Low Landing Jets and Rainy Bus Tour in St. Maarten

Warm humid air and the steady sound of waves greeted me as I sailed into St. Maarten by cruise ship. The harbor opened to bright water and anchored boats, with beach umbrellas lining the shore and hills rising behind the town. Even after many visits, that first look at the island still feels familiar and comforting.

St. Maarten, known locally as Sint Maarten on the Dutch side and Saint Martin on the French side, is one of the Caribbean’s most unique shared islands. The main cruise port sits beside Philipsburg, a colorful waterfront town that stretches along Great Bay and welcomes ships from around the world.

My connection with this island goes back much further than cruising. In the early 2000s I spent two weeks here each year through a timeshare and eventually explored nearly every beach on the island. Cupecoy and Club Orient became personal favorites. When I returned in 2018 after Hurricane Irma, the mood was very different. Rain fell most of the day as I took a quiet bus tour around the island and passed buildings still damaged by the storm. Seeing familiar places in disrepair was difficult and the day became more reflective than adventurous.

When I returned again in 2023, the island felt brighter. I wandered through Philipsburg for a while before taking a taxi out to Maho Beach near Princess Juliana Airport. Sitting at Sunset Bar with the surf rolling onto the sand, I watched planes descend low over the beach before touching down just beyond the runway fence. Each arrival brought cheers from the crowd and the rush of jet engines overhead.

St. Maarten’s history has always been tied to resilience. The island has changed hands between European powers for centuries before settling into its unique Dutch and French partnership. Tourism now drives much of the economy, and cruise visitors continue to help the island rebuild and thrive after the storms that have shaped its recent history.