Quiet Beach?

[PAcruiser116]

This will be our first time in St. Martin and we would like to make it a beach day. It was recommended to go to Orient Beach but I'm afraid it will be too crowded for our liking. We are the only ship in port that day, but we are on the Allure which is huge. I'd love to find a beach that is easy to get to via taxi and is less crowded. Looking for a place to relax, eat, drink and enjoy the day. We are a couple in our early 30's and don't enjoy crowds? Any suggestions?

 

Or, if we go to Orient Beach, is there a particular restaurant to go by that would be less crowded. I have read if you turn left it spreads out a bit?

[Karysa]

This will be our first time in St. Martin and we would like to make it a beach day. It was recommended to go to Orient Beach but I'm afraid it will be too crowded for our liking. We are the only ship in port that day, but we are on the Allure which is huge. I'd love to find a beach that is easy to get to via taxi and is less crowded. Looking for a place to relax, eat, drink and enjoy the day. We are a couple in our early 30's and don't enjoy crowds? Any suggestions?

 

Or, if we go to Orient Beach, is there a particular restaurant to go by that would be less crowded. I have read if you turn left it spreads out a bit?

 

 

I think if Orient is where you would like to go then you should. With just the Allure in Orient should not be crowded. It is a very long beach and with just the Allure in I think that it is a good easy, inexpensive option.

[Hlitner]

Orient is certainly not a sleepy beach, but it is a terrific place. Since it is a very long beach there are plenty of places not totally overrun with people :). My suggestion is to ask your taxi to drop you at "Bikini" (many of the shared taxis from the port go to this drop point). Once there, you simply walk along the beach and check out the various restaurant menus, the layout of chairs (some places have them closer together then others) and make your decision based on what you see at the time. On our most recent visit we were pleased with lunch at Kakao......but there are plenty of other decent places for lunch.

 

Hank

[PAcruiser116]

Thank you. Is the water calm at Orient? I keep seeing mixed reviews. Anyone been to Mullet Beach? We are debating between the two.

[LookingForward2]

Thank you. Is the water calm at Orient? I keep seeing mixed reviews. Anyone been to Mullet Beach? We are debating between the two.

 

we have been to Orient 2 times and wish to go to a nicer, smaller beach.

we are planning to go to Mullet Beach this trip then walk over to Maho for the afternoon to see the planes. we are going next month, I can report back when we return.

[Twibes]

After reading about Mullet Bay on here, I think that's probably my choice as well come this fall. I've never been here but it sounds like one of the best beaches to visit.

[PAcruiser116]

we have been to Orient 2 times and wish to go to a nicer, smaller beach.

we are planning to go to Mullet Beach this trip then walk over to Maho for the afternoon to see the planes. we are going next month, I can report back when we return.

 

That would be great! We are headed out at the end of next month too so hopefully you're back before we leave. Thanks everyone!

[LookingForward2]

That would be great! We are headed out at the end of next month too so hopefully you're back before we leave. Thanks everyone!

 

When and what ship are you sailing? We're on the Grandeur repo April 24 - May 3rd...might not be back in time if you're sailing the end of next month.

[coffeeaddiction12345]

we have been to Orient 2 times and wish to go to a nicer, smaller beach.

we are planning to go to Mullet Beach this trip then walk over to Maho for the afternoon to see the planes. we are going next month, I can report back when we return.

 

Can you, or anyone else elaborate on this? It's my first time going to St Maarten (in 3 days- oops). We're 1 of 7 ships in port so it's going to be absolute chaos.

 

How far is Maho from Mullet? We really want to do Maho but I hear it's not really the type of sit back and relax kind of beach. Any idea how much the taxi is to mullet?

 

thanks- we're really trying to get a game plan going and it snuck up on us!

[gtaylor]

Use the search box up there on the right and search for Mullet.

 

You'll find a lot of information.

 

Taxi rates are here:

 

(click)

 

gary

[Karysa]

Thank you. Is the water calm at Orient? I keep seeing mixed reviews. Anyone been to Mullet Beach? We are debating between the two.

 

Spring is usually a nice time to visit Orient. With one ship in, if you ever want to visit Orient then this would be the time. I love Mullet beach, it is one of my very faviorite beaches on the island. The bathroom is a port-o-potty and there is only one choice of place to eat though. The food choices at Orient, the fact that there is only one ship in, and the ease of getting a taxi to or from Orient easier still makes Orient a great choice for you. If your visit is on a weekend then I would 100 o/o choose Orient as Mullet and Le Galion are very popular beaches for the island residents on the weekends.

[Karysa]

Can you, or anyone else elaborate on this? It's my first time going to St Maarten (in 3 days- oops). We're 1 of 7 ships in port so it's going to be absolute chaos.

 

How far is Maho from Mullet? We really want to do Maho but I hear it's not really the type of sit back and relax kind of beach. Any idea how much the taxi is to mullet?

 

thanks- we're really trying to get a game plan going and it snuck up on us!

 

I personally want nothing to do with Maho when 7 ships are in. Way too busy and the traffic congestion is just not where I would want to spend my time in St. Maarten.

 

I can't imagine being able to get a taxi from Mullet to Maho with 7 ships in unless you just happen upon one dropping someone off and would plan on walking the 10 minutes from Mullet to Maho instead. Make sure that you leave lots and lots of time ( depending on your all a board time) to make it back to the ship on time.

[PAcruiser116]

Thanks for the info everyone! LookingForward, we leave before you get back, but thanks for trying. Have fun at Mullet!

[LookingForward2]

I personally want nothing to do with Maho when 7 ships are in. Way too busy and the traffic congestion is just not where I would want to spend my time in St. Maarten.

 

I can't imagine being able to get a taxi from Mullet to Maho with 7 ships in unless you just happen upon one dropping someone off and would plan on walking the 10 minutes from Mullet to Maho instead. Make sure that you leave lots and lots of time ( depending on your all a board time) to make it back to the ship on time.

 

All good to note. We are planning on walking from Mullet to Maho, but will leave early to get back to the ship in time.

 

There was a good overhead map that gave a plan to walk from one to the other - it might have been by gtaylor.

[cruizeblues]

On our first trip to St. Maarten we discovered an awesome little beach at the end of a mountain biking excursion..Friar's Bay Beach. It was small and not at all crowded, the water was beautiful and calm. We wished that we had skipped the bikes and went directly to the beach! There was a little beach bar with covered tables & chairs for shade. Absolute Paradise! Tried to get the taxi driver to bring us back the following year, but he talked us out of it saying it was too far out of the way.

[Karysa]

On our first trip to St. Maarten we discovered an awesome little beach at the end of a mountain biking excursion..Friar's Bay Beach. It was small and not at all crowded, the water was beautiful and calm. We wished that we had skipped the bikes and went directly to the beach! There was a little beach bar with covered tables & chairs for shade. Absolute Paradise! Tried to get the taxi driver to bring us back the following year, but he talked us out of it saying it was too far out of the way.

 

Transportation is the main reason that I only recommend Friars Bay Beach when on a tour or when the cruiser is renting a car. One of the islands most beautiful beaches, Happy Bay, is a 15 minute walk on a path from Friars.

[Hlitner]

I will be a bit contrarian when it comes to going to Friars on a port day (we sometimes go there when we are staying on the island). Friars is a long way from the cruise port (just a little before you get to Marigot) and this beach has its pros and cons. There are 2 pretty decent restaurants on that beach and you can rent chairs (one restaurant will give you chairs free if you buy lunch). But the truth of this beach is that when you enter the water you will have to usually walk through many pebbles and loose rocks which can be hard on bare feet (its OK if you have water shoes). While its a beautiful setting we are not big fans of those rocks since we love to swim without wearing our water shoes. As to the nearby Happy Beach, it is about a 15 min walk (through the forest/jungle) from Friars and there are very limited facilities with a small beach-shack BBQ place. Happy Beach is popular with a few locals (and visitors) who like to be totally nude so this might bother some folks and gross out others :).

 

Hank

[gjnmir]

We were there just last week. Rented a car and drove to friars bay. Wonderful quiet beach. We didn't have any problem at all with the pebbly bottom. We have never had water shoes and didn't need them there. We did walk the very short trail to Happy beach. That beach was gorgeous! We went for a swim and then headed back to friars because we had already rented chairs there. We wished we had just gone straight to happy beach and stayed the afternoon there. Saw a few topless folks but that's all. On the way back we stopped for a few minutes at Orient Beach. Now that place is one crowded zoo! We would never consider staying there for a day and would never recommend it to someone looking for a "quiet beach"

[Karysa]

We were there just last week. Rented a car and drove to friars bay. Wonderful quiet beach. We didn't have any problem at all with the pebbly bottom. We have never had water shoes and didn't need them there. We did walk the very short trail to Happy beach. That beach was gorgeous! We went for a swim and then headed back to friars because we had already rented chairs there. We wished we had just gone straight to happy beach and stayed the afternoon there. Saw a few topless folks but that's all. On the way back we stopped for a few minutes at Orient Beach. Now that place is one crowded zoo! We would never consider staying there for a day and would never recommend it to someone looking for a "quiet beach"

 

Sounds like you had a wonderful day. How many ships were in on your port day?

[marvlgirl]

When we go at the end of the month we are for sure going to Mullet Bay. We are staying away from Orient Beach. I heard its a busier beach and we are looking for more of a relaxing beach.

[SmokyMtnMan6593]

My wife and I are cruising to St. Marteen on the Disney Fantasy, on May 7th. A couple of questions, and hopefully some recommendations, from anyone who has been to St. Marteen.

 

1. Where will our Disney Ship dock, as far as proximity to shopping and nice beaches? We want to do some shopping in Phillipsburg, but still allow plenty of time for the beach, as well. Not sure what good beaches are nearby.

 

2. We really prefer to avoid Orient Beach, as we are not comfortable with the "clothing optional" thing, UNLESS there is a section of Orient Beach that is not this way. Any help on that one?

 

3. Also heard good things about Great Bay Beach, and Little Bay Beach, but not sure if these are convenient to the shopping areas, or close to the area where we dock.

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Hlitner]

My wife and I are cruising to St. Marteen on the Disney Fantasy, on May 7th. A couple of questions, and hopefully some recommendations, from anyone who has been to St. Marteen.

 

1. Where will our Disney Ship dock, as far as proximity to shopping and nice beaches? We want to do some shopping in Phillipsburg, but still allow plenty of time for the beach, as well. Not sure what good beaches are nearby.

 

2. We really prefer to avoid Orient Beach, as we are not comfortable with the "clothing optional" thing, UNLESS there is a section of Orient Beach that is not this way. Any help on that one?

 

3. Also heard good things about Great Bay Beach, and Little Bay Beach, but not sure if these are convenient to the shopping areas, or close to the area where we dock.

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

There is only one port on St Maarten (which can easily handle 4 large cruise ships at a time) and that is where you will be. The port has its own large shopping area, or you can take the inexpensive water taxi or even walk into Phillipsburg which is the major shopping area on the island. All the beaches on the French side (including Orient Bay) allow topless..but they do try to limit total nudity (and yes, its possible you would see this on Orient). They do have a sign at Orient that is supposed to keep the nudists away from the bulk of the beach...but the nudists do not always pay attention to the sign. It sounds like you might prefer Mullet which is on the Dutch side. But even on Mullet we have seen topless sunbathers.

 

Hank

[Dave4120]

When we cruise, we now go to the island and beach listed below. It is the best kept secret and we think you will love it. I'm sure as more people become aware of this island, it will end up being just as crowded some day as Orient Beach. But for now, it is just so wonderful. This is just our opinion. Good Luck.

 

http://sint-maarten.net/St-Maarten-B...nelIsland.html

 

http://www.caribbeanpaddling.com/st-.../pinel-island/

 

http://sxmdeals.com/activities/pinel...ch-break-tour/

[pghsteelerfan]

When we cruise, we now go to the island and beach listed below. It is the best kept secret and we think you will love it. I'm sure as more people become aware of this island, it will end up being just as crowded some day as Orient Beach. But for now, it is just so wonderful. This is just our opinion. Good Luck.

 

http://sint-maarten.net/St-Maarten-B...nelIsland.html

 

http://www.caribbeanpaddling.com/st-.../pinel-island/

 

http://sxmdeals.com/activities/pinel...ch-break-tour/

 

On our first cruise, in 1992, we booked an excursion through the ship (Carnival) to Pinel Island. We LOVED it and would love to go back on our upcoming cruise this May. There is no longer an excursion to Pinel Island offered through the ship (Carnival again) and were thinking of going on our own. From what I've been reading, it would be no problem to get a taxi to the point where you get the ferry over to Pinel but it can be hard to find a taxi to take you from that point back to the ship. That is the only part that we don't want to take a risk on. How do you get there and back?

[Dave4120]

If you click the SXM deals link in my post, this is who we have booked our trip with. Yes, it does cost a bit more than a ship beach excursion to Orient Beach, but we think it's worth it for the peace and quiet.

 

For $74 per person, they take you from the Hertz Car Rental outside the pier to the ferry. It also includes a beach chair AND umbrella for each person so if there are two of you going, you each have your own chair, and your own umbrella. Then, they take you back from the ferry to the Hertz rental near your ship.

 

The only other thing you have to pay besides the $74 per person, is the $7.00 roundtrip ticket per person for the ferry, and a $2.00 surcharge for something that has to do with veterans. That $2.00 charge is not just for this beach break, they add this to everything on the island now.

 

So, we book through the SXM site, and I have dealt with a Michael who is very nice and good. Their site even has a live chat in case you want to ask your own questions.

 

Hope this helps.