Things to do in Saint Martin Island
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Saint Martin Island
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Reopening month: day trips only, overnight stays banned, seas settling and turtle nesting beginning.
The only overnight months and the best weather: dry, sunny and calm, with peak demand against the 2,000 a day cap.
Closed to tourists from 1 February for clean-up and the end of turtle nesting and hatching.
Closed: pre-monsoon heat and the first Bay of Bengal cyclone window, with May historically most active.
Closed: monsoon, heavy rain and very rough seas suspend normal shipping and cut the island off.
Closed: the post-monsoon cyclone window, historically the most intense, before the season opens on 1 November.
What's on
- Olive Ridley turtle nesting season November to March
Nesting females come ashore at night on the island's beaches; keep dark, quiet and well back, under the no fire and no noise rules.
Best things to do in Saint Martin Island
Saint Martin's Island West Beach
The island's sunset shore, a long shelving sand beach with the clearest swimming and the best resorts behind it.
Saint Martin's Island North Beach
The calm, social shore by the jetty, lined with fishing boats and coconut stalls, best at dawn.
Saint Martin Bazar
The island's market by the jetty, for dried fish, green coconuts and the honest price of the evening catch.
Where to stay in Saint Martin Island
West Beach
two or three night stays and sunsets
The best swimming beach and the better resorts, quieter lanes behind the sand, 15 to 25 minutes from the jetty.
North and jetty area
one night stays and early ships
Steps from the ship, bazaar and restaurants, but noisy at docking hours with the least attractive midday beach.
South and Golachipa side
quiet eco stays
Scattered cottages near the emptiest beaches and the Chera Dwip walk, furthest from the bazaar and restaurants.
Think twice about
- Chera Dwip causeway on a rising tide
The natural crossing floods as the tide returns and visitors are caught by rising water; cross only on a falling tide.
- Keya forest
Entry is prohibited under the current environmental directives, as is collecting keya fruit.
Best restaurants in Saint Martin Island
Euro Bangla Restaurant
One of the island's best-known eateries by the jetty, serving the day's fried and curried catch to new arrivals.
Martin Full Restaurant
A well-regarded local favourite on the ferry road for careful fish fry, curries and group seafood platters.
Allahar Dan Restaurant
The island's everyday canteen near the terminal, fish curry and Bangladeshi staples served fast and cheap.
Flying Fish & Food Restaurant
A beachside grill for whole fried fish and prawns cooked to order, best at an early sunset dinner.
Outdoor things to do in Saint Martin Island
Chera Dwip
The uninhabited tidal island south of Saint Martin, reached on foot or by boat at low tide, rich in coral rock and crabs.
Saint Martin Island rock pools
Low tide drains the rocky shelf into pools of crabs, sea cucumbers and small reef fish, the best free nature walk here.
Saint Martin Island bicycle circuit
An 8 km flat loop of sandy lanes and beach riding through groves and villages, the best way to grasp the whole island.
Snorkelling off Chera Dwip
A basic boat snorkel over patchy coral off the south-east, worthwhile as a boat trip, modest beside regional reefs.
Best hotels in Saint Martin Island
Shimana Periye Resort
One of the island's best-kept resorts, a garden compound on the sunset shore with a popular restaurant.
Blue Marine Resort
The long-running mid-range hotel near the jetty and bazaar, practical for one night stays and early ships.
Josnaloy Beach Resort
A palm garden resort on the west side for travellers whose trip is the beach itself, with home-style seafood.
Nongoor Eco Beach Resort Saint Martin
The honest budget eco stay, basic cottages in a tree-covered compound on the quieter southern side.
Hotel Sea Inn Saint Martin
The cheap, practical north-end hotel two minutes from the ship, chosen for price and departure morning ease.
Is Saint Martin Island expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | BDT 5,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | BDT 9,000 a person |
| Splurge | BDT 18,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Shimana Periye Resort: weeks ahead
- Blue Marine Resort: weeks ahead
- Josnaloy Beach Resort: weeks ahead
- Nongoor Eco Beach Resort Saint Martin: a few days ahead
- Hotel Sea Inn Saint Martin: a few days ahead
- Buy ship tickets only on the Bangladesh Tourism Board portal; each ticket carries a Travel Pass with a QR code, and tickets without one are treated as fake.
- Book ship and room together weeks ahead for December and January, the only overnight months, against a cap of 2,000 visitors a day.
- Keep a buffer day in Cox's Bazar after the island, because weather suspensions can strand visitors an extra night.
Is Saint Martin Island safe?
- There are no ATMs and cards are useless; bring all your taka in cash, plus a reserve for a weather-stranded night.
- Power is generator and solar in set hours and signal is patchy; bring a power bank and torch and download tickets before sailing.
- Medical care on the island is basic and the nearest hospital is a five to six hour ship ride away in Cox's Bazar; emergency number is 999.
Saint Martin Island travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Any seller offering overnight stays outside December and January, Teknaf boat transfers, beach barbecues or sea bikes is contradicting the current rules.
- Agree the price of fish, by weight where relevant, before it is cooked, every time, using the bazaar price as your benchmark.
- Snorkelling marketing promises lush coral gardens; the reef is patchy and damaged, so pay for a boat trip, not a fantasy.
Getting around Saint Martin Island: public transport and more
- All authorised tourist ships now sail only from Nuniya Chhara BIWTA jetty in Cox's Bazar; the Teknaf and Inani routes are prohibited.
- The crossing takes about five to six hours each way, leaving Cox's Bazar in the morning and returning in the afternoon by tide.
- On the island, walk, rent a bicycle, or use the small three-wheeled vans from the jetty for luggage and short rides.
Who Saint Martin Island suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Saint Martin Island your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store