Sint Maarten + Saint Martin make a vibrant island with many diverse flavours; the French creole feel is a bit New Orleans and a lot of the Caribbean on both sides. It has a Savannah climate; very warm to hot, humid weather throughout the year. Marigot is on the west coast of the island and easily got to by public bus from the Dutch side. The bus says Marigot on the front, the name of the French capital – and you will find it a few blocks back from the Philipsburg seafront. They are small minibuses, see our film. We did both sides in a day. The bus from Philipsburg got us there surprisingly quickly. There is one main road, so whatever method you choose, that is the road they have to take. The French side extends from the coast to the west, along the Bay of Marigot and the hills of the interior of the island to the east. On the southwest, it is bounded by Simpson Bay. Vibrant music, graffiti and colours make for a party feel however it has a French Riviera feel. Shoes! You might reconsider flip-flops if you intend to climb the rocky hill to the fort for a great view.
There is a market on the seafront in Marigot, boats and shops. You could be in a small French Riviera resort. Here you can take a ferry to other close islands, Anguilla and St Barts and there was definitely a feeling that we could have done that had we left the ship and hit the bus first up. The ferry to Anguilla leaves every 35 to 45 minutes and takes just 20 minutes to cross. It was under $15. However, we headed for the hill overlooking the bay. The ruins of a fort built to protect them against much piracy were destroyed by time and nature. Again, we did this without a guide, it was easy to find and the exorcise was not too taxing though Jean should perhaps not have worn flip-flops. She must have been thinking of the beach. Having had both a snack, a drink, looked at the stalls and local art we caught the bus back with time to spare we took another bus into a town which was just for residents and revealed nothing extra. There may be undiscovered things we have yet to find in St Maarten, but that is for a second trip. However, it is overrunning with charm. The second walk on the Dutch side and back to the ship was very easy and casual. Coterie farm which is a treetop farm is a tour that is often offered. If you have pictures, please share them in a post on our Caribbean chat site. Many posts get featured on Doris Visits.
If you fancy the beach, Orient Beach is a long soft powdery sand beach in St Martin about 8 miles north of Philipsburg. Although on the windward east coast, facing the Atlantic, it has a reef which normally ensures it is perfect for swimming. Here there are beach bars, shops and cafes. In typical French style, it has a nudist section at the southern end. The ambitious might head 15 minutes from Marigot to Grand Case Beach and maybe have a glass of wine and lunch at the Oyster Cafe.
Doris Visits YouTube Channel allows you to SEE THE CRUISE BEFORE YOU CRUISE THE SEA. We have videos of many of the cruise stops you might make.
END
