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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
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- Destinations
- Caribbean
- St Maarten and St Martin
- Philipsburg
- Philipsburg Beaches
Philipsburg Beaches
Dutch St Maarten's prime popular beach resorts extend as a
series of sandy bays from Philipsburg along the southwest coast of
the island, reaching a grand finale at the great spread of Simpson
Bay, site of the international airport. From the headland at the
western end of Great Bay stretches the secluded beach of Cay Bay,
famed for being the spot where Dutchman Peter Stuyvesant was
injured in battle against the Spanish. This quiet beach can only be
reached by dirt road or a horse trail. Further west towards the
airport is Simpson Bay Lagoon, surrounded by resort developments.
There is a series of good beaches with fine white sand: Maho Bay is
St Maarten's largest beach resort, well developed with facilities,
a casino and its popular Sunset Bar. Mullet Bay, with its gentle
surf and shady stretch of palm trees, is usually the most crowded
beach. Cupecoy is favoured by nudists, and has dramatic sandstone
cliffs and caves.
Information & Facts
Language
Dutch and French are the official languages, but English
is widely spoken. Locals commonly use a language known as
Papiamento, a mixture of Portuguese, African, Spanish, Dutch and
English.
Money
On the Dutch side the currency is the Netherlands Antilles
Guilder or Florin (ANG), where one guilder is divided into 100
cents, but US Dollars are also widely accepted and prices are
usually quoted in Dollars as well as Guilders. On the French side
of the island the Euro (EUR) is the local currency, although
establishments will also accept US Dollars. There are numerous
bureaux de change and banks throughout the island and ATMs in the
main towns in both national sectors; travellers cheques and major
credit cards are widely accepted.
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