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Great Bay Beach in St. Maarten, an Easy and Cheap Excursion

2/16/2015

1 Comment

 
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By John Roberts

We have been to St. Maarten several times during cruise visits. This stunning Caribbean destination is one of our favorites because we've always had beautiful weather and thoroughly enjoy all the watersports and activities that you can do on the island. But on one of our early visits, we arrived with no plans and had wondered what to do. We had been on a power boat ride, with a jam-packed schedule of snorkeling, beach time and lunch. That was a fantastic day.

We also had tried a cruise-ship sponsored beach day on one of our trips. That turned out to be kind of boring and expensive -- with a coach ride with a large group to a drab resort and minimal amounts of time at the beach and waters to enjoy the day at our leisure.

This time, we wanted to keep our schedule loose and flexible.

We heard there was a beach nearby the port, so we went for a stroll along the adjacent road and toward Great Bay Beach in the town of Philipsburg. When you leave your ship at the pier, you simply start walking along the harbor to the left. You can walk about 20 minutes to reach the beach or take a water taxi ($7) from the pier to town.

The beach area is busy, and there are a lot of shops, restaurants and bars. We also spied at least three gelato and ice cream places along the way, which are very appealing on a hot day.

You will be approached by people eager to rent you chairs and an umbrella on the beach. Many of these are run by the restaurants located across the boardwalk opposite of the beach location. We grabbed two chairs, an umbrella and the Wi-Fi code to use for the day for $15 total.

Sunning, swimming, a tasty lunch with spicy chicken at a nearby restaurant -- complete with a bucket of beers (specials galore in this area, too; we paid $11 for six brews) -- and a couple more drinks at another boardwalk-side stop, and we finished off a relaxing day in port.

If you're looking for a laid-back, cheap day near the port in St. Maarten, you can consider an easy stroll to Great Bay Beach.
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Some of the sights along the route to Great Bay Beach.
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Time for a little lunch and cold beers after our first swimming session.
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One last stop to cool off with a cocktail before heading back to the ship. You can see how close we were to the pier area -- about a 20-minute walk along a shaded roadside.
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A Catamaran Snorkel Trip: The Caribbean Cure-All 

2/7/2015

2 Comments

 
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These types of excursions always start out innocently enough.

We are drawn in by the descriptions that offer so many things we enjoy.

They read something like this: catamaran ride, snorkeling, reefs, beach time, swimming, clear blue waters, lunch.

All wonderful.

And one final perk. "Beer and rum punch included."

Ah, the clincher.

What a nice package for the price, right?  And once the drinks start flowing during a warm, sunny Caribbean day, you can't help but go with the flow. The music is playing; you're meeting new friends from all over the world while kicking back on the boat; and your worries from real life dissipate.

This has played out over and over for us during our travels. Mexico, Belize, Barbados, St. Kitts, Costa Rica, Colombia.

However, it really set in for me how fantastic it can be to just sit back, relax and enjoy life's wonderful moments during our outing in St. Maarten with Tours SXM by Out Island Charters.

I travel a lot and really enjoy it, but lately I found myself always considering all the photos and videos I should be taking, what story angle I should come up with for this blog and how can I make sure I post enough content to Instagram and Facebook and Twitter to stay relevant for you Loopers. This had been wearing on me a bit.

I suppose it can be like this for a lot of people with new blogs, but I never want to lose the joy from what I do. I don't want to succumb to burnout.

So, this particular morning on our catamaran sailing around St. Maarten was a revelation.

If we live in the moment and simply embrace our experiences with gusto, then life is all good.

We jumped in with both feet during our morning with Tours SXM, by the way.

The crew was so nice and really took care of us. The snorkeling stop was at a spot with a sunken boat and helicopter serving as artificial reef. The crew drummed up fish activity by chumming the waters with bread. I don't care for this too much because the mass of snorkelers all end up crowded in the same area and the water gets cloudy. But we had a pleasant snorkel anyways and just enjoyed cooling off in the water. Back onboard I was among a group recruited to hoist the mainsail (my protests and claims of a sore shoulder were ignored as I was coaxed from my comfy spot at the front of the boat on the trampoline). 

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Our beach stop brought us to Mullet Bay, and we swam ashore to enjoy a walk along the sands, bobbed afloat in the waters on our noodles and spent quite a bit of time diving off the side of the boat. Well, I belly-flopped once, and Mrs. In The Loop showed off her diving form -- insisting on going "one more time" over and over until the captain broke it to her that it was time to head back to our cruise ship. 

We had been nursing rum punches and waters during the morning, but we switched to Presidente beers -- with a Champagne toast mixed in -- for the ride back. Yes, this is ultimately a story about a good Caribbean morning buzz.

These types of experiences always seem to sneak up on us (and require an afternoon nap upon our return to the cruise ship). They also end up being some of our most memorable and fun times -- reminding me just when I needed it the most that travel is meant to be a series of smiles and laughs with fabulous like-minded people from around the world.

Thanks for reading, and always travel happy!

JR

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Pulling into Mullet Bay for swimming and beach time. Michael and Otis get us set up to swim ashore.
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Mullet Bay Beach is one of the top resort areas on the island.
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Manuel is living the good life as a crew member on Golden Eagle III.
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Working Out on a Cruise Ship? Expect the Unexpected!

2/2/2015

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By John Roberts


I clearly announced my presence to the couple walking ahead of me.

I let them know I would be passing "on your left."

I know I was heard because the dude grabbed at his wife's arm (she apparently was less aware that others were sharing the track and that some people would be moving a little quicker than she).

Still, I learned that you can't take anything for granted when trying to get in a run on a cruise ship track.

I could see it all happening in slow motion. The walker wife instinctively pulls away from her walker husband's well-intentioned cue to move aside out of the jogging lane.

Instead, she suddenly moves in the other direction . . . and right into me.

Bam!

Me: What the eff! (internal voice)

Them: Ohmigawd. I'm sorry. Are you all right?

As I tumbled to the ground, I wondered how I let this happen.

A moment earlier, everything was awesome. Gliding around the track, enjoying the breezes and sun of the Caribbean is a nice way to start your day on a cruise.

One minor scrape on my arm aside, I was fine. But it could have been worse. The couple was very apologetic, and I am sure they learned a few things, too. Mainly about sharing a public space with others and how to better communicate with each other. OK, maybe I'm just a little bitter. But I swear I saw the end of my happy trip flash before my eyes as I flailed my way to as soft a landing as possible.

I learned to adjust my expectations for how my runs will go on a cruise ship jogging track.

In fact, you have to tweak several things about your typical land-based workouts.

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Don't lift as heavy. The ship will be moving. The motion will vary depending on whether seas are rough or calm. Of course you wanna try to show everyone how strong you are and grab those heavy barbells just like you do in your gym back home. I get ya, bro. I'm the same way. But how cool is that gonna be when you wrench your shoulder as the ship pulsates over a big wave and you dump that 80-pounder on your foot?

So drop down your weight and focus on perfect form and more reps. The motion of the ship actually can add a wrinkle to your workout by helping you focus on stabilizer muscles.

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Don't run as fast. When the ship is rolling along on the ocean, that treadmill can get treacherous. I've been just hitting my stride and knocked off kilter many times. The treadmill can pitch forward and back and side to side along with the motion of the ship. So dial it down a bit from your usual speed and be ready to use the handrails for support as needed. These treadmill challenges also provide a unique core workout as you run, but you must concentrate a little more than you might be used to. No zoning out on with your usual runner's high. Not unless you want to risk slipping and shooting off the back of that spinning belt. 
Be extra careful on the jogging track. All ship tracks are different. Some are well marked, denoting the lanes for walkers and those for runners. Others rely on people's common sense to pay attention and understand the proper etiquette of sharing the space. (This doesn't always go so well. You recall the anecdote at the top of this article, don't you?) Some also are crammed into tight spaces, making passing others tricky. My best advice is to run early in the morning before the track gets busy -- or later at night works, too. Or make sure you slow to a very safe and sure speed to pass if you have any doubt the walkers have heard you announce your pass. 

Stay on your feet, have a great workout, and always travel happy!

JR
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