Our homemade Italian gelato is prepared daily in-house. We have created about 40 flavours; we make 16 different ones every day for you to discover so that, even as a resident, you will find something different from the last visit. The main difference between gelato and ice cream is that gelato contains less fat than ice cream. Original Italian Gelato is made with organic dairy fats only (milk). Ice cream is made with hydrogenated fats. The “life” of gelato is a few days; this is the reason why it has to be made daily. Gelato is creamier, smoother, more colourful and tastier than ice cream. We also prepare some vegan sorbettos that are made daily with fresh cut fruits, such as pineapple, mango, banana and lemon.
Gelateria Milano is located on the boardwalk in Philipsburg, right at the beginning of the famous picturesque Bayside Walk Alley. You can sit down overlooking the beach or in our beautiful hideaway garden. We now also have a playground so kids can play right on the beach. We built a tower with a big slide and a climbing wall and a Mini gelato shop were the kids can learn how to become the future entrepreneurs of Philipsburg. We have baby swings for babies from as young as six months up until four years old; we have swings and slides that cater to kids ranging from four to eight years old, and we have recently invested in a bigger commercial swing where even teens and adults can join the fun! We also have some development oriented toys like monkey bars and soon we will add the pull-up bars so that adults exercising on the boardwalk can make use of these additional workouts. More things will be added over the next few weeks...
A bit about myself
I grew up in St. Maarten, attending school first on the Dutch side and then on the French side. After Hurricane Luis, I left for a few years to further studies and then returned in 2001, working for many years in the marine industry with almost 10 years at Budget Marine. After the devastating Hurricane Irma, an unexpected career change came with the opportunity at Gelateria Milano. I first spent a few months rebuilding the store that had gotten severely damaged in the storm. I am very much a hands-on guy and did most of the rebuilding myself. After following an intense course on how to make this delicious gelato, I managed to reopen the store on February 1 – thanks to my business partner who is originally from Milano, Italy, who taught me all the secrets before he continued his sailing adventures. St. Maarten taught me how to be fluent in five languages and I love to share my knowledge and history of the island with our visitors. Whether tourists visit from the cruise ships or are staying on island, I am a true believer that The Friendly Island will see many visitors return in the years to come as we provide our guests with great customer service.
The playground idea was actually not for the visitors, even though some visiting kids love it, too; but visitors are more interested in getting in our Caribbean sea. The playground was something I really wanted to do for our local Sint Maarten kids. I built most of the toys myself from recycled Irma-damaged goods – a deep sea fishing boat tower was used to make our monkey bars; sailboat parts were used to make the pullup bars; and wood drifting in the lagoon was used for the mini shop. It is a huge personal satisfaction to see how many kids now come down daily to enjoy playing outside, and all the kids now call me “Da Ice-cream Man.”
The entrance of the picturesque Bayside Walk Alley can be found next to Gelateria Milano, with the Philipsburg boardwalk boulevard on one end and opposite the Guavaberry Emporium on the Front Street side of the head of town. You will discover an unexpected tropical oasis while walking through a sea of green plants on either side dotted with colourful blossoms. Savour a scoop of homemade gelato from the neighbouring Gelateria Milano in the secret garden underneath the hanging planters, or simply seek out shade among the flowering shrubs. One thing is sure; Bayside Walk Alley is undeniably a photo-worthy place to see while visiting Sint Maarten!
