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| Celebrity Reflection - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2023 |
WE HAVE had a lot of good cruising experiences, both in the Caribbean and in Europe over the years, and now more recently, in Asia.
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| Cruise Port - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012 |
THE RATIONALE for choosing St. Maarten next is - in a way - similar to the Naples choice. We have been to the island multiple times. There are multiple different things to do there. Our first visit was in 2012 and was our first trip to the Caribbean (and only our second cruise overall). We had no planned itinerary, but walked the streets of Philipsburg, where I bought and drank a beer on the street as we walked (which outside of New Orleans was to me a very new experience).
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| Main Street, Philipsburg - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012 |
I PERSONALLY think St. Maarten is the best of all the (somewhat similar after seeing as many of them as we have over the years) Caribbean Islands. The mix of beaches, restaurants, and things to do - as well as its clean and neat appearance - appeal to me. It is probably one of only a couple where I think I might enjoy a prolonged stay.
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| Water Taxi - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012 |
IN FAIRNESS, it may be that St. Maarten holds a psychological advantage in that it is really the first Caribbean Island we ever visited. 2012 was our first foray into the Caribbean, and aside from Princess' private island in the Bahamas, St. Maarten was our first exposure to the Caribbean Island life. I think it was probably a good representation of all the "romantic notions" we have of the Caribbeans. Lots of bright colors. Lots of water and boats. Cold Caribbean Beer. Beaches and sun. Friendly people. Over the next 15 years we would learn much more about the Caribbean. Some of it is not so romantic, as we later learned, observing a lot of serious poverty interspersed among the homes of some of the "rich and famous," on our tour of the island during a later visit. The primary cruise port is across the bay from the downtown Philipsburg area and the beaches. The most convenient way to get there is to board one of the water taxis at the cruise terminal for a very short ride across the water (but long enough that you can indulge in a cold beer on the crossing).
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| St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012 |
WE ENDED our day on that first trip at an outdoor eating area serviced by food establishments, on a quiet little beach just a block or so off the main street in Phillipsburg. There was a small, municipal type marina there with what appeared to be boats owned by local residents either tide up in slips, or beached. It was tranquil and just how I had imagined the "quieter" side of the Caribbean.
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| Main Beach - Philipsburg - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012 |
ST. MAARTEN is somewhat unique among the Caribbean islands in that its ownership is (geographically) bifurcated. The southern half of the island is a Dutch territory (Sint Maartin); the northern half is French (Sainte Martin). Once on the island though, you are free to move back and forth from the Dutch to the French side. They are distinctively different. On our second trip we arranged a tour of the entire island with a private driver.
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| Little Bandstand in downtown Marigot, near the harbor - St. Martin, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2013 |
THE DUTCH side is (relatively) more sedate than the French side. The two "hotspots" on the French side are probably the French port of Marigot and about a 5-mile stretch of bars, nightclubs and hotels that are notorious as the party spots on St. Maarten, in an area called Grand Case (pronounce. "kahs"). We drove along Grand Case during the day. It was an impressive sight. I could only imagine it at night. Marigot is the main town (and Capitol) on the French side and is a pretty little harbor on the northwest part of the island that serves island-hopping ferries. It is said that there is accommodation for just one small to medium cruise ships there. I don't know of any that dock there. While French, it is still more "Caribbean" at heart. We stopped there for about an hour during our trip around the island, and had coffee and sweets at Sarafina's, a highly recommended cafe/bakery, and walked around the small port.
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| Popular Cafe - Bakery in Marigot - St. Martin, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2013 |
FROM GRAND Case, we drove across the northern part of the island to the east to one of St. Maarten's most famous spots: Orient Beach. Known as a nude beach, it actually is divided and there is a large "family" beach, which is well visually seggregated from the "clothing-optional" beach. If you are thinking San Trope, and beautiful French models sunbathing nude, you will be sorely disappointed. Just sayin'. 😅 We are really not beach people, so although it was nice to say we have been there, it isn't high among my favorite Caribbean spots or experiences. Readers will, I hope, forgive me, but no photos. 😆
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| Philipsburg Town; Courthouse in the Distance - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2012 |
THE ISLAND is quite small (under 9 miles from the southern tip to the northernmost point and just over 9 miles from far west to east). I was surprised to learn that it isn't even among the 10 most visited islands in the Caribbean, especially given that from my observation, it always seems to have the largest number of cruise ships docked on any given day. An astute observer will have counted not less than 7 large cruise ships in the harbor the day we arrived on our Celebrity Reflection cruise in 2013. Somewhere around 15,000 passengers!
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| The beach in Philipsburg - St. Maarten, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2015 |
IN 2015, we cruised with some friends from home (one of my former law partners and a mutual friend - we did a couple Caribbean "winter" cruises together). The cruise was a pretty sedate affair, with our primary goal being warm sunshine, good food and drink, and good company. Our final stop was St. Maarten, and on this occasion, we had no plan other than to go to the beach. We were in luck, as the entire town of Philipsburg is bordered by a beautiful sand beach with a "boardwalk." Across the boardwalk, the way is lined with bars. I said the Dutch side was "more" sedate. I didn't say it was dead. 😁We rented some chairs, bought a bucket of cold beers, and relaxed. At some point in the early afternoon, we were hit with a hard Caribbean thunderstorm and were "forced" to take refuge in one of the bars just across the street.
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| Bars along the Boardwalk - Philipsburg, West Indies - Copyright Andy Richards 2015 |
THERE IS one other pretty famous spot for tourists in St. Maarten. The Princess Juliana International Airport sits on a very narrow piece of land on the southwest side of the Dutch part of the island, near the Casino and a couple high-end resort properties. The runway is just under 1.5 miles long and is one of the shortest I have ever seen to accommodate jet traffic. Immediately adjacent to the runway (separated only by an 8-foot "perfect" wire fence, is a narrow stretch of very popular, sandy beach. At Maho Beach, it is possible to stand (or sit) directly under a landing jet on that beach. It is probably the closest place in the world where you can be that close to the plane. Unfortunately, it is also dangerous and the jet wash pelts observers who get too close with sand. In 2017 (the only fatality I am aware of) a 57-year-old female tourist was thrown against a concrete retaining wall by the force of jet engine on a plane taking off and was killed. There have been many injuries also.
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| Maho Beach - Princess Juliana Airport - St. Maarten, West Indies (image courtesy of Creative Commons) |
DIRECTLY NEXT to the beach and runway is the Sunset Bar. If you can get a seat (it is usually jammed), it might be a better spot to see the planes land. You are still amazingly close. We have - a bit surprisingly - not had a stop in St. Maarten since 2015. I will look forward to returning one day soon!
