Is St. Martin Worth The Trip

[firecapt25]

I will be arriving in St. John on 10/14/09 and trying to decide in either taking the St. John highlight tour or doing St. Martin and Bay of Fundy tour. Is St. Martin worth the extra time riding and the money or stay and enjoy St. John.

[sapper1]

I will be arriving in St. John on 10/14/09 and trying to decide in either taking the St. John highlight tour or doing St. Martin and Bay of Fundy tour. Is St. Martin worth the extra time riding and the money or stay and enjoy St. John.

 

St. Martins is about a 45 minute drive from Saint John. On a nice sunny day it is one of my favourite local outings. If you are the sort of person who enjoys beautiful scenery and quaint little towns then you will love St. Martins.

At low tide the fishing boats bottom out in the little harbour and float again when the tide rises. It is a good place to appreciate our 40 --some foot tidal range.

There are two covered bridges to wander through and they are a short walk from the caves. I think the tours are ususally timed to coincide with the times that it is safe to walk out to the caves so wear walking shoes that you don't mind getting a little wet. Do not wear sandals or flip flops as you risk turning an ankle on the rocks.

If your tour continues on from St. Martins and goes along the Fundy Trail for a bit you will find more amazing scenery.

Of course if it is a dull rainy foggy day it won't be much fun and you won't see much scenery.

 

If you decide to stay in Saint John, I have added a link to Acey's "almost famous" annual update of things to do in our city.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=923754

 

Whichever place you choose and whatever the weather, you will find a very warm welcome in this area.

[firecapt25]

This will be our first time in the area, so wanting to see some beautiful scenery. Will be on a cruise so we only have the one day.

[cs4225]

We did the St Martin and the Bay of Fundy tour through the Caribbean Princess. It was the best tour in our opinion on the cruise. We started by going to the St John City Market where we bought some souvenirs and dulce (dried seaweed). We then stopped at the Reversing Falls for some picture taking. The tour then goes to St. Martin but we stopped a couple of time to take photos of the fall colors. St. Martin is a cute little town where everyone knows each other. We then had a light lunch of seafood chowder and biscuits at a restaurant near the beach. The tide was rising after lunch so we couldn't walk to the sea caves but we all walked along the beach (no sand but small pebbles and rocks) looking for the ring rocks. Small pebbles with a ring of quartz that suppose to bring you luck I think. We found several which we allowed to bring home. What made this tour special was the tour guide. I think her name was Debbie and she is from St. Martin. She was dressed as a Loyalist who if I recall were Americans loyal to the King of England who fled America to the St. John region of Canada after the Revolution. Her stories of the area and growing up in St. Martin was interesting. She also let us sample of her own dulce which she gathered and dried with her family.

[firecapt25]

That is the same cruise that we are taking this October 10-17 on Caribbean Princess. Thanks for the info I'll look forward to the tour then.

[newcruiser08820]

We did the St Martin and the Bay of Fundy tour through the Caribbean Princess. It was the best tour in our opinion on the cruise. We started by going to the St John City Market where we bought some souvenirs and dulce (dried seaweed). We then stopped at the Reversing Falls for some picture taking. The tour then goes to St. Martin but we stopped a couple of time to take photos of the fall colors. St. Martin is a cute little town where everyone knows each other. We then had a light lunch of seafood chowder and biscuits at a restaurant near the beach. The tide was rising after lunch so we couldn't walk to the sea caves but we all walked along the beach (no sand but small pebbles and rocks) looking for the ring rocks. Small pebbles with a ring of quartz that suppose to bring you luck I think. We found several which we allowed to bring home. What made this tour special was the tour guide. I think her name was Debbie and she is from St. Martin. She was dressed as a Loyalist who if I recall were Americans loyal to the King of England who fled America to the St. John region of Canada after the Revolution. Her stories of the area and growing up in St. Martin was interesting. She also let us sample of her own dulce which she gathered and dried with her family.

We were on the same tour with Carnival in August. They took us to the Resersing falls at the beginning of the tour and at the end so we can see the difference that tide can make. Also we were by the caves during the low tide and were able to get into the caves. Our tour guide was Barbara , native of Bay of Fundy. Me and my daughter (8) really enjoyed this trip. By the way, weather was fantastic. I don't think I would have a same experience during fog or rain. Originally we were just planning to walk around, but I am glad that I made a reservation for the tour after reading the boards here.

[mrchips14]

Are we better off wearing old sneakers or something like aquasocks or teva's to walk to the sea caves. How wet do you usually get at low tide?

 

Thanks for any help.

[sapper1]

Are we better off wearing old sneakers or something like aquasocks or teva's to walk to the sea caves. How wet do you usually get at low tide?

 

Thanks for any help.

I would wear old sneakers. You might stub a toe on the rocks wearing Teva's and the small pebbles will get between your toes.:eek:

You may not get wet at all. There is a small brook that goes across the beach at low tide part way out to the caves. There is usually a board that someone has placed there that you can balance on while you cross. It is not deep--just a few inches--and if you balance well you won't get wet.:D It is not wide either---maybe six feet or so.

[mrchips14]

OK, thanks for the Info. Sneakers it is.

[CMM]

We were going to do this tour and I wish we had. There isn't a whole lot to see in St. John, but the people are friendly and hospitable.

If we return I would choose to go to the Bay of Fundy.

[scotian1]

If you get to St. Martins, it would be well worth it to go an extra few miles and take in the Fundy Trail Parkway. ( which is located in St. Martins) Check out the link to its website. There is even a great little video on what the area has to offer.

 

http://www.fundytrailparkway.com/

[Saligo]

Too late to help firecapt25 I'm afraid, but in case it is of help to others, we have just returned from a cruise on Queen Vic that called at Saint John, and have to agree with everything that cs4225 says. We too were lucky enough to get Debbie as our tour guide on the St Martins tour, and it was delightful. The people in Saint John did appear friendly, but the place is rather low-key, and the Reversing Falls aren't that big a deal. The St Martins tour does show you them briefly, but then goes to a far more attractive destination.