Sint Maarten

Introduction

Boeing landing on Sint Maarten

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Sint Maarten is the Dutch half of the island shared with the French Saint Martin. It is slightly smaller than the french part and the capital is Philipsburg. At the 10th of October 2010, the island of Sint Maarten became a separate state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, just like Curacao became and Aruba already was, and with its own government. The Netherlands Antilles were dissolved as a separate state and that state as such no longer exists.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Cities

• Philipsburg - The capital city.

Sights and Activities

• Fort Amsterdam
• Sint Maarten Museum
• Cupecoy Bay

Events and Festivals

Weather

The island of Sint Maarten has a hot and humid tropical climate with average daytime temperatures between 28 °C and 30 °C and average nights around 23 °C. Most rain falls between June and October with a chance of hurricanes from August onwards. Therefore, the drier (and slightly cooler) December to April period is the best time to visit weatherwise. Unfortunately prices rise sharply during this period and the months of November and May still have good weather. So budgetwise these latter months may be a good option as well.

Getting There

By Plane

Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) is the base of Winair (Windward Islands Airways), which serves Sint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Barthélemy, Montserrat, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda and Santo Domingo. Numerous airlines serve Sint Maarten from both the Caribbean and beyond, for example with KLM to Amsterdam and GOL to Manaus and Sao Paulo. North America is well served as well, with destinations being Washington, D.C., New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte and Chicago. Other main cities served include Toronto, Caracas and Paris. There are numerous taxis waiting for you to bring you to places on the island.

By Boat

• Sint Maarten - Anguilla vv

Although it takes longer from Sint Maarten than from Saint Martin to get to Anguilla, there is also a convenient route between Anguilla and Sint Maarten directly. Ferries travel between Blowing Point in Anguilla and Philipsburg in Sint Maarten. For more information about prices and schedules of this trip can be obtained by calling (264) 497 6665.

• Sint Maarten - Saint Barthélemy vv

Between Philipsburg, the capital of Sint-Maarten (the Dutch southern half of the island shared with Saint Martin) and Gustavia on Saint Barthélemy you can take the Rapid Explorer.
They leave at Bobby's Marina at Philipsburg, walking distance from Front-Street, 3 times daily on average
Crossings are take around 45 minutes to reach Gustavia and the schedule can be found here.
The MV Voyager travels daily and on Wednesdays and Sundays twice daily (one in the morning at 9am and one in the early evening at 6.45pm) between Oyster Pound and Gustavia.
Another option is to take the high speed ferry The Edge that travels to Gustavia once a day from Tuesday till Saturday. It leaves from Pelican Marina in Dutch St. Maarten at 9am. This passage lasts around 45 minutes.

• Sint Maarten - Saba vv

The MV Dawn II has sailings 3 times a week according to schedule between Philipsburg on Sint Maarten and Fort Bay on Saba, both leeward islands of the Netherlands Antilles. Crossings are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving Saba in the morning and returning from Sint Maarten in the late afternoon, taking about 2 hours each way. Sometimes there are cancelations, so check the latest schedule over here.

Another option is taking the Edge Ferry, departing Pelican Marina in St. Maarten at 9am on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, returning from Saba later that day. It takes about 90 minutes to cover the sea between the islands.

Getting Around

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Red Tape

Money

See also: Money Matters

The Antillean Guilder (Naf) is the currency for the Sint Maarten. It is also known as the Florin or Gulden and is subdivided into 100 cents. Note denominations are 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 250 NaF. Coin denominations are 5, 2.5, 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.1, 0.05, and 0.01 cents.
The Guilder is fixed to the US dollar at an exchange rate of 1.79:1.

Work

Study

Eat

Language

Drink

Sleep

Health

See also: Travel Health

There are no vaccinations legally required to travel to Sint Maarten. There is one exception though. You need a yellow fever vaccination if you have travelled to a country (7 days or less before entering Sint Maarten) where that disease is widely prevalent.

It's a good thing to get your vaccinations in order before travelling to Sint Maarten. The general vaccination against Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP) is recommended. Also a hepatitis A vaccination is recommended and vaccination against hepatitis B and typhoid are also sometimes recommended for stays longer than 3 months.

Dengue sometimes occurs as well. There is no vaccination, so buy mosquito repellent (preferably with 50% DEET), and sleep under a net. Also wear long sleeves if possible.

Finally, other possible health issues include diarrhea and other general travellers' diseases like motion sickness. Watch what you eat and drink and in case you get it, drink plenty of fluids (to prevent dehydration) and bring ORS.

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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