Beaches

I have read the water on some of the St. Maarten beaches are polluted. Will be there in June. Anyone know which beaches are polluted? Looking for a clean beach with chair and umbrella rental. Drinks would be a bonus!

I have read the water on some of the St. Maarten beaches are polluted. Will be there in June. Anyone know which beaches are polluted? Looking for a clean beach with chair and umbrella rental. Drinks would be a bonus!

Try Simpson Bay or Mullet. They have what you are looking for.

So hard to recommend our favorites after those awful hurricanes St. Martin/St. Maarten experinced. :o

I have read the water on some of the St. Maarten beaches are polluted. Will be there in June. Anyone know which beaches are polluted? Looking for a clean beach with chair and umbrella rental. Drinks would be a bonus!

The only one I have ever heard about is the Great Bay Beach right by the port and that is supposedly due to the petroleum products used by the ships and refueling. Some people still use the beach and I've not heard of problems. We regularly go to Maho or Orient and have a great time at both.

We went to Simpson Bay Beach near the airport and hung out at Karakter Bar all day. It was beautiful. Water was great and the sand had returned nicely. Orient Beach wasn't an option yet as they didn't recommend heading to the French side. Might be an option in June.

Went to Friars Bay at the beginning of February. Lounge chairs, bar/restaurant on beach as well. Kali's Beach Bar. Delicious Guava Berry Coladas!

Went to Friars Bay at the beginning of February. Lounge chairs, bar/restaurant on beach as well. Kali's Beach Bar. Delicious Guava Berry Coladas!

What is the best way to get to Friars bay ?

Are taxi's still available? Would be interested in Friar's Bay.

Are taxi's still available? Would be interested in Friar's Bay.

Just my opinion but rent a car if you pick this beach. Far away. Not near anywhere to grab a taxi. Sure you can ask the beach bars but I wouldn’t trust that myself.

It’s an ok beach but I don’t think that it’s anything special.

The only one I have ever heard about is the Great Bay Beach right by the port and that is supposedly due to the petroleum products used by the ships and refueling. Some people still use the beach and I've not heard of problems. We regularly go to Maho or Orient and have a great time at both.

We were at Great Bay 3/24. It was not polluted at all. The water was very pretty. We really enjoyed our day there.

We were at Great Bay 3/24. It was not polluted at all. The water was very pretty. We really enjoyed our day there.

I'm not the best one to explain it but I think if you search "Great Bay Beach pollution what's it like now" there are pictures as to where and why polluted water drains into this Bay. Simply put there is a pond and when it over flows sewage water then goes into the canal and drains into the water at the beach. Rain is the enemy of this beach but it's difficult to know when the last rain event occurred when you are on a cruise. Vacationers and islanders for the most part choose other beaches.

So what would be the best beach that has chairs, umbrellas and a bar besides Mullet?

So what would be the best beach that has chairs, umbrellas and a bar besides Mullet?

Look up Karakter Beach Bar on Simpson Bay Beach. It's nice and the food is very good.:)

The only one I have ever heard about is the Great Bay Beach right by the port and that is supposedly due to the petroleum products used by the ships and refueling. Some people still use the beach and I've not heard of problems. We regularly go to Maho or Orient and have a great time at both.

So Maho beach didn't was away? Is the airport open yet to watch planes land?

I have read the water on some of the St. Maarten beaches are polluted. Will be there in June. Anyone know which beaches are polluted? Looking for a clean beach with chair and umbrella rental. Drinks would be a bonus!

For my money, the best day on St Maarten is to grab the water taxi at the port early in the AM and head over to the main beach in Philipsburg. Rent an umbrella and a couple chairs and enjoy the day. You can then wander around town on front Street at your leisure, do some shopping, get something to eat and head back to your spot on the beach when you feel like it. You can also take a quick water taxi ride back to the ship at lunch, grab a bite, get some fresh towels and go back to the beach for an afternoon. You can buy some nice chocolates at the Belgian chocolate shop, get some Scotch and have them sent back to the ship. Life as it's meant to be.

We just returned on 4/22/18 from a cruise on Carnival Conquest which stopped in St. Maarten. We booked the Beach Break with Lunch through Carnival because we had read about the horrible road repair nightmare that is going on in St. Maarten and didn't want to be left high and dry taking off on our own. At least booking thru Carnival assures you that the ship will wait for you if you are late. Those negative comments about road repairs are accurate and we're so glad we booked thru Carnival. The road construction is going on as soon as you exit the Port area. The workers close one side of the road to traffic, dig up that lane, let the other lane of cars go thru and repeat the process.

We went to Simpson Bay beach and the ride would normally take approximately 20 minutes. Our drive time from the Port to the beach was 1 hour and 45 minutes because of all the construction. The ride back from the beach to the Port took the same amount of time. We were stuck in traffic in the middle of the shopping area and people were getting off the van to go to a restroom and would jump back on.

Anyhow, that being said, the excursion was great. This beach is just past Maho where people go to watch the planes land. The people on that beach were packed in like sardines.

Simpson Bay Beach is beautiful, clean water and sand, new lounge chairs with umbrellas, clean restroom, great bar with seating on the shaded porch. The beach was not crowded, there were lots of empty loungers.. We were offered unlimited rum punch and virgin punch. An employee took our lunch order when we first arrived...fish, chicken, or ribs. Around Noon they announced that lunch was ready for anyone that was hungry. The chicken and fish was served with a tossed salad and rice and beans. The food was all delicious. Included in our tour price was transportation, lounge chair on the beach, drinks, and lunch.

The bus returning to the ship left at 2:30 p.m. This excursion was worth every penny. It was a lovely day spent on a beautiful beach with some wonderful employees who took good care of everyone.

Tattoos, Thank you so much. I have been really undecided about what to do in St. Maarten. I had also looked at this excursion on Carnival. Could you snorkel there? How much beach time did you have?

We just returned on 4/22/18 from a cruise on Carnival Conquest which stopped in St. Maarten. We booked the Beach Break with Lunch through Carnival because we had read about the horrible road repair nightmare that is going on in St. Maarten and didn't want to be left high and dry taking off on our own. At least booking thru Carnival assures you that the ship will wait for you if you are late. Those negative comments about road repairs are accurate and we're so glad we booked thru Carnival. The road construction is going on as soon as you exit the Port area. The workers close one side of the road to traffic, dig up that lane, let the other lane of cars go thru and repeat the process.

 

We went to Simpson Bay beach and the ride would normally take approximately 20 minutes. Our drive time from the Port to the beach was 1 hour and 45 minutes because of all the construction. The ride back from the beach to the Port took the same amount of time. We were stuck in traffic in the middle of the shopping area and people were getting off the van to go to a restroom and would jump back on.

 

Anyhow, that being said, the excursion was great. This beach is just past Maho where people go to watch the planes land. The people on that beach were packed in like sardines.

 

Simpson Bay Beach is beautiful, clean water and sand, new lounge chairs with umbrellas, clean restroom, great bar with seating on the shaded porch. The beach was not crowded, there were lots of empty loungers.. We were offered unlimited rum punch and virgin punch. An employee took our lunch order when we first arrived...fish, chicken, or ribs. Around Noon they announced that lunch was ready for anyone that was hungry. The chicken and fish was served with a tossed salad and rice and beans. The food was all delicious. Included in our tour price was transportation, lounge chair on the beach, drinks, and lunch.

 

The bus returning to the ship left at 2:30 p.m. This excursion was worth every penny. It was a lovely day spent on a beautiful beach with some wonderful employees who took good care of everyone.

The beach past Maho is Mullet not Simpson Bay Beach.

Cindik: We were at the beach for approximately 4-1/2 hours. We did not snorkel nor did we see anyone else snorkeling. The only negative was the travel time to and from the beach but regardless of what transportation you choose, the travel time anywhere on the island is going to be long. Because the road repairs are so close to the Port, it affects all traffic in and out.

Karysa: We were told by the tour operator before we boarded our bus that we were heading to Simpson Bay Beach. If that is incorrect and we were at Mullet Bay, it was still a great day on a beautiful, beach with friendly people, clean beach bar/restaurant, and good food.

Thanks for the questions and answers. Can I add an additional question?

Do all of the beaches have public bathrooms?

Harmony 06/02/18

Thanks for the questions and answers. Can I add an additional question?

 

Do all of the beaches have public bathrooms?

 

 

Harmony 06/02/18

Not all of the beaches have public bathrooms. Almost all of the beaches that are spoken about here on cc have bathrooms available at the beach bars though and Mullet has a public Port-a-potty.

Not all of the beaches have public bathrooms. Almost all of the beaches that are spoken about here on cc have bathrooms available at the beach bars though and Mullet has a public Port-a-potty.

Thank you

Harmony 06/02/18

Thank you

 

 

Harmony 06/02/18

You are welcome.:) If you have a specific beach in mind just ask away because someone on here will know what facilities it has open post Irma.

Is there any word on how much longer until the road work near ports is completed or at least far enough long to fix the traffic issues? We are going there mid June and only have 8 hours in port. We would hate to spend 3 hrs of that sitting in traffic.

Is there any word on how much longer until the road work near ports is completed or at least far enough long to fix the traffic issues? We are going there mid June and only have 8 hours in port. We would hate to spend 3 hrs of that sitting in traffic.

It is a short walk from the pier into town (and back) so I would just plan to take the taxi or bus to/from Philipsburg to wherever you are going (I think you said Mullet/Maho on a previous post) and then walk back from town. The water taxi is another option and there is not traffic issue with that one either!