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

St Maarten — DELTA will introduce new Boeing 737-700 aircraft on the Atlanta - St. Maarten route effective December 20, 2008. . It will operate DL439/440 daily except Day 6 to cope with demand for the destination. The airline has added extra daily flights to Aruba and the Dominican Republic but only an extra weekly flight here. The Caribbean is a perennial favourite spot for tourists during the winter months, and Delta is making it easier and more convenient for customers to reach their preferred beach destination,” Miguel Lopez, regional director of Sales for Central America and the Caribbean for Delta said in the article.

Also effective December 20, 2008, 8th weekly service to St. Maarten will be added, operated by 737-700 as well.

DL439 ATL0945 - 1435SXM 73W x6
DL439 ATL0945 - 1435SXM 757 6
DL446 ATL1050 - 1540SXM 73W 6

DL440 SXM1535 - 1900ATL 73W x6
DL440 SXM1535 - 1900ATL 757 6
DL445 SXM1640 - 2005ATL 73W 6

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St Maarten, August 1. Press release by BlueOceanVillas

Royal Caribbean, a successful and profitable international company, has been in business for more than 30 years, has approximately 40,000 employees, a fleet of 40 ships that carry approximately four million passengers per year and generates about four billion dollars of gross revenue. It is the second largest cruise ship company next to Carnival and is currently developing projects in Honduras, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Kitts.

In St. Maarten, they are developing and converting what is now an industrial area into a waterfront esplanade with hotels, condos, retail stores, restaurants, a yacht marina – something that ultimately will look like St. Tropez.

They are also building a new dock to accommodate Royal Caribbean’s new class of Genesis mega-ships, the first one to be called Oasis of the Seas scheduled for launch in late 2009. The new dock/pier, to be completed at the end of November 2008, will be juxtaposed to the existing Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise Pier that was completed in 2001.  The Oasis of the Seas, will be able to dock alongside the yet-to-be named pier.

The Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities expansion will keep the island on the cusp of cruise tourism development, an industry that has seen a decline in the Caribbean in 2007. However, St. Maarten’s numbers continued to grow due to the island’s commitment to development, improvement and increasing its market share.

Carnival is the biggest investor in the project with a contribution of US $34.5 million.The loan from Carnival is repayable in 20 years at 5.9 per cent per annum. To generate income for the port and help facilitate repayment of the loan, Carnival Corporation guarantees approximately 700,000 passengers to St. Maarten annually, while it will have one fixed berth on the pier and three on the existing pier.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has contributed $10 million and has also guaranteed a fixed number of passengers annually. In turn, the company will have one fixed berth on the new pier and one at the existing one.

Refinancing of existing harbour loans by RBTT Merchant Bank for $84 million rounds off the multi-million-dollar upgrade that makes St. Maarten the proud owner of the largest port in the Northeastern Caribbean.

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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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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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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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Despite many peoples perception of two separate islands. St. Maarten and St. Martin are in fact not two islands but one island that was originally split between the French and Dutch colonies for several hundred years.

The island is no longer divided in the sense that there is no separation that is noticeable to the tourist. Apart from the obvious and interesting cultural disparities between the two halves of this exiting tropical island.

There is so much to see and do that St. Martin and St. Maarten can satisfy even the most experienced traveler. The average daily temperature is a balmy Eighty degree’s with a very plentiful supply of sunshine. The trade winds are a seemingly constant companion serving to keep the temperatures at bay, and providing a wonderful fresh feel to the evening air.

The culturally vibrant atmosphere is bound to stimulate the senses as the islands visitors are always enthralled by this culturally diverse, yet harmonious Caribbean getaway. The restaurants and stores have a distinctly European flavor tinged with a laid back Caribbean edge, offering foods and gifts that are very familiar yet somehow very different. The beaches can only be described as stunning, in a way that is only found in this little corner of the world.

Accommodations on the island tend to be up market apartments and villas, rather than hotels. It seems that most visitors prefer the unrestricted feel of doing their own thing at their own pace. With the quiet splendor and seclusion of a spacious self- catering villa or an apartment with a stunning Caribbean view from the balcony. Where tourists can partake of a cocktail, while watching the sun dip into the Ocean.

A vacation on this island is not complete without attempting scuba diving or snorkeling in the crystal-clear blue-white waters. With the opportunity to view the stunning array of marine life, that awaits you just below the surface of the wonderful warm, calm, seas.

These waters offer an endless supply of exiting opportunities such as sailing, deep sea fishing for Marlin and Barracuda. Wind surfing, pleasure boat rides and memorable romantic evening dinner cruises, there is also Jet Ski riding, or you could even opt for a simple swim in the constantly warm water.

here are also multitudes of historic sites that can be visited independently with a hire car, or you can just as easily Ttake an organized trip to the many history filled locations around the island.

The highest quality five course French fare is every bit as wonderful as any to be found in the best Parisian eateries. There is also an enticing mix of European and local fravours that combine to stimulate even the most jaded traveler’s pallet.

It doesn’t matter which ‘island’ you choose St. Maarten or St. Martin, you can intermingle your vacation with these two wonderfully diverse and intertwined cultures that promise to give a taste of two old world European cultures, with a very distinctive Caribbean edge.

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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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On 11th Nov 1493, famed explorer Christopher Columbus landed on a small Caribbean island and laid claim to it in the name of Spain. In 1624, French settlers began to start the cultivation of a new cash crop, tobacco.

A few years later in 1631, Dutch colonialists arrived they were interested in another highly prized commodity, salt. From 1684, the island was split in half to form Sint Maarten the Dutch zone in the south of the island. And Saint-Martin, the French settlement in the northern half of the island. The British also had interests on the little island up until 1816.

Modern visitors do not have to suffer months on a crowded sailing ship to reach this paradise island. In November 2006, Juliana International Airport opened on the island, this modern air terminal is capable of handling the big jets such as the 747. This has allowed visitors from across the world to reach the island either directly or via many cities in the continental US.

Although the island has a Dutch and French history, English is also widely spoken.  Visitors can also use either Euros or Dollars almost anywhere, as well as using their credit cards at ATM’s, or to pay for goods and services directly. A good way to get around is to use the extensive network of small and inexpensive buses that traverse the entire island.

The tropical Caribbean climate provides for a very comfortable year round warm weather, with little variation in temperature from one season to another. An average air temperature throughout the year of around 27° C and the sea is a very pleasant 26° C on average, every day of the year.

Annual rainfall on the island is around 1000 mm falling in short bursts usually in the late afternoon or evening. The trade winds provide a near constant and cooling breeze from the Atlantic Ocean.

Each year huge numbers of Europeans and Americans arrive to participate in one of the world’s largest sailing extravaganzas the Heineken Regatta.  On the Dutch side of the island, many visitors seek out the joys of the well hidden Dawn Beach, and it is classic palm fringed white sands and azure blue sees.  The beach is also famed for its high quality shallow snorkeling opportunities along its Coral reef, located just off shore.

There are many such hidden gems on the island as well as busier beaches that offer all the facilities that you would expect of a modern and cosmopolitan vacation island. The highest quality accommodations can be found, including some of the best high end villa rentals in the whole Caribbean.

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