St. Martin Telecommunications
St. Martin's communications systems are relatively up-to-date. The one complication in the phone system arises from having two countries share one island. When dialing from abroad, the country code for French St. Martin is (590) 590 followed by the 6-digit local number. On Dutch St. Maarten, the country code is (599) followed by a seven-digit number. Calling from one side of the island to the other requires you to dial 00, then the country code and local number. To call from the US, dial 011, then the country code and local number.
Phone cards are required to use the island's public phones; they can be purchased at the post office or at some stores in downtown Marigot. Cell phones from the states may work on island; call your provider before you leave. East Caribbean Cellular (011-599-542-2100) can provide coverage on your phone. Cell phones can be rented from a number of companies as well, including some car rental agencies.
Many villas have internet access (wireless or modem), making your email accessible while you're on vacation. If yours doesn't, there are also cybercafes (try Caribbean Cyber Café at Simpson Bay Yacht Club, 011-599-544-4850), or you can sign up your laptop for dialup service or use Wi-Fi hotspots through Network IDL/Megatropic (011-599-544-4816), the island's largest ISP.
The main island newspapers are The Herald on the Dutch side (daily) and St. Martin's Week on the French side (Tuesday and Friday). The Herald is printed in English and features news stories from both sides of the island and neighboring Caribbean islands as well as international news.