Here’s my plan, welcome comments/suggestions

[felixdacat]

I will be in St. Maarten on Wednesday 12/23, arriving on the Celebrity Solstice. We dock at 8AM and depart 7PM (although I want to be back on board no later than 5:30PM). I will be exploring the island with my wife and two kids, and possibly my wife’s brother’s family of 4 as well as my two in-laws (but I’m only figuring on my 4,as the in laws are flaky when it comes to advanced planning).

Since the whole day is ahead of us, I’m figuring to get off the ship by 9. I will be renting a car because it sounds like it would save money overall over taxi fares.

We will then drive to Marigot as these threads say that Wednesday there is a street market doing business. I would hope to be there by 10-10:30AM. Plan to stay there for two hours and then drive down to Maho Beach to go to the Sunset bar for lunch and plane spotting. So hopefully I will be there by 1PM which I have read is when you start expecting the big jets.

1st question: Should I have any trouble with parking in either Marigot or Maho Beach (I’m guessing the Sunset Bar has a parking lot)?

Between lunch and exploring I figure 2-2 ½ hours at Maho.

2nd question: Does the Royal Sonesta allow non guests on their property? For photography purposes it appears from some of the youtube videos that the Royal Sonesta property would be a great vantage point.

So now its 3:30PM. Even with airport traffic I should be back by 4:30.

Since I have an hour to spare, is there something I should not miss? Simpson Bay lagoon? Mullet Bay? Any stops between the airport and the cruise terminal?

Thanks in advance.

 

FX

 

FYI- 3 ships total in port on 12/23

[m steve]

We've been there many times. Reserve you car ahead of time from one of the rental agencies at the pier.Try coastalcarreental.com as I found the best prices. You will need a van if more than 5 people. I don't think you need 2 hours as Marigot market but I would allow time to eat at the dock there. Parking is hit and miss and free. Difficult close to market but usually ok on street going towards the water. Take first space you can find and walk a block or 2. If you go to Maho you are now doubling back to Phillipsburg. You might want to allow time to shop Front street for DF liquor or jewelery. Watching the planes is really no big deal.

[HONEYMOONERS09]

Your plan sounds good to me....when we were on the island we had enough time to stop at Dawn Beach, Orient Beach, Marigot, and Maho. I would agree about reserving the car ahead of time to save you time when you arrive. However, I disagree about the planes being no big deal....we had a great time at the Sunset Beach Bar And Grill and loved watching the planes come in and take off, and I think your children would have a great time! Enjoy your trip!

 

Janet

[eeniemeenie]

hi..we will be sailing with you on the solstice. We are a family of six adults and twin girls.10 years old. checked the roll calls...not much of a turnout there.

[felixdacat]

hi..we will be sailing with you on the solstice. We are a family of six adults and twin girls.10 years old. checked the roll calls...not much of a turnout there.

 

I left you a note in the roll call thread.

The cruise is close to a sell out but i guess its mostly people who never heard of cruise critic. Shame.

Thanks for the information everyone. I can't stop watching the youtube videos from maho so I'm real excited about the planes. In another lifetime I was a professional photographer, so I really would like to know about the Royal Sonesta because it appears to be a unique angle that I have not seen from other pictures. Guess I can just try to trespass, probably won't get caught.

And yes I need 2 hours to shop...I have a wife, nuff said.

[felixdacat]

hi..we will be sailing with you on the solstice. We are a family of six adults and twin girls.10 years old. checked the roll calls...not much of a turnout there.

 

This is felixdacat's wife. Are your girls 4th or 5th grade. Our DD is in 5th grade. She just turned 11.

[gtaylor]

<snip> If you go to Maho you are now doubling back to Phillipsburg. You might want to allow time to shop Front street for DF liquor or jewelery. Watching the planes is really no big deal.

 

Take a look at this map.

 

If you go from Marigot to Maho and pass anywhere near Philipsburg, you've gone the wrong way.

 

If you end up driving, I would suggest that you probably have enough time to drive up the Eastern side of the island and take a peek at Orient before you continue around to Marigot.

 

After Marigot, I would head West and through the areas labeled Mornes Rouges and the Lowlands to Maho, then across the bottom back to Philipsburg.

 

Market Day parking in Marigot can be a pain. There's a small parking lot near the ferry terminal and the marketplace.

 

Look at this map.

 

If it's full I'd drop passengers and drive along the market looking for street (or dirt) parking and then the driver walks back.

 

At Maho, Sunset has limited parking, but we've driven on into the Caravanserai Resort parking without issue. I'd suggest that you consider Guy's Driftwood Boat Bar (200 yards across the beach) for cheaper drinks here, but parking is even more of a problem.

 

You should be able to walk onto the Sonesta grounds, but the complex closest to Maho Beach is the Royal Islander.

 

gary

[kal]

Gary's suggestions are spot on! I would add a few more thoughts:

 

1. Get off the boat at the earliest possible time. Don't hang around until 9:00 as the island is extremely busy on Wednesdays.

 

2. As you travel counterclockwise around the island, make sure you drive thru Grand Case (the gourmet capital of the Caribbean). Some nice photo ops there.

 

3. Get to Marigot early as it will be very crowded with tour buses, plus the open air market will open by about 9:30a. Make sure you walk the back streets of Marigot....very French ambiance.

 

4. Check the map carefully and depart Marigot thru "Sandy Ground" heading toward Baie Rouge and the "lowlands". There are many magnificent mansion villas in that area.

 

5. Stop by Mullet Bay to check out the beach and have nice photo ops, then proceed to Maho. The big jets don't arrive until about 1:30p so there's no need to get there any earlier.

 

6. I'm not so sure photos from Sonesta would work, but go up to the pool level at Royal Islander Club la Terrasse for a nice vantage point. The problem is you'll be looking into the sun and that's not good for photo ops.

 

7. Allow plenty of time to get back to Philipsburg as traffic will be difficult. On the way back, stop at Rima's for bargain shopping.

[COTINGEY]

We will be renting a van on our stop there on 2/24. However our shore time is 10a - 6p. We have two special needs daughters (one is confined to a wheelchair) and after researching these boards have decided that Le Gallion beach would work best for our family. We also want to go to Maho beach to see the airplanes. In doing a quick search it looks like we need to be there around 2 to see a couple of the 757's come in. How do I make this work?

 

Gary and Kal, love your recommendations, but the timing is causing me some grief.

 

Robyn