Carnival held in April in St. Maarten & other general info

[reddirtgirl]

Hi everyone: we are on star princess april 10th and will be visiting St. Maarten; We've been doing some research about the area and making plans for some sightseeing; Older threads on here from Snoopy Leogirl had all kinds of excellent recommendations re activities, restaurants, etc. (not sure if she still posts on these boards or not); on another website, it says a carnival is held there each April for 17 days and we're wondering if anyone knows anything about it and what dates it is scheduled for this year; also, wondering about a new taxi service there called Genesis - has anyone ever used their services and what were the rates like; we want to explore on our own as opposed to booking a tour; we want to go to Maho beach to see the planes coming in, some general sightseeing and then back to Phillipsburg for shopping and a visit to Orient Beach before leaving port. Any help from fellow members is appreciated.

[Johanna7]

Hi everyone: we are on star princess april 10th and will be visiting St. Maarten; We've been doing some research about the area and making plans for some sightseeing; Older threads on here from Snoopy Leogirl had all kinds of excellent recommendations re activities, restaurants, etc. (not sure if she still posts on these boards or not); on another website, it says a carnival is held there each April for 17 days and we're wondering if anyone knows anything about it and what dates it is scheduled for this year; also, wondering about a new taxi service there called Genesis - has anyone ever used their services and what were the rates like; we want to explore on our own as opposed to booking a tour; we want to go to Maho beach to see the planes coming in, some general sightseeing and then back to Phillipsburg for shopping and a visit to Orient Beach before leaving port. Any help from fellow members is appreciated.

 

St. Maarten is very interesting. Taxis are reasonable and when you are docked there, there is a large board with all the taxi fares to all the different places. Taxis there are per person and not per taxi. They go anywhere on the island, including the French St. Martin.

 

Shops in Phillipsburg are interesting and lots and lots of them. Some cruises sell a coupon book for about $25 on their shore talks for St. Thomas & St. Maarten. If you like lots of freebees and discounts, that is the book for you.

 

As for the port and downtown, there is a ferry which is $6 for all day, back & forth, and you get an armband. Well worth it. The ferry ride itself is interesting to and saves a lot of walking.

 

Enjoy.

[caribill]

on another website, it says a carnival is held there each April for 17 days and we're wondering if anyone knows anything about it and what dates it is scheduled for this year; also, wondering about a new taxi service there called Genesis - has anyone ever used their services and what were the rates like

 

April 15 to May 3 will feature the 41st Anniversary St. Maarten Carnival

http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=65244

 

Read about Genesis at http://www.stmaarten-info.com/en/guide/transportation/

[reddirtgirl]

you mentioned a ferry service? where does that take you? Most of the things we want to see are on the dutch side, where our ship comes in, so I guess the only question I have is to get to the french side to go to Orient Beach, would I need a taxi or can it be walked; Thanks

[Doug R.]

you mentioned a ferry service? where does that take you? Most of the things we want to see are on the dutch side, where our ship comes in, so I guess the only question I have is to get to the french side to go to Orient Beach, would I need a taxi or can it be walked; Thanks

 

It is a bit of a walk, although not impossible, from the end of the dock to downtown Phillipsburg. The water taxi takes you from the dock to the heart of downtown saving quite a few steps. You will need a taxi to get to Orient Beach it is miles from the dock.

[reddirtgirl]

I didn't know there was a water taxi available, that will save us a bit of time; do you know how much the fare is for that? thanks again.