DiamondDiva23 Posted June 28, 2013 #1 Share Posted June 28, 2013 We'll be in St. Maarten in July on the Jewel. I've been reading a lot about Serafina's Bakery in Marigot and was wondering how far and how long it would take me to get there from the pier. Anyone done this before? We have a beach excursion first so I don't even know if it's possible. Thanx in advance for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G85 SS Posted June 28, 2013 #2 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I went to Marigot when I was in St. Maarten but it was part of the tour I did. It's not too terribly far. By way of a taxi it should take about 20 minutes, give or take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaK Posted June 28, 2013 #3 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Be careful about traveling to Marigot in the afternoon. There can be a lot of traffic coming back to Phillipsburg where the ship is, and you need to make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time. You didn't say what beach tour you were doing. Might I suggest that you look into Bernard's Tour (www.bernardstours.com)? For $40pp, he offers a comprehensive tour of the island, about 2 hours at Orient Beach, time in Marigot, and then the highlight which is time at Maho Beach to see the jumbo jets land (google Maho Beach to see what that's all about). He is a reputable and respected tour guide, widely used and recommended on Cruise Critic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiamondDiva23 Posted June 28, 2013 Author #4 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Thanx G85 SS & DonnaK. We are doing the Orient Beach excursion thru Royal. I purchased it back in Jan and I have two teenage girls who are dying to hang out at the beach all day. We are scheduled to get back at 2:45 which is why I was wondering if I could grab a quick cab to Serafina's before getting back on the ship. We leave port at 6 so I know we have to be all aboard by 5:30. But I don't want to risk getting stuck in traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettytrouble Posted June 28, 2013 #5 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Serafinas is no quick ride- but it is worth the trip! Took us about 25 minutes to get there in November. Hit some trafffic and took 35 or so minutes to get back. When you are finished with your beach tour, you will be dropped off right where you can grab a cab-just hop in and enjoy!!! You can also wander thru the market a bit. I was very impressed with the tasty treats at Serafina's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUISEFAN0001 Posted June 28, 2013 #6 Share Posted June 28, 2013 (edited) Serafinas is no quick ride- but it is worth the trip! Took us about 25 minutes to get there in November. Hit some trafffic and took 35 or so minutes to get back. When you are finished with your beach tour, you will be dropped off right where you can grab a cab-just hop in and enjoy!!! You can also wander thru the market a bit. I was very impressed with the tasty treats at Serafina's. Yup....Sarafina's is a great place for pastries and breads...just there again in February... Edited June 28, 2013 by CRUISEFAN0001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeywestK Posted June 28, 2013 #7 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I agree with DonnaK. We did that same tour with Bernards in February and it was excellent. And a great value for the $40 pp that was charged. Serafina's was fabulous!! It was crowded, but the line moved quickly. If you opt for just a taxi ride over to Marigot, allow about 20 minutes to get there, but more time for the return to the ship. Traffic get heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules815 Posted June 28, 2013 #8 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Serafinas is no quick ride- but it is worth the trip! Took us about 25 minutes to get there in November. Hit some trafffic and took 35 or so minutes to get back. When you are finished with your beach tour, you will be dropped off right where you can grab a cab-just hop in and enjoy!!! You can also wander thru the market a bit. I was very impressed with the tasty treats at Serafina's. We found Serafina's on Trip Advisor before our last cruise, and made it a mission to go. Lovely, open-air but covered, casual, self service with lots of tasty treats and specialty coffees. A quick walk from the taxi stand, which is right there, you can't miss it. From there we took another cab to Marigot Bay because my husband wanted to check out the famous beachside lollos and restaurants. It was late morning when we were there, and hardly anything was open. The restaurants all don't open until 5:00pm. We had lunch in one of the few beachside bbq restaurants that was open. We asked the waitress if there were cabs in the area, and she offered to call one for us. So we were thinking "great, enjoy our lunch with this beautiful view, what a great time!" Then we noticed we hadn't seen any cabs. When she finally brought our check, she told us she wasn't able to get a cab for us! We were in a bit of a panic, when all of a sudden a van doing a tour came driving slowly down the road we were on, and our friends we were traveling with were in it! They had hired a driver back at the pier to take them around the island, and they squeezed us in with them! That's how we got back to the pier. Traffic was pretty bad, too, but it was early enough that we weren't in any danger of missing the ship. I wouldn't venture out too late though, because traffic really does get backed up. One of our cruise adventures for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaK Posted June 28, 2013 #9 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Thanx G85 SS & DonnaK. We are doing the Orient Beach excursion thru Royal. I purchased it back in Jan and I have two teenage girls who are dying to hang out at the beach all day. We are scheduled to get back at 2:45 which is why I was wondering if I could grab a quick cab to Serafina's before getting back on the ship. We leave port at 6 so I know we have to be all aboard by 5:30. But I don't want to risk getting stuck in traffic. Honestly, I don't think that you have enough time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules815 Posted June 28, 2013 #10 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Honestly, I don't think that you have enough time. I agree with DonnaK, you wouldn't have time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted June 28, 2013 #11 Share Posted June 28, 2013 (edited) Thanx G85 SS & DonnaK. We are doing the Orient Beach excursion thru Royal. I purchased it back in Jan and I have two teenage girls who are dying to hang out at the beach all day. We are scheduled to get back at 2:45 which is why I was wondering if I could grab a quick cab to Serafina's before getting back on the ship. We leave port at 6 so I know we have to be all aboard by 5:30. But I don't want to risk getting stuck in traffic. Can you cancel your cruiseline excursion to Orient? This would be the best way to get your cake and eat it to.;). You will be at the beach sooner by taxi then you will be by excursion. It is super easy and very inexpensive. Research which beach bar you want to spend the day at here on the St. Maarten board. Chairs and umbrellas are sold along with a drink each for as little as $15 for 2 people depending on the day. Lunch can be purchased at any of the beach bars not just the one that you settle in at. You can get a taxi at Orient that will take you to Seraphinas and if you want just pay him to wait for you and then take you back to the ship. You are probably set to leave the beach at 2 on your tour so even if you leave at 2 and get to Marigot at 2:45 and leave at 3:45 you will have more than enough time to get back to the pier by 5:15. Edited June 28, 2013 by Karysa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTSEN5 Posted June 29, 2013 #12 Share Posted June 29, 2013 We rented a Jeep in St. Martin twice. We stopped at Orient, Sarafina's, shopped in Marigot, and spent time at Maho. We had plenty of time and driving was easy. You could do that if you are up to it. It was a wonderful day. We took the top off and had a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiamondDiva23 Posted June 29, 2013 Author #13 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Thanx everybody! I think we'll pass on it on this time around. Just means I'll have to go back to St. Maarten another time. Fine by me! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Norton Posted February 19, 2015 #14 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Does anyone know if they take credit cards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtaylor Posted February 19, 2015 #15 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Does anyone know if they take credit cards? I'm pretty sure that they do take credit cards, but with a US $15 or so minimum. Note that your credit card is very likely to charge both a foreign transaction fee and a currency conversion fee. If you have the right cards they wont. That said, in the local newspaper's latest 'Best Of' report, Sarafina's came in third. Best on the island was voted to be La Sucriere, on the lagoon in Simpson Bay, on the Dutch side. I think their minimum was US $20. Our favorite is Taste Factory, Dutch side, even though it didn't finish at the top. gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Norton Posted February 19, 2015 #16 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFplusP Posted January 21, 2016 #17 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Can anyone tell me where Serefinas is in relation to where Bernard drops you, or the open market? Will it be obvious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnorkelAway Posted January 21, 2016 #18 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Not far. Just google Sarafina's French Bakery - click on map that should come up on right of screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaimevoyager Posted January 21, 2016 #19 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Can anyone tell me where Serefinas is in relation to where Bernard drops you, or the open market? Will it be obvious? It was only about a block or two from the market. Very easy to find even without having a map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindy_k Posted January 29, 2016 #20 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Can anyone tell me where Serefinas is in relation to where Bernard drops you, or the open market? Will it be obvious? When I did the tour about 4 years ago, he parked right along the shore, it was near the open market and Serefinas was across the street. I ate a small lunch/snack there. :) It was yum! I just booked with Bernard's again for when I go back in 3 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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