St Maarten Tncm/sxm

[SWADLER747]

Has anyone here visited SXM? Looking for the cheapest ways to get there. The only flights I can find are from AMS with KLM, or CDG with AFR.

Any ideas on this fantastic location !!!

Is SXM busy?

Cheers

[oh-oh]

Could you tell me where SXM is?
I haven't heard of that one :hmm:

[seat 0A]

Just next to St. Eustatius....

It is a nice place, one island, devided between France and Holland.
Very good sailing.

[seacue]

I get to SXM from the USA, so can't help you with cheap prices from Europe. I observe, however, that AF and other French lines like Corsair seem to provide most of the service from Europe. IIRC, KLM is down to one flight a week +/-. There has been other Dutch service, but I think it went belly up in the past few weeks. I've noted newspaper reports of the Dutch-side students going to the Netherlands via AF (and Paris).

From the USA American Airlines has 3-a-day 757 from San Juan or Miami. Continental offers daily 737 service (I think). US Air has weekend 757 service.

The St. Maarten Daily Herald will keep you up to date with politics on the Durtch side, and a few things on the French side. http://www.thedailyherald.com/ The Web version appears 5 days a week.As you may know, English is the native language of the Dutch side (Dutch is taught as a foreign language in the schools). I've never had trouble just speaking English on the French side - including a couple of visits to the hospital.

IMO, the two sides of the island are very different. The Dutch side is very American. and glitzy with BIG hotels, big casinos, Philipsburg is a tourist trap for cruise ship passengers.

The French side doesn't have huge hotels, no casinos/gambling, but more better beaches.

I've stayed a number of times at La Plantation (http://www.la-plantation.com) which is less than 10-minutes walk from the middle of Orient Beach. When you get to the beach turn right for the action, turn left for an essentially vacant 1/4 mile of beach. La Plantation is among the cheaper good hotels and all units have cooking facilities. Prices include a good buffet breakfast: bread, drink, dry cereal, fruit, fruit juice, ham, cheese, boil-youself eggs, etc.; enough so I generally don't eat lunch.

Grand Case is 10 minutes away by car and has over a dozen very good (not cheap) restaurants.

The US dollar is the de facto currency of both sides of the island used by locals and tourists alike.

You'll want a rental car. I've had problem$$$ with Thrifty on SXM. I've rented from Hertz on SXM a number of times with no problems - and they seem to have better cars. They had a Web rate that was cheaper than walkup this January.

The island is busy when the cruise passengers are loose (10am - 4 pm), but not so much so outside those hours.

More?? I was there this January.

sc

[SWADLER747]

Thankyou seacue...

Where abouts do you fly to SXM from the states? Maybe it would be cheaper to fly over to the USA then onto SXM?

What about volume of traffic at SXM, is it busy?
Do you have any photos from your January trip?

Cheers

SWADLER747

[VP8]

Have you tried Lufthansa from FRA used to use it a lot when living in Germany and folks lived in Anguilla next isalnd down..

VEEPS:ok:

[seacue]

Prices to SXM from the USA are rather high. It costs considerably less to fly from the USA to Barbados, for example. I like SXM better than Barbados.

Why? Demand is one reason, I suppose, but---

American Airlines, which is the main US carrier in the Caribbean, tries to shake down the island governments for subsidies in return for serving their island. SXM probably doesn't ante up the cash.

I'd wager that landing fees are high at SXM. IMO, the Dutch side of SXM most likely has "unusual" financial situations - they cost money.*

A new/improved terminal is about to be built at SXM, at a cost of about US$100 million!
=================
There is a departure fee of US$20 for leaving SXM to all but the neighboring Dutch islands. Passengers have to pay this at a window in the terminal ... BUT I was pleased to discover that AA now includes this in the ticket price. No visit to "the window" is needed.

I just keep following the AA web site until they have a special - There's one right now for $500 from WAS right now (vs $400 to BGI) departing 1st April or later.

SC

--------------------

* As an example, I was told by a Dutch-side person that the proprietor of one of the Dutch-side hotels would be arrested for financial irregularities if he ventured to the French side.

The Dawn Beach Hotel (Dutch side) was heavily damaged by a hurricane a few years ago. It wasn't rebuilt. Reportedly the insurance agent had been pocketing the money - not actually buying insurance.

[SWADLER747]

seacue.......

I have found a great return ticket price from London Heathrow, to St.Maarten, via Amsterdam on KLM.

I am amazed! Mind you having said that, these ticket prices are for November / December 2004.

Is the volumes of traffic still good in Nov/Dec time?

[Runway 31]

I was there in the 1st week of December last on a cruise and the weather then is very good as the hurricane season finishes in November.

The temperatures in the caribbean is similar all year round at about 82 C.

It was brilliant sitting on sunset beach with the aircraft 50 feet above you head and the airport is pretty busy too.

There cannot be a much better way to while away a day than sitting at the Sunset Beach bar drinking Buds and feeding on a tasty burger while watching the planes land. The pictures you have probably seen don't really do it justice. If you get fed up you can go for a dip in the lovely azure sea, damn fine place.

[seacue]

November is low season. Prices may rise a bit for early December. Christmas - New Years commands the year's highest prices. January prices are more moderate. Peak season is February through March or maybe into April a bit.
Like most of the east Caribbean area, the sky is bluest in January to April/May. The sky is slightly grey in June - August. You can get a brief shower any day of the year, but there are more showers in June/August. "People" don't holiday there in September through November - the height of the hurricane season. Some hotels close in September - October.

And I think Runway31 meant 82F, not 82C:O Temps, including the sea, don't change much throughout the year.

[Flightmapping]

Have just come back from there last week. Are you visiting for a general holiday, or for the aviation "Must sees".

These include:

A day trip to Saba, the shortest runway in the world. Perched above cliffs, this landing is scarier than any Alton Towers ride.

A trip to St Barts for an equally adventurous landing, where the plane has to descend rapidly over a hill to reach the runway.

A visit to Maho beach at the end of the runway to watch a widebody landing. There are three hotels there - can get details if you want. Check out photos at Airliners.net.

A take-off in a widebody, where thye must bank steeply to the right in order to avoid the hill at the end.

AF still go there daily using an A340. I was already in the US, and wanted to visit Puerto Rico, so got there using local hops.

Yes, SXM is an expensive place to get to, but is a great destination for general holidays (even though it was p**ssing it down the day I was there) and plane spotters alike.

You might also want to consider flying to St Kitts (Excel weekly from LGW) or Antigua (various BA,VS & BWIA), and taking a day trip from there. It is possible (but not advisable) to do Saba & St Barths via SXM in a day from SKB, NEV, ANU etc.

[Flightmapping]

Have uploaded at [Saba landing photos] (http://www.flightmapping.com/Caribbean/Saba.asp)

James