34
There are many Saints around these waters. One of them is torn between Dutch and French-it's Saint Martin!
We just went for a day/weekend trip, and it is quite a bustling place.
How did we get there? By ferry.
Aside: There are rumors on the internet that there is a ferry between St. Kitts and St. Martin. Well, once and for all--there is such a ferry. However, it is sporadic, and it is difficult to find information on. I have not found a website that has departure dates and times, and the phone numbers I have called have not given me answers. The only way to know the schedule for sure is to go to the ferry terminal during working hours (when other ferries are in port) and ask. I have been told that there can be last-minute cancellations too.
It was quite a fun trip, and took about 3 hours each way (can take longer depending on the ship) to get there. We got to see quite a few islands from the boat on our journey. Also, a huge rainbow followed us all the way until we reached St. Martin. Once we reached St. Martin, we had to wait another hour and a half for customs-boy does this place move slow!
For most, the order of business here is shop like mad, and then relax on a beautiful beach until it's time to board the ferry. Initially, we started with this plan in mind. St. Martin is supposed to be great because of its duty-free status. Everywhere you go, no taxes on goods! It is a great shopping place for electronics and small appliances, especially for people on the islands. The shopping sure beat my tiny home, but was basically island shopping on a big scale. A lot of similar items, not much extraordinary.
The sands are quite white, as you can see, and the oceans quite blue, blue, blue! There are some officially nude-beaches on the French side and one (Cupecoy) on the Dutch side too. But we didn't quite make it over. We settled for this gorgeous Mullet beach, just near Maho beach. Rumor has it, that Mullet is actually a nice surf spot as well!
Maho beach, was also a beauty. This beach is known for how close it is to the airport. Visitors can experience airplanes flying right above their heads and can feel the jets! We did get to see a few airplanes land, and it is quite an experience, and free tourist attraction. We somehow made it just in time for the largest plane of the day, and were blown away (figuratively). After the first few, though, the planes were more disruptive than anything. So we had to move down a few beaches to relax.
Of course, we also visited the French side. Here was a little more unique shopping, quaint stores, French people, ice cream. We only stayed for a short while, though.
The sands are quite white, as you can see, and the oceans quite blue, blue, blue! There are some officially nude-beaches on the French side and one (Cupecoy) on the Dutch side too. But we didn't quite make it over. We settled for this gorgeous Mullet beach, just near Maho beach. Rumor has it, that Mullet is actually a nice surf spot as well!