Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten is a popular port for cruises.  Sint Maarten

is a constituent country of the Netherlands and shares this

small Caribbean island with the French Saint-Martin. The

capital, Philipsburg is where the big cruise ships dock.  It is

a very quick and affordable water taxi ride from the dock to

the town.  We were told to be sure to have the taxi drop us at

the Police Station but we didn't have a choice, we were just 

told to get on the taxi and were dropped off at another dock.

It is not terribly far away from the shops and restaurants

though.

This is what you see when you leave the taxi dock,

it is a very clean, shaded area and you can see why 

the locals would want visitors to see this area first

as it is very inviting.  

The palm shaded area is flanked by these colorful buildings

 that house many shops.  Unfortunately these shops were not

open on a Sunday morning.  We considered taking a taxi to

the French side of the islands but were told most places are

closed there on Sundays.

We strolled along the cobblestone streets toward the more 

populated area of the town.  We passed by local homes

near the quieter end of town.

Many of the locals were in church since it was a Sunday

morning when we first arrived.

The capital's courthouse is a beautiful old building.

There are many colorfully painted building selling

jewelry, alcohol, souvenirs and quite a few selling

Delft since this is a Dutch holding.  We purchased

some sea salt since this island was once named the

Land of Salt, we also purchased some local spice

mix and vanilla extract.  We love to buy local food

products and then cook with them back home, it is

a way to bring your vacation home with you.

After a nice walk and some shopping we walked to the

beach and rented a few chairs and an umbrella for the

day.  The prices can vary from one vendor to another

but all the prices were quite reasonable.  The people 

working on the beach will bring you drinks if you wish 

or you can just walk up to one of the bars on the street

that runs alongside the beach.

When you have had enough surf and sand, just walk

over to the police station and hop a water taxi for the 

short ride back to the ship.

We had a nice relaxing day in Sint Maarten.  It was easy

and affordable to get to a beach, bars and shopping.  The

locals were friendly and nice though a few people in the 

shops seemed very bored and they did not get any of our

money.  The guy who rented us our chairs and umbrella

was very friendly and he had a deal for chairs, umbrella

and 6 beers for a decent price. When I told him I don't

drink beer, he reduced the price and said he would get

me anything I would want to drink from a local bar, it 

was all very simple, relaxing and easy.