Best Way to See the Island

[jag27]

We are renting a motorcycle for the day in Saint Maarten (starting right outside Philipsburg) and want to see the entire island, however we only have the bike for 6.5 hours. One place we have to stop is Orient Beach for some sun and swimming and would like to make that our lunch time spot. How long does it take to ride around the entire island? Any other spots we should check out?

[SandRaven]

You might want to check out Le Gallion Beach and Dawn beach. There's a fly-zone zipline area, obstacle course and extreme zipline at Loterie Farm, in the middle of the island on a mountain, which has an awesome restaurant. There's a butterfly farm close to Orient Beach and Le Gallion, if that's more your speed. There's also a horseback area next to the butterfly farm. Maho Beach is a fun place to watch airplanes land at an extemely close proximity.

 

Note that Marigot & Philipsburg really jam up at rush hour times; suidical motorcyclists just ride past cars down the center line on the road, whether traffic is moving or not. The drawbridge at Simpson Bay can also back traffic up quite a bit.

 

Have fun and be safe!

[SandRaven]

It would probably take 1.5 - 2 hours to get around the island, including moderate traffic. Philipsburg to Orient Beach should take 15-20 minutes.

[gtaylor]

We are renting a motorcycle for the day in Saint Maarten (starting right outside Philipsburg)

Do you know specifically where you're starting? If it's the Harley dealership, that's not 'right outside' Philipsburg.

 

Are you looking to see beaches, photo ops, tourist sights, hills???

 

When is your ship in port? Date/Arrive time/Depart time?

 

gary

[jag27]

Do you know specifically where you're starting? If it's the Harley dealership, that's not 'right outside' Philipsburg.

 

Are you looking to see beaches, photo ops, tourist sights, hills???

 

When is your ship in port? Date/Arrive time/Depart time?

 

gary

 

I believe we are starting at the Harley Davidson dealership. That is not outside Philipsburg? It looks like it is close on a map.

 

We are arrive at 8am and the ship departs at 6pm. I believe are scheduled to pick up the bike around 9:30am.

 

Since we have not been Saint Maarten, I would love to see Philipsburg, Marigo, Orient Beach and anything else that is unique to the island. We do like adventure, so I might look into the zipline that a PP mentioned.

[gtaylor]

Yes, it is 'outside Philipsburg' but is more of a journey than the map might indicate. Your 9:30 pickup will help.

 

We just returned from the island and are still doing laundry, but I WILL get back to you with some recommendations.

 

gary

[gtaylor]

Since you're renting bikes, I'll assume that you are looking for a 'ride'.

 

From the Harley shop, I would recommend that you backtrack into Philipsburg. From HD you will climb Cole Bay Hill, where there is a great photo op near the top where you can look back at all of Simpson Bay and Simpson Bay Lagoon. If you're lucky you will also see the nearby island of Saba and maybe even others if the air is clear.

 

I'd suggest you continue on, and at the nearby round-a-bout take the first Right, which will take you down into Belair, and a Right again at the bottom of the hill. You will soon ride past Divi Little Bay Resort. You could probably make a (illegal) turn into the resort, since you're on bikes. There's a great view of Great Bay and your ship from here.

 

Continue on either through (Front Street) or past (Pondfill Road) Philipsburg. I'd save any downtown sightseeing/shopping for the end of your day. You're looking for Sucker Garden Road, heading North at the East end of the Salt Pond, under the hills.

 

Look for the turn off to the right for Guana Bay (not well marked, but you should see it on most maps). Up and over the hill should be an exciting ride, and you should have a great view of St. Barths from the other side. It's one road in/out, so reverse to Sucker Garden Road.

 

Continuing North, you will be directed to Dawn Beach. As you hit the beach's North end, you will see Mr. Busby's, with $.75 beers from 11 - 4. Continue South a bit to see the new Westin hotel, or continue on, crossing onto the French side there at Oyster Pond. You're now headed along the coast towards Coralita Beach / Baie Lucas.

 

You'll hit the main road again in Orleans. Turn Right, headed towards Orient Beach. Just after you pass the Old House, at the top of a hill, you'll see the 'bombed out' road into Orient. Follow the signs to get you to Club Orient and Pedro's. The rest of Orient will be to your Left as you arrive at the beach.

 

You can ride North along the road behind the beach shacks up to Orient Village, then back onto paved roads through the residences, ultimately getting back to the main road, where you will again turn Right to continue.

 

Past the gas station, look for the (major) road to the Right to Cul 'de Sac / Pinel island. Ride in towards the water, but turn Left as you see the school, and ride over the hill to Anse Marcel. This is probably the hairiest road on the island. Great view at the top, both directions.

 

Back out to the main road, and turn Right.

 

If you're interested in driving through Grand Case, the restaurant capital of the Caribbean, take the nearby turn towards the French Side Airport. Then along the main (only) street, back out to the main road. (If you do this, you might consider having lunch here, at one of the LoLo's, instead of on Orient. Some great, inexpensive local food!)

 

Now you're headed towards Marigot. Up and over a couple great hills, then down into the city. Turn Right onto Rue de Republique (towards the waterfront) and then Left at the parking lot and/or through the Marketplace.

 

The Marina on Simpson Bay lagoon is a short walk from here.

 

If you'd like to climb up to Fort Louis, you could pop up there for the great view. That would be to the Right, just before the Left turn at parking. The sign says something about the Fort and the Hospital.

 

As you leave the waterfront and marina here, you'll have to decide how much time you have left. If you're cutting it close, the Harley shop is a quick 8 minute or so ride. Just follow the signs towards Philipsburg. It is along Union Road.

 

If you've got extra time, continue on around the island. Follow the signs to Sandy Ground / Nettle Bay. After a long straight strech (mind the speed bumps) there will be a hard Left turn in the road. This is the entrance to Baie Rouge. Stop and take a look if you have the time.

 

After this stop, if you have a LOT of time, you can take the next road to the Right,and navigate past Plum/Prune Bay and Baie Longue/Long and La Sammana resort.

 

In either event, continue on towards Cupecoy, crossing back onto the Dutch side, through Mullet Bay Golf Course (nice beach here) another few minutes to Maho and the planes landing.

 

From Maho, you're nearly back. Ride past the airport and through Simpson Bay, over the bridge, and you're minutes away from the Harley Shop. You can either ride straight ahead and past the turn back up over Cole Bay Hill, where you started, after which you will be forced into a Left turn, then straight back and HD will be on the Left, or you can take a local short cut by turning Left just after the Tropicana Casino (where the road splits and a lane is forced to turn Left) take the second Right, Orange Grove Road, past Carl and Son's Bakery (great stuff, but probably sold out this late in the day) to HD.

 

Hope you enjoyed the ride.

 

gary

[debster818]

Is There Any Other Type Of Vehicle You Can Rent Besides A Motorcycle? Don't Know How To Drive A Motorcycle....how About Scooters Or Something On That Order

[138east]

Is There Any Other Type Of Vehicle You Can Rent Besides A Motorcycle? Don't Know How To Drive A Motorcycle....how About Scooters Or Something On That Order

 

All the Dutch islands are good places to rent cars - St. Martin, Aruba, and Curacao. They drive on the right side of the road and the drivers are not crazy. It's all very orderly.

 

My mom and I drove all over the island. It was hard to get totally lost, so in some places we just took roads to see where they went. We didn't end up anywhere that we didn't feel comfortable. The car rentals were right at the dock.

 

Phillipsburg is a real bottleneck. I would avoid it completely (there's no place to park anyway) or go through it first thing and go clockwise around the island instead of counterclockwise. Marigot had traffic, but nothing like Phillipsburg.

 

I made all my car reservations ahead of time and wished that I hadn't. Every port had rental agents there, but I always seemed to pick the one company that was offsite. I noticed that if you got off the ship first thing, there were always guys there renting cars at prices that were the same or less than my reservation. However, if you don't drive a stick shift, you might want to make a reservation.