Carnival Vista Cruise Port 3: Big Bastard's, Big Whiskey, And Big Hearts In Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten with Big Bastards!
Our third port day in a row of our 8 day Carnival Cruise Line Vista Eastern Caribbean cruise found us in, Sint Maarten. This island is half Dutch, and half French on the St. Martin side of the island. The cruise terminal is located on the Dutch side, near the city of Philipsburg. There are a wide variety of land, and sea tours, that you can book direct from the ship, arrange ahead of time directly with the tour operator, or secure once you have debarked the ship near the cruise terminal bus loop.
This trip we decided to take the 20 minute walk to Philipsburg for an all inclusive beach day at Big Bastaard's Beach Bar + Patio SXM. We were some of the first guests to arrive, and were greeted with big smiles from the staff. After settling into our lounge chairs, we had some drinks, snacks, and fun in the beautiful water. Our VIP package included all of our drinks, and a food credit of $40.00 per couple. The cost per person was only $67.95 per person after taxes and fees. While at Big Bastard's, we were able to explore the shops, and sites of the city that were right in the middle of.
If you like to shop for liquor while vacationing there is no better destination to buy your hard to find spirits that Sint Maarten, and in Sint Maarten there is no better place to buy your liquor than Gulmohars St. Maarten. With a wide variety of every liquor imaginable, I have never seen such an expansive selection of hard to find spirits at prices at or below US MSRP, but prices and availability due change. Across the street from Gulmohar's "Whiskey Paradise" is a great stop for a pour of your favorite hard to find spirits, Luxbar SXM. It's a fantastic stop for a short time, or a long time, and we enjoyed Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co rum barrel finished, which is a hard to find pour at home.
After a bit of liquor shopping we headed back to Big Bastaard's to pack up, and head back toward the ship. In true Holmies fashion, we passed the cruise terminal, and headed to Caribbean Brewing. Although we did not have a tour reserved, they were extremely welcoming, and gave us a great mini tour while we enjoyed their craft beers. We would advise setting up a tour with them ahead of time as we will in the future.
From the brewery it was a short walk back to the ship. On the way we hit a few shops in the cruise terminal before getting back on board. The rest of the day was spent in our Havana Cabana pool, and hot tubs, while we watch the other ships sail away. We are excited for our next trip back to Sint Maarten, and will be sure to save some extra space in our luggage for plenty of rare bourbon!