Philipsburg

The refined men's line of cheery, well-fitting shirts is well represented, with a smattering of women's items in back.

Polo Ralph Lauren has men's, women's, and children's sportswear in preppy styles, as well as a small selection of home goods.

This huge and attractive shop sells sportswear in the designer's trademark colors.

Owner Jean Pierre Pomarico greets guests and ushers them into this comfy seaside restaurant. Low-key, blue-accented decor, white bamboo chairs, watercolors lining the walls, and candles—along with the sound of the nearby surf—create a relaxing atmosphere. The lobster thermidor (a succulent tail oozing with cream and Swiss cheese) is a favorite, but other specialties include lobster bisque, seafood linguine, and a beef fillet with béarnaise sauce. The $36 prix-fixe menu is a great deal. Open every day for lunch and dinner, it gets packed for lunch when there are a lot of cruise ships in the harbor.

There are only a small number of tables (both indoor and out) at this tiny bistro in the quaint shopping arcade just off Front Street. Stop by for a quick, inexpensive snack or for a freshly ground cup of coffee. Watching employees make crepes is half the fun; eating them is the other half. You can also order hearty salads, pizza, and hot or cold sandwiches on fresh bread to enjoy with the large selection of good teas. It's open from 8 am to 4:30 pm.

Both locals and tourists seem to love this restaurant at Great Bay Marina. Seafood is the main focus, but steaks, burgers, pasta, and poultry are all on the dinner menu. You can also come for breakfast, lunch, or happy hour (5–7). If you love sophisticated cuisine, look elsewhere, but the portions are big and the prices reasonable. Delivery to area condos and time-shares is available.

The wraparound veranda, the bunches of grapes hanging from the chandeliers, and the Toulouse Lautrec–style murals add to the colorful atmosphere of this restaurant in a 150-year-old gingerbread creole house. As the name suggests, snails are a specialty and are offered several ways. But the menu includes many other French standards like onion soup, crispy duck, and veal cordon bleu. There's a cabaret show, complete with cancan in the tradition of La Cage aux Folles.

An airy modern veranda perched on the Philipsburg boardwalk gives a distinct South Beach vibe. You'll want to linger over fresh fish and steaks as you watch tourists pass by on romantic strolls by night or determined cruise-ship passengers surveying the surrounding shops by day. Daily three-, four-, and five-course tasting menus are a pretty good deal. There is also a fun beachfront lounge with a menu of bar snacks and martinis. It's a bit hard to park here so consider taking a taxi at night.

Ribs and burgers are the specialty at this casual beachfront restaurant, but the jerk chicken and thin-crust pizza, not to mention a few vegetarian options like tasty falafel, are not to be ignored. On weekdays lunch is accompanied by (warning: loud) live music; every Friday during happy hour a DJ spins tunes. In case you're wondering, the restaurant got its name from the owner's golden retriever.

This store specializes in watches, Montblanc pens, and jewelry by David Yurman, Chopard, and Mikimoto.

This shop carries jewelry and watches by David Yurman, Breitling, Chanel, Chopard, Jaeger-Lecoultre, and others.

This 1960s-style coffee shop offers local cultural activities as well as live jazz and reggae. It's open daily, 11:30 am until the wee hours. Friday night is movie and discussion night.

Here you can buy jewelry by Tacori and Pandora, and watches by Bell &amp& Ross, Technomarine, Franck Muller, and other luxury brands.

In the heart of the shopping area, this casino has more than 180 slots, a sports book, and multigame machines with touch screens. Because of its location, it is popular with cruise-ship passengers.

The famous upscale jeweler has a lovely collection here.

This is popular with fans of slots, blackjack, poker, and roulette.

In the heart of Philipsburg, this casino has 140 slot machines plus seven tables offering games like blackjack, roulette, and three-card poker. It opens at 11 am for slots on Tuesday and Wednesday.

This bustling white-sand beach curves around Philipsburg just behind Front Street, making it easy to find. Here you'll find boutiques, eateries, a pleasant boardwalk, and rental chairs and umbrellas. Busy with cruise-ship passengers, the beach is best west of Captain Hodge Pier or around Antoine Restaurant. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming; walking.

Visitors come for free samples at the small factory where the Sint Maarten Guavaberry Company makes its famous liqueur. The many versions include one made with jalapeño peppers. Check out the hand-painted bottles. The store also sells a gourmet barbecue and hot sauce collection and souvenir hats.

This store has an enormous selection of perfume and cosmetics.

Come here to buy fine jewelry, crystal, and china. There is also a branch in Marigot.

The large Caribbean duty-free chain sells watches, fine crystal, china, perfume, and jewelry. There are five locations on the island, one a Tiffany boutique.

Sip a guavaberry colada, and sample tapas with your chair pointed toward the boardwalk at this quintessential people-watching venue. There's free parking for patrons until midnight; enter on Back Street, and look for the Holland House banner.

This store carries loose diamonds, jewelry, watches, perfume, and cosmetics. It specializes in natural colored diamonds.

With outlets all over the island, this chain stocks a little of everything: colorful hammocks, handmade jewelry, and lots of the local Guavaberry liqueur. But the main store has the largest selection.

The Sonesta Great Bay's casino is on the small side, but fans say the 84 slot machines and tables with Caribbean poker, blackjack, and roulette are more than enough.

Hosting rotating cultural exhibits addressing the history, industry, geology, and archaeology of the island, the museum contains artifacts ranging from Arawak pottery shards to objects salvaged from the wreck of the HMS Proselyte. An interesting exhibit about hurricanes focuses on Hurricane Luis, which devastated the island in 1995. There is a good reference and video library as well.

This somewhat run-down little enclave houses scaly, furry, and feathered friends indigenous to the Caribbean and South America, including multihued parrots, iguanas, peacocks, turtles, monkeys, a few snakes, an alligator, and a capybara. You can feed most of the animals with crackers available at the entrance. There is also a small playground.

This odd-sounding exhibit is actually a nonprofit museum run by Nick Maley, a movie-industry artist who was involved in the creation of Yoda and other icons. You can learn how the artist worked while enjoying the models and memorabilia on display—a must-see for Star Wars fans but of interest to most movie buffs. Maley is happy to autograph souvenirs for sale.