St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barth Travel News

St. Maarten - July 31 - BlueOceanVillas.com

Some welcome news concerning the state of the local economy during the first half of the year was reported by government. While the cost of living undoubtedly has increased, government earnings on a cash basis and the collection of taxes are both up.

Some airlines have reduced the number of flights to St. Maarten, but the number of stay-over visitors increased by 5.2 per cent compared to 2007 and all source markets except the Caribbean recorded growth. Occupancy rates went up by four per cent over the first quarter and eight per cent over the second.

While the local cruise sector is faced with demand shifting away from the Caribbean, the number of passenger arrivals dropped only slightly, by 3.8 per cent, over the first quarter and the number of ship calls by 78 over the first six months, the latter compensated largely by the use of larger vessels.

All in all, “The Friendly Island” appears to be doing all right, certainly compared to some of the other islands, while the Caribbean as a whole is also doing better than some other regions when it comes to tourism. That American Airlines, US market leader in the region, announced an increase rather than decrease of direct flights from the mainland to St. Maarten reinforces the view that the island remains a highly popular destination.

It’s far too early to rejoice, however. Some of the worst impact when it comes to world fuel and food prices as well as the real estate crisis in the US may still be felt in the comings months and years. The drop in pre-construction sales in various major tourism projects on the island is an indication of that.

The outlook for the rest of the year is positive and gives government cause to be cautiously optimistic. It’s important, however, to keep in mind that things can change for the worse very quickly. Under the circumstances, working more on diversifying tourism in terms of both secondary markets and times of the year continues to be important. Today’s good tidings do not change that.

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* Mon., July 28: Austin, TX * Tues., July 29: California * Wed., July 30: Chicago, IL * Thurs., July 31: Florida * Fri.-Sun., August 1-3: Nassau, Bahamas * Mon., August 4: New York * Tues., August 5: Puerto Rico * Wed., August 6: St. Maarten

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has announced that it will again offer flights between St Barth and St Maarten starting on July 15 in partnership with Tropical Airlines. (aka Air Antilles Express)

Air Antilles Express is an airline based in Guadeloupe. It is a regional airline operating scheduled services between the islands of the French West Indies and to St Lucia. Its services are operated by Air Guyane using 2 ATR 42 aircraft under the name of Air Antilles.

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THE NETHERLANDS - Following a meeting of the Island Council, the former Dutch colony of St Maarten has agreed to the creation of a supervisory board to regulate the island’s finances.

Curaçao, another Caribbean island and former Dutch colony, has already agreed to the same measure.

The government in The Hague is involved in a restructuring of the constitutional status of the Netherlands Antilles but was only prepared to grant greater autonomy to Curaçao and St Maarten if there were improvements in law enforcement and in their finances.

The creation of a financial supervisory board to scrutinise the islands’ budgets satisfies the second condition as far as the Netherlands is concerned.

The board will be located in Curaçao and will be chaired by Hans Weitenberg, the former director of Statistics Netherlands.

In Curaçao there was fierce opposition to financial supervision, which many people regard as a form of re-colonisation. There were loud protests in the capital Willemstad and the Island Council initially rejected the idea. It was only when a new Island Council took office in 2007 that the agreement was ratified.

Things were quieter in St Maarten, where there was no public protest and the Island Council took less than an hour to make its decision.

The introduction of financial supervision will be discussed by the State Ministerial Council (the Dutch council of ministers and the minister plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba) on Friday.
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American Airlines has put pretty much every destination in the Caribbean region on sale, as long as you book by the end of this month.

At the time we checked, an early September round-trip between St. Maarten and Miami. AA is selling seats for $388.

As with all airfare sales, sometimes you’ll find great deals and other times it won’t work out. Just remember: The money you save may go towards luggage fees if you overpack!

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Philipsburg’s main drag is Front Street, and this is where you’ll find most of the jewelry stores, electronics boutiques, parfumeries, and other shops that take advantage of the city’s status as a duty-free port. When cruise ships are in port, the narrow streets can become quite crowded, but you’ll rarely have to jostle for attention from the dozens of jewelers selling high-end watches and gold and diamond jewelry. Connecting Back Street, Front Street, and the Boardwalk are a series of short side streets, typically jammed with small souvenir shops and a few hidden cafes and restaurants. Many of the shops sell a similar assortment of tropical shirts and bric-a-brac, but you also can find mom-and-pop shops selling smooth flavored rums and Indian crafts.

Towards the east end of Front Street (closest to the cruise pier, connected to downtown by a walkway) are a pair of casinos, the Rouge et Noir and the Coliseum Casino. Back Street, parallel to Front Street on the Salt Pond side of town, is a bit less touristy and where more locals tend to congregate.

The Philipsburg Boardwalk is by far the biggest attraction in town. Nearly 50 feet wide and running nearly the entire length of the city’s Great Bay waterfront, the Boardwalk serves as a lively “back porch” for the hotels and restaurants on the south side of Front Street. You’ll find strollers, skaters, and even Segway tours cruising along the half-mile-plus ribbon of concrete. Within sight of the cruise-ship dock, the Boardwalk is a great place to grab an inexpensive cold Carib or Heineken from one of the many beach bars and linger while street musicians perform, or duck inside one of the many restaurants lining the strip for some local Dutch/Indonesian influenced cuisine or just a burger or hot dog. Other attractions include a sun-drenched Catholic Church that looks out over the bay, an arcade with pinball and video games, and a beachfront playground. Speaking of the beach, you can rent beach chairs and an umbrella — with a half-dozen cold beers thrown in — for about $20. Between the Boardwalk, the beach, bright spaces like the Islan Flava Beach Grill, and the very cool Holland House, there’s more than a little touch of Miami Beach on the Philipsburg waterfront. It’s a great place to spend a few hours shopping, dining, gambling, or just hanging out on the beach, whether you’re staying on the island or taking the short walk from the cruise pier. You can even mix a bit more history into your visit by exploring the nearby Fort Amsterdam, built in 1631, or Fort Willem, both designed to protect Philipsburg from seaborne invaders.

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Whenever you renting one of our villas in St Maarten or St Martin, a day trip to Pinel Island is a must.  Charming Pinel Island, or Isle Pinel, or in French Ilet Pinel or Ile de Pinel, is a tiny island on the north end of St. Martin and located near the North end of Orient Beach, 5 minutes off the shores of French Cul de Sac. A must see on your visit. You will see the signs on the main road just past Orient as you are driving toward Grand Case.  The end of the road at French Cul de Sac opens onto a wide sandy area where visitors find a wooden dock, parking and a new shack that rents out Kayaks. The ferry runs every half hour from 10 am to 3:30 pm. The last ferry leaves Pinel at 4 pm. The cost is $6 US round trip. You pay on the boat. The boat ride is about 5 minutes. The boats are all different, so some of them may be easier to get on and off for those with mobility issues. You have to be able to either climb up or down from the dock onto the boat and vice versa. Please check the time of the last ferry as they frequently change the last outbound trip ….. Then enjoy a wonderful short five minute ferry ride on the pristine and shallow waters for a relaxing day of exploring, sunbathing, or a picnic on this tropical paradise!

When you arrive on Pinel Island you will see a large sand spit. Behind that a stand of Coconut palm trees, and then a small hill that makes up this picture perfect paradise. There are chairs for rent on the beach. There are no cars, no roads, no electricity, however you will find two beach bars/ restaurants, one is run by a Frenchman, the other is a local tiki-hut style place serving BBQ food, seafood and grilled fresh lobster as well, between these two bars, hidden in the sea grape, there is the “Paradiso” gift shop (from Dutchman Tom, called Tom´s Place), a treasure chest of Caribbean colors and unusual gifts.

With lots of shallow waters, this paradise like sand point is protected from pounding surf. The water is calm and crystal clear, accompanied by beautiful beaches. Ideal for snorkeling for its coral reefs and also for sunbathing, as the main beach stays sun-drenched until the end of the day! The island is totally relaxing and a little slice of paradise for those who want to get away from it all for a day.

Tip : Only cash accepted on the ferry, restaurants and gift shop. There are no ATM’s on Pinel.

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Note : for Dutch speaking readers only …..  sorry ……

PHILIPSBURG - De Eilandsraad van Sint Maarten is maandagmiddag (lokale tijd) akkoord gegaan met de instelling van een toezicht op de financiën van het eiland. Het toezicht is voor Nederland een belangrijke voorwaarde in het proces van staatkundige herstructurering van de Nederlandse Antillen. Eerder ging Curaçao al akkoord.

De aangenomen Algemene Maatregel van Bestuur financieel toezicht houdt in dat de begrotingen van de eilanden de komende jaren nauwgezet tegen het licht wordt gehouden door een op Curaçao gevestigd college financieel toezicht. Het college staat onder leiding van voorzitter Hans Weitenberg, oud-directeur van het Centraal Planbureau.

Sint Maarten en Curaçao willen autonome landen worden binnen het Koninkrijk. Nederland gaat daarmee alleen akkoord als de rechtshandhaving en de financiële structuur worden verbeterd. Het laatste punt lijkt nu met het aannemen van de Algemene Maatregel geregeld. De Rijksministerraad bespreekt vrijdag 11 juli het instellen van het toezicht.

Rekolonisatie

Op Curaçao is de oppositie fel tegen de maatregel, omdat die wordt gezien als een vorm van ‘rekolonisatie’. De aanname van het voorstel leidde twee weken geleden tot heftige demonstraties op het eiland, waarbij wegen moesten worden afgezet.

Nadat het voorstel ’s avonds laat werd aangenomen, zochten groepjes boze demonstranten ruzie in de buurt van cafés waar veel Nederlanders komen. Een Antilliaanse man liep daarbij een schedelbasisfractuur op.

Op Sint Maarten was maandag daarentegen geen demonstrant te zien. De behandeling in de Eilandsraad duurde nog geen uur. Daarna werd de maatregel unaniem aangenomen.

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Meanwhile, a second New York to St. Maarten flight starts on December 18. This additional flight, originating from JFK International Airport, is scheduled to run twice a week, increasing to five times per week on January 6, 2009, for the remainder of the peak tourism season.

Roy Marlin, Tourism Commissioner of St. Maarten, told The Daily Herald: “[American Airlines'] decision only confirms the fact that in light of all the cutbacks taking place in the airline industry today, we have an extremely viable and thriving tourism product.”

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