Vacation: “Catamaran Adventure” on Philipsburg, St. Maarten (Part 2 – Pictures)
We enjoyed visiting the beautiful island of St. Maarten!
Here are some pictures we took during our excursions that day!
A map of St Maarten in the port! When we got out at each port there were maps of the location and usually a lot of people offering to “help” us see the island. We had our excursions planned the day before so it allowed us the freedom to say “No Thank You” to all the offers. Plus one of the many benefits to going on an excursion that was through the cruise line was that they guaranteed that you would arrive back on the ship in time or they would hold the boat for you. When you go on an independent excursion if you don’t make it back to the port on time they just leave you!
Mom and Dad in St Maarten! Mom, Dad, Jake, and I walked through the town. It was neat seeing all the different shops and talking with the people that lived on the islands.
Spending time together in St. Maarten! (Jake & Bridgette) It was difficult getting a picture near signs without having other tourists in the middle of the shot. This sign was further on away from the port so we were able to get pictures without a group of random people being in it. This picture was taken on the edge of a little park in Philipsburg.
Huge private boat docked at the same port! We were told that it was Steven Spielberg's boat! This boat was huge and docked near our ship, it was Steven Spielberg’s boat (or so we were told)! You know a private boat is big when they have garages on their boat for smaller boats!
Snorkeling near St Maarten, somehow I was one of the first people in the beautiful water! Snorkeling was a fun adventure! It always takes some time getting use to the gear but everyone had fun swimming around!
We saw some schools of Black & Yellow striped fish and pieces of metal during our snorkeling adventure! Our camera is waterproof so Jake was able to bring it into the water and take some pictures of the fish. They were a little harder to see with all the sand in the water but we still found a few.
We saw several beautiful and huge boats on our excursion! We saw some amazing ships while on the catamaran. I had no idea that there were so many private boats. It was a beautiful place to visit.
The airport was so close to the beach it literally looked like the airplanes were landing on the beach with all the people! It was really neat watching an airplane land in St Maarten. The plane really looked like it was going to land on the beach with all the people.
Helicopter that had crashed on the port....now retired! We saw this helicopter on the port on our way back on the catamaran. It had a rough life that ended in a crash and was being stored on the pier. We knew our little one who enjoys cars, trucks and planes would get a kick out of seeing this one.
One of the Beach Taxi Boats going back and forth all day! If you are planning on going to the beach these Beach Taxi Boats were a great choice. You could ride them as much as you like all day for $6. They went back and forth every few minutes. You could spend the morning at the beach go to the boat for lunch then come back to the beach and hang out for the rest of the afternoon.
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Vacation: “Catamaran Adventure” on Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Beautiful butterflies & flowers at Philipsburg, St. Maarten. This butterfly fluttered around us for several minutes before landing on this flower. During our recent trip we were able to stop by Philipsburg, St. Maarten! Philipsburg is the capital of St. Maarten and on the Dutch side of the island. the island is well known for it’s most popular “must-have” ingredient….SALT! In the 17th century the Dutch settlers started harvesting the salt from Great Salt Pond and sending it by the ship load back to Europe. The natives nicknamed the island “Soualiga” or “Land of Salt”. Today the island is split with France owning the Saint Martin side and the Netherlands Antilles owning St. Maarten.
The first wildlife to greet us upon arriving at the island was a beautiful little butterfly, it must have been one from the Butterfly Farm on St. Maarten sent to welcome us to their island. St. Maarten has great “beach taxis” that will take you back and forth from the boat to the beach all day for $6. If you are looking to spend the day at the beach this was a great deal plus you could come back to the boat for lunch then head back out to the beach for free as long as you still had on your wrist band. St. Maarten is also a great place to shop and pick up some neat souvenirs for those back home. Some of our group went to the beach that morning to swim, collect seashells and relax while others went strolling down through the town and shops. It was a fun and relaxing morning at St. Maarten.
That afternoon we all went on the “St Maarten Reef Express” which took us to two snorkeling locations. On the way to our excursion we walked past a huge private boat, it was said to be Steven Spielberg’s private boat! They had a lot of wind and storms that week so the water was a little cloudy but the weather was beautiful. We were able to see some fish but didn’t get to go to the ship wrecks due to the cloudy water. The food, drinks and ride along the beach were amazing. We even got to see a plane almost land on the beach. St. Maarten’s airport is located very close to the beach and when planes land they look like they are landing on the beach while people are enjoying their time sun tanning or swimming in the ocean. Along our catamaran adventure we saw amazing boats, pastel homes, and were able to swim in its turquoise blue water.
Here are a few fun facts about St. Maarten AKA St. Martin (depending on which side of the island you were on at the time!):
- Official Name(s): St. Martin – dependency of French overseas AND St Maarten – part of the Netherlands Antilles
- Population of St. Maarten – 40,100
- Capital of St Maarten – Philipsburg
- Language of St Maarten – Dutch and English
- Currency – Netherlands Antilles Florin (although US Currency is widely accepted)
- Religions – Catholic, Protestant and Others
- Land Mass – 13 square miles
- Landforms – The island is known for its white sandy beaches and coves. They have a lot of greenery in the hills and valleys of the island, the highest point of the island is 1,200 feet. They do not have any significant rivers on the island.
- Climate – warm throughout the year, the high temperatures vary just slightly between the seasons.
Information taken from World Atlas
In an later post we will share some of the pictures we took during our adventure on St Maarten. If you ever have a chance to go to St Maarten we trust you will enjoy it as much as we did. Maybe we will have the opportunity to visit and explore their beautiful island again in the future, you never know!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
