Arriving

Getting here, and getting your keys.

There are three ways onto the island and none of them run around the clock. Whichever you choose, tell the housing office your date, time and method before you travel, because check in is by appointment.

Getting to the island

Three ways in.

By air

Winair

Short hops from Sint Maarten into Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport. The runway is famously the shortest commercial one in the world, which sounds worse than it is. Fifteen minutes in the air.

By sea

The Makana ferry

From Sint Maarten to Fort Bay. Slower than flying and considerably cheaper, and it runs on set days rather than daily.

By sea

The Edge

The other boat service into Fort Bay. Same idea, different operator and schedule.

On the day

What happens when you land.

There is no 24 hour front desk, so this only works if the office knows you are coming.

Take a taxi from the airport or the harbour
Numbers are below. Saba has no ride hailing and no car rental desk waiting for you at arrivals.
Have the driver drop your luggage at the dorm
Outside the right building. Then walk to the office, which is on the lower level of Dorm 2.
Hand over the lease, passport copy and proof of payment
Keys are given out once payment is settled and the paperwork is in. No exceptions, so do not arrive expecting to sort it out later.

Tell the office before you fly

Email housing@hillsidesaba.com with your arrival date, the time, and whether you are coming in on Winair, the Makana ferry or the Edge.

Office hours

Monday to Friday 12:00 to 13:00

Saturday 10:00 to 12:00

Sunday Closed

Something urgent on the day

+599 416 4433

Shipping

Anything that will not fit in a suitcase comes by boat.

There is no overnight courier to Saba. Freight arrives by sea, on a schedule, and the crossing is the easy part. Work out what you are sending well before you fly, because something posted the week you leave will not be here when you are.

Hillside points residents to Hassell Free International, who handle specialised shipping to the island.

Hassell Free shipping

Opens hassellfree.com in a new tab.

Do not pay to ship these

They are already in the unit. Freight to a small island is not cheap, and this is where most of it gets wasted.

A fridge, cook top, microwave, toaster or coffee maker. The kitchen has all of them.
Furniture of any kind. Bed, desk, chair, chest of drawers, all provided.
Bedding. Sheets and a blanket come with the room. Only the pillow is on you.
Anything that runs on 220V. Sockets here are US style, 110V.

The full list of what is provided is on the dorms page.

The commute