Pointe Blanche, St. Maarten: The Port Where the Ships Come In
The cruise pier, the cargo terminal and the dive boats — not somewhere you stay.
Why Go
Pointe Blanche is the peninsula east of Philipsburg where the island's shipping happens: the cruise pier, the cargo terminal, the fuel depot and the harbour shops that most visitors to St. Maarten see before they see anything else. It is a working port rather than a destination, and nobody sleeps here. But if you are arriving by ship this is your first hour on the island, and there is more within walking distance of the gangway than the shopping arcade at the end of it suggests — including a brewery and some of the island's longest-running dive operations.
The Experience
The peninsula is industrial and steep, with the cruise berths and the harbour complex on the western side facing back toward Great Bay, and the cargo and fuel facilities beyond. On a heavy morning three or four ships are alongside and several thousand people come off them within an hour, which fills the harbour shops and empties again by mid-afternoon. Behind the terminal the land climbs into residential streets with views back across the bay to Philipsburg, and the road on to Guana Bay on the windward coast starts up here. There is no beach on this side and no reason to linger unless you are getting on or off a boat, which is precisely what almost everyone here is doing. It is worth understanding the geography before you arrive, because the shape of a cruise day depends on it: the terminal is not in Philipsburg, the town is across the water rather than up the street, and the twenty minutes you spend working that out at the gangway is twenty minutes of a short call.
What to Try
If you have a few hours off a ship, the water is the better use of them: Friendly Island Divers and Scuba Fun Dive Center both operate from here, Random Wind Charters runs a classic sailing day, and Captain Bob's Speed Boat Tours does the faster version. St. Maarten Presidential Tours covers the island by road. On land, Caribbean Brewing Company is the local brewery and a better souvenir than duty-free rum, and Grumpy's Sports & Music Bar is the unpretentious stop near the terminal. The harbour shopping — St. Maarten Duty Free, Goldfinger Jewelry, Boolchand's, International Liquors & Tobacco, Das Cigars — is what the terminal is built around. Otherwise take the water taxi across Great Bay to Philipsburg, which is where the town actually is.
Insider Tip
Take the water taxi rather than walking into town. The walk from the cruise pier around Great Bay to the Philipsburg boardwalk is twenty-five minutes in full sun along a road with traffic on it, and the boat does the same trip across the water in a few minutes for very little. If you are here on a day with several ships alongside, do the reverse of what everyone else does — get out to the boats or into the town early and shop at the terminal on the way back, when the arcade has emptied.
The Practical Stuff
Pointe Blanche is about five minutes from Philipsburg by road and twenty-five from Princess Juliana airport, at the eastern end of Great Bay. There are no hotels and no beach; this is a port and an industrial district with residential streets above it. Parking exists around the harbour complex but the area is not built for visiting cars. Water taxis run between the cruise pier and the Philipsburg boardwalk through the day and are the sensible way to cross. Harbour shops keep cruise hours, which means they open when a ship is in and close when the last tender leaves — on a day with no ships, most of the terminal is shut. Hurricane season runs roughly June to November, and the port closes to shipping when a storm is inbound.
Common Questions
Where do cruise ships dock in St. Maarten?
At Pointe Blanche, on the peninsula east of Philipsburg, where the A. C. Wathey cruise facility and the cargo terminal are. Passengers arrive here and reach the town by water taxi or on foot.
How do you get from the cruise port to Philipsburg?
By water taxi across Great Bay, which takes a few minutes and lands on the boardwalk. Walking around the bay takes about twenty-five minutes in full sun along a road with traffic.
Is there a beach at Pointe Blanche?
No. This is a working port and an industrial peninsula. Great Bay Beach is across the water in Philipsburg, and the better beaches are further west at Mullet Bay and Simpson Bay.
Can you stay in Pointe Blanche?
There are no hotels — it is a port with residential streets above it. Visitors stay in Simpson Bay, Maho, Philipsburg or on the French side.
Are the harbour shops always open?
No. They keep cruise hours, opening when ships are alongside and closing after the last tender. On a day with no ships in, most of the terminal complex is shut.
How far is Pointe Blanche from the airport?
About twenty-five minutes from Princess Juliana, going through Philipsburg and Cole Bay — longer on a heavy cruise morning, when that road is the island's worst bottleneck.
Pair It With
- Caribbean Brewing Company — The brewery, minutes from the gangway.
- Random Wind Charters, NV Guide — A sailing day that fits a port call.
- Friendly Island Divers Guide — Diving without leaving the harbour.
