Option 1 - Water Taxi If you only have one day in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, there are several options to get to Great Bay Beach, but a Water Taxi is the easiest. Due to traffic congestion on afternoons, remember to give yourself sufficient time to return to the ship. Two beach bars are located at either end of this beach being Sunset bar and grill and Driftwood boat bar respectively. He makes it the same way I do, mango, pineapple, passion fruit and lots of rum. . TOUR GUIDE WAS AMAZING, BEACHES WERE BEAUTIFUL!!! Still plenty of evidence of devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Saw your question and wondered if you found where to take a bus to Maho? Rick, our driver and guide, was very informative and had a good sense of humour, pointing out places of interest and explaining the history behind them as well as the history of the island. . She pointed to a man in a red cap. It's about a half hour drive and there are plenty taxi's at the port and Maho Beach to get you back and forth. Fondly known as the Friendly Island, St Maarten is unique in that it is the smallest landmass divided between two nations in the world. What are the ins and outs of taking a taxi? The place where we stopped charged $10 for 2 chairs and an umbrella but everyone received a complimentary drink. Maho beach was everything it was advertised with the planes. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-84535961', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');cruise next month. Simpson Bay use to be the capital of the Dutch side, but since it tends to flood, business was moved to Phillipsburg. Refreshments. Currency and use of debit cards on the Dutch side? Grab a beach towel, umbrella or a sun. As it turned out, he put us on the wrong bus. Otherwise, look for signs at the mall pointing toward the $5 water taxi. We would recommend this trip to everyone. Our guide Frankie on the Beach Bum tour, was outstanding. . There was indeed white sand and crystal clear water, but Maho Beach is also one of the most-visited beaches in St Maarten, mainly due to the fact that its built directly next to the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport. there can be long wait for buses as there is no set schedule, and they make many stops on the way. This spot is a unique beach in St. Maarten, where travelers flock to experience the thrilling rush of airplanes flying extremely close overhead. Powered by Invision Community, We took the bus to Maho. Maho was crowded but to be expected. Clive Bass was the worst guide ever. Recommended Posts. My impression of the island overall is better now that Ive seen it all. Plenty of crew from our ship had decided to visit that day as well, and we passed about thirty galley guys and their supervisor yelling GALLEY GALLEY GALLEY!!! St. Maarten Beach Bum Combo to Orient and Maho Beaches http://dandataxiservice.com/. Working hard to get some videos (moments before I got soaked) This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews. These taxis are more like minivans, and its likely that youll share a ride with other passengers or crew in order to fill up the vehicle. It's a nice combo. Highly recommend. . The beach isnt very wide, and today its completely full. But be aware that some people have been hurt by the jet blasts. I will say that you need to be on the beach to get the "airplane" experience. more, St Martin / St Maarten Destination Experts. The island of six, our family of six would stay a week at. Call 1 721 580 7594 for further assistance. It is about seven miles north of the Philipsburg cruise port. St. Maarten Beach Bum Combo to Orient and Maho Beaches Reviews, Was raining but still better then the weather back home. . Best things to do near the St. Maarten Cruise Port: The Ultimate Guide Buses usually have a sign that says Maho beach and it takes approximately 20 minutes from the cruise port. It is famous for the Princess Juliana International Airport adjacent to the beach. . You can access this beach by walking. The only construction I see on the island is the resort hotel being built next to the Casino on Maho Beach. Marigot is picturesque along with a market to get souvenirs. We had a good but slightly expensive meal at the Rainbow restaurant with fantastic views. Will use Shore Excursioneer again. The only reason I didn't rate it one is because the bus driver did a good job (other than putting us on wrong bus). You're driver will know the drill. Have a great time at Maho. Maho beach is a manic place but worth experiencing. The tours was amazing. VISIT ST. MAARTEN / ST. MARTIN OUR ADDRESS. See the famous plane spotting at Maho Beach! Will they not want to give us a ride? That was very silly of me. Your email address will not be published. -Yes tip in Sint Maarten. A security guard happened to ask us if we needed help and gave us new directions, otherwise we would have missed our tour. Again, look for signs point the way. We had to do the fence grab on a big jets take off, unbelievable. Harold Jack look out point, located on Cole Bay Hill, is a 10 minute drive from the cruise terminal. Simpson Bay Beach is a long half-moon of white sand located by a fishing village. We hurried up the pier, past the diamond and liquor shops out to the street. This excursion is excellent for someone who wants beach time and to see the planes on Maho Beach. What are our options for getting to Maho Beach from the port? From my perspective the beach is just fine. Read on for further details about St Maartens beautiful beaches with contributions from a native of the island. I can provide a contact for taxi if you like that costs 15. Maho Beach and Orient Beach. I have never taken the bus in St. Martin and still would be lost trying to figure that one out but others seem to do just fine with it. It's about a half hour drive and there are plenty taxi's at the port and Maho Beach to get you back and forth. :), Thank you! It is located in the heart of the downtown capital Philipsburg and is about 3km from the cruise port. You can choose to go parasailing, jet skiing, on water . From town a water taxi makes a quick journey back to the ship for a small fee. Id really been expecting a Dutch island. Clive was a good driver and guide, but he spoke fairly softly and it was hard to hear him from the back seat of the van. Marie Wegener - DSDS-Gewinnerin 2018 . Leave the piers and head to the right, where theres a row of taxis waiting to leave. Therefore, be sure to gauge return time to the ship properly as there can be traffic jams on afternoons from this beach back to the port. Step 3: Taxi From Cruz Bay To Trunk Bay: $6. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-111102503', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');cruise ship, talk to any of the many taxi drivers there and arrange for the cost of taking you to Maho, and taking you back. Up close and personal at Maho Beach for the airplanes is what the hype is all about. You will have approximately 2 hours at each beach. We didn't get any history of the island. Announcing Our 2023 Cruisers' Choice Award Winners! Ships dock at the Dr. AC Wathey Cruise Facility in front of a sprawling outdoor pedestrian mall. Your local operator has your booking noted. Call us on 305 6473141 or 1 721 5540202. . We found an amazing French bakery, and the guide provided plenty of drinks all day, so we had a lovely culinary experience instead. Whenever a plane appeared, twinkling in the distance of the now completely vivid blue sky, the throngs would gather tighter together, all vying for the best spot. Take a taxi or the Water Taxi to downtown Philipsburg. A water taxi, $4 one way, continually runs from the cruise terminal to different spots at the beach promenade or you can walk ( 10 min.) Both beaches were great and we can scratch Maho off our bucket list. Little Bay, located near Fort Amsterdam and Philipsburg, is a beach dive location with calm waters and rock beach breaks. Know that the waves are strong here too. Orient beach was filled with seaweeds so maybe it was a bad time of the year for that, didnt get in the water because of the seaweed, the water was very rough.. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-111088226', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');cruise lines shore excursion to Maho Beach was canceled, and we still want to go. I have recently completed an informative course by cruise specialist, Emma Cruises which you should check out titled How To Cruise For Less. Want more tales from the Caribbean? How to Easily Get to Grand Anse Beach on your Next Cruise to Grenada It is 86 dripping degrees, a slight drizzle just letting up as we ran down the gangway. We had a wonderful time of this excursion. Aburkhard7, November 19, 2022 in St. Martin/St. - are taxis readily available at the cruise port, or do I need a reservation, or call when we get there? The restaurants and bars are huddled at opposite ends of Maho Beach, although the entire thing is so small that it only takes about ten minutes to walk from one end to the other. First, we had problems finding the meeting point. As we cross into the French side of the Island, Duce explains a bit of the history of the island, and how the Dutch and French decided to share the island rather than fight about it. . See the famous plane spotting at Maho Beach! $2 per person. Please advise in advance if any guests have collapsible wheelchairs or walkers so transportation can be arranged.