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

West Indies Events and the St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta Foundation are inviting all Tall Ships to come to St.Maarten in January 2009.

A special course for those large vessels has been added in the fourth classic regatta which will be held during the third week of January.

The Tall ships will not have to pay a fee to participate in the St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta.

Tall ships like the Stad Amsterdam and the Star Clipper Ships have shown interest to participate already in previous years. The 245 ft (75.5 m) long Canadian build and based barquentine “Caledonia” is the first ship that has registered and the organization hopes to attract many more.Caledonia carries 1,579 square meters of sail and has 32 guest cabins and 22 crew.

The fourth Invitational St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta 2009 kicks off on Thursday January 22nd with a skippers briefing and official openings ceremony.

Effective sailing starts the next day on Friday January 23rd from Great Bay to Marigot where the yachts will be complimentary hosted like the previous years at Fort Louis Marina.

Saturday will be the special Tall Ships Day when all classics and the Tall Ships will start out of the bay in Marigot St.Martin and sail towards the finish line in Great Bay.

Organizers received the authorization from the Sint Maarten Port Authorities to dock the Tall Ships at the Pointe Blanche cruise ship pier so that passengers can disembark and an on board VIP reception can be held after the regatta that Saturday evening.

The general public will have the possibility to visit the ships on Sunday morning while they are in Great Bay.

The regular schooners, vintage, spirit of tradition and classic yachts in the regatta will set sail again that Sunday morning for the last regatta day towards Anguilla and return to the finish in Great Bay in the afternoon.

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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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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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The French and the Dutch colonialists Partitioned this little piece of paradise to divide de of the island St. Martin and the other portion, St. Maarten. However, that was several generations ago and the modern island is now can be considered to be the epitome of a true mixing of diverse and intermingling cultures.

The borderline between these two nations that straddles the island is hard for tourists notice these days. It is not even particularly adhered to by the two countries, as they prefer to just get on with their lives. in a way that only Carribbean people know how.

Having said that, this is two very different places, the hundreds of years of rule of the European settlers have produced two very different cultures. However, unlike other parts of the world, these cultures live side by side in harmony, enjoying and celebrating, their similarities and differences.

The French side of the paradise island is a small tropical version of the south of France. It features fine dining, the latest in Paris fashions and a Caribbean laid-back and totally luxurious feel. The classic French style permeates through every aspect of life, influencing the resorts, street signs and the indulgent sidewalk cafes.

On the Dutch side is more bustling and just slightly more reserved. Tourism and related business’s are the main focus of business and personal lives. Although busier than the French area of the island, it is still very tourist orientated, with lots to do and see.

Whichever side of the tropical isle you may prefer, this is still the Caribbean and beach life plays a major role in tourist and local lives. There are well in excess of thirty stunning beaches dotted around the islands entire coast.

The beaches offer the classic white sands, palm trees, coral reefs and warm water that is totally crystal clear. On the French side, you don’t even need a costume for all of the beaches. The beaches vary from heavily populated, offering every beach activity imaginable to quite secluded stretches of near uninhabited palm fringed beaches. Where there is not a stunning white sand beach, there are rugged limestone cliffs cascading into the sea, offering spectacular coastal scenery.

All around the island, you can indulge in all types of water activities from basic snorkeling to the full scuba, reef diving experience or exploring the British battleship under the waters of Great Bay. Sailing, jet skiing, pleasure boating, wind surfing and parasailing are just a few of the exiting ‘must try’ indulgencies available.

There are many miles of hiking trails traversing the mountains and along the beautiful shoreline. If your feet get tired, there are horseback adventures, or a more leisurely ‘spoilt walk’ around a first class golf course.

There are night and day markets, the old French Quarter, the incredible butterfly farm and many other ways to spend you time on this enchanted island.

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San Juan, Puerto Rico: Two US-based carriers have announced a reduction in their services to the Caribbean as they grapple to deal with soaring oil prices on the world market.  American Airlines and American Eagle has cut and canceled virtually all flights from the US to Aruba. Further signs that not only has the increase in fuel prices made these cuts necessary, but also demand to the Aruban tourism destination. High prices of fuel are obviously going to be the public reason what is given for the cuts and cancellation of flights; however, it is obvious that if the demand for travel to Aruba far outweighed the fuel costs there would have been no need to make a decision for the cut back in air travel.

Effective September of this year, the direct AA-flights from New York to Aruba on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are going to be cancelled.  American Airlines said it would no longer serve Antigua, St Maarten and Santo Domingo with jet service out of San Juan, while American Eagle announced a reduction in its Caribbean schedule from 55 to 33 daily departures out of San Juan from September 3.

In the meantime, Caribbean tourism types are freaking out. Without planes coming in, how are all those sun-seeking tourists gonna get to the islands?

Originally published by Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website, Bridgetown, in English 1759 30 May 08.

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