Marigot and then Maho?

[cruiseluver323]

We did a tour last year and it was great, but thinking that we would like more shopping/dining time and more Sunset Grill time this year. What would be the best way to get to these? And back to the ship, of course!

[Life is Good Cruising]

You can take a bus or share a taxi ride to Marigot. Time wise, it would be quicker to share a taxi ride to Marigot from the pier. From Marigot, I would take a taxi to Maho Beach/Sunset Bar and Grill. There are plenty of taxis at Maho to take you back to the ship.

[cruiseluver323]

Any idea of the taxi rates from the pier to Marigot, Marigot to Maho, Maho to pier? Yes, I know they are listed on different threads on this board but I am being lazy ( at least I admit it!).

[Mikesa1721]

Just back from our cruise to St. Maartin. We were at Maho Beach this past Tuesday and the beach is completely washed away,,the only thing left are huge boulders.

 

[Life is Good Cruising]

Taxi rate from the pier to Marigot would be $18-$20 one way for 2 people, $9 pp with 3 or more people and $7 pp with 5 or more people. From Marigot to Maho, the price would be about the same. And from Maho back to Philipsburg would also be the same price. You will probably share the taxi ride cost to Marigot and from Maho back to Philipsburg with others as they like to fill up the taxi (minivan) with as many people they can. Not to sure how many people from Marigot will be going to Maho at the same time you would be going.

 

There is a bus for $2 pp that would take you to Marigot from the town of Philipsburg, which may take a little longer than taking a taxi. You would have to walk about 15 mins. from the pier to Back St. to catch the bus which would be in back of the Courthouse. Buses are also minivans and their license plate would indicate with BUS or TAXI.

There is also a bus you can catch from Maho to Philipsburg and you would have to walk back to the pier. You would have to take 2 buses from Marigot to Maho because it's not direct and you would have to change buses in Cole Bay.

 

Plenty of taxis at Maho to take you back to the ship.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Life is Good Cruising

[Life is Good Cruising]

Just back from our cruise to St. Maartin. We were at Maho Beach this past Tuesday and the beach is completely washed away,,the only thing left are huge boulders.

 

 

Do you have anymore pictures of the beach you can post? Wondering if the beach gets wider a little further down. Did you go in the water, was it rough?

Edited August 31, 2014 by Life is Good Cruising

[Mikesa1721]

Wow, I know the beach comes and goes with different sea conditions and have seen the beach small and have seen it big but never as small as your picture. I'm hoping to have somewhat of a beach when we go there in a few weeks.

 

Do you have anymore pictures of the beach you can post? Wondering if the beach gets wider a little further down. Did you go in the water, was it rough?

 

Life,,,That's about all you're going to have. The beach does get a bit wider but not enough to lay out a towel. There's just to many rocks protruding everywhere. The water was a bit rough and there is some undertow, so if you do venture into the water,,you'll need to be a strong swimmer. We saw maybe 3 people in the water during the 6 hours we were there. We were told by our driver that the beach will usually return in a few more months. We were thinking about heading over to Orient Beach,, but then were told that it was littered with seaweed,,,not a good beach day for us at all,, but hey,,the Carib Beer was cold and we were able to see KLM land and takeoff so all wasn't lost!!!:D

[Life is Good Cruising]

So the beach will return in months, I could be dead by then. LOL I'm glad we're on a tour this time and we'll only spend maybe an hour at Maho. I've been there many times with the undertow and the 2-3 foot drop getting into that water, it's not fun but I'm used to the Jersey shore being rough and with the undertow.

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed and be optimistic for September. We'll be back again in November so hopefully the beach will be back to normal by then.

 

Thank you for the update and that picture of the not so beach.

[Mikesa1721]

So the beach will return in months, I could be dead by then. LOL I'm glad we're on a tour this time and we'll only spend maybe an hour at Maho. I've been there many times with the undertow and the 2-3 foot drop getting into that water, it's not fun but I'm used to the Jersey shore being rough and with the undertow.

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed and be optimistic for September. We'll be back again in November so hopefully the beach will be back to normal by then.

 

Thank you for the update and that picture of the not so beach.

 

No problems Love,,I do have one more pic of the beach a little further down. We just returned home yesterday, so I'm trying to get everything loaded up to Photobucket now,,I'll post it here in this thread once it's done..

[cruiseluver323]

Thank you for the info! I am very sad about the beach as that was one of our main plans this time! Oh well, maybe we will go ahead and schedule a tour instead of doing things on our own. :(

[Life is Good Cruising]

Glad you were able to see the KLM, I also like when Air France comes in. I'll be on the lookout for the picture and thank you once again.

[Mikesa1721]

This might be better Love,,,

 

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[jean87510]

This might be better Love,,,

 

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omg!!! I had plans in November to make this my last stop. Good Lord! And we have 5 ships in port that day. Oh well. I can always watch you tube to see the planes land :)

[Mikesa1721]

omg!!! I had plans in November to make this my last stop. Good Lord! And we have 5 ships in port that day. Oh well. I can always watch you tube to see the planes land :)

 

Jean,,try contacting the Sunset Beach Bar and or a traveler who might be going there closer to your sailing date. The beach may have returned by the time you sail in November. I was told that they do not dredge to replace the sand,,they let mother nature do it for them so you might get lucky.

[Life is Good Cruising]

Unbelievable how small the beach is now. I'll make sure to bring my water shoes to Maho and try to go in for a little dip and I will be careful.

 

Thank you for posting the pictures.

[jean87510]

Jean,,try contacting the Sunset Beach Bar and or a traveler who might be going there closer to your sailing date. The beach may have returned by the time you sail in November. I was told that they do not dredge to replace the sand,,they let mother nature do it for them so you might get lucky.

thanks, I will. What a shame. I had a schedule that had Maho as the last stop before cruise ship. If it's like that in November, more time to shop :)

[Mikesa1721]

Glad you were able to see the KLM, I also like when Air France comes in. I'll be on the lookout for the picture and thank you once again.

 

KLM Is pretty intimidating from the air:

 

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[Life is Good Cruising]

Amazing pictures of KLM, it is so massive, thank you.

[EatSleepCruise]

KLM Is pretty intimidating from the air:

 

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Great shots of the KLM. Our last trip to Maho we were not as lucky.

 

 

 

We recently setup a trip with Bernards Tours and it was great. We review that trip on our blog.

 

 

The KLM comes in around 12/1pm, and there is also a Jet Blue and (I believe) a Delta that are rather impressive that come in the early afternoon. As others point out, the beach can get crowded. We got there for 11am and it was a sea of people! We staked out a little area and laid around and went in the water to cool off. The beach is actually not too bad, considering it is right next to an airport!

 

[Mikesa1721]

EatSleep,,,that's a great shot of KLM coming in!!! I wished the beach looked like that while we were there last week. When we were in St. Maarten in March, the beach looked just like that, so it must wash out during the summer, and return in the winter. Good if your traveling during peak season.:) not so good if you're traveling this time of year.:(

[EatSleepCruise]

EatSleep,,,that's a great shot of KLM coming in!!! I wished the beach looked like that while we were there last week. When we were in St. Maarten in March, the beach looked just like that, so it must wash out during the summer, and return in the winter. Good if your traveling during peak season.:) not so good if you're traveling this time of year.:(

 

Thanks. I tried my best to get a free shot of the plane and ended up getting some folks backs in the pic too! Just an excuse to go back and get a video.

 

We just upgraded our equipment ahead of our upcoming Alaskan cruise, so I can't wait to try it at Maho. Folks on twitter posted this video recently which is just plane awesome...http://t.co/xfZbKVtMqe

 

I thought the beach seemed tight, but if it gets even smaller than I have no idea what folks must do. That little road near the airport was a traffic and pedestrian nightmare when we were there in January.

 

Still an amazing site to witness.

[Mikesa1721]

Thanks. I tried my best to get a free shot of the plane and ended up getting some folks backs in the pic too! Just an excuse to go back and get a video.

 

We just upgraded our equipment ahead of our upcoming Alaskan cruise, so I can't wait to try it at Maho. Folks on twitter posted this video recently which is just plane awesome...http://t.co/xfZbKVtMqe

 

I thought the beach seemed tight, but if it gets even smaller than I have no idea what folks must do. That little road near the airport was a traffic and pedestrian nightmare when we were there in January.

 

Still an amazing site to witness.

 

 

I had my GoPro and my Canon DSLR with a 100mm - 400mm lens on it. I really needed a wide angle lens to accurately capture the sheer size of that plane. We'll be back in April,,I'll be better prepared as well. Hopefully there will be more beach so I can get a belly shot of a few planes as well,,no where to really stand and do that today as the beach is completely gone.

[cruisegal40]

This is disappointing as we will be there on two weeks. Yikes. Talk about being squished in like sardines. But I want to experience this at least once in my life.

[newr]

Hoping to go there in 2 wks...guess can still see plane on the road :)

 

BTW, anyone knows where's the bus to go back to Phillipsburg from there? Does the bus run along airport road or you have to walk somewhere to catch the bus?

[Life is Good Cruising]

This is disappointing as we will be there on two weeks. Yikes. Talk about being squished in like sardines. But I want to experience this at least once in my life.

 

It is an awesome experience for a first timer at Maho. If you hit it at the right time those jets are amazing to see land and take off. The big jets come in anywhere from 12pm- 3pm. There will be a surf board at Sunset Bar and Grill that will indicate all the arrival times of the planes.

 

We'll also be there in a few weeks and hoping to see that the beach gets a little bigger as it does come and go with the tide. At times, the water at Maho can be rough and has an undertow. I have always found the water to have a 2-3 foot drop when walking in. And there have been many times that the water is absolutely beautiful, calm and no undertow, keeping my fingers crossed we all have a good beach day at Maho.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Life is Good Cruising