What should we do in St. Maarten?

[kittylady1972]

So we are taking our first 7-night EC cruise on the Fantasy as a family of five. Kids are 11, 12 and 15 and adventure seekers...however the smallest ones are sticks and will NOT make the weight limit for Ziplining...which is something they wanted to do.

There are so many places to zipline that I've decided to skip it, and now wonder what, if anything, we should plan for that day at port. Seems wrong to just stay on the ship, but I haven't read too many positive things about the area there. We are to the point where we no longer get off the ship at the Bahamas because we just don't enjoy the environment there....will St. Maarten be the same way?

I was considering booking one of the island tours but again don't know if it would be worth it.

If you've been there...and have kids with similar ages...what do you do?

 

[KristiMc]

We did a speedboat/snorkeling tour with Soualiga Destinations. It was great. My boys were 12 & 9 at the time and they both had a blast. The tour went all around St. Maarten and included a great lunch. http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Most_Popular_Tour.html

 

[squirk]

When you say you are "adventure-seekers", I am not sure if you mean just "high-adrenaline" stuff like zip-lining, or also adventurous in terms of trying new things, seeing new places, eating new foods, etc.

My wife and I are not "guided tour" people. We recognize that a lot of people like them and that's totally cool. For us, such tours make us feel like we are being led around by the nose, and we prefer to research the port ahead of time, decide what to do and where to go, and make our own way there. As such, we skipped Philipsburg and took a taxi to Marigot.

While there is a tourism industry there, it is not nearly as built up as Philipsburg. It's a bit of a drive, but you really feel like you are getting away from the ships' crowds and actually going somewhere that isn't catering just to cruise ship passengers. Here is a page that gives a nice laundry list of what you can do in Marigot: http://www.stmartinisland.org/st-ma...ies/st-martin-st-maarten-places-to-visit.html Not sure if any of that stuff is something that your tweens & teen will dig, but our 4/7/10-y.o. kids enjoyed it.

I have seen a fair number of posts here and other message boards where people felt uncomfortable traveling through areas with a lot of visible poverty while visiting Bahamian and Caribbean islands, claiming it was "depressing" and "not what I paid all this money to see". Well, unless you stick solely to the port cities, that kind of exposure is hard to avoid. I think Marigot is worth the trip, even if you see things en route that might make you feel a little uncomfortable.

kittylady1972 - I'm not implying that this is an issue for you and your family, but I wanted to give fair warning just in case.

 

[kittylady1972]

When you say you are "adventure-seekers", I am not sure if you mean just "high-adrenaline" stuff like zip-lining, or also adventurous in terms of trying new things, seeing new places, eating new foods, etc.

My wife and I are not "guided tour" people. We recognize that a lot of people like them and that's totally cool. For us, such tours make us feel like we are being led around by the nose, and we prefer to research the port ahead of time, decide what to do and where to go, and make our own way there. As such, we skipped Philipsburg and took a taxi to Marigot.

While there is a tourism industry there, it is not nearly as built up as Philipsburg. It's a bit of a drive, but you really feel like you are getting away from the ships' crowds and actually going somewhere that isn't catering just to cruise ship passengers. Here is a page that gives a nice laundry list of what you can do in Marigot: http://www.stmartinisland.org/st-ma...ies/st-martin-st-maarten-places-to-visit.html Not sure if any of that stuff is something that your tweens & teen will dig, but our 4/7/10-y.o. kids enjoyed it.

I have seen a fair number of posts here and other message boards where people felt uncomfortable traveling through areas with a lot of visible poverty while visiting Bahamian and Caribbean islands, claiming it was "depressing" and "not what I paid all this money to see". Well, unless you stick solely to the port cities, that kind of exposure is hard to avoid. I think Marigot is worth the trip, even if you see things en route that might make you feel a little uncomfortable.

kittylady1972 - I'm not implying that this is an issue for you and your family, but I wanted to give fair warning just in case.

Thanks for the response! I'm okay with NOT going on a guided tour as well, but I'm not sure the kids will be okay with just sight-seeing either. I don't know that they necessary need high-adrenaline, but definitely more active things like boating, climbing, etc.

I think we have plenty of time to decide, but I did want to cancel our zipline excursion for sure. We'll see what happens as we get closer to our cruise date I guess.

 

[kittylady1972]

We did a speedboat/snorkeling tour with Soualiga Destinations. It was great. My boys were 12 & 9 at the time and they both had a blast. The tour went all around St. Maarten and included a great lunch. http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Most_Popular_Tour.html

Thanks so much! Wow that looks like a fun day for sure. Definitely something we will keep in mind!

 

[wdwgirl21]

I would go to Maho Beach. It is right at the end of the island's airport, and it is one of the most extreme airports in the world. The planes literally land right over your head, it is definitely an adrenaline rush! My husband and I went there on a cruise 2 years ago, and are taking our kids there next month. You can catch the bus from back Street in downtown, and it's $2pp each way. Can't beat it!

Watch this video to see how low the planes are!

 

[bumbershoot]

I highly recommend reading through the ports of call section on cruisecritic for Sint Maarten/Saint Martin. I've never heard much bad about the plae at all. Smallest island to have two countries on it (Dutch side and French side, respectively).

If you do want a tour, Joyce Prince and Bernard's are two highly recommended companies. Both have websites.

We were exhausted from San Juan the day before, so we just wandered Philipsburg a bit. Looked at a beach, wandered some jewelry stores, checked out That Yoda Guy's place (googleable), had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (NOT my choice). People there were lovely and sweet, there are awesome dogs wandering (San Juan has cats, St Maarten has dogs)... Bought some guavaberry rum and chocolates...had a decent, low-key, day.

 

[lulucornbread]

I 2nd Maho Beach! it was incredible

 

[ktate82]

We did a speedboat/snorkeling tour with Soualiga Destinations. It was great. My boys were 12 & 9 at the time and they both had a blast. The tour went all around St. Maarten and included a great lunch. http://www.soualigadestinations.com/soualiga_destinations/Most_Popular_Tour.html

We are doing this at the end of Oct and can't wait!

 

[Dug720]

I second Captain Bob and Somalia Destinations. Best day of the cruise and one of the best excursions I've ever done.

 

[Jordan'sMom]

I would go to Maho Beach. It is right at the end of the island's airport, and it is one of the most extreme airports in the world. The planes literally land right over your head, it is definitely an adrenaline rush! My husband and I went there on a cruise 2 years ago, and are taking our kids there next month. You can catch the bus from back Street in downtown, and it's $2pp each way. Can't beat it!

My son(who was 9 or so at the time) and I did exactly this. It was quite the adventure and one of our most memorable of multiple cruise stops over the years! LOVED it, and the water there was beautiful, too, which was a bonus. Note, the "buses" are mini-vans that you flag down on the back street. Easier than it sounds.

 

[Lizzards]

My group used Joyce Prince tours. She was awesome! Knows all of the great local quiet beach spots and fun things to do. Drives you right where you want to go. We took our littles to do the zip line at Loterie Farms. It was more like a ropes course with zip line sections. Our kids loved it!

 

[honeybeesmom]

Maho beach is awesome!

 

[tvguy]

We really enjoyed the America's Cup 12 metre challenge in St. Maarten. Our kids were 12 and 16 at the time. You can be as involved or uninvolved as you want in running the boat. One of the best excursions we have ever been on.

http://www.12metre.com/

 

[JP350Z]

I have stopped in St. Maarten twice before and can whole heartedly recommended renting a 4 door Jeep at the cruise port for about $90 and driving around the island counter clockwise. Having a jeep will let you get to some beaches you couldn't get to by taxi like Galion or Friars bay. Then have lunch on the French side and start heading south to Maho to see the large planes in the afternoon. I have done all this with a 2 year old and we had to lug a car seat on the plane. Yours are old enough not to worry. They drive on the right side of the road like us and I felt very safe doing it. I always use Costal rental cars there at the cruise terminal and have referee friends without any issues. If your call yourself adventurous you need to get away from the crowds and guided tours.

 

[JimmyV]

we skipped Philipsburg and took a taxi to Marigot.

I second this. In order to prevent a sense of "sameness" coming over me when I travel from one Caribbean Island to the next, I like to zero in on the one or two things that make a particular island unique. What is it known for? And frankly, staying near the waterfront area in Philipsburg makes St. Maarten feel just the same as every other island that is overrun with Diamonds International and tanzanite dealers. The best way to escape that and feel as if you have actually been to St. Maarten is to go to Marigot. The cab ride is about 25 minutes, but as you enjoy the ride, you are getting a tour of pretty much half the island. So the ride itself serves a purpose of a tour. Most cab drivers are chatty and will give you a "tour" even without asking them. But if you ask them to point out interesting stuff along the way, they will. The people on St. Maarten are incredibly friendly.

OK. So what is unique about St. Maarten/St. Martin? Well, it is known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean. It would be a shame to visit the island and go to some tired chain restaurant. Instead, if you head over to the French side, you can book a lunch at a terrific dockside French bistro and soak in what the island is known for. Or dine at a super casual "lolo", which are outdoor places that defy description other than to say that they are sort of the island's equivalent of the "food truck" phenomenon that has taken the U.S. by storm. There is also a great, (and I mean great!) outdoor market by the waterfront that is run by locals who set up tables selling their wares. This is not at all like what you see in Philipsburg. The goods are awesome and the prices are very fair. (Photos below, from my visit in April). I know that your kids might be thrill seekers, (and mine is too). But we found plenty of thrills on the other islands and used our day on SXM to absorb the local people, culture and food on the island. I think that SXM provides a pretty unique opportunity to do that, as compared to places like St. Thomas, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and/or private islands. For one day, it is nice to feel like a traveler instead of a tourist.

That said, if you want to have the most fun that one can have in a day, (although you will lose the sense St. Maarten's uniqueness), look into this:

http://www.12metre.com/index.htm

It is usually the kind of thing I would recommend for a family's second visit to St. Maarten after they have already seen the French side. But if you cannot escape the urge to be adventurous, this is the ticket! Note that they do not recommend this for children under 12, but I am sure that you could convince them to allow your youngest, especially since the older two children will be going. They won't want to turn down 4 paying fares at the cost of not allowing the 5th to join you.

Here are pictures of the market in Marigot, and one of my daughter with the hat she bought for $20. For me, it is the single best shopping experience in the Caribbean. The colors, aromas and sounds just scream "Caribbean"!

 

[JimmyV]

We really enjoyed the America's Cup 12 metre challenge in St. Maarten. Our kids were 12 and 16 at the time. You can be as involved or uninvolved as you want in running the boat. One of the best excursions we have ever been on.

http://www.12metre.com/

I was typing while you were posting! Great minds....

 

[Sytrace]

We were in Sint Maarteen in April and took the Under two Flags tour. My kids are 12 and 13 and enjoyed it but I think they loved the stop at the world famous Carousel most.
We had a great guide who gave us the scripted AND some unscripted information.
First stop was in Marigot where we got out to wander the area and check out the vendors. There is a great restaurant dockside right in the middle of the shopping area. We bought most of the gifts we brought back from there and it was very colorful and fun. Truly the friendliest island we have come across.
We went thru areas of low income housing and saw some beautiful homes as well. We stopped under the two flags marking Dutch and French but did not linger long. Then the aforementioned stop at Carousel where we had some yummy gelato and looked in the gift shop. The kids felt too "mature" to ride the carousel itself though. lol
The last stop we made was to get out near the port and take a photo of the amazing scenery from a bluff that they were developing for 200,000 US dollar condos. I got the distinct impression our tour guide was totally against this, which I could not blame her. The view was breathtaking and I would have been sad to see high rise condos instead of the natural beauty of the spot. Or maybe that was just ME projecting on the tour guide. lol

It was a very nice day and we enjoyed the history and culture of this beautiful island. They depend heavily on tourism and as far as I can remember don't have much in the way of export/import business to grow due to the environment and terrain.
The next day we stopped in Puerto Rico though, so I cannot help with the St. Thomas part of your trip.

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

[jjgarv]

We had the best day ever in St. Maarten on board the Random Wind. If your kids like thrills, they'll love the 'Tarzan swing' over the side of the boat and into the water! www.randomwind.com We had a large group including kids from 7 up to 15...all had a blast! Took us to Maho to watch the plane come in, went to a snorkeling spot with a beach, made us lunch on the boat, and had so much fun on that Tarzan swing! Diane (owner) was a fabulous hostess and made sure that all had a great day! Highly recommend!

 

[kylaura]

We have the Random Wind booked after reading good reviews on here. Going in September. www.randomwind.com