sunset on airport beach in sint Maarten

Things I Discovered About Sint Maarten

About Sint Maarten

  1. Sint Maarten is the Dutch side of the island.  Saint Martin is the French side of the Island
  2. The Dutch side is the southern part of the island and the French side is the northern part of the island.
  3. Phillipsburg is for the cruise ships
  4. Simpson Bay is for the airport
  5. The area near the airport is not safe
  6. Taxis need to be ordered, so showing up at the ferry dock without a taxi nearby is not a good choice
  7. Maho Beach is famous for watching the planes land.  What is enjoyable about this?  Not relaxing!  At least the sunset is nice
  8. Airport Beach is long and good for walking, but see 7 above
  9. The international line on the water between the Dutch and French side is marked by an anchor line with bikini tops hanging from it indicating the French topless area!
TIPS!
SCUBA diving in Saba

Top Things to Do in Saba

About Saba

Saba is a Dutch island in the Caribbean Sea.  Only five square miles with a population of 2,000, this small island is known as the Unspoiled Queen. With little commercialization and no cruise ships, Saba is a tropical paradise!

Saba was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 but he did not consider the mountainous landscape important enough to colonize.  From its discovery until 1816, Saba changed hands many times…from the Spanish, to the French, and to the Dutch who took final possession.

The island includes four small settlements, the world’s shortest commercial runway (1,200 feet), the tallest mountain in the Netherlands which is the potentially active volcano Mt. Scenery, and world class SCUBA diving.

EXPLORE!
runway at the bottom of the rocks

Hiking in Saba

Hiking in Saba on Our Dive Trip

A few years ago, I heard about an island called Saba in the Caribbean that had good SCUBA diving. I mentioned it to my dive buddies Rootie and Julie, and soon we ended up on a girls’ trip diving in Saba.  I didn’t know, however, that there are a lot of opportunities for hiking in Saba.  How perfect, we turned our dive vacation into a hiking trip too!

While we spent the mornings diving, we spent many of our afternoons as well as our last day on the island exploring.  As such we got to hike many trails in Saba.

GO HIKING!
filefish in Saba

SCUBA Diving in Saba

About Saba

Saba is a Dutch island in the Caribbean Sea.  Only five square miles with a population of 2,000, this small island is known as the Unspoiled Queen. I’d have to agree with that…with little commercialization and no cruise ships…this island is a tropical paradise!

Saba was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 but did not consider the mountainous landscape important enough to colonize.  From its discovery until 1816, Saba changed hands many times…from the Spanish, to the French, and to the Dutch who took final possession.

The island includes four small settlements, the world’s shortest commercial runway (1,200 feet), the tallest mountain in the Netherlands which is the potentially active volcano Mt. Scenery, and world class SCUBA diving.

Continue reading “SCUBA Diving in Saba” →
Little Bay, Anguilla

Three Days in Anguilla

It has been a few years since I’ve been to the Caribbean, and I always like visiting a tropical destination during Colorado’s snowy months.  This year I selected a combination of three nearby islands; Anguilla, Saba, and St. Maarten.

Getting to Anguilla

My first stop was Anguilla via St. Maarten.  There is not a direct flight from Denver to St. Maarten, so I had to go through Charlotte.  Short layover times for winter delays encouraged me to fly to Charlotte the previous night.  Good choice!  The Denver airport shut down due to the bomb cyclone winter storm the day after I left.

GO TO THE BEACH!
Tips for traveling to Anguilla: Shoal Bay Beach

Tips for Traveling to Anguilla

While I’ve been to many Caribbean Islands, either things have changed, or Anguilla is a little different from some of the others I’ve visited. For starters, I don’t ever remember needing so much cash! Below are some tips for traveling to Anguilla.

TIPS!
Ferry from St. Maarten to Anguilla

From St. Maarten to Anguilla

While I read the general information about a ferry transfer from St. Maarten to Anguilla at Stmartinbookings.com, few small details still alluded me. As such, I have written a post for the first timers who are flying into the airport at Simpson Bay on the dutch side of St. Maarten, and need to get to Anguilla.

TIPS!

Dreamtrip: Paradise Island, Bahamas

Where to Stay, Things to Do, and Places to Eat on Paradise Island

I felt like I needed some beach time in the winter, so I booked a trip through my vacation club, World Ventures, the largest private club in the world.  The club provides pre-packaged trips as well as a booking engine for flight, hotels, VRBO, cruises, and rental cars.  It also includes an online shopping mall with virtually every retailer as well as discounts at local restaurants and events.

I didn’t want to have to think about anything for this relaxing vacation, so I picked a four-night trip to the Bahamas.  I flew from Denver while my friend Max came from Dallas.  Miraculously, both of our flights were on time and our bags came off the carousels next to each other in baggage claim, so we were off to paradise quickly!

Continue reading “Dreamtrip: Paradise Island, Bahamas” →

Treasures of Trinidad

Things to Do and Places to Eat in Trinidad, Cuba

Homestay

To continue with the Valentine’s Day theme from last night, our hosts’ two-year old son picked some flowers in the courtyard and proudly presented them to me at breakfast…so cute! We enjoyed our breakfast on the veranda outside our room which was decorated in pottery. The house was home to grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, and their little one. Our room may have been the largest we’ve stay in on the trip thus far. It included to queen size beds, a large wardrobe with many hangers, coat hooks, and even Cuban shampoo and shower gel, not to mention cups wrapped in plastic like a US hotel. Continue reading “Treasures of Trinidad” →