How did I learn this? Well I took an excursion with Royal Caribbean to Orient Beach at Orient Bay. Instead of sitting on the beach in a chair provided for each of us and partaking of all the drinks we wanted, I decided to explore, equipped with my brand new watch that would keep me well informed as to when I needed to get back for the return bus. I walked all the way up past Palm Beach and tried to get to Pinel Island because I wanted to see what it looked like (more on that later), but found it was too far and I would have to cross through many private areas to get there. So returning, I went down the beach past where we were to find a spot where I could swim and relax. My watch said I had plenty of time. After a while, I returned to the point of departure only to find everyone gone!! That’s when I realized my watch must have stopped because the time had not changed. My mind raced, and I tried to calculate how much time I had to get to the cab stand and return to the ship. I wandered to the parking lot to see if the bus there was for my group, but nothing was there except a few cars. One person in a small car must have seen my look of tourist panic along with my backpack and cheap watch and got out of the car and asked my name. Our bus had left about 10 minutes before (after waiting for me) and she had been waiting there to see if I showed up. She radioed the bus and had them stop at the side of the road, then gave me a ride to the bus where I boarded much to the delight of the passengers that had to wait earlier. I offered my sage advice to them about buying cheap watches and most took pity on me and left me alone. For what it’s worth, that’s my story and advice.
On a more serious note, I was snorkeling on another island with a ship excursion and a fellow traveler had an episode while in the water. The excursion personnel were great, they immediately supported the person in the water and got them ashore where they applied oxygen and made sure they were stabilized enough to return to the ship. They also radioed the ship where people there would meet the passenger and check them out further to make sure they were OK. Again, cruise line excursions are the safest way to go unless you are absolutely sure where you are going and what you are doing.
Saint-Martin (French side) and Sint Maartin (Dutch side) is a wonderful island with beautiful beaches and a lot of things to see and do. I’ll cover a number of things I have done on my many trips there but can’t wait to return for more experiences.
The Port at the southern end of the island is big and beautiful. You can expect to see anywhere from three to six cruise ships or luxury yachts there at one time and it is always bustling with activity. There are tiki bars, shops and other specialty stores for island liquors duty free as well as cigars. I don’t smoke but there is small shop at the cruise port near the cab circle called DAS Cigars – the guy rolls his own right there with Cuban leaf and uses their private label. You can get Cuban cigars all over the island but if time is short, you can’t go wrong visiting the store. I always stock up for my Christmas list.
I’ve already told you about my one excursion to Orient Beach – I’ve been there a few times and it’s fun to visit. The water is not calm though – expect wind and some small waves and snorkeling is not really ideal from the beach. They have a lot of sports rentals, jet skis, kayaks, sails, and more so there is always something to do. Do not be surprised however if you venture too far down the beach, there is a section (with a sign posted) that is clothing optional, so be forewarned.
On my last trip to the island, I took an excursion by boat that went snorkeling on the west side, and then was supposed to go to an island further north. It was windy that day and the excursion decided it best not to venture through the rough seas to the island, but rather took us to a beautiful little bay at Anse Marcel where we anchored and swam ashore, snorkeled and counted the many turtles that were in the water around us coming up for air. Despite the diversion, it turned out to be a great day. The ride to and from was made more enjoyable with the captain telling us about the sights and history of the points on shore as we passed by including the beachfront homes of some very famous and wealthy people. I thought I had seen most of the island before but this trip was a real education. This was my first time back since my previous cruise wherein we were among the first ships to arrive after St. Martin had been devastated by hurricane Irma in 2017 and the cruise port was closed for quite some time. It was painful to see the severe damage the storm had wreaked upon the island as well as the emotional toll of the people that lived there. I’ll never forget the firsthand story from a store owner of how he endured the worst of the storm with his family for hours on end not knowing if they would make it. But I was amazed at how quickly the island had come back on my return visit and you could tell by the smiles on the people’s faces that things were getting back to normal. The island had its groove back.
A couple of times, my small group has rented a Jeep to drive around the island. By this time, we were pretty familiar with the island and what we didn’t know, the good old fashioned visitors maps could show the way. One time, we had a GPS with the voice of President Obama dubbed in the directions. It made for a very fun filled day that we still talk about. Some of our typical stops were the airport bar which is near Princess Juliana International Airport at Simpson Bay. The bar is right on a beach and very busy with its main attraction being that it is right at the end of the runway separated only by a fence. If you stand on the beach while a plane is landing, you will honestly believe the plane is going to hit you. The force of the jet engines will literally knock you down, I know from personal example and my hat wound up about 40 yards in the water off the beach. If you’d rather not go so close to the action, you can always sit at the bar and sip your favorite drink and watch the planes come and go. The bar even has a blackboard telling you the times that planes are scheduled for arrival.
Driving around the huge harbor to the western and French side of the island, you can visit Marigot where there are many shops and restaurants and a large harbor for boats. Be prepared for a delay however, it gets very busy and crowded there and there a limited number of roads in and out. North of Marigot, almost by accident, my friends and I found what is now one of our favorite spots: Grand Case. There is a public parking lot there and you can simply walk over to one of the many great little restaurants on the water and enjoy a meal and a swim or relax on the beach. It’s all laid back and very relaxing, and a great place for beach pictures. Heading north from here, you will pass some great views of the ocean from the Rue de I’anse Marcel road, a beautiful little bay called Anse Marcel that is on my list to visit, and loop around to the east side and pass an area called Cul-de-Sac. From here you will head south past Orient Bay crossing back into the Dutch side passing many small towns and getting to see the sights and landscape as you head back to the port at the southern tip of the island.
Finally, one of my favorite land trips on Sint Maarten; Pinel Island. Pinel Island lays just off the shore at the northeast side from the area previously mentioned named Cul-de-Sac. I had originally wanted to go there to kayak but not knowing the exact geography, I wanted to see the island first. I have not seen any excursions there since the one and only time I took one with Royal Caribbean a few years ago. Even then, the trip was almost cancelled due to strong wind, but upon asking, I opted to take the tour anyway and am so glad I did. I have yet to see this excursion with any cruise line since. The bus took us to the beach there at Cul-de-Sac where a small boat ferry takes you out to Pinel Island. The island itself is not very large and is not very far from shore, but on arrival, there were two separate beach restaurants/bars with white sand beaches and chairs all along the beach. There were even small tables in the water off the beach where the bars would bring wine bottles or other drinks out to small groups so they could stay in the water and enjoy their drinks. The food offerings were casual to decidedly French fare and very good. I decided to take a stroll and explore the island following paths that led to other sides of the island as well as spectacular hill that with a commanding view of the ocean as well as the entire Orient Bay to the west. I truly could have stayed here all day long and it was only with great reluctance that I left. I plan on returning there again soon and will report more on Pinel Island once I do.
More on Sint Maarten to come as I set sail again.
Saint-Martin (French side) and Sint Maartin (Dutch side) is a wonderful island with beautiful beaches and a lot of things to see and do. I’ll cover a number of things I have done on my many trips there but can’t wait to return for more experiences.
The Port at the southern end of the island is big and beautiful. You can expect to see anywhere from three to six cruise ships or luxury yachts there at one time and it is always bustling with activity. There are tiki bars, shops and other specialty stores for island liquors duty free as well as cigars. I don’t smoke but there is small shop at the cruise port near the cab circle called DAS Cigars – the guy rolls his own right there with Cuban leaf and uses their private label. You can get Cuban cigars all over the island but if time is short, you can’t go wrong visiting the store. I always stock up for my Christmas list.
I’ve already told you about my one excursion to Orient Beach – I’ve been there a few times and it’s fun to visit. The water is not calm though – expect wind and some small waves and snorkeling is not really ideal from the beach. They have a lot of sports rentals, jet skis, kayaks, sails, and more so there is always something to do. Do not be surprised however if you venture too far down the beach, there is a section (with a sign posted) that is clothing optional, so be forewarned.
On my last trip to the island, I took an excursion by boat that went snorkeling on the west side, and then was supposed to go to an island further north. It was windy that day and the excursion decided it best not to venture through the rough seas to the island, but rather took us to a beautiful little bay at Anse Marcel where we anchored and swam ashore, snorkeled and counted the many turtles that were in the water around us coming up for air. Despite the diversion, it turned out to be a great day. The ride to and from was made more enjoyable with the captain telling us about the sights and history of the points on shore as we passed by including the beachfront homes of some very famous and wealthy people. I thought I had seen most of the island before but this trip was a real education. This was my first time back since my previous cruise wherein we were among the first ships to arrive after St. Martin had been devastated by hurricane Irma in 2017 and the cruise port was closed for quite some time. It was painful to see the severe damage the storm had wreaked upon the island as well as the emotional toll of the people that lived there. I’ll never forget the firsthand story from a store owner of how he endured the worst of the storm with his family for hours on end not knowing if they would make it. But I was amazed at how quickly the island had come back on my return visit and you could tell by the smiles on the people’s faces that things were getting back to normal. The island had its groove back.
A couple of times, my small group has rented a Jeep to drive around the island. By this time, we were pretty familiar with the island and what we didn’t know, the good old fashioned visitors maps could show the way. One time, we had a GPS with the voice of President Obama dubbed in the directions. It made for a very fun filled day that we still talk about. Some of our typical stops were the airport bar which is near Princess Juliana International Airport at Simpson Bay. The bar is right on a beach and very busy with its main attraction being that it is right at the end of the runway separated only by a fence. If you stand on the beach while a plane is landing, you will honestly believe the plane is going to hit you. The force of the jet engines will literally knock you down, I know from personal example and my hat wound up about 40 yards in the water off the beach. If you’d rather not go so close to the action, you can always sit at the bar and sip your favorite drink and watch the planes come and go. The bar even has a blackboard telling you the times that planes are scheduled for arrival.
 |
Airport bar |
Driving around the huge harbor to the western and French side of the island, you can visit Marigot where there are many shops and restaurants and a large harbor for boats. Be prepared for a delay however, it gets very busy and crowded there and there a limited number of roads in and out. North of Marigot, almost by accident, my friends and I found what is now one of our favorite spots: Grand Case. There is a public parking lot there and you can simply walk over to one of the many great little restaurants on the water and enjoy a meal and a swim or relax on the beach. It’s all laid back and very relaxing, and a great place for beach pictures. Heading north from here, you will pass some great views of the ocean from the Rue de I’anse Marcel road, a beautiful little bay called Anse Marcel that is on my list to visit, and loop around to the east side and pass an area called Cul-de-Sac. From here you will head south past Orient Bay crossing back into the Dutch side passing many small towns and getting to see the sights and landscape as you head back to the port at the southern tip of the island.
 |
| beach at Grand Case |
 |
| driving on Sint Maarten |
Finally, one of my favorite land trips on Sint Maarten; Pinel Island. Pinel Island lays just off the shore at the northeast side from the area previously mentioned named Cul-de-Sac. I had originally wanted to go there to kayak but not knowing the exact geography, I wanted to see the island first. I have not seen any excursions there since the one and only time I took one with Royal Caribbean a few years ago. Even then, the trip was almost cancelled due to strong wind, but upon asking, I opted to take the tour anyway and am so glad I did. I have yet to see this excursion with any cruise line since. The bus took us to the beach there at Cul-de-Sac where a small boat ferry takes you out to Pinel Island. The island itself is not very large and is not very far from shore, but on arrival, there were two separate beach restaurants/bars with white sand beaches and chairs all along the beach. There were even small tables in the water off the beach where the bars would bring wine bottles or other drinks out to small groups so they could stay in the water and enjoy their drinks. The food offerings were casual to decidedly French fare and very good. I decided to take a stroll and explore the island following paths that led to other sides of the island as well as spectacular hill that with a commanding view of the ocean as well as the entire Orient Bay to the west. I truly could have stayed here all day long and it was only with great reluctance that I left. I plan on returning there again soon and will report more on Pinel Island once I do.
More on Sint Maarten to come as I set sail again.
No comments:
Post a Comment