Beaches close to Phillipsburg

Are there any nice beaches that are close to Phillipsburg that you can take a taxi to? (not Maho or Great Bay)

Are there any nice beaches that are close to Phillipsburg that you can take a taxi to? (not Maho or Great Bay)

Orient is about 25 minutes and so is Le Galion. They are very close to each other but offer totally different experiences.

I was thinking Mullet or Dawn?

By eliminating Great Bay you'll need to take a taxi to any of them ... even Maho.

When doing a beach day there, we love going to Orient Beach. :)

LuLu

About how long is the ride to Mullet and Dawn and about how much for a taxi? Is the cost by the person?

About how long is the ride to Mullet and Dawn and about how much for a taxi? Is the cost by the person?

If time is important then don't pick Mullet or Maho as that side of the island gets very busy and has bridge openings that add to slowing you down. There is a new causeway bridge and new Simpson Bay bridge opening times and I have heard less complaints about traffic this past winter than in the years before so it sounds like things are moving in the right direction. Mullet is $8 or $9 ish but getting a taxi back might be an issue but you can walk 5-10 minutes and get one at the Maho entertainment district. Time varies. Hope for 40 minutes. It could be 30 or 60 or even more if congestion, bridge openings or an accident happen on the main road back through the Simpson Bay area. Dawn or Little Bay would definitely be shorter in time and with less deviation and definitely cost less. Little Bay is about $4-5 and Dawn about $6 and Dawn will take about twice as long at 20 minutes each way.

Which do you recommend? Dawn or Little Bay?

Which do you recommend? Dawn or Little Bay?

Personally I would choose Little Bay especially if it's for half a day.

Thanks everyone. We ended up going to Little Bay and loved it!

Just a short taxi ride too and we still had time for lunch and shopping, though we pretty much got rained out of the shopping.

Thanks everyone. We ended up going to Little Bay and loved it!

Just a short taxi ride too and we still had time for lunch and shopping, though we pretty much got rained out of the shopping.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your time at Little Bay. Can you tell us how much chairs are renting for these days and how you got the taxi to return you to town. :)

Each chair and each umbrella was $5. But there was some shade where you could have put a towel.

The taxi was $4 each going there and we planned to call from the restaurant or lobby on the way back, but there happened to be a taxi there so we used him. He told us $5 each and when I said it had been $4 on the way out, he said the 4 yr old could go free. There were nine of us.

Will be going to Maho beach on a Sunday morning for a couple hours. Would the draw bridge be an issue at that time?

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Will be going to Maho beach on a Sunday morning for a couple hours. Would the draw bridge be an issue at that time?

 

 

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They also built another causeway to alleviate the traffic and you should be fine. Taxi drivers know the hours of when the bridge opens. Here is the Sunday schedule for the bridge opening.

Sunday

0815 & 1730 hours

They also built another causeway to alleviate the traffic and you should be fine. Taxi drivers know the hours of when the bridge opens. Here is the Sunday schedule for the bridge opening.

 

 

 

Sunday

 

0815 & 1730 hours

Thanks!

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They also built another causeway to alleviate the traffic and you should be fine. Taxi drivers know the hours of when the bridge opens. Here is the Sunday schedule for the bridge opening.

 

Sunday

0815 & 1730 hours

Are you sure about these times? I will double check when I am on the island next month but from what I have read the Simpson Bay bridge opening times are 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 3, 4 and 5. I didn't read anywhere that the weekend times are different from the weekday times.

Also how does the causeway bridge alleviate the traffic from the port through the Simpson Bay area? I can see how traffic going to Marigot from the Airport would use the new Causeway bridge therefore eliminating some traffic in the Simpson Bay area because that traffic has a shorter way to Marigot by using that bridge. What I can't figure out is how the Causeway bridge helps with the traffic congestion through the Simpson Bay area from the port in the morning. This does not make sense to me. :)

Are you sure about these times? I will double check when I am on the island next month but from what I have read the Simpson Bay bridge opening times are 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 3, 4 and 5. I didn't read anywhere that the weekend times are different from the weekday times.

 

Also how does the causeway bridge alleviate the traffic from the port through the Simpson Bay area? I can see how traffic going to Marigot from the Airport would use the new Causeway bridge therefore eliminating some traffic in the Simpson Bay area because that traffic has a shorter way to Marigot by using that bridge. What I can't figure out is how the Causeway bridge helps with the traffic congestion through the Simpson Bay area from the port in the morning. This does not make sense to me. :)

Here is where I found the Sunday schedule

http://stmartinblue.com/st_martin_island_info/bridge_info.php

and here is you schedule

http://www.marinafortlouis.com/bridge-opening-times.html

I am talking about taking the new causeway back to the pier in the afternoon from Maho several times this year, we have not experienced any traffic at all.

Here is where I found the Sunday schedule

http://stmartinblue.com/st_martin_island_info/bridge_info.php

 

and here is you schedule

http://www.marinafortlouis.com/bridge-opening-times.html

 

I am talking about taking the new causeway back to the pier in the afternoon from Maho several times this year, we have not experienced any traffic at all.

The one that you said was mine clearly is not. The times are very different. Are you posting the new schedules post the causeway bridge opening?

Also the poster that you were replying to was asking about bridge openings in the morning affecting their trip to Maho and that's why your post about the causeway bridge was so confusing to me.

So even with the Caiseway bridge taking traffic to Marigot from the airport and therefore decreasing the traffic in the Simpson Bay Area you still took it to get back to the pier? How long was the trip?

The one that you said was mine clearly is not. The times are very different. Are you posting the new schedules post the causeway bridge opening?

 

Also the poster that you were replying to was asking about bridge openings in the morning affecting their trip to Maho and that's why your post about the causeway bridge was so confusing to me.

 

So even with the Caiseway bridge taking traffic to Marigot from the airport and therefore decreasing the traffic in the Simpson Bay Area you still took it to get back to the pier? How long was the trip?

I posted the Sunday schedule from another website which was updated in 2014 and indicated the times for Simpson Bay.

http://stmartinblue.com/st_martin_island_info/bridge_info.php.

I did find the schedule that you used below, in which the times are different from what I posted.

http://www.smyc.com/content/new-simpson-bay-causeway-bridge-opening-hours

Don't want to confuse the poster that asked about Sunday's bridge schedule. The taxi drivers will also know about the bridge opening times so they will try to avoid it.

In answering your question, we left Maho that day at around 5 pm. which was on a Monday. Using the new causeway from Maho back to the pier, it took appox. 25 mins. and we had very little traffic. You and I know the time getting back to the pier can vary from day to day and it also depends on the time you leave the beach.

I posted the Sunday schedule from another website which was updated in 2014 and indicated the times for Simpson Bay.

http://stmartinblue.com/st_martin_island_info/bridge_info.php.

 

I did find the schedule that you used below, in which the times are different from what I posted.

 

http://www.smyc.com/content/new-simpson-bay-causeway-bridge-opening-hours

 

Don't want to confuse the poster that asked about Sunday's bridge schedule. The taxi drivers will also know about the bridge opening times so they will try to avoid it.

 

In answering your question, we left Maho that day at around 5 pm. which was on a Monday. Using the new causeway from Maho back to the pier, it took appox. 25 mins. and we had very little traffic. You and I know the time getting back to the pier can vary from day to day and it also depends on the time you leave the beach.

Could your schedule be prior causeway bridge opening and mine be the updated new bridge opening times? The times you posted seen to be the same as the times of the bridge openings last summer and mine seem different from any bridge opening times than I can recall in the last decade. Since the Simpson Bay Yaught club is in the Simpson Bay lagoon and the boaters would be accessing the website to plan their outings one would think and hope that the information on their website is up to date and correct.

We have not read about the traffic congestion being as much of an issue this year compared to in the last few years.

Could your schedule be prior causeway bridge opening and mine be the updated new bridge opening times? The times you posted seen to be the same as the times of the bridge openings last summer and mine seem different from any bridge opening times than I can recall in the last decade. Since the Simpson Bay Yaught club is in the Simpson Bay lagoon and the boaters would be accessing the website to plan their outings one would think and hope that the information on their website is up to date and correct.

 

We have not read about the traffic congestion being as much of an issue this year compared to in the last few years.

You and I are trying to help the poster for Sunday's bridge opening and I don't know what schedule is correct anymore yours or mine. As I indicated before, the taxi drivers will know the correct times for the bridge opening and will try to avoid using that road in getting to Maho or Mullet.

I'm in agreement with you that the traffic has been tremendously better this year than past years due to the new causeway bridge.

Enjoy your trip in July!

You and I are trying to help the poster for Sunday's bridge opening and I don't know what schedule is correct anymore yours or mine. As I indicated before, the taxi drivers will know the correct times for the bridge opening and will try to avoid using that road in getting to Maho or Mullet.

 

I'm in agreement with you that the traffic has been tremendously better this year than past years due to the new causeway bridge.

 

Enjoy your trip in July!

Thanks:) and we will have our answer by the end of next month.

I forgot to get an exact schedule of the bridge opening times and thought that this would be a good time to ask for the correct times. On our yearly vacation in July we found that the new Causeway bridge helped a great deal with the traffic congestion in the SimpsonBay area. If memory serves me correctly I was stick in bridge traffic at 3 and 4 but only for about 5 minutes. I was on vacation so I need conformation on the bridge opening times so I can be sure that I am passing on the correct information. Thanks :)

I forgot to get an exact schedule of the bridge opening times and thought that this would be a good time to ask for the correct times. On our yearly vacation in July we found that the new Causeway bridge helped a great deal with the traffic congestion in the SimpsonBay area. If memory serves me correctly I was stick in bridge traffic at 3 and 4 but only for about 5 minutes. I was on vacation so I need conformation on the bridge opening times so I can be sure that I am passing on the correct information. Thanks :)

I believe that these are the 'official' times:

Simpson Bay Lift Bridge:

08.30 hrs - Outbound

09.30 hrs - Inbound

10.30 hrs - Outbound

11.30 hrs - Inbound

15.00 hrs - Inbound

16.00 hrs - Outbound

17.00 hrs - Inbound

Causeway Swing Bridge:

07.30 hrs - on call, weekends only

08.15 hrs - All traffic

09.45 hrs - All traffic

10.15 hrs - All traffic

11.45 hrs - All traffic

15.15 hrs - on call. All traffic

15.45 hrs - All traffic

17.15 hrs - All traffic

Causeway bridge is 'All Traffic' as there are two channels.

This said, when we were on-island for two weeks in June, we got caught by a Causeway opening just before Nine. Got to see the bridge swing the thing.

We think traffic has improved greatly headed through Simpson Bay for Philipsburg in the afternoon, but we still suffered some delays a couple of times.

gary

I believe that these are the 'official' times:

 

Simpson Bay Lift Bridge:

 

08.30 hrs - Outbound

09.30 hrs - Inbound

10.30 hrs - Outbound

11.30 hrs - Inbound

15.00 hrs - Inbound

16.00 hrs - Outbound

17.00 hrs - Inbound

 

Causeway Swing Bridge:

 

07.30 hrs - on call, weekends only

08.15 hrs - All traffic

09.45 hrs - All traffic

10.15 hrs - All traffic

11.45 hrs - All traffic

15.15 hrs - on call. All traffic

15.45 hrs - All traffic

17.15 hrs - All traffic

 

Causeway bridge is 'All Traffic' as there are two channels.

 

This said, when we were on-island for two weeks in June, we got caught by a Causeway opening just before Nine. Got to see the bridge swing the thing.

 

We think traffic has improved greatly headed through Simpson Bay for Philipsburg in the afternoon, but we still suffered some delays a couple of times.

 

gary

Thanks for the schedule update Gary. The Causeway bridge was long overdue! :)