St Thomas, St Maarten- What To Do?

[mpen]

We Are Going On The Freedom To Puerto Rico, St Maarten And St Thomas. Can Somebody Recommend A Particular Family Beach That Would Be Nice To Spend The Day At And Easy To Get To.

 

Thanks

[allie&bryant]

Magen's Bay is beautiful on St. Thomas. Calm water and white sand beach. We stayed on the island and rented a jeepand drove there, but I know there are vans and tours that will take you there. It is the island's most famous beach. I would not ride the open air taxis/busses with children. A van taxi driver told us that there are somewhat dangerous and shook his head when he saw a mother putting her children on it.

[luv2travel29]

while we were in st martin, we did MAHO BEACH... if any family members are really into planes, this is really cool. you can watch the planes come in for landings and occasionally take offs... we had a blast there..... we ate lunch at sunset beach bar and grill, right on the beach and watched the planes all day.... we loved it!!!:D not as crowded as megans bay.. when we came off the ship, everyone was going to megans bay... we had a relaxing day!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Not sure how old your children are, since you were asking for a family beach. Children love Coral World in St. Thomas as there is alot of marine life, fish feedings and birds, and there is a little beach Coki Beach, adjoining Coral World. Food is sold at the beach, and if you have a Coral World admission you can go back in and out and use the bathrooms and showers. In St. Martin the little beach right in town of Phillipsburg is great for kids-you can rent umbrellas, chairs, jet skis and can run over and shop if you get too much sun. The surf is also not too strong.

[TravlGrl]

I second the recommendation for Magen's Bay on St. Thomas. It's not only one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, it is considered one of the best beaches in the world (by National Geographic magazine). You can rent chaise lounges and chairs at the little gift shop there, and just relax or play in the sand.

 

Some kids saw a sea turtle in the water, but by the time my husband got into the water it was gone. Others saw it and said it was big, slow and beautiful. Anyway, we will go back to Magen's Bay next time we are in St. Thomas.

[Pumbaamd]

In St. Marteen, we did the ship's excursion to Divi Beach. Just a short ride from the pier. It's an all inclusive resort where they allow a limited number of cruise ship guests to visit. An ideal spot for a family. They try to limit the cruise ship guests to a certain area of the beach, but in all honesty, you are free to roam the entire resort. They have a very limited shopping area, but you may find something you like. There are two freshwater pools. The beach itself is very nice. Lunch is included, and drinks are available at a tiki bar known as "Gizmo's", in honor of the resident parrot. We really enjoyed our visit there.

Rick and Deirdra

[Arizona Laura]

Maho Beach St Martin was fun. The planes come in so low when landing. Kids would think is cool. The planes taking off come right to the end of the fence and guys (girls are smarter than that) hold onto the fence as the blast of exhaust comes right at them as the plane is building up the power getting ready to take off down the runway. Nice open bar.

We went over to St Johns by ferry while in St Thomas. Beautiful scenery but don't know how many kid activities.

Loved those islands. I can see why some cruise to the Eastern Caribbean over and over again.

You'll love it.

[cruiserbryce]

We did the Horseback riding in St Maarten and it was great. Gorgeous views from the hills lookinbg into the city and the ocean

[DC2OC]

In St Thomas take a boat ride to Trunk Bay in St Johns.There is snorkeling off the beach...................................Frank:)

[Hatsoff389]

In St. Marteen, we did the ship's excursion to Divi Beach. Just a short ride from the pier. It's an all inclusive resort where they allow a limited number of cruise ship guests to visit. An ideal spot for a family. They try to limit the cruise ship guests to a certain area of the beach, but in all honesty, you are free to roam the entire resort. They have a very limited shopping area, but you may find something you like. There are two freshwater pools. The beach itself is very nice. Lunch is included, and drinks are available at a tiki bar known as "Gizmo's", in honor of the resident parrot. We really enjoyed our visit there.

Rick and Deirdra

 

 

My wife, mother in law and sister in law did this excursion back in 05 on the Mariner and really enjoyed it. Did you hold gizmo? My wife did but she was very nervous because of the size of the bird.

[BTSEN5]

while we were in st martin, we did MAHO BEACH... if any family members are really into planes, this is really cool. you can watch the planes come in for landings and occasionally take offs... we had a blast there..... we ate lunch at sunset beach bar and grill, right on the beach and watched the planes all day.... we loved it!!!:D not as crowded as megans bay.. when we came off the ship, everyone was going to megans bay... we had a relaxing day!

 

We are planning on doing both of these things. Did you rent a car or take a taxi to Maho? Is it easy to get there and get back in a reasonable time? I heard traffic can be bad. Also, what time did you leave Maho to get back to the ship on time. I hear all the really big planes come in after 2 pm.

 

Thank you for any suggestions you have. I really appreciate these boards. You have no idea how lost I would be without them :D

[Merlin139]

We have been to St Maarten 4 times and have done Maho beach on 3 occasions. We love it. It is a small beach and the planes are great.

 

One thing to be careful of is that the waves can be very powerful. on all the occasions we have been there the beach has been very steep down to the water. You check it out on youtube. Oh and according to Wumba the guy who you can rent the sun longers off by Sunset bar the beach goes on Holiday in September each year.

 

There used to be a website listing all the the times and days of the week the planes landed. Cannot remember how I found it last year. You will see quite a few large planes landing between 2 & 4 island time. 757's A340 Airbus, loads of 737's If you are lucky a 747 if I am correct on a Tuesday

 

In St Thomas we now go to Coki Beach as it not as crowded as Megans bay and there is far more life in the water from the point of fish etc.

[Madkitty]

Magens bay is wonderful on st thom. We went to a horrible nudist beach on st maarten so will be trying out Maho beach next year

[grandsix]

Shop till you drop.

[jules815]

Magens bay is wonderful on st thom. We went to a horrible nudist beach on st maarten so will be trying out Maho beach next year

 

We did an afternoon beach bash excursion last year that took us to Orient Beach. It was an optional topless beach, and farther down at the southern end of the beach there was a nudest resort. (It was quite a walk to even go there) We had read here that Orient Beach is lovely, and it is. We took our daughters who were 12 and 16 and told them that this is how it is in a lot of countries, so if you think you'll be uncomfortable, we'll plan something else. They both wanted to go (as did my parents), and we had a great afternoon. I wouldn't hesitate to go there again. Our girls went parasailing, and it probably was the best day of our trip -- a perfect beach day. My older daughter and I walked down to the very start of the nudest colony to see the "famous sign". :)

[Pumbaamd]

Hatsoff, Gizmo was very friendly when we were there. He sat on my arm and shoulder and played with my hat. We have some nice pic's of him. We'd be very happy to go back there anytime.

Rick and Deirdra

[nimbex1970]

st. thomas, my favorite is coki it's about 8-9$ pp each way... $5 per chair rental.

 

St. maartin I loved Rouge beach, we took a beach tour with Beau Robinson who does affordable family tours, only your family! So we saw almost all of the french and dutch beaches. Be aware of Maho, for the young ones, the sand flies everywhere and strongly. Not all kids will enjoy the feeling of "almost being hit by a plane then pelted with sand". :o I hear the beach bar there is excellent with affordable drinks, topless women drink for free.

 

try this link to explain all the st. martin beaches, french and dutch.

 

http://www.st-maarten-info.com/St-Maarten-Beaches/stmaarten_Beaches.html

[nimbex1970]

don't forget to look at the island boards, st. thomas, st. martin

[cruzobsessed]

our perfect st. martin day (done twice)

get off the ship by 9:30....grab a cab and go to DIVI by yourself. you can rent chairs and umbrelles there. the beach is calm and beautiful. it is also very close to the port and you can see the ships. if you'd like.... there are jet skiis and snorkel equipment there.

you should ask the cab driver to come back at 12:30 and take you to MAHO. once there find a table and order lunch. then sit and watch the jets fly right over your head. everyday there are at least 2 jumbo jets arriving and this is an awesome experience.

if you go to youtube.com and search for maho you will see several videos of the planes landing over the beach.

when the taxi guy drops you off at maho...make arrangements with him to come back at 3:30 to take you back to port. this will give you enough time to get back on the ship..earlier if you want to shop. we never do:D

in st. thomas we took the royal caribbean excursion....ST. JOHN BEACH TOUR. we loved it. trunk bay is (so far) the nicest beach we've ever been to and while most people go there on their own....it requires cabs and ferries and we just wanted the peace of mind knowing that no matter what...the ship would wai for us if we were delayed.