bus to Maho Beach?

[Bonnie J.]

We will be in St. Maartin next week. We have taken the local bus to various places but never to Maho beach. Where do we get this bus? Will the bus that says "Mullet Bay take us there?

[NMLady]

We will be in St. Maartin next week. We have taken the local bus to various places but never to Maho beach. Where do we get this bus? Will the bus that says "Mullet Bay take us there?

 

Go to Ports Of Call forum, choose Caribbean, then choose St Maarten.

 

Ask your question there and you should get some knowledgeable answers.

[cruisejunkie76]

when I was in St. Maarten I took a taxi. There were a lot of People with the same Destination "Maho Beach"

I think it was around $ 10,-/way.

Takes about 20 minutes to get there by taxi. Assume that the bus takes much longer.

"Maho Beach" was worth the visit. I stayed till the 747 form KLM landed and headed back and got of in the City to walk around a bit and walked back to the ship

[san&zsm]

We were there in September and took the bus--which is actually a mini van. Go to Back Street (right behind Front Street) and look for vans with Maho or Mullet Beach in the front window. The trip was $2 each way and didn't take long at all.

[John Bull]

There are vans at the port, last year vans to all destinations (Maho, Orient, Marigot etc) left from the same place at the port, very easy to find. When a Maho-bound van fills & leaves, another draws forward.

 

For the return from Maho to the ship, vans leave from the bar at the southern end of Maho Beach.

(Looking at the airport runway & with your back to the sea, that's the bar to your right.)

 

Don't recall the cost, but it was peanuts. I wouldn't disagree with san&'s post of $2 e/w.

 

JB :)

Edited January 5, 2016 by John Bull

[SuiteTraveler]

Here is a cruise review of going to Maho Beach with photos and tons of information about how to do it:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=26209813#post26209813

[LMaxwell]

We were there in September and took the bus--which is actually a mini van. Go to Back Street (right behind Front Street) and look for vans with Maho or Mullet Beach in the front window. The trip was $2 each way and didn't take long at all.

 

This is exactly what we did and had the same experience. The "busses" are all just small 5-7 passenger minivans. The license plate says "BUS" at the bottom. In the front window they will have a sign saying where they are going. They run pretty much constantly so getting one is no problem. They may stop along the way to pickup/dropoff people but they stick to a route.

 

 

Here is a cruise review of going to Maho Beach with photos and tons of information about how to do it:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=26209813#post26209813

 

That's for a taxi, not for a bus. It's really different information.

[LMaxwell]

There are vans at the port, last year vans to all destinations (Maho, Orient, Marigot etc) left from the same place at the port, very easy to find. When a Maho-bound van fills & leaves, another draws forward.

 

For the return from Maho to the ship, vans leave from the bar at the southern end of Maho Beach.

(Looking at the airport runway & with your back to the sea, that's the bar to your right.)

 

Don't recall the cost, but it was peanuts. I wouldn't disagree with san&'s post of $2 e/w.

 

JB :)

 

Those are taxis. Busses don't go down the road to the bar at Maho; they stop up where the main road forks. It's only maybe 100-200 yards difference. Busses don't pick up near the pier. Busses run whether they are full or empty or anywhere between; they don't wait to fill up.

[John Bull]

Those are taxis. Busses don't go down the road to the bar at Maho; they stop up where the main road forks. It's only maybe 100-200 yards difference. Busses don't pick up near the pier. Busses run whether they are full or empty or anywhere between; they don't wait to fill up.

 

Thanks for the correction.

But the service was easy, and excellent. No waiting around, no need to go seek at either end, and it was cheap.

Whether its a van or a bus or a taxi makes no odds to me, seems pretty pointless to go off looking elsewhere for transportation.

 

JB :)

[LMaxwell]

Thanks for the correction.

But the service was easy, and excellent. No waiting around, no need to go seek at either end, and it was cheap.

Whether its a van or a bus or a taxi makes no odds to me, seems pretty pointless to go off looking elsewhere for transportation.

 

JB :)

 

No worries, but there are differences.

 

There is no waiting on busses, they run constantly. We took a bus to Marigot and got there before groups that took taxis because the taxis wait to fill up. Also the busses are fractions of the cost of taxis. You can go all around the island by bus and not spend $10 pp and the OP did specifically ask about busses so wanted to clarify so they were not confused.

 

The bus system worked great and it is one of the islands I would recommend using public transport without hesitation.

[SuiteTraveler]

This is exactly what we did and had the same experience. The "busses" are all just small 5-7 passenger minivans. The license plate says "BUS" at the bottom. In the front window they will have a sign saying where they are going. They run pretty much constantly so getting one is no problem. They may stop along the way to pickup/dropoff people but they stick to a route.

 

 

 

 

That's for a taxi, not for a bus. It's really different information.

 

Yes, but, I think most people are aware that Mitsugirly is a value traveler and so obviously, there was a REASON she chose to do a taxi over the bus because mostly she takes the bus. Interestingly enough, I found her second visit to Maho via Mullet Bay Beach and they took a taxi again:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2048113&page=15

 

At any rate the information regarding the two visits is helpful in understanding what there is to do in the area.

[Karysa]

No worries, but there are differences.

 

There is no waiting on busses, they run constantly. We took a bus to Marigot and got there before groups that took taxis because the taxis wait to fill up. Also the busses are fractions of the cost of taxis. You can go all around the island by bus and not spend $10 pp and the OP did specifically ask about busses so wanted to clarify so they were not confused.

 

The bus system worked great and it is one of the islands I would recommend using public transport without hesitation.

 

It takes a good 15 minutes to walk to the bus so I have a hard time believing that you beat folks to Marigot that took a taxi STRAIGHT to Marigot from the pier. Does not add up to me.

[Karysa]

Yes, but, I think most people are aware that Mitsugirly is a value traveler and so obviously, there was a REASON she chose to do a taxi over the bus because mostly she takes the bus. Interestingly enough, I found her second visit to Maho via Mullet Bay Beach and they took a taxi again:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2048113&page=15

 

At any rate the information regarding the two visits is helpful in understanding what there is to do in the area.

 

There are limited front row beach chairs. Getting to the beach ASAP helps you obtain one. Some folks don't care about that but some do. Also $6 pp difference is peanuts to most people compared to walking 15 minutes and hoping the bus is there. I love to walk but I would take an extra 15 minutes to walk on a beach over that 15 minute walk to town with 4 cruise ships emptying out their passengers on the pier.

[LMaxwell]

It takes a good 15 minutes to walk to the bus so I have a hard time believing that you beat folks to Marigot that took a taxi STRAIGHT to Marigot from the pier. Does not add up to me.

 

 

We got to Marigot and it was relatively dead there. We got our food from the cafes and walked the market and then were watching cabs and tour busses from the cruise port show up. We had no wait for a bus at all, whereas many taxis will wait to fill up before departing. Yes, the walk is about 15 minutes. We are able bodied so it was no problem. The alternative is to take the water taxi and walk over to Back Street. The busses run CONSTANTLY. You won't wait more than a few minutes if one isn't there when you get there.

 

OP specifically asked about busses. My experience is with using the busses.

Edited January 6, 2016 by LMaxwell

[LMaxwell]

Yes, but, I think most people are aware that Mitsugirly is a value traveler and so obviously, there was a REASON she chose to do a taxi over the bus because mostly she takes the bus. Interestingly enough, I found her second visit to Maho via Mullet Bay Beach and they took a taxi again:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2048113&page=15

 

At any rate the information regarding the two visits is helpful in understanding what there is to do in the area.

 

Her review is very useful if the information you are looking for is in regards to the taxis. I have first hand experience about the busses and where to find them, what to look for, the costs, etc. Based on the original post that's what this thread is about. You were confused about the difference between a bus and a taxi and therefore you linked to info on taxis.

 

I would use public transport again in St. Maarten no problem. I can understand why someone else would choose taxis based on their needs, destinations, or budget. But if you just want to get to Maho or Marigot, the bus is a low cost and effective solution that sacrifices nothing in terms of time or comfort. The more information out there, the easier it is for someone to decide what's best for them and their situation.

[LMaxwell]

There are limited front row beach chairs. Getting to the beach ASAP helps you obtain one. Some folks don't care about that but some do. Also $6 pp difference is peanuts to most people compared to walking 15 minutes and hoping the bus is there. I love to walk but I would take an extra 15 minutes to walk on a beach over that 15 minute walk to town with 4 cruise ships emptying out their passengers on the pier.

 

And sometimes there is NO beach at all at Maho with erosion :(

[SuiteTraveler]

Her review is very useful if the information you are looking for is in regards to the taxis. I have first hand experience about the busses and where to find them, what to look for, the costs, etc. Based on the original post that's what this thread is about. You were confused about the difference between a bus and a taxi and therefore you linked to info on taxis.

 

I would use public transport again in St. Maarten no problem. I can understand why someone else would choose taxis based on their needs, destinations, or budget. But if you just want to get to Maho or Marigot, the bus is a low cost and effective solution that sacrifices nothing in terms of time or comfort. The more information out there, the easier it is for someone to decide what's best for them and their situation.

 

No, I was not confused about the difference between a bus or taxi. The OP wanted to go to Maho, so I linked the best photo tour I know of about it so they could see what Maho is like. While they might want to take the bus, it does no harm for them so see a review of the same place they want to go regardless of how the people got there.

[Karysa]

And sometimes there is NO beach at all at Maho with erosion :(

 

In November the only spot with sand was by that little point by Sunset Bar and Grill where they had packed some beach chairs into. They were all taken BTW. Another good reason to get there early.:)

[PhDUnderTheSea]

Are the busses govt regulated and are they air conditioned?

[LMaxwell]

Are the busses govt regulated and are they air conditioned?

 

yes to both