Have any of you ever gone over the to French side of St-Maarten?

[Lolly Pop]

We're sailors by nature - and of course - have that dream of one day doing the coastal sail in our Catalina 30 to the Caribbean. We know that the French side of St-Maarten is less "crazy" then where the cruise ships all unload on the Dutch side of the island.

 

We're curious - have any of you taken a taxi over / rented a car to the French side - and hung around there to explore (of course, we tend to migrate to where saiLors hang out to get tips for our plans in 5 years of doing the sail in our own boat?

 

The day we arrive at port - there are going to be a total of SIX cruise ships. I'm already having heart palpitations thinking about all the crowds - paper ;) bag - breath in / breath out.

[blue_water]

We first cruised to SXM in 2005 and that day we shopped a bit then took a 1/2 day sail on the Golden Eagle cat. That was one of the best experiences we have had since. We even returned to SXM to spend a week at the Alamanda on Orient Beach and we took the Golden Eagle full day sail then - amazing.

 

The French side (away from Orient) is nice, Marigot is charming and Grand Case has excellent cuisine options. But for a cruise stop I would not spend the time needed to travel to the French side. With that many ships in take the Golden Eagle sail after shopping a bit and get away from the crowds. The crew pampers you and the boat is great. Also a nice lunch and drinks. I know we will find other operators that are great but the only one we've experienced that good so far is the Excellence on Antigua.

 

Enjoy!

[KirkNC]

We have rented a car and driven the whole island several times both on cruises and for a week long stay on the island. I prefer the French side for shopping and eating.

[Karysa]

We're sailors by nature - and of course - have that dream of one day doing the coastal sail in our Catalina 30 to the Caribbean. We know that the French side of St-Maarten is less "crazy" then where the cruise ships all unload on the Dutch side of the island.

 

We're curious - have any of you taken a taxi over / rented a car to the French side - and hung around there to explore (of course, we tend to migrate to where saiLors hang out to get tips for our plans in 5 years of doing the sail in our own boat?

 

The day we arrive at port - there are going to be a total of SIX cruise ships. I'm already having heart palpitations thinking about all the crowds - paper ;) bag - breath in / breath out.

 

Chesterfields at Great Bay Marina is a very short walk to the ship. It is on the way back from town to the pier. I would recommend stopping in there on the way back to the ship for happy hour. It sounds like the type of place that you are looking for.

[rayray09]

We are also planning on renting a car and planned to travel to the French side. Read a recent post that there were closures on the French side on Sundays. Anyone know if that's true and to what extent? We were planning on shopping first thing off the ship and then heading to a beach somewhere. Thx!

[Karysa]

We are also planning on renting a car and planned to travel to the French side. Read a recent post that there were closures on the French side on Sundays. Anyone know if that's true and to what extent? We were planning on shopping first thing off the ship and then heading to a beach somewhere. Thx!

 

Marigot is very quiet on Sundays. The touristy shops will not be open. Grocery stores some restaurants and the bakeries will be open though. In Philipsburg some shops on Front Street do open up in the afternoon at 1 so if you reversed your plan and went to the beach first you could shop after that.

[seashells]

Anyone wanting to go to the French side on their own can go ONE block over from Front street to BACK street and catch the local bus.

 

It's $2 bucks per person to go there.

 

Simply watch for a van with a sign that says Marigot and signal them.

 

They go right near downtown to Marigot and it's a short two blocks down to the waterfront.

 

You can shop, eat, people watch and return the same way.

 

The bus will have a sign saying Philipsburg.

 

You get on the bus with the locals and they can give you a goldmine of information IF you're not afraid to mingle.

 

You pay the $2 bucks after you arrive handing it to the driver.

 

It's the same route the taxies take.

[LDIdeals]

do the buses run on Sundays?

[mizdiz]

How long does it take to get to Marigold on the bus? How are the busses - crowded? safe to have kids on?

[seashells]

The buses are very, very safe though quaint.

 

They are like oversized vans because of the narrow streets but set up as a bus.

 

The locals use them because most cruise people don't know they exist.

 

Back street is ONE street behind FRONT street.

 

You need to stick your hand out for the bus to stop.

 

You notice the sign in the window first, signal them and climb aboard, setting yourself down and paying as you get off....Or as you get ON if you wish..$2.00 per passenger.

 

The bus does make stops for other passengers but it's quick

 

It's a lovely drive and perfectly safe for all ages.

 

Don't forget to use your appropriate good morning or afternoon when you enter the vehicle.

 

Everyone does it.

 

If you're going to Grand Case from Philipsburg, you'll need to make a transfer when you stop in the town of Marigot........ That will cost you another $2.00

 

 

Philipsburg - Marigot=$2.00

 

Marigot - Grand Case=$2.00

 

Marigot - Mullet Bay=$2.00

 

If you don't know where to catch the bus ASK a local..

 

If you want to transfer and go on towards another city ask the bus driver.

 

Pay attention to landmarks once you exit the bus.

 

Ask where to pick up the bus when you want to return....If you're going end to end you will see the driver change their sign in their window.

 

People who are not doing extensive touring of the island and simply want to take a leisurely day trip to another major tourist destination, buses are a cheap way of getting around.

 

As far as Sunday bus service I simply don't know, except that they may not run as many as they do the rest of the week....People do have to get around.

 

We had no wait during the week as there are numerous buses.

 

ASK the driver if the service is curtailed if you go on a Sunday.

 

It's not a long drive and takes about 30 minutes.

 

Buses provide the advantage of immersing a traveler even more in the island life.

 

This site might answer some of your questions.

 

http://www.epinions.com/review/trvl-Dest-Caribbean-Saint_Maarten/content_81607626372

[Karysa]

Great post seashells.

For those worried about busing back do to time you could always flag down a taxi as the bus routes use main roads.

[klam_chowder]

Great post, seashells - thx a mint for the details.

 

Does anyone happen to know if a bus also goes to Orient Bay?

 

I've looked at the map and know it'd probably be a walk down to the beach from the road...it looks like there's some straight-line paths so would not have to follow the circular roads like cars would?

 

Is it about 25 minutes ride from Philipsburg to Orient Bay?

 

Thx in advance for any input/info on this!

 

cheers,

:)

[seashells]

This site is about Orient beach that is current.

 

May not be about the bus but gives a lot of information about the beach.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147346-d147485-Reviews-Orient_Beach-St_Maarten_St_Martin.html

 

 

http://worldbeachlist.com/World/Saint-Martin/Town-Marigot.html

 

It might be better to take a cab to Orient beach along with others that line up at the pier taxi stand.

 

Returning might cost more because it may just be at your time and others may not be returning....Ask your cab to return for you at a certain time.

 

The more people you have the less it should cost....

 

Start with Orient, staying for lunch right on the beach, then move on to Marigot for coffee and a delicious and oh so wonderful French crepe dessert in the early afternoon, and then finish with Philipsburg as your last stop before going back to the ship.

[klam_chowder]

Thx for the additional info, seashells.

 

I've read about the different places and there are many great ones to choose from for this port. Hopefully we'll be doing an active morning excursion so I was just planning to head to OB at noon for lunch and a few hours and then back to Philipsburg for a bit of browsing (using up our buffer time time) before we have to head back to the ship.

 

However, crepes are my downfall...I was in Germany briefly this summer and I ate more crepes than was sensible :D As much of a "commando" tourist that I can be, trying to squeeze in Marigot would just mean a lot of moving around - we'll have to come back again to check that out and Maho. ;)

 

cheers,

:)

[Cruiseoholic000]

Are the public buses pick up times sporadic? How far a walk is it from the cruise ship to back street (Emma Plein Street) to catch the bus? I have very limited time and don't want to be waiting for a long time for a ride. Is there a public bus for Marigot to Simpson bay?

[seashells]

I guess you could call them sporadic but plentiful.

 

Many people don't notice them because they are VANS....Allowing them to pass without noticing.

 

LOOK for the SIGNS in the WINDOW.

 

We've taken the bus five different times on five different stops while cruising...Never on a Sunday.

 

Never had to wait at either end.

 

Go into any shop on BACK street and ASK a local shop owner where the buses go, using your best good morning and smile.

 

That's the charm of travel........Asking the locals.

 

Last time (Christmas) we returned from Marigot where we also purchased French Butter for our use on the ship, we bought bottled water and cokes for a buck on Back street from a charming local boy who ran up to me and showed us his fathers iced old fashoned ice box and they were 2.50 on Front street.

 

Back street is where the locals shop......Some are tacky stores but that is part of being a traveler rather than a tourist.

 

I needed some of those shiny checkered bags you see at flea markets that they transport their stuff back and forth....I use them for wet towels and other things here at home and on cruises.

 

We also like to check out the local grocery/hardware/department shops each place we visit to see what they use and purchase some things to bring home.

 

Those are our souvenirs and we use them all the time.

 

I hope that anyone here that posts and actually uses the bus system, comes back and let's us know how they did.

 

Good heavens.....We took the local bus ($8) instead of a cruise tour bus ($95) through the Andes Mountains and had a blast....Same route except the Cruise bus made a stop for pictures while we stopped for locals.

 

Have never had a problem taking the local transportation in any country except that some only let you use local currency and we check that out before each trip.

 

Some people are beach people and want to enjoy that....Living in Florida means we can skip that.

 

Whatever you do.........EXPLORE and ENJOY......memories are being made.

[merlin5353]

Thank you, 'seashells'. Great info on St. Martin.

[dldestiny]

Is this $2.00 is American dollars or do we need to get to exchange money before we take the bus?

[GSuitesailing]

Seashells, The ship allowed you to bring the french butter on board? What cruise line were you on? We were wondering if we could bring pastries back on board in St. Martin in March.

[seashells]

We were on the AOS out of Puerto Rico for the Christmas Cruise.

 

All the islands in the Caribbean take American dollars including the local bus system.

 

If you use American money at small places you will receive their currency back so I suggest using small bills.

 

The French of course uses the Euro, but accept the dollar.

 

On the Dutch side the currency is the Netherlands Antilles Guilder or Florin, where one guilder is divided into 100 cents, but American dollars are also widely accepted and prices are usually quoted in dollars as well as Guilders.

 

ASK.

 

Yes we brought French butter aboard......2 pounds for our family.

 

We had emptied our fridge into a cabinet with the card hanging out, then used the fridge for what we wanted.

 

When we left the cabin we re-packed the fridge back to it's original place.

 

A crew member ( NOT your cabin attendant) who checked it the first time, saw this and understood we were NOT buying their products.

 

We also take with us a small 12 can soft sided cooler...I don't want someone else's bucket back with ice as I found that keeps the dreaded Noros down.

 

We bought butter in Puerto Rico (didn't like it) and a container to put it in...It went straight through...No problem.

 

Then bought French Butter in Marigot and again no problem.

 

Of course the waiters thought we were nuts, but we didn't want to mess with those tiny pats.

 

Our vacation not theirs.

 

NO liquids are allowed beyond a certain point such as an open container ( plastic glass drink you just purchased from a bar)....If you can't put it in a bottle it can't come on board.

 

We brought onboard our own soft drinks (Pepsi) in small amounts again no problem along with water we bought at the pier in San Juan at their duty free store.

 

They were 9 cans in a plastic bundle in our carry-on and a few bottles bought in each port.

 

Pastries should be no problem either.

 

The cruise lines want no fruit.

 

Pay attention to any baskets that you may buy.

 

America has a ban on baskets that they make and sell out of palm fronds at the moment.

 

You may NOT bring back to America any fruit, vegtables, trees, plants, and most meats.

 

You are allowed "Dried" spices........NO leaves.

 

Relax........If they don't want it on they simply take you and your purchases aside.

 

The duty free stores hook up via computer, with the ship, your purchases, and that's why the ship knows what you're bringing onboard.

 

St. Thomas is where you have the most leeway about prices on alcohol and cigg. outside of the duty free shops.

 

It's where the ships crew make most of their purchases.

[GSuitesailing]

 

Then bought French Butter in Marigot and again no problem.

 

 

The duty free stores hook up via computer, with the ship, your purchases, and that's why the ship knows what you're bringing onboard.

 

 

Thank you for your detailed reply. 2 things I would like a further response to. What is French Butter? Did you enjoy it?

I am puzzled about the duty free stores hook up with the ship. If you pay with cash, how could your purchases be tracked? Thanks.

[L_T]

We always stay on the French side for our land vacations and enjoy it.

Seashells did bring up Back St in Philipsburg, and the local shops - we always hit both Front Street and the next street over, Back Street for a little shopping.

Last year we tried a small eatery tucked back in between buildings off Back St for lunch and it was great. I have always wondered about ox tail stew and they had it. Guess I didn't realize there was that much meat on an ox tail, and I really enjoyed it. My wife asked for a fish sandwich - they pan-fried a whole Red Snapper, then pulled half away from the bones and made the sandwich. She said it was one of the best ever. The name of the little place is "Jackies Snacks" and had a chalk board on the sideway with the days offerings. There are other small places and we wouldn't be afraid to try any of them.

LT

[dldestiny]

Thanks so much Seashell...you are a wonderful well of information! :)

[seashells]

Ohhh you now have someone who actually stayed on this little jewel.

 

French Butter is something that is exquisite like the pasteries they make with that butter.

 

There is a difference like there is a difference between a cheap liquer and a fine one.

 

As to the "Duty Free".

 

The shops ask for ID... that you are indeed leaving that country, otherwise anyone could purchase tax free.

 

There is a little known 5% "Turnover Tax" on St. Marteens' "Duty Free" shops and guess who pays it?

 

The tourist.

 

This 5% goes to the Government not the shops.

 

This may make certain things cheaper on St. Thomas.

 

It's always wise to ASK the people who work ON the ship, what island they shop and what island has the best deals.

 

That bartender or wait staff person has more knowlege than anyone else.

 

I live in a port city and see the crew members all the time shopping around town.

 

A certain amount of crew members are allowed off at each port.