 1700s. It’s one of the oldest buildings in St. Maarten. All their rums and liqueurs are produced right on the island. As soon as you set foot in Guavaberry Emporium, you sense the traditional Caribbean atmosphere. This place is packed with tasty island treats. You’ll find everything from St. Maarten Guavaberry liqueur to a range of exotic rum liqueurs, as well as honey, hot sauces, seasonings and their famous Love Potion.

THERE ARE MANY ISLAND-MADE “TINGS” TO HELP YOU REMEMBER THE FUN, ADVENTURE, FAMILY TIME AND ROMANCE.

Sir Roland Richardson

could be worn at all occasions was the catalyst behind bracelets, necklaces and anklets bearing a map of the island. These pieces are certain to remind you of your time in the sun.

Be sure to grab a bottle of local Guavaberry liqueur and start your own island tradition back home. The signature spirit is made from tiny berries found in the island’s rolling hills. It was once prized as a holiday drink. Now it is enjoyed year-round.

Topper’s Rhum offers a line of award-winning flavored spirits distilled right here on The Friendly Island. Each flavor evokes the essence of an island vacation. Take a bottle or two home with you and relive the moments you so enjoyed on St. Maarten/ St. Martin. Beers brewed in Pointe Blanche also are excellent take-homes for another sip of paradise. You’ll love the award-winning Dutch Blonde ale.

The island-made line of natural skin care products and fragrances from St. Maarten Nectar is just the thing to keep that vacation rejuvenation going long after you are back at home. Nalia Muriel created her own skin care products to treat her sensitive skin, and today her all-natural formulas are jarred and bottled for you to experience.

These days, everyone has a camera at the ready, but sometimes it’s good to abandon the selfie and let a photographer sweep you off your feet. Photographer Richard Hazel of RTGH Photography captures your energy and spirit, as well as the beauty of his island home. You’ll have photos you’ll want to display and show off again and again.

BY / ALITA SINGH

A Beauty of a Brew

St. Maarten–produced Dutch Blonde Ale brings home a coveted silver medal.

When Dutch Blonde Experiences and Caribbean Brewing

Company founder Sunil Vaswani first thought about brewing up his own batch of beers, he was thinking about the flavor, feel and reception his products would receive on St. Maarten/St. Martin, where the market had grown accustomed to imported beers. Little did he know that he would one day bottle a prize-winning brew.

Vaswani, along with master brewer B. Campbell, have crafted several unique brews, including Dutch Blonde Ale, which put the island on the world beer map by bringing home a silver medal from the international London Beer Competition in April 2021.

The competition’s jury cited Dutch Blonde as “fruity and spicy with honey, orange and clove flavors — overall, very complex and refreshing.”

More than 2,000 entries were submitted from the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. Medal winner Dutch Blonde Ale was the top-ranking Caribbean entry and the first beer from St. Maarten to be lauded on a global platform.

“Heineken still depicts the medals they won in the 1900s on every bottle,” says Vaswani. “Just as proudly, we will cherish Dutch Blonde Ale’s new badge of honor.”

Dutch Blonde, he says, draws inspiration from the rich history of The Netherlands with just a touch of sweetness from the Caribbean. SXM Light is a refreshing, crisp light beer. Pirates Edition is a treasure chest of flavor brewed with pale malts, making it the island’s only IPA (India Pale Ale). The 1863 stout commemorates the year that slavery was abolished in the Dutch West Antilles.

Caribbean Brewing Company in Pointe Blanche is open for tours. You’ll see state-of-the-art technology and learn how the beers are made. You can sample them with snacks in the taproom. Then be sure to stop by the souvenir store.

In addition, the Dutch Blonde Beach Bar and restaurant, inside the windmill on the Boardwalk in Philipsburg, is a place to relax and enjoy all the beers, as well as specialty cocktails such as the “Naughty Blonde.” While you’re there, be sure to sample some authentic Dutch mini pancakes, or poffertjes.

Adding a new dimension to the island’s entertainment scene, Dutch Blonde Beach Bar and restaurant will also be home to the island’s first escape rooms, a thrilling experience in which players in a locked room race against the clock to find clues that will free them. “Blackbeard’s Brig” (1716 A.D. pirate adventure) is the main attraction, connecting the themed room with the expanding St. Maarten export beer. Through this joint venture with Canadian specialists GameMasters, three other escape rooms are being developed at the same location.