Experience of a recent trip to St. Martin I went to St. Martin with a few friends on the 12th of this month. This is my second trip to the island. This time I noticed a difference here compared to the first experience. I am mentioning the details of this tour including the cost for the information of the interested people.

There are several good buses on the Teknaf route from Dhaka. We went to Shyamoli. The service is fair. The fare of all non AC buses on this route is 900 rupees. There are differences in AC bus fares. The bus brought us very close to the shipyard in Teknaf and dropped us off. In this case, everyone will be advised to get on the bus before 8:30 pm. Somehow, if the bus reaches Teknaf late, there is a possibility of missing the ship.

We went by Kerry Sindabad ship. Carrie Sindabad (NonAC), LCT Kutubdia (NonAC), Carey Cruise and Dine (AC) and Green Line (AC) are currently operating. Non-AC ship’s main deck fare is 550 rupees and open deck fare is 600 rupees. AC ship fares range from TK 1,000 to TK 1,400. As there are not enough ships left this time, there is a fight over the ship tickets.
I saw many people standing there because they did not get a seat. The matter is not very difficult, but a little hard work for the elderly. However, I heard that in a day or two, two ships named Bay Cruise and Farzan Cruise will start sailing.

The ship left Teknaf at 9:30 in the morning and reached St. Martin at 12:00. I started walking down the shipyard. Rows and rows of vans are standing in front of the wharf. It is better to walk if your resort / hotel is not too far away. Because all the ships arrive at the nearest time, the van fare is very high. The name of our resort was Sea View Resort & Sports. I contacted the resort after seeing the rating of the resort on Facebook. Its location was nice, very close to the beach.

We were in the tent with the low cost in mind. A total of seven people in two tents. I spent the first day bathing at North Beach and riding a rented bicycle. St. Martin’s water is much more blue than Cox’s Bazar. Those who plan to travel to Cox’s Bazar and St. Martin’s will be advised to start with Cox’s Bazar. Otherwise, Cox’s Bazar will not like St. Martin anymore.

On the second day in the morning I left and went to see the island. You have to go to Chhera Island by engine boat. The cost per person is 150 TK. You can also go by speedboat or gumboat. These are a bit expensive. There should be a time limit of about four hours for the island to come and go. Many people lost their legs when they came to Chhera Island due to the sharp coral wounds. It would be wise to keep a bandage or similar arrangement for this.

There is nothing to see in St.Martin except the sea. We were supposed to stay one day. But falling in love with the sea, we decided to stay one more day. As a result we came to the ship standing today. When I came yesterday, I could sit in my seat. I forgot to mention, the return ship leaves at three in the afternoon. He brought it to Teknaf and dropped it at six in the evening. The bus from Teknaf to Cox’s Bazar costs 180 TK.

I don’t know if St. Martin’s food can be called varied. But it is an ideal place for marine fish. Fresh fish has been cut and decorated in various restaurants. If you say so, fry it and put it in the pan. If you want to eat rice-fish-pulses-vegetables, you have to keep a budget of 190-200 TK. The fish will have coral / surma / sundari / laitta etc. If you want to eat Rupchanda, it will cost 300 TK. But it is better not to want to eat Rupchanda. There is a lot of possibility to bring Kalochanda or Tekchanda.

Some words:
* Resorts in St. Martin are now frequently robbed. Things have to be kept carefully.
* Stay at a resort near the beach. The proximity of the sea will make the day colorful. On December 15, 16, 22-25, and 31 December, all St. Martin’s resorts will be overcharged. Those who have a low budget should avoid these days.
* Barbecue is arranged from the restaurant if desired. Chicken barbecue will be between Rs 200-225 and coral barbecue will be between Rs 300.
* St. Martin does not have full-time electricity, air-conditioned rooms or satellite television.

Happy Traveling