St Marten Beach question

[Gotimone]

Does anyone know if there are any hotels on St Marten that will allow you to use their facilities for the day (for a fee of course)... On the beach, with nice restaurant and chairs, umbrellas, maybe water sports??? thanks to all

[cb at sea]

There are public beaches with chair/umbrella rentals...you don't need to pay a hotel to use a beach! The public beaches also have bathrooms avail. and there's restaurant/bars nearby. Almost all will have watersport rentals, too!

Get a guidebook on all your ports, so you'll have the info to find the right sort of beach/activites that interest you!

[janetz]

Does anyone know if there are any hotels on St Marten that will allow you to use their facilities for the day (for a fee of course)... On the beach, with nice restaurant and chairs, umbrellas, maybe water sports??? thanks to all

 

 

http://www.divilittlebay.com/DiviLittleBay/little-bay-resort-amenities.html

 

 

Less then 10 minutes by taxi from port. :D

 

I am pretty sure its free. I know the beach area is.

[robinm918]

Just go to Orient Beach - pick up a cab (cheaper per person if you share). Tons of places to rent chairs/umbrellas that have bars and food. We saw prices as low as $5 per chair; some places throw in a free drink.

 

We were there last week - it's our favorite beach. You might want to check out the St. Maarten ports of call board for other posts about St. Maarten. We went to Divi Little Bay the first time we went to St. Maarten - it's a nice resort but Orient Beach is way better!

[MikeNJ1109]

Maho Beach ... we highly recommend it.

 

Michael & Silkle

[pamurchu]

Holland House Hotel, on the boardwalk beyond the pier, has a beach in front where you can rent umbrellas, an outside bar, outdoor restaurant, etc. I have walked the distance many times, and it is not too far. There are many places to eat and drink along the beach. Have a great time, whatever you decide to do.

[sjb317]

Love Orient Beach! As a previous poster said, there are many places where you can get chairs and umbrellas for pretty cheap. We have rented for two chairs and an umbrella for $18.00. Also, jet skis and parasailing available. Beautiful beach and water. Most of the beaches in St. Maartin will have some topless women, but on Orient Beach, the right end (as you are facing the water) is nude.

My boys loved Maho Beach because of the jet planes flying overhead but as far as a beach, it is not that great! Kind of noisy at times due to the proximity of the airport and the odor of jet fuel was a little overpowering!

Sherri:)

[arc918]

Just go to Orient Beach - pick up a cab (cheaper per person if you share). Tons of places to rent chairs/umbrellas that have bars and food. We saw prices as low as $5 per chair; some places throw in a free drink.

 

We were there last week - it's our favorite beach. You might want to check out the St. Maarten ports of call board for other posts about St. Maarten. We went to Divi Little Bay the first time we went to St. Maarten - it's a nice resort but Orient Beach is way better!

 

I've heard that you can bargain with them on price - 3 chairs with umbrellas and 4 beers for $20 (or whatever)

[marci22]

I was at Pedro's and there was no bargaining. 2 chairs, 2 drinks, 1 umbrella: $15. (drinks were good though) Guy next door was the same for $14.

[volleyballmom87]

Just remember... Orient Beach is on the French side so 1. Everything is converted from Euros (a little more expensive) and 2. They are less... how should I say it... ummmm modest in their presentation of their bodies. :o We called it "boobie beach" for a long time.... LOL

[marci22]

Just remember... Orient Beach is on the French side so 1. Everything is converted from Euros (a little more expensive) and 2. They are less... how should I say it... ummmm modest in their presentation of their bodies. :o We called it "boobie beach" for a long time.... LOL

 

First week of April and they were accepting 1 dollar for 1 euro at Pedros. No conversion.

[volleyballmom87]

First week of April and they were accepting 1 dollar for 1 euro at Pedros. No conversion.

 

NIIIICCCCEEEE...

 

The place we went would do dollar for euro ONLY when paying cash! Luckily, I planned each port ahead of time with envelopes of cash we were "allowed" to spend in each port. If we didn't spend our allotment in one port... we put it toward other ports or decided that we could have another drink on the ship. :D I am married to an accountant but I was the money guru on that trip.

[marci22]

NIIIICCCCEEEE...

 

The place we went would do dollar for euro ONLY when paying cash! Luckily, I planned each port ahead of time with envelopes of cash we were "allowed" to spend in each port. If we didn't spend our allotment in one port... we put it toward other ports or decided that we could have another drink on the ship. :D I am married to an accountant but I was the money guru on that trip.

 

Yes, we paid cash. If they had put it through the cc, I probably would have paid more.

[EngIceDave]

Maho is cool to see, but not too relax and there are no cabanas or umbrellas or chairs (they wouldn't stay there too long....LOL)

 

I like Orient Beach. We rent a car and drive the perimeter of the island, always with a stop at Orient Beach for an hour or so. Last trip, we took the kids there (at that time, 2 girls 15/14 and one boy 9)...I didn't tell them it was a "Euro Beach" so when the first topless woman walked by, their jaws dropped. My son didn't notice the first one...the second one caught him off guard when he looked up and made an "ewww" face....it was funny

 

To answer your question, Orient Beach has all the rentals, including a water trampoline, parasailing, jetski, cabanas, chairs/umbrellas, restaurants and even some shopping and a nice little convenience store to get snacks or beverages to take back to your chair.

[SXM54]

I recommend Sunset Beach Bar and Grill in Maho. You can rent chairs and umbrella and sit and watch the big jets land right over your head. SBBG serves delicious lunch and drinks....so does the boat. You can also go to Mullet Bay, only about 5-10 minutes by car from Maho. Mullet has a very long beach and you can eat at Rosies....she makes the best island drinks and ribs/chicken. Also Karacters is wonderful. If you eat there, they allow you to sit on the chairs and use umbrella's for free. The food is excellent and they serve beer in a bucket on ice. We stay in Maho every year for 2 weeks and love it there...also Orient Beach is very nice as well....lots to do there You can go to Dawn Beach. There are so many places on the island. Just be careful with your stuff...don't leave anything on the beach unattended and absolutely nothing in the rental vehicle including trunk of car. They break into cars "all of the time" on the island. That being said, you will enjoy the beach/ocean in SXM tremendously. We love it there!

[SXM54]

Forgot....you might want to go to http://www.traveltalkonline.com and check out the threads about SXM....this is an excellent site with a wealth of information. If you post a thread, you will get many informative responses. Have fun!

[EngIceDave]

My Sunset Beach Bar and Grill sticker is like the only sticker on my car. Because only someone who's been there would recognize it.

I didn't know they rented chairs and stuff....never saw any of it

 

But if in St. Maarten, it's always worth stopping in at for lunch and cool viewing.

[Dirtbleed]

Anse Marcel. Never crowded with a great beach bar.

[SXM54]

My Sunset Beach Bar and Grill sticker is like the only sticker on my car. Because only someone who's been there would recognize it.

I didn't know they rented chairs and stuff....never saw any of it

 

But if in St. Maarten, it's always worth stopping in at for lunch and cool viewing.

 

Sunset Beach Bar and Grill no longer exists....it is now Sunset Bar and Grill. Check out the website of the new place. The food is the same just different owner and new name. They had to rebuild after the hurricane 2 years ago. Check out the webcam!

 

http://www.sunsetsxm.com/

[EngIceDave]

So no more surfboard logo?

 

sonofabitch!

 

It was about 2 yrs ago we were there

[JerseyGem]

Sunset Bar is still there- and only open in the afternoons while the big planes are coming in (with a posted timetable so you don't miss any- as if you could LOL). Anyway, you can't lay on the beach and relax; no beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. It's strictly a place to watch the planes with a cold drink and some food. If you want to relax on a beach, try Orient (as mentioned above). We're going to try Little Divi Beach resort on our next trip- in July. It's a closer trip from the cruise terminal, plus I want to try something different. Orient is indeed beautiful, though.

[MPlaspohl1]

can you snorkel at any of these beaches??

[MPlaspohl1]

Are there water sports at Orient Beach?? Also can you snorkel there?? We are cruising for the first time and I am trying to find a beach to spend the day that has activities for my older children. Thanks for your help

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Are there water sports at Orient Beach?? Also can you snorkel there?? We are cruising for the first time and I am trying to find a beach to spend the day that has activities for my older children. Thanks for your help

 

My kids are 17 and 21 and love to Jet Ski. In St Maarten, we take the 3 minute ferry across to the beaches by Front street. We rent chairs/umbrellas, drink, eat and RELAX, the kids jet skii, usually go out twice (I think it was $50 1/2 hr? Anyone have recent info on cost of jet ski rental?).

 

Part of (majority?) Orient is Topless. Id go to Orient, but I doubt my kids would appreciate being there with us, lol

[MPlaspohl1]

Thank you...do you know the name of this beach and does it have other water activities??