MSC CRUISE – LESSER ANTILLES
Sint Maarten – March 5-7, 13, 2022
Saint Martin is one island split between the French Saint-Martin and the Dutch Sint Maarten. Beauty abounds with bluffs overlooking pretty harbors, sandy-cliffed beaches and tranquil rocky coves where fish provide the beauty.
There is no real border, only monuments and signs. Phoning between sides is an international call.
Beaches and Snorkelling are a main attraction. Saint Martin has 37 beaches fine for swimming (hotels often hold the property). Orient Bay has an underwater marine reserve with snorkelling.
Clothing optional beaches at Orient Bay. Cupecoy Beach tolerates it on the Dutch side.
Casinos are popular but only on the Dutch side.
Visit other islands. Only 30 minutes to St Barts or Anguilla.
Sint Maarten has many developments, time-shares, shopping, cruise ships, casinos and speaks English. Philipsburg is the capital of the Dutch side. The Maho and Cupecoy area has the best nightlife and best beaches.
Saint-Martin is more European, speaks French, has no casinos and is less developed, but has better natural wonders, including Orient Beach. Marigot is the capital and Grand Case has excellent restaurants.
SINT MAARTEN March 6-8, 2022
Arrival: I had had a flight on March 4 to fly to Sint Maarten but the Pacific Coastal flight from Comox to Vancouver was cancelled and I had no way to make my connection on WestJet to LA (and on to Fort Lauderdale and SM on Spirit Airlines) so returned home and booked a new flight leaving on March 5. Sandy was so nice to pick me up on Feb 22 and then drive me to the airport on March 4, return after the cancelled flight and then again on March 5.
I flew on WestJet from Comox via Vancouver and Toronto to Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten and met Leon at the airport. We took a share taxi ($2) all the way to the cruise port on the south side of the town.
I had assumed that my positive PCR (Feb 11 in Salvador Brazil) which was good to enter Sint Maarten would be accepted by MSC but they required a negative 48-hour PCR and I was refused boarding. There were other people in the same boat and I went with two women from Belgium in a taxi to find flights to Barbados (the destination of the boat on March 7). There were no obvious flights and we returned to Phillipsburg. They got an expensive hotel and I decided to walk out to the cruise terminal to see if they were any other options. With none, I walked back into town and got a hotel room (Hotel Caribbean $50/night) for 2 nights. I booked a flight to Dominica on March 8 to meet the boat arriving on March 9. I got a PCR at St Maarten Laboratory on the 7th but learned it would be over 48 hours old when I arrived in Dominica so did another one on the 8th ($US 75 per test) on my way to the airport.
There isn’t anything to do in Sint Maarten and I basically spent 1½ days reading.
Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit. In the NM Museums series, this was a dated waste of time. Who cares about a bunch of Star Wars characters now 30 years old. $5
Sint Maarten Museum. The usual local museum with history, ethnography and archaeology. $3
On March 8, I had my PCR and continued by share taxi to a Burger King and the airport to catch my flight to Dominica at 4pm (WinAir $306). It was late and I arrived at the airport at dusk. I didn’t have the required accommodation and booked an Air BnB in about 20kms from the airport.
On March 13, the boat returned to Sint Maarten. I had rented a car and finally connected with them at 9:30. We drove around the entire island.
SAINT MARTIN
Maho Bay beach (Dutch) is at the end of the airport’s runway with large aircraft flying just feet over the beach. Holding on to the fence is not recommended due to flying gravel and people have been injured, a very few killed doing.
Unfortunately, the wind direction was such that planes were landing over the beach and not taking off.
Cupecoy Beach* in the far western tip. Lovely beach below a short cliff with rocky bits.
Baie Longue. Beach encircling an entire bay.
Pic du Paradis*. Route de Pic du Paradis from Friars Bay Beach. Pic du Paradis is the highest point on the island (1400ft/427m) with two viewing areas that provide great views. One looks down on the French side with views all the way to Philipsburg. The other view is on the other side of a fenced microwave tower and looks down to the north with views from the airport and east. The road is steep but is paved and can be done by any car. Many people walked up from the farm.
National Nature Reserve. Protects the five main ecosystems: coral reefs, mangroves, seed plant herbariums, swamps, and dry coastal forests in 3,000 hectares of marine territory and 150 hectares of land. Includes the east coast islets: Pinel, Petite Clef, Caye Verte, Tintamarre, and the islets of the Baie de l’Embouchure. Famous Creole Rock, facing Grand Case Bay and the marshlands of Orient Bay’s Fish and Salt Ponds are part.
Dive from Creole Rock, or meander about with your snorkel. Kayaking is a great way to enter the mangroves, where you can observe birds and insects
Get In
By Plane. Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM). Dutch, larger and busy. Planes land and take off unusually close overhead to sunbathers at Maho Beach.
Grand Case-Espérance Airport (SFG). Serves inter-island flights, commercial and private. Exit tax on international flights US$30. Money. Euros and US dollars are commonly accepted on both sides of the island, as are credit cards (but many places do not accept cards).
Get Around
Rent a car or scooter and explore the island. The roads are narrow, sometimes bad on both sides and often very crowded between Philipsburg and Marigot. Scooters and motorcycles speed around you on both sides of the road.
The bus system consists of minivans and go most anywhere especially between Philipsburg and Marigot. By Foot in towns.
By Boat. Most inter-island ferry service arrives/departs at Marigot. Visit other islands as only 30 minutes to St Barts or Anguilla.
Food. Tuesday evenings in Grand Case are not to be missed as the main street dons carnival atmosphere and opens up to street vendors with French cuisine and local creole fare.
Tap water comes from desalinization and is drinkable.
To save cash, eat where the locals eat at Chinese restaurants or roadside food trucks. Enjoy lunch, swim on a beautiful Beach and watch the airplanes land at Tortuga at Maho.
Save money: 15% may be added to your bill as Tax or SC (Service charge) but the island has no dining tax so the restaurant may be taking advantage of North American tourists and is your tip. Water is assumed to be bottled water – US$4-5 per bottle, more expensive than beer or wine. Specify clearly for tap water.
Accommodation. US$100 per night and often much more with generous taxes and service charges. Ask for the “local rate”.
Stay Safe
Sun sunscreen frequently, brimmed hats, umbrellas and light clothing.
Crime Generally safe, parked rental cars are commonly rifled. Organized teams can break in effortlessly. Leave nothing of value in them at any time.
Drinking is a national pastime in St. Maarten and inexpensive – US$1.25 ice cold Heinekens are available almost everywhere.
Drugs Readily available but marijuana is not legal and not regulated as in Netherlands.
Parking Philipsburg has very little parking and the tow zone areas are very poorly marked. If the spot is free and you think it shouldn’t be, then it is probably a tow area.
LGBT travelers If you are LGBT be careful, the local culture doesn’t have the same level of acceptance found in other countries.
Go Next. Short-hop flights and ferry boats access Saint-Barthélemy, Anguilla, and Saba only 30 minutes or so to St Barts and Anguilla (StMartinbookings.com).
Voyager (to Saint Barths from Marigot and Oyster Pond), The Edge ferry (to St Barths from Simpson Bay and to Saba from Philipsburg), Dawn II (to Saba from Philipsburg), Calypso and Funtime charters (to Anguilla from SXM Airport).
NOMAD MANIA Netherlands – Sint Maarten
Borders
Sint Maarten (sea border/port)
St. Martin-St.Maarten (land border)
Airports: Sint Maarten (SXM)
Museums:
Philipsburg: Sint Maarten Museum
Philipsburg: Yoda Guy Movie Exhibit
Zoos: Philipsburg: St Maarten Zoo
Experiencs: King’s Day/ former Queen’s Day
Beaches: Maho Beach
NOMAD MANIA France – Saint Martin
Islands: St. Martin/St. Maarten
Borders
Saint Martin (sea border/port)
St. Martin-St.Maarten (land border)
Airports: Grand Case (SFG)
World of Nature: National Nature Reserve
Beaches: Baie Longue