by southernfried
Avoid Philipsburg like the plague. It's way too commercial and you're accosted by people trying to sell you things everywhere you turn. ... Instead, take a $4 bus ride to Marigot on the French side, where the shops are nicer, the restaurants are better and the atmosphere is much more laid back. If you're going to the beach, skip the busy Orient and head to the much quieter (and nicer) Mullet Bay.
Visited: Jun 05, 2016
by callyhuh
It rained. nice place though for shopping and having s few beers in the street-nice people.
Visited: Apr 28, 2019
by BarbaraGC
Beautiful port. We did an island tour which took us to both the Dutch and French sides of the island. The shopping stop was disappointing with 45 minutes to spend on a very small mall and a flea market. Luckily there was a marvelous pastry shop.
Visited: Apr 13, 2019
by MsBettina
No excursion. Been there several times before. Not fully built up since hurricane. Best find was a Dutch cheese shop about 3 blocks from the ship. Best Gouda cheese from Amsterdam. Can carry for travel as long as package isn't opened.
Visited: May 04, 2019
by RhondaCrabill
I want to say good things about St. Maarten, but we got ripped off by the vendor we shopped at...they did not put all the items we purchased into our shopping bag and we did not realize until we unpacked back on the ship and it was too late to do anything about it. I’ll be much more wary next time. Sucks they treat tourists like that.
Visited: Nov 19, 2018
by AnniR
it was ok. some vendors on the beach were a bit pushy with trying you get you to buy stuff like bracelets, 'massages' on the beach....we can understand since they just went through through the hurricane and did not have tourists but it was a bit too much of a shakedown for my taste. we did buy stuff cause we felt bad and wanted to leave some cash for them but it was still a little too much. Taxi drivers accost you. We went with one and I'm sure they are all pretty nice and our taxi driver was very nice too, offering some local current info as well as pointing out some points of interest. She asked what time we wanted to be picked up from the beach and she was right there at the appointed time.
Visited: Mar 03, 2018
by southernfried
Philipsburg is a place I avoid like he plague because of the gauntlet of annoying vendors that you have to endure the minute you step off the water taxi. So, as we learned on an earlier trip to St Maarten, we took a bus over to the French side. Unfortunately, Marigot is still devastated from hurricane damage and is just a shadow of the beautiful village it once was. The good news is that the beach at Mullet Bay is still as nice as always, with incredibly clear water, wonderful views and the best ribs on the planet at Rosie's Snack Bar
Visited: Jun 16, 2019
by rdginx
With the help of the information station, the port was easy to navigate. I toured the island with the Double Decker Open Top Tour and it was nice. Traffic was just so great and no one likes traffic. The Carousel and gelato was the highlight. Not too many historical sites were visited, so I really don't know if the island actually has historical sites to visit.
Visited: Dec 10, 2018
by InterstateIvy08
This port doesn’t have many shops to choose from when shopping. We did find one little shop with souvenirs. That’s why I gave it 3 stars. We booked the Beach Break with lunch excursion with carnival. Our driver shared the island’s history with us on our drive to Simpson Bay Beach. There is still a lot of damage 9 months later from the hurricane, but they are rebuilding. The lunch was very delicious we both had the red snapper with beans & rice, and a salad. To drink, we filled up on the rum punch. For those afraid of little quick moving lizards, fyi they are in and around the restaurant area. They are more afraid of you than you are of them.
by MJNov
Easy port to just get off ship & walk/shop, however this was our favorite excursion.
Visited: Aug 07, 2016
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