Beaches at St. Maarten

[BlueSky_ShinySea]

Pinel could be a problem - with a ferry and then a taxi, there is a chance of delay, so you would have to get an early start back. Think about Le Galion or Dawn Beach on the east side for ease of getting back to the ship; or Simpsons Bay or Mullet for calm - but some risk of PM traffic getting back to Phillipsburg.

 

Hi - My husband and I went to Pinel in December and absolutely loved it. We kayaked back and forth (but we could have taken the kayak, too). You have to be careful to arrange transportation back to the port before you head out, but it is definitely worth it for a quiet and beautiful beach day. I wrote more about it in my Valor review (link below) and posted some pictures. :-)

[cwbabe48]

Do you have any pics of your beach day at Little Diva? I am so confused what quiet, beautiful beach to go to for the day! Thanks

[ecmcm]

My idea of a great beach would be clean sand, clear & calm waters, restrooms, a pub and grille, umbrellas & chairs, not too crowded, and not more than an hour away from the ship. Anyone know of one that meets these criteria? Or am I just fantasizing?

 

Orient Beach would meet your criteria. If you are going in July, there will be no crowds. The Club Orient side has nudity but the sand and water are the best at that end of the beach.

[Ottawamomof2]

We went to Orient Beach with Bernard's. We got umbrellas and chairs at La Playa as well as drinks and free wifi. The beach was really nice but its true that there is a lot of seaweed. Here are a few pics:

 

 

 

when you walk into the water, there is a very steep drop when water gets to your knees. And then there is more seaweed. You need to swim out til your neck to get away from it. We still really liked Orient Beach but we didn't swim as much as at Maho or in St. Thomas. No seaweed there at all.

[Life is Good Cruising]

We were at La Playa last month and hardly any seaweed on the beach and very little in the water, it just comes and goes with the tide.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45454652#post45454652