Of all the islands in the Caribbean, I
think that St. Maarten has changed the most since I first visited
there back in the 1990s. That visit was on one of Queen Elizabeth
2's semi-annual Caribbean cruises. Big ships like QE2 could not dock
in St. Maarten and so we were anchored just beyond the Great Bay and
had to take a tender into Phillipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side
of the island. There wasn't much when you got there. Just a narrow
strand of beach and a couple of streets that ran parallel to the
beach with a few stores on them.
Now it is all different. A huge
cruise ship complex has been constructed and the world's largest
cruise ships dock there on a regular basis. Not only are there shops
at the cruise ship complex but the recently beautified streets of
Philipsburg are alive with upscale shops. It competes with St.
Thomas as the shopping capital of the Caribbean. And the strand of
sand by the bay that used to periodically wash away has been replaced
by a wide expanse of white sand, beach facilities and a boardwalk.
The island's infastructure has
developed in a tourist friendly way. It is an easy and pleasant walk
to downtown from the cruise complex. Or you can do like most people
and take the frequent water taxis that run to and from the complex.
If you are looking to go to the beach at Orient Bay or Maigot, the
capital of the French side of the island, there are plenty of taxis
as well as private tours in addition to the ships' shore excursions.
Beware that when there are four or five really big ships in, the road
traffic on the island can get a little heavy.
Our profile of cruise destination St.
Maarten, including photos and links, is posted at
http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination---st-maarten.html
In addition, when I was last in St.
MaartenI decided to try one of its many water-related activities.
This was the Sea Trek helmet dive where you don a helmet and then
climb down 20 feet below the waves and walk along the sea floor. It
is an altogether different world down there and it is a much
different experience than swimming or exploring via an excursion
submarine or semi-submersible. The report on my adventure is posted
at
http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-article---a-walk-along-the-sea-floor.html
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