We arrived in St. Maarten to a glorious day. We’ve been here before on previous cruises and while everybody tells you to go to the French side of the Island, we prefer the Dutch side (half is French, the other Dutch). The beach is fantastic and the shopping area in downtown St. Maarten is small, bustling, and filled with all sorts of shops and restaurants.
We caught the jetty boat to the beach early that morning and promptly set up shop, grabbing some lawn chairs and umbrellas. Then spent the majority of the day taking in some sun and swimming in that crystal clear, blue ocean.
After spending the majority of the morning at the beach, we took a break from the water and walked into town. Stopping to see the vibrant colors and sights, even in their churches.
The streets are not very wide. Barely enough room for one car to fit through. They end up being more like giant sidewalks than roads.
While we were there, we heard there was a shooting earlier that morning. An officer went down after 20 shots were fired during a robbery. Miraculously nobody else was hurt which is incredible considering the amount of tourists and people on those narrow streets. We stayed clear from that area and headed to the old street.
Gatsby’s car decided to take a vacation down to St. Maarten and of course I had to grab a shot.
Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ship. We pulled out of port, saying goodbye to St. Maarten’s crystal waters and palm tree shores.
As we left, the sun was setting, painting a glittery road along the water, leading us to our next destination–Antigua…
…but that’s another post altogether.
