St. Eustatius: History, Hiking and Diving at the Caribbean’s Best-Kept Secret

Once known as the Golden Rock due to its location and flow of commerce in its day, Eustatius is a pretty island of only 8 square miles located between St. Kitts, Saba and St. Martin.

It has a distinctive look, with its 1,972-foot extinct volcano at one end and a lower mountain at the other and has a population of 3,400 friendly people. It is the perfect “one-off” island, meaning it is easy to get here by connecting to a small plane or ferry.

St. Eustatius has no KFCs, Starbucks, or traffic lights and it is never crowded (even in high season). You’ll find warmth in the people, their culture, food and friendliness that only a small island can offer you. We recommend putting this place on your list before it gets “discovered” by the masses.

Walking Historical Tour

What surprised me about Statia is its remarkable history and how well-preserved its little capital is. The streets here are lined with 200 to 300-year-old homes and buildings designed in classic Caribbean architecture.

Our guide, Misha, walked us through the narrow streets, pointing out the history and significance of some of these structures. We went past dozens of stone and wooden buildings, as well as old churches still in use. We also visited the roofless ruins of a large Dutch church and a Jewish synagogue from the mid-1700s.

Misha also talked about the island’s trade history in nearly everything, which, unfortunately, included slavery. At its peak, 3,000 merchant ships called on the island each year.

Statia changed hands 22 times between France, England and the Dutch and is now governed by a democratically chosen council under the Dutch government.

First to Recognize the USA

Our walking tour ended at Fort Oranje. It was offshore on November 16th, 1776, that the U.S. Brig Andrew Doria, on a munitions purchase to the island (and having a copy of the Declaration of Independence), was honored with a special cannon salute.

November 16th is Statia Day, and in 2026, a big celebration in cooperation with the United States is planned.

300-Year-Old Bell Ringing

The tour ended at 6 PM with Ms. Michelle Woodley van Putten, the island’s bell ringer, ringing the bell six times. Since 2018, she has rung the fort’s bell every day at 6 AM, noon and 6 PM.

She took over from her father, who did it for 20 years, and just like her father, never missed a day. Their motto is “Never sick, never late, always on time.” This ceremony has been going on for over 300 years.

Hiking the Quill

If you are in decent physical condition, no visit to St. Eustatius should be complete without a hike on the Quill. The name Quill is rooted in the Dutch word Kuil. This means “pit,” referring to the large crater that last erupted about 1,600 years ago.

To hike the Quill, I recommend you arrange for a guide through the Golden Rock Resort. Hiking the Quill can be moderate to tough depending on the trail.

We started on the Quill Trail uphill for about 45 minutes to the junction of the Panorama and Crater Trails. This allowed us to look down into a thick forested crater.

For even better island and ocean views, continue up the 20-minute climb on the Panorama trail to the viewpoint. This should be done if you are in good shape and are sure-footed.

The Panorama trail is steep and requires a rope in two sections for balance. The view from the top shows most of St. Eustatius, Saba nearby, St. Barts 30 miles away, and St. Martin near the horizon at 40 miles away.

For the ambitious and physically fit, take the steep trail with the help of ropes 20 minutes into the crater to view its unique mini-biosphere. There is also a four-hour trail that goes around the top of the crater. If you plan this trek, review these pro hiking tips.

St. Eustatius Under the Sea

Statia has been gaining popularity in recent years as a diving destination. This is because of the low pressure put on their many quality dive sites. My diving was made easy using the Golden Rock Resort’s in-house shop.

Divers get set up with gear the day before at the resort. The equipment is then met and prepped on the boat for the morning dive. A bonus here is the short boat ride to the dive sites on the calm leeward side of the island.

There are a dozen good dive locations but our first plunge was at the 45-foot Aquarium. This site had us led around four coral outcrops. There, we saw several turtles munching on seagrass or swimming by, giving us a curious look. All around were tropical fish with a lot of soft coral.

Stenapa Reef was our second dive. This was an easy 60-foot drop into an area with several wrecks and other large sunken objects. Here, we saw stingrays, turtles, garden eels, and the usual colorful fish found in the Caribbean.

Snorkelers should not miss swimming off the narrow beach in town. With the ocean rising over the centuries, snorkelers get to see some of the submerged ruins.

Read More: 9 Places to Experience Amazing Sea Life Up Close

Island Tour

When on the island, consider a two-hour driving tour with Lenaldo. He covered most of the eight square miles.

Our tour started on the wild Atlantic Zee/Landia Beach, known for turtle nesting and its dangerous surf. Our tour took us to different neighborhoods, past restored old homes, a couple of shops and some ruins left over from a few of the former 72 plantations. We finished at the fortifications at the bottom of Statia facing St. Kitts.

Excellent Lodging

The Golden Rock Resort is the only five-star property on St. Eustatius. It is located on 40 beautiful, landscaped acres quietly tucked away from the rest of the island.

The views are incredible. To one side is the ocean with distant views of St. Barts and St. Martin. Facing away from the ocean is the extinct volcano framing the resort. To the southeast is the cloud-covered 3,792-foot mountain on St. Kitts.

Planted around and in between the 75 rooms, villas and cottages are 130,000 flowers, trees and plants. Hummingbirds can be seen frequently buzzing about. You feel like you are in a garden, walking around the curved paths.

Look for several old olive trees planted around. A “choo-choo”- style tram circles the property for guests who prefer not to walk.

Golden Rock Resort Amenities

The Golden Rock Resort has two freshwater pools that you will not want to leave. The one near Breezes Restaurant has an island in the middle and allows you to float in circles. The other pool below Breezes is larger and rectangular, perfect for swimming laps.

There are plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas for all the guests. Some umbrellas had power outlets at their base. A third swimming area is the large man-made saltwater lagoon by the ocean. There are swings and hammocks in the lagoon, along with a sunken bus at its deepest spot.

For the workout people, there is a professional-grade gym next to the spa. Children get to burn off some energy and have fun in what may be one of the largest playgrounds in the Caribbean. There is a quirky ocean-view mini-golf course, tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts.

For our stay, we splurged on a second-floor villa. This has a spacious bedroom and a separate living area with a small kitchenette. The bathroom has a tall tub, a walk-in shower, and a separate room for the commode. A nice touch in the rooms was a fold-out drying rack on the patios.

If you are doing a day trip to Statia or staying at one of the smaller hotels, you can also purchase a day pass for this resort.

Environmentally Friendly

The property cares for its environment with 2,240 solar panels that generate 0.8 megawatts of power, allowing the resort to be almost off the grid. There is also an array of batteries that store power for overnight use.

There is also a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse on the property. This grows all the organic herbs and many of the vegetables for the resort year-round. A salad at a hotel has never tasted this fresh.

To save on bottled water, Golden Rock uses reverse osmosis to turn seawater into pure, clean drinking water. To irrigate the pretty grounds, wastewater is treated with helophyte filters.

Breezes

Breezes serves a full à la carte breakfast (included in the room rate) and lunch every day. Dinner is served from Sunday to Wednesday.

Meals served at Gold Rock’s restaurants were accompanied by attentive, friendly service and the right amount of humor to make us smile. Servers knew who we were after the first day.

The food selection had plenty of choices. My lobster thermidor was equal to the best French restaurants on nearby St. Martin. The pan-seared snapper was fresh and flavorful with black bean mango salsa. We also enjoyed the lamb chops, French-cut Cajun chicken, and tuna tartare.

For lunch, we concentrated on the salads picked from the greenhouse. I also enjoyed the roasted jerk chicken wrap, which was full of flavor. Burgers are large.

Breezes has outdoor booths with a commanding view of the property towards the ocean. Diners can also choose tables inside.

The center of the restaurant has a large round bar, perfect for pre- or post-dinner drinks and craft cocktails. For a better spin on a G&T, guests can choose from five different gin brands and styles. This can be matched with three different types of premium Fever-Tree Tonic, each paired with one of six garnishes.

More Dining Options

Bobbie’s Beach Club at Golden Rock is near the cliff on the Atlantic Ocean. It is an open-air restaurant where you watch their ex-Nobu chef prepare sushi-style food on the left. On the right, wood-grilled food and gourmet pizzas are prepared. We enjoyed different styles of sushi rolls along with their sweet wood-grilled lobster. Live music or DJs perform on most weekends.

The Barrel House on the waterfront was built in the mid-1700s, made of bricks from the Netherlands that were used as ballast on trade ships. They serve an upscale Caribbean and Continental menu.

The starter of sashimi-grade smoked wahoo with avocado, and the house dipping sauce, was as tasty as it was well plated. We also enjoyed the local curried goat, freshly caught snapper, and mushroom chicken in a cognac-porcini sauce. Reserve a table 15 minutes before sunset.

The Ocean View Terrace is located in town across from the fort. The food here is basic, reasonably priced, and good. They serve chicken, pork, and fish cooked in four styles, grilled steaks and Dutch starters. Sitting upstairs gave us a view of the old fort wall and a bit of a breeze.

Entertainment

Statia is a quiet island. To mingle with the locals, people who work in tourism, and other visitors, go to the Boardwalk on Friday night. You will find a DJ mixing up the music. Get there between 9 PM and 10 PM for two-for-one drinks.

The Golden Rock Resort has the island’s only movie theater. There is also a small planetarium on Statia run by its passionate manager.

Getting to St. Eustatius

If You Go

Golden Rock Resort is the island’s sole five-star property and makes a strong home base for both diving and hiking, with rooms, suites, villas, and cottages tucked into 40 landscaped acres below the Quill.

For travel insurance, SafetyWing offers flexible coverage well-suited to island-hopping itineraries like this one, and Squaremouth is a solid option for comparing plans side by side. An Airalo eSIM is worth picking up before you go, since connectivity on Statia can be limited.

Getting to the hidden gem of an island requires a stop in St. Martin or St. Kitts to catch the sleek and quick Makana Ferry. You can also take a scenic 20-minute flight from St. Martin. Keep in mind that sometimes it takes a little more effort to reach the best places without the crowds.

For more information, visit Statia Tourism.

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Author Bio: After 30 years in the business world, Tab Hauser reinvented himself as a journalist and professional photographer. His travels have taken him to seven continents and 100 countries or unique locations. He is an Explorers Club Friend, a member of the New York Press Association, a diver, and a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain. This native New Yorker now calls Colorado home. Follow on Facebook.

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