St Maarten Trip Report

This is my short trip reportfor our recent stop in St Maarten on Christmas Day. The island is readyand willing to receive cruise ship passengers. They welcomed us with a localband and everyone was very happy to see us - especially if we were spendingmoney. The government requires most shops to close on Christmas Day, butthey made an exception for our stop and allowed them to open - and it lookedlike most of them did.

With that being said, it is still recovering from the devastationof Hurricane Irma and some shops may never open. Philipsburg for the mostpart looked as if it was mostly recovered. There was still signs ofdebris in some of the alleys and on the walk from the pier to the town. The hillside was very green and recovering, but it looked like Irma took away mostof the vegetation and then new vegetation replaced it. We did a DIY bustrip to Mullet Bay and Maho Beach and it was fabulous. There were a tonof busses and taxis ready to take us anywhere we wanted to go. We walkedinto town and did a little shopping then we caught a bus to Mullet Bay.

Driving outside of Philipsburg it was obvious that there hadbeen a major hurricane. In the town you had to look for the damage, butnot outside. There were a lot of houses with roofs missing, windowsboarded up, and damaged cars in the yard. The thing that stuck me the most was how random it seemed to be and howit was not just the small houses, but some major hotels that were severelydamaged. The worst of it was right around the airport where there wereclose to a dozen large boats that had capsized in the bay and one that the windpushed across the road and was in the ditch between the road and the airportrunway. It brought a whole new level of understanding of what it musthave been like to go through something like that.

Mullet Bay was beautiful and other than a temporary bar-b-quearea where Rosie’s used to be, and some torn up bushes, it looked relatively undisturbed. The water was perfect, and the snorkeling was great with a lot of big AngelFish to look at and a lot of brightly colored smaller ones too. We wereat Mullet Bay until the early afternoon and then we walked over to Maho. The area between the two beaches was devastated and there was not much openwhen we walked by (but it was Christmas Day). Some of the big hotelsthere has a lot of damage and there were signs of rebuilding.

Maho Beach itself was in better shape that I thought it wouldbe. The sand was back in front of the Driftwood Bar and where theairplanes take off and land. The beach area by Sunset Bar was mostly bigrocks with some sand in between the rocks. They rebuilt the fence by therunway that people hang on for airplane take-offs. It is right next to the road. It forcespeople to stand in the road if they want to be fence-hangers, so I am not surehow that will work. We were only there for one big Delta plane landingand no take-offs, so I did not get to witness it.

The island has not fully recovered by a long shot, but is readyfor tourists - at least from cruise ships. We stopped in the Yoda Guymuseum on the way back to the ship and had a good conversation with Nick andhis wife (did not get her name). They both expressed how glad they werethat tourists were coming back. She was particularly angry about how themedia had focused on the devastation and not the recovery or the spirit of thepeople of St Maarten. It was difficult to see all the damage, but it wasrefreshing to see how happy the people were to see us and to be on the road torecovery.

We did not venture to the French side of the island, nor did wetalk to anyone on the cruise that did go over there, so I cannot really addressthat. But if you have any questions about the Dutch side and Mullet Bayand Maho Beach, fire away.

Thank you for posting!

We were there on December 17, and we went to the French side, as well as, walking into Phillipsburg from the pier. The water taxi is running. It was very clear that the island is recovering, but I can echo what the OP said. The people we talked to were very optimistic for recovery, and we felt very safe. Many people here are worried about safety, and I can tell you I always felt safe, and the people were as friendly as they have always been.

Regards,

Mike

Thank you for posting; so helpful! What amenities were available at Mullet Bay? Chairs / Umbrella rental? Anywhere to buy food and beers?

Thank you so much for posting. Many of us are wondering what to expect and what we can do there on upcoming trips. I appreciate your report. So glad you had a good day. I've always loved St. Martin!

This was incredibly helpful - thank you!

Like Melissa, I’m wondering what amenities are at Mullet...we will have a 3yo with us, so just need to plan ahead a little more than if it were just DH and me.

Also, you mentioned Driftwood...are they open? That was our favorite spot two years ago when we visited, and we’d like to visit again, if they’re open (one of the best pizzas with homemade chili oil...MMM!)

What amenities were available at Mullet Bay? Chairs / Umbrella rental? Anywhere to buy food and beers?

Like Melissa, I’m wondering what amenities are at Mullet...we will have a 3yo with us, so just need to plan ahead a little more than if it were just DH and me.

They do have chairs and umbrellas at Mullet Bay, $5 each, at the section of the beach close to the parking lot. There is also a open air bar-b-que set up that has food and drinks. The drinks are in ice stored in a cooler since there does not appear to be any electricity yet at the beach. There is also a port-a-pottie. This is all on the southern end of the beach by the parking lot.

There is also some natural shade at this end of the beach a bit further from the water. We saw a lot of little kids playing in the sand and the water the day we were there, Christmas Day, and they were having a blast.

Also, you mentioned Driftwood...are they open?

Yes Driftwood is open serving food and drink. They also have done a good job of bringing in a lot of sand right in front of the bar and setting up some chairs and umbrellas there (I assume for a fee) to get a great spot to watch the planes.

Really appreciate the information!

Thanks! :)

How far is it to walk into town? Are there taxis or shuttles? Walking is difficult for one of our party... I’d sure appreciate any ideas of best way to get into town...[emoji4]

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How far is it to walk into town? Are there taxis or shuttles? Walking is difficult for one of our party... I’d sure appreciate any ideas of best way to get into town...[emoji4]

 

 

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Taxis were plentiful after you leave the pier. Water taxi to downtown was also a short walking distance. We walked into town, but I think it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues.

Regards,

Mike

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Do you know if the Sunset Bar was open by Maho? Was there chairs and umbrellas for the beach area or is still not back up to those amenities yet?

Taxis were plentiful after you leave the pier. Water taxi to downtown was also a short walking distance. We walked into town, but I think it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues.

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Mike

Thank you so much for your prompt answer!

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Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

Do you know if the Sunset Bar was open by Maho? Was there chairs and umbrellas for the beach area or is still not back up to those amenities yet?

Sunset Bar is definitely open. The beach right by Sunset is mostly big rocks at the moment so there are no chairs/umbrellas on that spot, but you can still sit at a table at Sunset and see the planes. Driftwood Beach Bar, on the opposite end of Maho Beach is also open and they do have some chairs and umbrellas set up in a small area - maybe 6-8 chairs total. It looks like they have imported or moved some sand to accomodate these chairs.

In Mullet Bay - a short 15 minute walk from Maho - there are plenty of chairs and umbrellas - $5 each. There is no restaurant there, but there is food and drink available via a portable barbeque and ice and coolers.

Taxis were plentiful after you leave the pier. Water taxi to downtown was also a short walking distance. We walked into town, but I think it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues.

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Mike

Ate those taxis available to hire for a few hours to tour the island. I only remember the taxi stand where vans are available to go to certain beaches or into Phillipsburg. We will be in St. Maarten in March and would like to see the progress in the rebuilding, particularly on the French side

Thanks in advance for any info

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We walked into town, but I think it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues.

I agree. It took us about 20 minutes to do the walk at a normal pace. And that was just to the edge of the town. It extends for quite a ways along the boardwalk once you get there. The water taxi will drop you off right in the middle of town right on the boardwalk. A regular taxi will drop you off anywhere you want to go, but they can't drive to the boardwalk. There were a lot of taxis and drivers offering to take us back to the port from town at the end of the day.

We are no Celebrity Eclipse March 18 sailing with stop at St Maarten, originally booked a tour to Orient Beach with Chair, umbrella and lunch. They switched to Kim Sha Beach (Simpsons Bay)

They do have chairs and umbrellas at Mullet Bay, $5 each, at the section of the beach close to the parking lot. There is also a open air bar-b-que set up that has food and drinks. The drinks are in ice stored in a cooler since there does not appear to be any electricity yet at the beach. There is also a port-a-pottie. This is all on the southern end of the beach by the parking lot.

 

There is also some natural shade at this end of the beach a bit further from the water. We saw a lot of little kids playing in the sand and the water the day we were there, Christmas Day, and they were having a blast.

 

 

 

Yes Driftwood is open serving food and drink. They also have done a good job of bringing in a lot of sand right in front of the bar and setting up some chairs and umbrellas there (I assume for a fee) to get a great spot to watch the planes.

Thank you so much for the info! This makes me even more excited to be there in a few weeks.

Sunset Bar is definitely open. The beach right by Sunset is mostly big rocks at the moment so there are no chairs/umbrellas on that spot, but you can still sit at a table at Sunset and see the planes. Driftwood Beach Bar, on the opposite end of Maho Beach is also open and they do have some chairs and umbrellas set up in a small area - maybe 6-8 chairs total. It looks like they have imported or moved some sand to accomodate these chairs.

 

In Mullet Bay - a short 15 minute walk from Maho - there are plenty of chairs and umbrellas - $5 each. There is no restaurant there, but there is food and drink available via a portable barbeque and ice and coolers.

Thank you!

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Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

 

 

Do you know if the Sunset Bar was open by Maho? Was there chairs and umbrellas for the beach area or is still not back up to those amenities yet?

We were there in February and Sunset Bar was open! There were chairs and umbrellas, although the beach was not as big as before, due to the hurricane. We had a wonderful time. When you’re ready to leave there is no problem finding a taxi. They pretty much come find you!

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