Question about taking bus around island, etc.

[twinkle toes]

Hi. My DH and I are scheduled to be in St. Maarten on November 3rd. We would like to do our own thing using local transportation. We would like to take a public bus after getting off the ship and go to Maho Beach to watch a plane or two. Then we would like to catch a bus and go all the way around the island ending up at the shopping district, shop, then take the water taxi back to the ship. Does this sound practical? Does the public bus system actually run all the way around the island, and if so, about how long would we have to allow for the trip between Maho going north and around the island and back down to the shopping district? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sue.

[akeasley]

St. Martin has public buses that are generally called $1 buses because the fare is only $1 per stop, per person. The ''buses'' are vans that carry both locals and tourists, who know their way around the island. The buses can be found on Back Street which runs parallel to Front Street (the main shopping street). The buses have signs on the drivers side that says where they are going next. It may take awhile to get where you are going if there are alot of people on the bus because the driver has to stop for each person and traffic can get backed up during peak hours.

 

I've been going to SXM for many years and have never had problems using the buses. It may be a little daunting if you've never been there before. There are taxis all around front street that can also take you where you want to go.

[gtaylor]

Hi. My DH and I are scheduled to be in St. Maarten on November 3rd. We would like to do our own thing using local transportation. We would like to take a public bus after getting off the ship and go to Maho Beach to watch a plane or two. Then we would like to catch a bus and go all the way around the island ending up at the shopping district, shop, then take the water taxi back to the ship. Does this sound practical? Does the public bus system actually run all the way around the island, and if so, about how long would we have to allow for the trip between Maho going north and around the island and back down to the shopping district? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sue.

 

This response is still kind of scattered in my mind, but I'll just spit it out and you can sort it.

 

Maho: Going first thing, you realize that you'll miss most of the larger planes?

 

Public Bus: There is no organized 'bus system' but just a number of independent operators (sometimes working for someone else) driving all sorts of vehicles. No organization, no set schedule.

 

After Getting Off Ship: You'll have to make it to Back Street, the one behind Front Street, the 'shopping district' you've mentioned. In any event, that's downtown Philipsburg. You could walk it in 15 - 20 minutes or so, take a taxi for $3 p/p, or take a water taxi for $4 / $6 all day. There are formal bus stops here, marked BUS on the pavement and (usually) a sign saying 'Bushalte'. BTW, destination signs are in the window, but usually not in front of the driver's line of sight. You'll be able to see them.

 

All Around the Island: I don't think so. I don't recall any bus that travels up the West coast from the Maho/Mullet Bay area towards Marigot, at the 'center-top' of the island. I'm pretty sure that you'll have to backtrack to the Cole Bay area, I-6 on the Around the Island linked map. Then you'd head across Welfare and up Union Road into Marigot. A return bus from Marigot to P'Burg would likely backtrack here, but should be able to find a bus in Marigot that says G'Case or Fr Qtr or such to head you North and across the top, then down to catch some different scenery. What do you want to see?

 

Cost: It's NOT the $1 bus. A typical ride will cost you $2/pp. Shorter rides will cost less, but not yours. This price has been in place since November 2007. I don't know how many $2 segments yours will entail to cover the North of the island if you decide to do so, but please report back if you do this.

 

Time: Going to Maho in the morning will really help, but I'd allow 45 minutes for any direct link, P'Burg - Maho - Marigot and hope for 30 minutes. Obviously allow a bit longer if you make the trip over the top. Grand Case area back to P'Burg should be a snap in the early afternoon. Especially in early November.

 

Shopping: There is certainly shopping in Marigot, but aside from the Wednesday/Saturday Marigot Marketplace, what's there is largely higher-end French/European imports. Front Street has great jewelry prices, booze, perfume, TABLE LINENS (measure now!), etc. What are you shopping for?

 

That's it for now, but feel free to follow up.

 

gary

[bmccarthy]

We are in St. Maarten this Wednesday and will be spending the day at Maho Beach. With 3 or 4 other ships (including Oasis) in town, we aren't sure how easy it will be to get a taxi to take us over to Maho Beach and to pick us up to take us back to the ship. After reading others experiences with taking the bus, I am wondering if maybe this will be a good idea. Where is the bus stop/pick up by Maho Beach? How do you know when to get the bus back to downtown to get to the ship?

[thequeen54]

Hi. My DH and I are scheduled to be in St. Maarten on November 3rd. We would like to do our own thing using local transportation. We would like to take a public bus after getting off the ship and go to Maho Beach to watch a plane or two. Then we would like to catch a bus and go all the way around the island ending up at the shopping district, shop, then take the water taxi back to the ship. Does this sound practical? Does the public bus system actually run all the way around the island, and if so, about how long would we have to allow for the trip between Maho going north and around the island and back down to the shopping district? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sue.

 

Hi Sue, we're on the same cruise with you and very familiar with St. Martin. We can answer any of your questions at the Meet & Greet if you'd like.

anna

[gtaylor]

We are in St. Maarten this Wednesday and will be spending the day at Maho Beach. With 3 or 4 other ships (including Oasis) in town, we aren't sure how easy it will be to get a taxi to take us over to Maho Beach and to pick us up to take us back to the ship. After reading others experiences with taking the bus, I am wondering if maybe this will be a good idea. Where is the bus stop/pick up by Maho Beach? How do you know when to get the bus back to downtown to get to the ship?

 

I wouldn't anticipate any problems with getting a taxi.

 

gary

[mcmarya]

Also curious about how much time to allow for getting back to Phillipsburg from Maho beach. There is a bridge that opens for boat traffic--looks like three times a day for outgoing boats (9, 11, 4:30) and 3 times for incoming (9:30, 11:30, and 5:30) and also anytime someone pays big bucks for their own opening. Anyone have experience with how much this affects traffic?