Jonathan Berg Takes a Royal Food Tour on St. Maarten
Travel writer Jonathan Berg of The Royal Tour Blog returned to St. Maarten this June with a different angle than his normal history focus: food. During his “writer-in-residence” stay at Seaview Beach Hotel, he combined his famous explorations of history and culture with his second-favorite topic, cuisine, by exploring the annual St. Maarten Flavors program.
Jonathan Berg created theroyaltourblog.com as a blog about deeper travel experiences. He writes about history, culture, politics, religion, and — when time allows — food. As a foodie, he is a dedicated follower of the late Kitchen Confidential author Anthony Bourdain, himself a returning visitor to the island.
“My ambitious visit last time, with various island-hopping adventures within a short timeframe and making new friends like Clara Reyes, Jay Haviser, and Mark Yokoyama, to name a few, left a lot still to explore. I also decided to do so at a slower pace, to delve more into the ‘culinary capital of the Caribbean’ part of the destination. With the St. Maarten Flavors kick-off in June, the timing could not have been better.”
Berg was previously a nonprofit executive before turning to travel writing after a major life change. His goal is to help readers understand places beyond typical tourist attractions. His blog shares stories from destinations around the world to encourage curiosity, learning, and meaningful connections through travel.
He highlighted the “Flavors” restaurants in a Philipsburg and Simpson Bay/Maho series, covering both smaller, casual spots and fine dining establishments. “I was surprised that small restaurants like Ital Shack and Spices of India are still discovered by worldwide celebrities, despite having a comparably small team and budget,” Berg says, with a nod to his idol Bourdain, who once visited Ital Shack.
“But that clearly does not mean the larger restaurants are not on par with their own offerings. They also come with added island experiences. Watching airplanes at Tortuga Maho is very different from a sunset at The Pier, for example. Culinary experiences differ too, thankfully. Tastes at Marco’s Salerno-imported pizza oven at Roma are an added value, with an eye for Italian detail, and offer a different delicacy than the fresh catch at Catch21. A local Pelikaan craft brew at Seaview is an experience by itself (try the sessions), as is the ‘bastardly’ humor of Marcel at Big Bastards, or the local experience of Carl & Sons, where seemingly half of Philipsburg gets its morning sandwich. In Simpson Bay, that seemed to be the French-feel restaurant Zeebest.”
Being busy eating did not keep Jonathan from his core interests: history and culture. He took an in-depth look at the French side for the first time, with Grand Case Beach Club as base of operations. With Minister of Education and Culture Melissa Gumbs, he discussed the interesting origins of the St. Maarten flag.
Artful Seaview inspired him to explore art and murals in Philipsburg. Efforts to make the island more sustainable were also part of his 2026 trip. Last but not least, he delved into the life of Peter Stuyvesant, a New York celebrity with connections to St. Maarten.
With help from Winair, he also made an effort to explore the “Historical Gem” of Statia (St. Eustatius). Were his two travels enough to learn about northeastern Caribbean history and culture, or is there more to come?
He smiles: “There seem to be only more topics to write about popping up every time I get here. The wild variety of cultures, food, landscapes, and island silhouettes on the horizon are intriguing ingredients that make me yearn for a next trip. But first, other destinations await. Still, know that I have rarely visited destinations as often as this beautiful archipelago.”
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