Written by Sylvia Longmire, SpinTheGlobe.net, updated October 2019
Sint Maarten, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a country on the southern part of a Caribbean island shared with Saint Martin, a French overseas collectivity. Its natural features span lagoons, beaches and salt pans. The capital, Philipsburg, has cobblestone streets and colorful, colonial-style buildings lining its Front Street shopping area.
Immediately upon coming ashore, passengers are welcomed to the Harbour Point Village to the sound of steel pans. That tropical feeling on the “Friendly Island” begins! Built in Philipsburg’s charming old architectural style, the Village contains duty-free outlets, souvenir shops and market stalls as well as bars and a restaurant.
Here most of the tour and excursion pick up and drop off points are found as well as bus tour stands and the cab stand. Friendly harbour staff are on hand to assist visitors and an information center is located in the main building. The Captain Hodge Wharf, Walter Williams Jetty and Bobby’s Marina are three convenient water taxi stops on the Philipsburg waterfront and $6 one-day tickets for unlimited rides can be purchased from one of two private
companies. Additionally 100 cabs await cruise arrivals at the terminal for fares to Philipsburg or elsewhere. None of the taxis are wheelchair accessible, so you must be able to self-transfer and have a folding, collapsible, or disassembled chair or scooter.
As mentioned above, once you leave your cruise ship and roll down to the end of the pier, you’ll enter a village with several different bars, restaurants, and souvenir shops. If the souvenir shops don’t have flat entry, most of them will have a small blue concrete ramp to enter.
