things to do in Sint Maarten

HELIrides

Great Bay Express Ferry to St Barts
$85 round trip each -from philipsburg

voyager
from marigot to st barts
from philipsburg to Saba island
$134 for 2 people round trip

Link to both websites with the schedule... good schedule at caribbeanwave.com

Rhino Safari Excursions

st martin info.com great list of links to activities

Dive Safaris

http://www.gobeach.com/restrant.htm good restaurant reviews

Lord Sheffield Pirate Cruises

simpson bay info - restaurants and phone numbers

st maarten dining guide

st maartin car rental

looking for a very fast car with no top
safari car rental had to submit a request for rental rate.

best deals car rental
they have a convertible I've never heard of. i didn't fill out the form. maybe call

dollar has a mustang $425

thrifty has a mustang

there is also a Daihatsu Copen aka clown car

WINNER:
Empress Car Rental 866-987-0849 Mustang Convertible

st martin

august 2011..
Flamingo Beach Resort
from ta..
restaurant on the beach at flamingo- Toppers
not owned by flamingo but will serve you dinner on your patio(1st floor only)
note- go to market for coffee...
ask for internet password at check in- only in lobby.
check with verizon for mifi capabilities there
restaurant across the street Bon Appetit
shuttle to the Royal Palm
building 4 is right on beach

recommended restaurants
cafe by the bay
bel mar
mary's boon
pineapple pete's
someplace next to Lee's with yellowtail sashimi and lobster tank.
Red Piano bar
Pelican Point
Lee's Roadside Grill
Marigot
L'oizeau Rare
La Sucriere. It's just on the main road (turn right when you get to the main road, it's then on the left).
La Voile Blanche (right across from the runway at Princess Juliana Airport)
Maho and the Sunset beach bar, planes land right over your head
Bikini beach Bar on Orient bay, get their grilled salmon, shrimp and melon salad it's ridiculous

excursions can be booked at Pelican next door

st maarten restaurant guide

mullet bay beach- watch for car break ins
dawn beach unsafe
orient bay- nice buy expensive chairs
cocoa beach $26/2 chairs
philipsburg $10

car rental
marigot market

maps
district maps
museum map
another map showing streets entire island

Sint Maarten

Flamingo Beach Resort
through RCI

honeymoon options

anguilla? north of sint maarten

1/8/09-1/17/09 den-miami $340 each - cont.
miami-anguilla 1/9/09 -1/16/09 $700 pp (the valley airport)
$873 grand case
$450 philipsburg

Mia- Antigua (st john's ANU) $578
st lucia (castries - eastern side) $555
(vieux fort - southern tip) $555

st lucia http://www.tikaye.com/

cayman
den-georgetown $621 8.5hrs connect in miami
marriott on 7 mile beach looks nice. $2337 total

HONEYMOON Options

All inclusive
St Lucia
Coconut Bay- Harmony
4000 air and hotel all inclusive. Nice, good room layouts. kids somewhere on resort though
3 restaurants? hmmm

Antigua
Sandals owns the Grand Pineapple- older and can't find pricing cuz sandals site sucks.

Turks & Caicos

Cruise day one and two

The checking in process was a little crowded and loud for me, but I wasn't feeling well. I think I ate something funky and my stomach was retaliating. I am the fire farter... twisted fire farter!!
So, took a cab to the pier from the National Hotel for about $15 bucks. As fast aas I could get out of the cab, the porter had our bags and reminded us that they are not part of the tipping pool and we should tip him. nice. blunt. direct.
We headed in to the cattle line into Norwegian's building and was sprayed for the first time of about a zillion with antibac spray. They made me chuck my water since I had cracked the seal. - so much for the sneaking in of VODKA!! ha. slinked thru the metal detectors and found the line for balcony and above. The checkin process was neat and tidy. There wasn't a lot of true non broken english spoken by any staff after this, with the exception of the cruise director, Shanna. Next was a BIGASS LINE to get onboard the ship.. wait to wait. We FINALLY pushed through onto the 7th deck where the customer service desk and wexcursions desk are. Our rooms wouldn't be ready until 2, so we went to check that big mothertrucker out.
lunch at the blue moon fast foody place on deck 7. tony had wings and I had the wonton soup. We ended up on 12 chillin in beach chairs around the pee pool havin bloody marys.
At about 3:30 after the rooms were ready for us, they had the safety thingy. Life jackets in hand, we headed to the 7th floor port side. I was starting to sway with the thought that I was gonna barf... on everyone. panic stricken, i made it through the ENDLESS demonstration of how we would all calmly (ha) get onto the lifeboat and safely get away from the huge deathtrap of a ship we had all committed our lives to for 7 days. I didn't make it too long after that. BARF and I was much better! let the fun begin. We signed up for the couples spa pass for $150 so we'd be able to chill child-free.
Dinner the first night was in the Zoo (Garden cafe buffet) I didn't feel well enough yet to waste a sit down fancypants.
ahhhhh.. WAKEY WAKEY. We had room service (horrible) carafe of coffee and fruit/yogurt/cereal. nice touch.!
This is our first sea day. I'm sure we wandered around a bit more. We had lunch in the Venetian with a unbelievable view from the aft (back) of the ship. I have no idea what we did next. I do know that is the day Tony tied one on and hung out in the casino with his new crazy ass best friend! hahah.. kidding.
Dinner... hmmmm... I'm pretty sure I tried to get us reservations at the main dining room, but they told me i'd have to go first come first serve.. We ate at Aqua - mid ship 7th deck.. We both had the Chateaubriand - yum!! and I got a bottle of wine- then, every meal we had after that- we gave the the ticket and after 20 minutes, they had our wine!yay!

Cruise

National Hotel in South Beach.
Great room! Silly city view= top of the roof!
the pool was awesome- although we didn't get it. it was narrow and long, with a "N" reflected in lights. Right out the back gate was south beach. I wish we had more time to play and stay! We hung by the pool bar on the couch lounge area and drank some of the most expensive drinks We've had. $13 mojito! it was damn good though!


DaY: Pushed through the gate towards the beach! Wandered South a hotel looking for lunch overlooking the beach/ocean! The Ritz Carlton (wooo fancy pants!) Sangria Friday!! Tapas platter with Olives and bread! yum yum!!

NiGHt:We walked over to the "Mall" like the 16th street mall in Denver. perused around a bit, stuck our noses in some shops. I was looking for more summer clothes. We ended up skipping our stop in Masonville- where I was going to refresh my luggage with my summer gear. I rolled with one pair of shorts and a skirt. Worked it!
We strolled back to the hotel for a quicky change (get our mind outta the gutter baby!) and strolled back to the area for some Sushi Dinner!! yum yum.

Tuesday- St Thomas

Another big map heremap shown from here.. see the townie maps on the side bar of Havensight and Charlotte Amalie
GOOGLE MAP
Taxis are rare, Safari van $5 per person.

Option1:
taxi to Red Hook 25 min
ferry to St. Johns($10.00)
Trunk bay by taxi ($6.00)
well worth it, amazing beach, with change rooms, showers, and stunning surf and sand
Option 2:
Coral World excursion $40/pp
Option 3:
fuck around fuck around
Butterfly Farm print coupon!! $5
Option 4:
Go to mountain top 1500 feet up.. highest point in StT
St. Peter Greathouse Estate and Gardens on the way up
have a banana daiquiri (world famous) while you're up there
Option 5:
St Thomas Skyride- Gondola $21 rt (website has an interactive havensight map)
Paradise Point restaurant at top. bar food.
Option 6:
BlackBeards Castle
$12 unguided tour
99 steps
Haagensen House- 1820's townhouse that's a museum and garden with a great gift shop selling antiques

SHOPPING:
Yacht Haven - port in Havensight- take a left off the ship
Where Wikked and Fat Turtle (restaurants- see below) are.

Cruise critic page on STT go back and read more. find best restaurants list and a map with roads of the port options

ports: havensight; crown bay

FOOD!! YAY
In Town~
Casual:
Amalia Cafe 24 Palm Passage St. Thomas, VI 00802, Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.); Mediterranean: Try the bouillabaisse. TAPAS
Cuzzin's Caribbean Restaurant (7 Back Street, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.) for regional fare
Cafe Amici (Dronnigens Gade, Monday until Saturday, from 11:30 a.m.) serves Mediterranean cuisine with local influences; the grilled tuna sandwich and salad nicoise are highlights
Gladys' (Royal Dane Mall, every day from 11 a.m.) offers West Indian cuisine such as conch and fungi and mutton stew along with more traditional items
Greenhouse Bar & Restaurant (Veteran's Drive- Waterfront, every day from 11 a.m.) for basic burgers and frozen drinks.

Gourmet:
Virgilio's (Dronnigen's Gade, Monday - Saturday from 11:30 a.m.) Italian restaurant with eccentric decor (a large collection of paintings of women, some quite abstract), stone and Pepto Bismol-pink painted walls. If the paprika ravioli on the menu, order it.
Herve Restaurant & Wine Bar
Beni Iguana's (Havensight Mall and Grand Hotel Court, Veteran's Drive) sushi
HAVENSIGHT MALL
building 6- havensight cafe
building 8- cold stone

Frenchtown: if we port in crown bay.
Craig & Sally's (3525 Honduras, Wednesday - Friday only, 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.), in this quirky neighborhood settled by St. Bart's refugees in the 19th century, is arguably the island's best restaurant. There's a great wine list and the menu changes daily based on chef's whim and what's fresh. TAPAS!!!
Bella Blu (Honduras, Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m.), part Austrian (yes, you can order wiener schnitzel), part American (good burgers and wonderful fresh fried calamari).
Beni Iguana's- Sushi

Havensight:
W!kked picture above (open daily from 11 a.m.)outdoor eatery. Try the French fries.
The Fat Turtle, in the same complex(Yacht Haven), also has waterfront seating- more casual
Ben & Jerry's
Bad Ass Coffee
Grande Cru - Mediterranean & wine bar

Ferry at Red Hook:
Lotus, Asian fusion place (American Yacht Harbor
Molly Malone's (American Yacht Harbor, everyday all day) a faux Irish pub, has a menu that veers toward the British staples of shepard's pie and fish and chips along with traditional American sandwiches.
Duffy's Love Shack (parking lot in Red Hook Plaza from 11:30 a.m. daily) is famous for its huge tropical drinks food is served as well.

INTERNET
Beans, Bytes and Websites Cafe (Royal Dane Mall)

BEACH
Best Beach for a Half-Day Visit: Magens Bay, St. Thomas' (and some would say the world's) most gorgeous -- and calmest -- beach, is a 20-minute taxi ride; the facility includes a bar, a cafeteria-style eatery, and one of the island's best shops for casualwear and bathing suits. Admission is $3 per person.

Best Beach for the Dedicated Beach Bum: Gotta go to St. John.

Best Beach for Active Types: Sapphire Beach, a resort on the island's East End, has the most stunning view as it faces St. John and the British Virgin Islands. Virtually every conceivable type of watersports equipment is available for rent, from kayaks to jet skis to Sunfish sail boats. Coki Beach, adjacent to Coral World, is a good destination for snorkeling and scuba diving (equipment can be rented there).

Best Secluded Beach: Water Island's Honeymoon Beach is the quintessential secret hideaway, particularly on weekdays (locals flock to it on weekends). While the beach itself is lovely -- a half-mile stretch of sand that's lined with coconut palms -- what's important about Water Island is what's not here. There's no gift shop, rowdy bar, restaurant or Jet Ski rental operator. There may or may not be a bathroom (sometimes it's open, sometimes not).

A water shuttle leaves from Crown Bay Marina ($3 each way) at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and returns from Water Island at 2:15 and 4:30 p.m. It's a good idea to double-check those times when you arrive as they are subject to change. Most major lines also offer a Water Island shore excursion that involves an easy downhill bike ride into the secluded beach area and a picnic lunch. Check with your cruise line for availability. Tip: Pick up a picnic at the Gourmet Gallery in Crown Bay before hopping on the water shuttle.

Tortola

Wednesday -PORT 8am-4pm: Road Town, Tortola

There are three regions in Tortola where you can catch a ferry:
Road Town (central),
Soper's Hole (West End)
Beef Island (East End). Soper's and Beef Island can be reached by taxi for about $20 per person round trip.

taxi to Brewer's bay?
Speedy's Ferry over to The Baths of Virgin Gorda
leaving at 9am, 10:30, 12:05, 1:30 . 4:30
returns at 10a, 11:30. 12:30, 3:30
round trip $30
Smith Ferry also has a bus transfer to the baths from the ferry dock at VG
7am, 8:50, 10, 12:30
r 7:50, 10:15, 1, 2:15 $28 or more (website doesn't say exactly)

FOOD
Road Town
Pusser's Road Town: Casual dining in fun atmosphere, Pusser's (open from 11 a.m. daily), which has outposts throughout the BVI, is a classic experience. Burgers, fish & chips, etc. Don't miss the national drink of the BVI, the Painkiller. MENU

Capriccio di Mare 196 waterfront drive (lunch from 11 a.m. Monday - Saturday) offers casual and elegant Italian fare.

Soper's Hole/West End
Pusser's Landing: Similar to the Road Town outlet, Pusser's Landing (open daily for lunch from 11 a.m.) has a more picturesque setting and more extensive menu. Excellent conch chowder and fish and chips.

Jolly Roger Inn: For a funky fusion of Asian/West Indian and Creole cuisine, the Jolly Roger Inn (open from 8 a.m. - midnight daily through high season) is on the waterfront.

East End
Fat Hog Bob's: Rustic hangout for locals and yachties on the waterfront at Fat Hog Bay, Bob's (open 11 a.m. daily) features barbecue, seafood, large portions, hammocks, swings and horseshoes.

First Port- Samana DR

Samana Online has good pics, but no beef.
Samana.net
samana ride
Trip Advisor on NCL's Samana stop.
more on the cruise stops
Trip advisor Samana Pennisula
port Port of Arroyo Barril?

what's there to see...
Flea Market
whale watching
caves and petroglyphs
El Limon Waterfall
Las Terrenas - Playa Bonita - Surf Boards at Hotel Acaya

Where to eat...
Las Terrenas - Mi Corazon
Le France
Camilo's
La Hacienda
Tropical Lodge
Chino's up the hill.
El Riconcito,

NCL CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrive	Depart
Sat	Miami	-	4:00 PM
Sun	At Sea	-	-
Mon	Samana	10:00 AM	7:00 PM
Tue	St. Thomas	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
Wed	Tortola	8:00 AM	4:00 PM
Thu	At Sea	-	-
Fri	Great Stirrup Cay	10:00 AM	6:00 PM
Sat	Miami	8:00 AM

Trip Advisor on upcoming april 09 cruise.. with advice on when to eat,. etc
Eastern Caribbean 4/4/09-4/11/09 photos from ncl.com
7 nights
Make sure to get your VIP cards on the Ship from Kiwi and take advantage of the deals - shopping in st thomas...
Best review of whole cruise on cruise critic