Bernard's private tour - help us build it!

[mchelle77]

We have a group of 11 sailing next month so we all booked the private Bernard's Tour. We have them for a max of 6 hours - any suggestions on what we should see? We have two 8 year olds, four who are in their 20s, four of us who are in their 30s and one in their late 40s. So far this is what we know:

 

Iguana farm (for the kids)

Maho (for the guys)

Beach (for the ladies)

Shopping in Marigot (for the 40-something)

 

Suggestions for a good beach, maybe one that offers water toy rentals? And for lunch spot that is casual, good for groups with kids, maybe on the beach? Better to shop in Marigot, or closer to the pier?

 

I think I may have posted this before, I apologize if I did (I may not have subbed to it) ... we're about 30 days out now, so we're starting to fine-tune.

 

Thanks all!

[prim8keeper]

We just did this with a group of 12 last month. For a beach you really can't go wrong with Orient Beach and its on your way as you head towards Marigot if you are going the scenic route around the island. We stopped their briefly and it was very nice. We started at Orient Beach and then moved to Marigot for lunch. There are some fabulous french restaurants and Sarafina's (french bakery) should not be missed. We probably spent about two hours there. One thing to be aware of is that a lot of the shops close around lunch through the afternoon. You'll also want to go to Maho later in the day if you want to see the big international flights coming in. Don't forget you can also shop in Philipsburg (make sure to visit the Chocolate Box!) and then its just a 15 min walk or short cab ride back to the pier.

 

This is from a photo review of our cruise so you can see my photos from St. Martin. They start at post #80.

[mchelle77]

Thanks for the link! :) How long would you say it took you to get back to the port from Maho?

[prim8keeper]

Thanks for the link! :) How long would you say it took you to get back to the port from Maho?

 

It really didn't seem that long. There was some traffic but nothing crazy. Maybe 30 minutes? They are also building a new bridge that will eventually help solve the traffic problems in that area. Our driver didn't say when it was supposed to be complete though.

[mchelle77]

Do you remember what time the shops closed so we can work around it? And does that include the restaurants as well?

 

The nudity on parts of Orient were a concern for my friend and her son, is it easily avoidable? (Not something I want my daughter thrown into either, but I'm less worried about it than she is)

[prim8keeper]

Do you remember what time the shops closed so we can work around it? And does that include the restaurants as well?

 

The nudity on parts of Orient were a concern for my friend and her son, is it easily avoidable? (Not something I want my daughter thrown into either, but I'm less worried about it than she is)

 

The restaurants were open as we ate lunch there and some of the shops were open. Since we were told that most would be closed I didn't bother to look around too much. I think we were there from around noon to 2 pm or maybe it was a little before.

 

Yes, it's easy to avoid the nude area. The tour guide stopped and showed us it so just make sure to tell them you don't want them to do that and they may not do that since you'll have kids. We were a group of adults. The place went to was pretty far down from the nude section. That said the entire beach is topless as are all of the beaches on the french side. I don't believe the beaches are on the dutch side. So you may want to go to a beach over there such as Mullet Bay if that's a concern.

[mchelle77]

Thank you, I'll mention it to our guide. Appreciate you taking the time to answer all of my questions! :)

[prim8keeper]

No problem, glad I could be of help. Make sure to try their "rum punch!" ;)

[dthogue]

We plan to do the private tour as well - can you tell me how much you tipped or plan to tip your driver? Is 15% adequate or should we plan for more?

 

Thanks,

Tammy

[prim8keeper]

We took 20% to be safe and we tipped around 15% I believe.

 

 

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[tiggerlover]

Our driver took us to La Playa Beach. You are on the opposite end of the nude beach. Keep in mind you will see some topless sun bathers no matter which beach you choose. :eek:

We rented 2 nice cushioned loungers with an umbrella and 2 fruit punches (with or without rum) for $10. The beach was amazing. You can also rent jet skis, floats, sailboats, etc. for little $.

Hope this helps! :D

[tiggerlover]

Oh yeah, one thing I would highly recommend is to take some snacks with you. :). We always bring along (before we board) some bags of chips or canisters of Pringles to enjoy on excursions or in our rooms at night. My DH also takes boxes of Lucky Charms to snack on too. You'd be amazed how good these taste after sitting on a bus or on a beach. Lol! :D

[mchelle77]

Oh yeah, one thing I would highly recommend is to take some snacks with you. :). We always bring along (before we board) some bags of chips or canisters of Pringles to enjoy on excursions or in our rooms at night. My DH also takes boxes of Lucky Charms to snack on too. You'd be amazed how good these taste after sitting on a bus or on a beach. Lol! :D

 

NOTED! Thank you!!

 

Do you remember what the cost of the jet skis were? That's something my husband mentioned (we could do it before we leave, while in Cocoa Beach, but he's stuck on doing so in a much more tropical locale)

[tiggerlover]

Sorry, didn't notice but everything else appeared to be reasonable... :)

[gtaylor]

Our driver took us to La Playa Beach. You are on the opposite end of the nude beach. Keep in mind you will see some topless sun bathers no matter which beach you choose. :eek:

We rented 2 nice cushioned loungers with an umbrella and 2 fruit punches (with or without rum) for $10. The beach was amazing. You can also rent jet skis, floats, sailboats, etc. for little $.

Hope this helps! :D

 

That sounds too cheap for La Playa.

 

gary

[tiggerlover]

That sounds too cheap for La Playa.

 

gary

 

That's what we paid last week...

[prim8keeper]

I also remember our guide telling us it was $10.

 

 

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[gtaylor]

Wow!

 

I'm pretty sure that I have never, before this, heard of La Playa offering two chairs, an umbrella and two drinks for $10.

 

I think that makes them the cheapest spot on the beach.

 

gary

[tiggerlover]

Don't know if this was a discount for those on Bernards tours,:confused: but that is exactly what we paid, and the faciliteis, chairs and beach area were very nice. :)