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Bernard's Tour in St Maarten...is it a good tour

2thesea

By 2thesea,
in St. Martin/St. Maarten

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karinad

karinad

Posted
Posted
Looking back through the e-mails, I submitted the reservation on his website on 9/14 and got a confirmation e-mail the next day - 9/15. I replied to confirm, as per his email, and that was it. I thought that I had contacted him more, but it looks like it was Henry Christopher on St. Thomas that I had to ask a few follow-up questions with - my apologies there! I will say that in contacting several guides and companies that a lapse time of a few days between e-mails was not unheard of.

 

Bernard does advertise a direct e-mail directly on his website (bernard1332002@yahoo.com) and you may want to try that as well.

Thanks! I think I'll email him also. I did just check my Spam box. I think he did say to email to confirm. I had only filled out the information on his web page. I had asked if if space was available, but I guess it is.

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gtaylor

gtaylor

Posted
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No problem! One amendment - after speaking to my DW she advises we left Maho around 2:00 PM and got back to the pier around 2:45-3:00 so take that accordingly.

That trip sounds very unusually quick.

 

Nothing that I have heard about in the last several weeks would indicate that it is the norm.

 

Personally, I would allow a lot more time than this indicates.

 

gary

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garnetpalmetto

garnetpalmetto

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When you reserve do you pay then or at time of excurison? Cash or C/C? Seriously looking at this tour in Jan 2012!:D Pam

 

You pay at the time of the excursion. We paid in cash just because it was the easiest way to do it, but he also accepts MC, Visa, and Discover.

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eyeseeu

eyeseeu

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We did his tour last summer and loved it also. I can't remember the specific store he took us to shop, but it was a great one. Maho and Orient beaches were awesome also.....

CJ

 

 

Regarding Orient Beach ...is it all 'clothing optional' or only a section away from the rest?

 

If going to Orient Beach, and not wanting to disrobe, ...would I/we be really out of place looking?

 

Is Bernard's Tour at all able to skip this beach and go to an alternative?

 

TIA

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garnetpalmetto

garnetpalmetto

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Regarding Orient Beach ...is it all 'clothing optional' or only a section away from the rest?

 

If going to Orient Beach, and not wanting to disrobe, ...would I/we be really out of place looking?

 

Is Bernard's Tour at all able to skip this beach and go to an alternative?

 

TIA

 

Toplessness is permissible on all of the beaches on the island, however only a portion of Orient is completely clothing optional and clearly demarcated as such with rocks and a large sign. The portion on the other side is not clothing optional. You would not be out of place looking - while we were only there for a few minutes (our bus chose not to stay there long due to detritus that had washed up because of a storm the previous night and there were quite a few people on the bus who had reservations about being in close proximity to a clothing0optional beach) we spotted quite a few people clothed on the non-clothing optional side of the beach.

 

If you have hesitation or reservations about it, be sure to contact them and I'm sure they'd try to work with you, as I believe Le Galion Beach is close to Orient and I'm sure they'd do their best to accommodate you. But rest assured, only a portion of Orient is clothing-optional.

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gtaylor

gtaylor

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Does his tour include the awesome stop where the Atlantic and Caribbean Ocean meet?

We were with Bernard on Wednesday.

 

I asked him this specific question, and he said that some of his drivers do refer to the waters of Coralita Beach that they visit as this area. It's a great tour.

 

gary

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tdk1938

tdk1938

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We were with Bernard on Wednesday.

 

I asked him this specific question, and he said that some of his drivers do refer to the waters of Coralita Beach that they visit as this area. It's a great tour.

 

gary

 

 

Hi Gary,

 

What time did you get back to the port? Our ship (Nieuw Amsterdam) leaves St Maarten leaves at 3:00 pm. I like to get back to port by no later than 2:00 pm. My DDs and DW will like to go shopping in Philipsburg.

 

Thanks,

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gtaylor

gtaylor

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We left Maho just before 1:30 and the return to Frontstreet in Philipsburg took over an hour.

 

At this point we had switched from Bernard to John as driver, and he said that he knew a 'secret' shortcut to avoid some of the traffic backup.

 

Turned out that it wasn't much of a secret, but it worked, as it cut quite a distance from the official mega-roundabout route created in Cole Bay, but I've already heard from the island that this shortcut had been closed off.

 

gary

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Searching4Sun

Searching4Sun

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Are there places to change at the beaches or do you hop back into the vans wet when it's time to go to the next stop? DH and I were still a little damp once in Antigua and the driver looked like he wanted to kill us (we were sitting on dry towels I had brought)

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kyrisong1

kyrisong1

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What do you mean by book it with Bernard himself? How do I contact Bernard?

She posted the link right there, otherwise just google Bernard St Martin, comes right up, you can email him from his website, very nice tour!!! Loved Bernard too!!!

Cheers, Carole

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gtaylor

gtaylor

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She posted the link right there, otherwise just google Bernard St Martin, comes right up, you can email him from his website, very nice tour!!! Loved Bernard too!!!

Cheers, Carole

 

Actually, Googleing Bernard can result in the problem being identified -- paying more.

 

A Google search can turn up third-party booking agents that add a fee for booking with Bernard that you don't have to pay if you book directly through his website: BernardsTours.com.

 

gary

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Kenns10

Kenns10

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Hi,

 

Thinking about booking this tour on my upcoming NCL Pearl cruise. When you stop at Orient Beach (I think for ~2 hours), does the tour include chair/umbrella/drink or is that separate? I've been to Orient Beach before (via taxi) and know about the deals that the vendors offer, just wasn't sure if that was included in the $40 per person price.

 

I apologize if this was already asked, but before you leave Orient Beach, do they allow time to change out of wet bathing suits?

 

Thanks!

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slideshell

slideshell

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Hi,

 

Thinking about booking this tour on my upcoming NCL Pearl cruise. When you stop at Orient Beach (I think for ~2 hours), does the tour include chair/umbrella/drink or is that separate? I've been to Orient Beach before (via taxi) and know about the deals that the vendors offer, just wasn't sure if that was included in the $40 per person price.

 

I apologize if this was already asked, but before you leave Orient Beach, do they allow time to change out of wet bathing suits?

 

Thanks!

it did not - the chair/umbrella/drinks had to be purchased independently so you are free to choose whichever vendor you want

 

they don't specifically build in time to change your bathing suit so you would just have to go do that a couple minutes before you need to meet up with bernard - we got there a little early and he handed out drinks while we waited for everyone and then headed over to rinse our feet off before getting in the van

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lmarie83

lmarie83

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Can anyone who has recently been on this tour ease my mind about the traffic issues and getting back to the ship on time? It sounds like we will be in very good hands with Bernard, and we don't have to board until 5:30, I just tend to be a nervous nelly and don't want to come even remotely close to being a pier runner.

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