The Pinel Island Nature Reserve is located on the north side of St Martin and can be reached by boat, which departs at regular intervals from the harbour in the village of Cul-de-Sac.

You can take a beautiful nature walk around the island and then lie down on the beautiful beach with a bar. We recommend planning at least a half-day trip here.

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Beaches and snorkelling

The Pinel islet is only about 350 metres long and can be circumnavigated in 10 minutes. It lies in the lee of the mountains in the rain shadow, so there's very little rain.

The island has two beautiful beaches with fine white sand.

The larger beach is by the boat landing, has two bars, sunbed and umbrella hire (approx 30 eur per day for a set of 2 sunbeds) and a small shop.

The smaller beach on the north side is completely without facilities and not well frequented, so you'll have plenty of space to yourself here.

The very shallow sea around the beaches on Pinel Island makes for great snorkeling conditions. The underwater life may not be as abundant as in other Caribbean locations, but for low-key recreational snorkelling, Pinel is ideal.

Ferry to Pinel - price and timetable

The island is accessible by public ferry from the pier in Cul-de-Sac.

The boat runs every half hour from approximately 9:00 to 16:00. The return ticket is payable at the Cul-de-Sac pier and costs 10 eur or 12 usd. Payment can only be made in cash.