St Maarten was one of those port days we looked forward to exploring. We tried to see as much of the island as we could in the shortest time possible, but of course we barely scratched the surface. The good news is that it gives us a reason to come back for more. We did some exploring on our own in the morning, joined a ship excursion in the afternoon, and then had one of our best evenings onboard. Here’s how the day went.
Making our own way to Philipsburg
We had free time early in the morning, as the ship excursion we booked was not until around lunchtime. We hopped on the water taxi from the port (Great Bay) into town, which was easy to figure out and a nice way to start the day. Bring some cash, as they only accept cash. It was $7 for an unlimited all-day return, which is a good deal. The ride took about 5 minutes.
Once we got to Philipsburg, we just wandered. We walked along the front, got invited to try a rum drink served in a coconut, poked around the shops, and took in the town at our own pace. Most of the establishments were still slowly opening up, but we noticed there were already beach chairs set out on the nearby beaches. They were $20 for the day for two, which we thought was good value.
We walked through the centre of town and passed a little free garden. Then we decided to walk back to the port, as it was very close and easy to walk.
We kept an eye on the time though, because we had to be back on the ship by 12 noon for our excursion. If you’re doing something similar, build in a buffer. We didn’t want to be rushing back, and neither do you.
The Rhino Rider excursion
After a quick return to the ship, we joined our excursion with Rhino Rider, booked through the ship. This was the highlight of the day for us.
Our tour provider first took us to Simpson Bay, where we had about 30 to 45 minutes of orientation. Safety procedures, hand signals and a test drive around the bay were a must. Ben was our designated driver, and I was the passenger, responsible for copying the hand signals our guide gave us.
We crossed the water border between the Dutch and French sides of St Maarten/St Martin and passed lovely houses and beaches.
We got to see Maho Beach from a completely different angle: from the water. Most people picture it from the sand, with the planes coming in low overhead, but seeing it from the boat gave us a whole new view. We saw both small and bigger planes land and depart. I have to say the adventure is not for the fainthearted, as the open sea can be choppy and the ride bumpy, but boy, it was fun.
The excursion ended at Kim Sha Beach, which was a relaxed way to wrap things up after the boat ride. The beach was quiet and relaxing, and there were food places around, but we only had 30 minutes to an hour here and the queues were long, so we decided to skip food.
We were then taken back to the port in the van that had picked us up earlier.
Back on board
Finally, the AquaDome show
We’d been waiting to see the show in the AquaDome since we boarded, so it felt good to finally tick it off. There is a big difference between the aqua shows in the Icon class and the Oasis class, as the Icon show is done totally indoors while the Oasis ones are outdoors. With more control over environmental factors, the show was exhilarating and, needless to say, truly world-class entertainment.
Dinner and evening activities
Dinner that night was Caribbean themed in the Main Dining Room. The cuisine is not our favourite, but we had a decent meal. After that we went to the Love and Marriage show, which was a lot of fun and had us laughing. We finished the night at the duelling pianos, which is a great way to end a day when you still have some energy left, and then karaoke, where I may have shown off my singing voice.
Would we do it again?
Yes, but next time we would spend more time visiting the two parts of the island on a land-based excursion to diversify our experience and see more spots. The Rhino Rider was a unique experience and we would do it again, but maybe after we have seen more of St Maarten/St Martin.
If you’ve been to St Maarten, tell us in the comments whether you prefer exploring on your own or booking the ship excursion. We’d love to know.
Watch the full video on our YouTube channel, Aloft and Away.
