Ragdollbd Posted January 20, 2018 #51 Share Posted January 20, 2018 I just received an email from Jo Junie last week and he assured me that the tours are moving forward. I have used his tour group the last time I was in St. Maarten and we had a great day. Look him up on the web, you will find reasonable prices, a full tour of the island stopping at various beaches, shopping, etc. http://www.jojunietours.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted January 23, 2018 #52 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Friar's Bay looks pretty nice. We're headed to St. Martin/Maarten on Anthem of the Seas on February 25th. I was considering going to Karakter Beach on Simpson Bay but there have been recent reports of waste water going into that Bay from Kim Sha Beach so I'm a bit hesitant. Friar's Bay is a bit further. I'm wondering if you saw any taxis at Friar's Bay at all. Just wondering what the chances are that I could get stuck there without transportation back to the ship. Cindy Kim Sha beach is not on the same beach as Karakter. I have never heard or read or seen any pollution issues at Karakter on Simpson Bay beach. They had an issue a year or so ago with the health department but that was once and a long while ago from what I recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mivama Posted January 23, 2018 #53 Share Posted January 23, 2018 What facilities are there at Friar's Beach? I had heard the restaurant was destroyed. Did they rebuild already? Also, what was the cost to rent chairs/umbrellas? Thanks so much for the great pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdawg954 Posted January 23, 2018 #54 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Bernards Tours look solid . . . But I think the time spent at Maho is a deal breaker. 30 minutes . . . .ehhhh. Gonna bus it and make this a DIY port day. Thank you for the pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted January 23, 2018 #55 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Bernards Tours look solid . . . But I think the time spent at Maho is a deal breaker. 30 minutes . . . .ehhhh. Gonna bus it and make this a DIY port day. Thank you for the pics. 30 minutes these days might not be enough because the air traffic is significantly less than pre hurricane Irma. Timing is everything for Maho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfat1 Posted January 25, 2018 Author #56 Share Posted January 25, 2018 What facilities are there at Friar's Beach? I had heard the restaurant was destroyed. Did they rebuild already? Also, what was the cost to rent chairs/umbrellas? Thanks so much for the great pictures! Assuming my old man memory is correct, I want to say the waiter quoted me 2 chairs for $18 dollars. But as we were just there for a brief 90 minute stop, we passed on renting the chairs and just plopped down on the sand with the ship’s beach towels. Where were we dropped off, there is a working restaurant with menu in French and English. They operate the beach chairs and umbrellas. On the other end of the beach, there may be a restaurant in that building but we never made it down to that end. But from the picture below, it looks like it was closed that day. One last disclaimer is that we were there on Christmas Day so maybe they were closed just for that day. I can’t vouch for that. Here is the restaurant that was open by where we were dropped off: Here is the building on the other end of the beach that doesn't look like it's opened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfat1 Posted January 28, 2018 Author #57 Share Posted January 28, 2018 For those that are interested to see a fairly detailed walk through of our tour with Bernards last month, I uploaded the info on the Royal Caribbean forum as part of my overall trip report. Since not everyone is interested in the Royal Caribbean experience if you are sailing on another ship, here is the link to the page where we started the tour from post #654. So just start there and skip all the RCI related discussions. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2579338&page=33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff G. Posted January 30, 2018 #58 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Thanks for the pics and update. Headed back there in May.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted January 31, 2018 #59 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Even with the destruction the beauty of the island shines through. I can't wait to be back there next week. As many times as I have been there I always love returning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJLDRUMS Posted January 31, 2018 #60 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Harryfat1...but any chance did you happen to notice if Sharkey's is still there, or been rebuilt. It's on the left side as you walk down the main area towards the larger buidling. A great little "watering hole" type of place to stop and get an ice cold "Amstel Brite" beer and other brands. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klynnn3 Posted February 1, 2018 #61 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Lovely pics of the beach. At Friar’s Bay was the restaurant open and the beach chairs available for rent? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted February 1, 2018 #62 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Lovely pics of the beach. At Friar’s Bay was the restaurant open and the beach chairs available for rent? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Friars keep coming up here since Irma. The fact that it's relatively remote and there are no taxis waiting nearby hasn't changed. Until that does please be certain you have a ride back to the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfat1 Posted February 1, 2018 Author #63 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Even with the destruction the beauty of the island shines through. I can't wait to be back there next week. As many times as I have been there I always love returning. It's a beautiful island. The hurricane damage is to the building structures but the island itself is still a nice place to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfat1 Posted February 1, 2018 Author #64 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Harryfat1...but any chance did you happen to notice if Sharkey's is still there, or been rebuilt. It's on the left side as you walk down the main area towards the larger buidling. A great little "watering hole" type of place to stop and get an ice cold "Amstel Brite" beer and other brands.Thanks in advance. Sorry, didn't notice any place called Sharkey's. Where is it? By the cruise terminal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfat1 Posted February 1, 2018 Author #65 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Lovely pics of the beach. At Friar’s Bay was the restaurant open and the beach chairs available for rent? Sent from my iPhone using Forums One restaurant was open and you can rent beach chairs. See my post #47 for picture of the restaurant and chairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klynnn3 Posted February 6, 2018 #66 Share Posted February 6, 2018 One restaurant was open and you can rent beach chairs. See my post #47 for picture of the restaurant and chairs. I see it looks beautiful thank you Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcprncss Posted February 19, 2018 #67 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Thank you for the pictures and information. Greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talex831 Posted February 21, 2018 #68 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Thank you for all the pictures and information! We have this tour booked for April. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volk904 Posted February 21, 2018 #69 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I think it is very surprising that nobody has a drink stand tent and chair rentals on the clothing side of Orient Beach. Does not seem like it would take that much investment. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski Posted February 22, 2018 #70 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Thanks for the great pics and info. We will be heading there in Feb on oasis and yours is the first post I’ve seen that shows the condition of island. We also hired a tour guide because she will know better what parts of the island are best to visit now. Spent a week here a few years ago, loved it!!! Did you go to grand case at all? Wondering if anything open. We want to spend our money on this island to help those in need get their lives, businesses, and homes back in order! Thanks again! Sent from my iPad using Forums Do you mind sharing how your tour went? What is the name of your tour guide and if it was a private tour? Headed there next month and this port stop is the one place I can't decide on what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted February 24, 2018 #71 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Terrific photos. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelblu Posted March 7, 2018 #72 Share Posted March 7, 2018 how far away is Bernard from the ship? for a person with issues walking long distances, do you recommend it? The last time i used him, he told us to meet him in a parking lot outside of the cruise terminal area. On our Jan. 28th Anthem cruise stop, we noticed a tram that charged $1 per and took those Paxs with mobility issues to the bus depot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ngraham54 Posted March 8, 2018 #73 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. We'll be there on the Royal in April. Sad to see the destruction but nature cant change the color of the water! So blue! Can't wait to get there. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfat1 Posted March 11, 2018 Author #74 Share Posted March 11, 2018 Saw this article from LA Times comparing some pictures of just post hurricane damage and how things look currently. May be of interest for people visiting the island soon: http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-st-martin-hurricane-sliders-2018-htmlstory.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now