ggswell

Is it worth taking the ferry from St. Martin to Saba for a day trip? Are there things we can walk to from the ferry dock'i.e. beach, shopping, eating? We really don't want to rent a car for a few hours. Is there somewhere we should go directly to on the island?

Statia

I would suggest the 10-minute flight over the more lengthy ferry trip for a day trip. There is not much to do around the harbor area and it is a really long uphill walk to any other areas. What most people do is take a taxi tour of the island, then spend some time shopping or dining in Windwardside before departing. There is also a nice little day spa in Windwardside.

Driving is quite different on Saba and therefore most tourists do not rent a car there.

I was just there a couple of weeks ago and go often, so I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.

BTW - There is no beach on Saba. It's an eco-tourism island that is very quiet and tranquil. If you enjoy hiking or diving, there is plenty of that to enjoy.

Barbara1

I agree with Statia. The ferry trip takes longer and can be rough.

ljv

My family went to Saba from St. Martin 2 years ago, but stayed overnight at the Queen's Garden. It was wonderful! My husband and daughter did a dive with Saba Deep, which they said was astounding...saw a hammerhead shark! If you don't dive, the dive operators could take you to snorkel. I snorkeled from Saba's only beach...a black sand stretch that is only visible seasonally.
We did not rent a car, but made arrangements with a driver, a Mr Peterson. Took us on a tour of the island, to the beach, etc. Was not too expensive. We also hiked from our hotel to Windwardside. Beautiful and tiring!
We took the ferry to and from Saba. Both trips were bouncy, especially the return to St. Martin...quite a lot of folks got seasick(not us!)

Hope this helps. If you can spare the time, I'd recommend trying to stay overnite, especially if you dive or snorkel. It is a world class diving spot!

Statia

ljv, Mr. Peterson, (aka Eddie) is a dear friend of ours. We always hire him for any driving on the island and lunch with him each time we are there. Glad to hear you enjoyed his services.

You are correct that there is a tiny strip of seasonal beach on the island. It's just so rare that I usually tell people they aren't likely to see any beach when visiting Saba.

ggswell

Thank you so much for the information. Great suggestions. About how long does it take to get from the airport to Windwardside? Unfortunately, we will only have the day trip to Saba because we are spending several days on other islands, St. Martin, St. Barts, and Anguilla. Trying to fit in as much as possible.

Carib_dreamn

Statia - is a very knowledgeable person on these topics and I wont disagree with anything she says on the topic - we did the ferry over to Saba and the ride there was great - 45 mins. no problem - on the way back it took 1.5 hours of absolute horror - tropical storm just whipped up and some of the crew were throwing up over the side of the boat....so I would explore the flight - but that landing strip was something that looked equally as unnerving - Statia have you made the flight? And how was it? I heard when we were in Saba that a pilot has to be specially trained to land on that island - or is that a joke? I wouldnt' ahve been surprised...

Saba is beatiful though - and in a way that makes it worth both quirky unnerving transportation modes...we took the cab up to the town...and yes Statia is correct again - I can't imagine a tourist driving on the island without some prior experience driving extraordinary terrain...the we hiked to the top of the mountain - WOW...unreal! we hiked through the clouds and up over them to look back down on the gently moving clouds that would part every so often to show us sensational views....

the town itself was perfect. Have great fun!!

Statia

ggswell, the drive from the airport to Windwardside is about 15 minutes. Trust me....a day trip to Saba is more than plenty of time to see the island. If you want to hike Mt. Scenery or do any diving, I would suggest an overnighter, but you can still take a taxi tour of the whole island and have a nice lunch before returning to SXM with no problem.

Carib_dreamn, I've made the flight to Saba many, many times. Sometimes just to go there and others as a stop enroute to SXM. Yes, the runway is the smallest commerical airstrip in the world at 400 meters (1300 feet). It's pretty much like landing on an aircraft carrier, but it's a very safe runway, they've never had an accident, and they don't take chances with landing in wind or inclement weather. It can be both unnerving and thrilling at the same time and something everyone should epxerience at least once. And, while on the island one must come home with an "I Survived the Saba Landing" T-shirt.

Yes, pilots have to be specially trained to land there, but that shows again that they don't take any chances. The only aircraft that lands there is the Twin Otter STOL (short take off and landing) which is made for just such an airstrip.

BTW - Carib_dreamn, thanks for the nice compliment.

I'm currently in Miami on business but will try to check back this week if ggswell has any other questions I can answer.