Cities
Understand
Saipan is 23 km (14 mi) long and 8 km (5 mi) wide. The best beaches and most populated areas are on the western and southern coasts, with the north and east being rugged and mountainous.
Many Chamorros on Saipan consider their culture more intact than on Guam, and the U.S. Military has no permanent presence on Saipan as it does on Guam. Therefore, comparisons between the two islands should take this into account. Furthermore, Chamorros on Saipan and throughout the CNMI still primarily speak Chamorro at home, while the same isn't true of Guam. Furthermore, while the differences between a commonwealth (as in the CNMI) and a territory (as in Guam) may not appear to be great (especially to a mainland US citizen), Saipan should not be referred to as a territory when speaking to a local. Finally, while the population of the CNMI, as on Guam, are US citizens and proud to be recognized as such, their independence is equally important.
Talk
While English is the official language, relatively few people on Saipan speak English as their first language. Nevertheless, nearly everybody does speak English (and a smattering of Japanese), though with much more of an accent than on Guam. Most locals speak Chamorro, Carolinian or another of the Micronesian languages at home. The majority of people living on Saipan are overseas contract labor, however. These people come mostly from Philippines (travel, diving and entertainment), Bangladesh, China (clothing manufacture) and Taiwan. Furthermore, Korean, Japanese and (recently) Russian tourists make these languages fairly prevalent as well.
Most hotels are geared toward a particular language/nationality such as Japanese or Korean, which represent most of the tourism. A notable exception is Pacific Islands Club, which is geared toward a multilingual/multinationial clientele. Likewise, most of the SCUBA shops are geared toward Japanese or Korean tourism, though the heavy reliance on Philippine dive staff ensures that many will also be able to handle English-speaking customers.
Get in
By plane
Saipan International Airport (SPN) is located in the southeast corner of the island. Direct flights are available from Tokyo and Nagoya (via Northwest), Seoul (via Korean Air and Asiana), and the nearby islands of Guam, Tinian, and Rota.
US travelers require passports and must pass through customs, as Saipan and the CNMI are considered international locations.
Get around
There is little public transport as such, excluding shuttle buses running between larger towns.
By bus
There is no public bus service on Saipan, but on Saipan PDI and other companies run a shopping shuttle bus to and from the Duty Free mall (DFS Galleria) in Garapan. DFS also has their own free shuttle from most of the major hotels.
By taxi
Taxis on Saipan are expensive but plentiful, however the only place they are allowed to pick up or drop off passengers is at the airport or a hotel, and sometimes at DFS....
