st marteen

[nicholasis1]

any tips on where to eat, places to shop on st marteen, we are skipping the beach for that day so just want to take time to enjoy the island. any suggestions of things would be appreciated. thanks df:)

[sunsurf]

any tips on where to eat, places to shop on st marteen, we are skipping the beach for that day so just want to take time to enjoy the island. any suggestions of things would be appreciated. thanks df:)

 

 

I can't offer you any tips on where to eat if you plan to just shop, but for the best prices & great shops I can tell you that we found the Dutch side to be better in terms of pricing on such things as jewellery and handbags.

 

We actually walked from the pier to the dowtown area of Phillipsburg (not far.. if I remember correctly, maybe 15 minutes). There are also numerous restaurants that look pretty cool along the waters edge. I'm sure you'll find a great one!

 

If you do have a change of heart, and have never been to Orient Beach, try and go atleast for a couple of hours. The beach is absolutely stunning! There is also a number of restaurants on the beach as well. We ate at Coco Beach and found the food to be very tastey and the location was really great ( it was away from all the crowds).

 

St. Martin is one of our favorite islands!

[michmike]

Go to the ports of call section of cruise critic and read up on the info for St Maarten. You find a wealth of info there.

[Bonnie J.]

We now always take the local buses (vans) when we are in St. Maartin. The cost is $1.25@ no matter how long you stay in the van or where you get off. We did this to Margiot, the French capitol. (Think cab was $6 each!) Also saw country side, had school kids get on on their way home, dropped two ''maids" off going in the driveway to hotel, not letting them off on the roadside. The buses are usually white vans with a large sign on the dashboard saying where they are going. There are no real bus stops, you just flag them down when you see them. For some reason we missed the stop to get back to the ship so the driver just turned around and took us back! Another time there were 4 of us. When the van stopped and we opened the door there were only 2 seats. I said we wait for another bus but two local men jumped off and said 'take our seat"! So, we did. Oh, they do not go to Orient beach though. You can get a map of St. Maartin when you get off the ship at the tourist booth and plan where to go.

[RoofingPrincess]

In downtown Philipsburg, we enjoyed a restaurant called "Kangaroo Court". It's located off Front Street, near the Courthouse. It was recommended to us by a staff person at "Indulgence by the Sea", the spa at the Divi Little Bay resort (where we got an awesome massage in a room overlooking the sea).

And the water taxi to take you between the dock and the downtown area was fun, and a very good deal. Something like $5 for an all-day pass.

[Karysa]

In downtown Philipsburg, we enjoyed a restaurant called "Kangaroo Court". It's located off Front Street, near the Courthouse. It was recommended to us by a staff person at "Indulgence by the Sea", the spa at the Divi Little Bay resort (where we got an awesome massage in a room overlooking the sea).

And the water taxi to take you between the dock and the downtown area was fun, and a very good deal. Something like $5 for an all-day pass.

 

Kangaroo Court is the restaurant that I was going to suggest. It has a pretty little patio in the back of the restaurant, it is very shady and quaint.

Karysa