N 18°06'29'' · W 63°03'16''
A night at anchor
in the Tintamarre nature reserve
From 2 pm to 11 am the next day, step out of time on an unspoilt island with no road and no inhabitants: watch the turtles in the afternoon, enjoy a dinner cooked on board, then greet daybreak over an empty beach.
Hours
2 days / 1 night, 2 pm to 11 am
Boarding
Grand-Case
Capacity
1 to 4 guests
Route
Grand-Case — Tintamarre nature reserve
Per boat, from
1 560 €
The story
An island interlude, far from the crowd
Tintamarre is a nature reserve four kilometres north-east of Saint-Martin. No road, no buildings, no electricity — and a crowd between 11 am and 4 pm, when the day boats drop their passengers.
We arrive as they leave. Through the afternoon the water clears again and the turtles come back to graze under the hull. By evening there is not another boat left: the whole bay is yours.
Dinner cooked on board and served on deck, a night in a private cabin on water that does not move, and waking up to a white-sand beach nobody has walked on yet that day.
How it unfolds
How your twenty-one hours on board unfold
All routes are subject to weather and sea conditions. Kharim always chooses the safest and most beautiful route available.
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Afternoon and evening — from 2 pm
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Boarding — Grand-Case jetty, 2 pm
We collect you at the jetty for your transfer on board. Once your bags are in the cabin and the safety briefing is done, take a seat on the flybridge for the run to the Tintamarre nature reserve.
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The crossing, and the anchorage
After an hour along the east coast, we drop anchor off the beach, in the most sheltered spot.
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Snorkelling, and turtles
The seagrass beds around the anchorage hold green turtles year-round. Masks, fins and paddleboards are there for you to reach the beach and explore the island.
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Apéritif, then a dinner worth the name
As the day boats leave the bay, enjoy an apéritif up front while the light drops. Then let yourself be tempted by a proper dinner cooked on board and served at a table.
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Next morning — until 11 am
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Daybreak over the reserve
You are alone at the anchorage, and you will stay that way until the first boats arrive around 11 am. It is the best hour to get in the water: it is perfectly flat.
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Breakfast, then back
Breakfast served on board facing the beach, a last swim, and back to the Grand-Case jetty by 11 am.
What it costs
Rates
| Guests | Low season 1 May – 30 Nov | High season 1 Dec – 30 Apr |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 guests | 1 560 € | 1 910 € |
| Each additional guest (2 maximum) | 190 € | 230 € |
Before you board
Practical information
Always included
- Transfer from the Grand-Case jetty
- Boat charter, skipper
- Insurance, fuel, local taxes
- Apéritif, dinner, drinks, breakfast
- Snorkelling gear and paddleboards
Not included
- Incidental expenses
- Crew gratuities
Tintamarre from aboard Zephyr
The film
The cruise in one minute
Two days and one night at anchor off Tintamarre, a nature reserve island off Saint-Martin: no hotel, no road, and the island to yourselves at breakfast
Playing loads YouTube, which sets its own cookies.
Read the transcript
Tintamarre is a nature reserve. No hotel, no road, no one.
We leave at two, and drop anchor for the night off its empty beach.
Turtles in the morning, the island to yourselves, and breakfast before anyone arrives.
Two days, one night, four guests at most. Meals and snorkelling gear included.
Catamaran Zéphyr. Tintamarre, overnight, from Saint-Martin.
The nature reserve once the last visitors have gone
The island to yourselves from 4 pm
Tintamarre takes hundreds of visitors a day, mostly between 11 am and 4 pm. Spending the night there is the rare privilege of seeing the reserve returned to its quiet, once the last boats have disappeared.
Turtles under the hull
The seagrass at the anchorage is a feeding ground for green turtles. They come back as soon as the daytime traffic dies down.
A sky with no light in it
No electricity on the island, no village opposite: it is the darkest anchorage within reach of Saint-Martin, and it shows overhead.
Private, from cast-off to the dock
The price covers 2 guests and the boat sails for your group alone, up to 4 people.
100% private
The whole boat, your group, and nobody else.
Certified captain
Capitaine 200, CE category A vessel, zero incidents.
Tailor-made route
The route is decided with you, by the day's sea.
Owner crew
Kharim and Sophie live aboard. It is their home.
A night in the reserve
From 1 560 € for the whole boat, the crew, dinner and breakfast — give us a date and we'll confirm within hours.
The questions we are asked
Questions about the night at Tintamarre
Is the price per person?
No. 1 560 € in low season is the whole boat with its crew, dinner and breakfast, for 2 guests. Each additional guest joins for 190 €, up to 2 additional guests.
Can we go ashore?
Yes: take the paddleboards, your snorkelling gear and your shoes. Tintamarre is a protected nature reserve, but you may visit it — taking nothing away, not even a shell.
Will we actually see turtles?
Almost always — the seagrass at the anchorage is a feeding ground. But they are wild animals: we don't bait them and we don't chase them.
Is there phone signal at Tintamarre?
The island has no road and no inhabitants, but the mobile network there is excellent.
What if swell works into the anchorage?
Kharim picks the most sheltered anchorage according to the wind. If Tintamarre will not give you a quiet night, he offers another bay or a new date: your comfort always comes first.
Availability
Book your night at Tintamarre
Give us a date and how many of you there are — we'll confirm availability and the shape of the trip within a few hours.
