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Recreation and Travel

Recreation Restaurants & Entertainment Travel

Recreation:

Photo by Betty Johnson

As you might expect, activities on, in and under the water are a major attraction to visitors and residents of our islands alike. SCUBA diving and snorkeling are very popular and a variety of shops and tour services give classes and certify students for SCUBA. Equipment may be rented. Buying equipment off-island may be less expensive than an on-island purchase. To fill scuba tanks you will need a valid diving certification card. There is a yacht club, primarily featuring Hobie Cats and lasers. The Saipan Lagoon is considered world class for windsurfing, so bring your own gear or rent from local hotels. The tradewinds start in early to mid December and last through late March.

The hotels also have water skis and other recreational gear. A 50 meter pool is available for recreational and competitive swimming and the major hotels feature Health Clubs with complete facilities. Saipan has three private health clubs: the Hyatt, the Aqua Resort Club, and Gold’s Gym.

Under-the-water sights are not just for divers. Saipan is home to one of the few non-military tourist submarines in the world. Tours are available daily. World War II raged all over Saipan and Tinian, leaving more than a few traces behind. "Boonie stomping" through the jungles is popular with many newcomers. A 12-lane bowling center has leagues five nights a week. There is keen competition and the chance to participate in international tournaments with Guam and Japan. Baseball, basketball and volleyball, among other team sports, are also very popular and have organized leagues. Weight lifting, aerobics, tennis and martial arts facilities are available. Many people walk, jog or run and the Hash House Harriers meet every Saturday afternoon for a jungle run. Cycling on the road can be dangerous as there are few sidewalks or bike allowances but mountain bike riding is becoming more popular. There is even a triathlon organization.

Currently there are five 18-hole and two 9-hole courses on Saipan.

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Restaurants & Entertainment:

There are first class hotels and many restaurants on Saipan. There is no shortage of choices for dining out. Chinese, Korean, Indian, Mexican, Chamorro, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai, Filipino and Continental cuisines are all available. Chain restaurants include Subway, KFC, Winchell’s Donuts, McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Tony Roma’s.

There is a Hollywood Theater on Saipan, which has eight different movies running daily. Releases on new movies are about the same time frame as the states. 

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Travel:

Photo by Eran More

Saipan is ideally located for travel to international. We are 120 miles from Guam (a 25-minute flight), a 3-hour flight from the Philippines and 4 hours from Japan. We're also close to Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan and mainland China. It is imperative that you have a birth certificate, proof of citizenship or naturalization papers in your possession as you transit through Guam and enter the Commonwealth. If you are not an American citizen and do not have a CNMI visitors or employment visa in your passport, make sure

you have your travel authorization and offer of employment with you when you arrive at the CNMI immigration desk. 

Taxi fare to and from the airport is expensive and long term parking can be a hassle so often it is best to arrange to be picked up or dropped off by friends. If you are traveling as a new recruit for the hospital, someone will be assigned to pick you up at the airport.

If you are traveling on official business be sure to make a copy of your ticket receipt and turn in the original to the appropriate administrative officer.

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To learn more about the Northern Mariana Islands visit the My Marianas website.