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Philipsburg |
Philipsburg. Somewhat congested when the cruise ships are in port at Great Bay, Philipsburg is known for its narrow, cobblestoned Front Street with world-class jewelry and other duty-free shops and cafes connected by steejes (little lanes) to less congested Back Street, with more local and eclectic shopping. Along Great Bay beach, the Boardwalk promenade stretches a mile, lined with casual beach bars and fine restaurants. |
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Restaurants. Philipsburg has many interesting restaurants, including French, Creole, Chinese and Indian. |
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Jewelers. Jewelers include Majesty Jewelers with the perfectly cut Hearts on Fire diamond, Effy Jewelers with its Pave Rose brilliant white diamonds hand-set into rose gold, Kay's with its exclusive, rare Dream in Color gemstone, Little Switzerland with its Tiffany and Co. pieces, its fine Italian Roberto Coin gold jewelry and its stunning Tahiti pearls by Yvel, AMA Jewelers, with its THOMAS SABO Charm Club Collection and Diamonds International with its distinctive MarahLago Larimar. |
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In St. Maarteen, MarahLago is carried by Majesty Jewelers (46 Front Street, Philipsburg) and and Diamonds International. (at the airport, Wathey Square and 68 Front Street, Philipsburg) |
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Yvel |
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All of Effy Jewelers' fine collection of diamond, tanzanite, and gemstone jewelry is designed by founder Effy Hematian, an acclaimed jeweler for 30 years. He opened his first store in Aruba. Effy's unique stylish jewelry is imported directly from mines and hand-set in their New York workshops at significant savings. In St. Maarten, Effy Jewelers is located at 28 A Front Street, Philipsburg.
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Embarkation Cruises from St. Maarten. Seabourn's Spirit (see info and rates) departs from St. Maarten for exotic Caribbean cruises. Lavishly-appointed, these all-suite Seabourn ships offer ultra-luxury cruises limited to 104 couples for the ultimate in romance. | |||
Destination
Cruises to St. Maarten.
St. Maarten is one of the Caribbean's
busiest destination ports, receiving cruises originating from
San Juan
(see
'Adventure of the Seas' cruise) and other Caribbean island
departure ports. From the mainland US, departure ports for cruises to St. Maarten include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Galveston, Charleston, Norfolk, Baltimore and New York. Even international departure cruises go to St. Maarten. |
Oasis of the Seas Cruise to St. Maarten from Ft. Lauderdale |
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World's Largest Cruise Ship |
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The world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas uses
its magnificent spaces to create seven unique interior experiences
(photo:
MSNBC). Its multi-deck, open-air atrium-promenades are
mini "resort-like" destinations themselves.
New features include the wade-in Beach pool, the Japanese Izami restaurant and an enlarged version of the popular top-of-the-decks Windjammer Cafe. Entertainment Place has the musical 'Hairspray,' an ice show, casino, comedy club, nightclub and a jazz club.
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Shore Excursions. The most popular shore excursion by far is simply shopping (and dining) in Philipsburg. Marigot, St. Martin. With a southern France ambiance comparable to Cannes, Marigot, on the St. Martin side of the island, has open air cafes, boutiques and bistros as well as a beautiful harbour.
Flights are available on WINAIR, Windward Express, St. Barth Commuter and other local carriers as well as Ferry Service. |
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Ferry Service. Ferry service is available to Anguilla and St. Barths from St. Martin's Marigot ferry dock and to Saba from the Pelican marina near St. Maarten's airport. Ferry service is not available to St. Eustatius (Statia). The travel time to St. Barths is 75 minutes on a conventional ferry and 35 minutes on a catamaran ferry. |
Airport. As the second busiest airport in the Caribbean after Puerto Rico's San Juan airport, St. Maarten/St. Martin airport serves as a gateway to the Lesser Antilles. | ||
The Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) (599-545-4211) on St. Maarten's side of the island offers non-stop flights from the United States and Europe. The airport's 7708' runway, barely enough for heavy jets, requires a low 3% guide approach over the beach, as shown (see video), to the delight of plane spotters, some at the adjacent Sunset beach bar (photo: Wikipedia). Onboard, for landings, a left side seat offers the best views of the island, and the right side for the takeoffs that climb steeply toward the mountains and bank hard right after 10 seconds. A top 10 most exciting airport to fly! | ||
Ground Transport. The most economical
way to get around,
rental cars are available at the airport, along with taxis, which can be
especially expensive to the French side of the island.
Limos may be arranged for pickup at the airport. |
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See St. Maarten Airport. |
Accommodations.
Philipsburg and St. Maarteen have a wide variety of accommodations
(see info and rates). In Philipsburg itself, the
Seaview Hotel (see rates-low price guarantee) is "beachfront on
a budget" right on Front Street.
Princess Heights Deluxe Condo Hotel (see rates-low price
guarantee),
in Oyster Pond, is an affordable luxury boutique condo hotel with
gourmet kitchens and great ocean views. Marigot and St. Martin have large resorts as well as more intimate places (see info and rates. See the affordable Hotel Beach Plaza (see info and rates) right on Marigot Bay. |
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Accommodations near the Airport. Near the airport, the Travel Inn Hotel (see rates-low price guarantee) and the Turquoise Shell Inn (see rates-low price guarantee) are affordable choices. |
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