Pinel Island

[otistwilly]

My DH and the kids, 16 & 4, were looking at going to Pinel Island in March just to hang out for the day. I've read where the water is quite calm and shallow, good for kids and decent for snorkeling. Thoughts?

What is the best way to get there? And how long/how far is it from where the ship docks?

Thanks!

[crisp1]

The water is very calm. There were lots of families with kids our last time there. I found the snorkeling poor, but I didn't venture that far out. The Kibuni Restaurant is excellent ( but rather expensive). When you get off the ship tell the taxi dispatcher you want to go to Cul de Sac ( or Pinel). When you get to Cul de Sac, you have to buy tickets for the 'ferry'. It takes about 5 minutes to get there on the ferry. The cab ride may be about 30 minutes- not sure, we didn't drive directly there

I heard that the snorkeling is better on the far side of Pinel, but the water may be a little rough

[otistwilly]

Thank you Crisp1, that's great info. I know that St. Martin isn't known for spectacular snorkeling but we're pretty much beginners and just in it for the fun. I'm sure my DH and 16 year old will venture anywhere while the youngster and I hang on the beach!

Do you happen to remember the price of the cab ride? Is it fixed on St. Martin? I seem to remember seeing something about that but can't find it now.

[crisp1]

I believe the current rate is $ 9 pp each way to Cul de Sac.

[KadyD]

Hi-- My husband and I went to Pinel Island a couple of weeks ago while in St. Martin on the Caribbean Princess. We got off the ship and as you walk to the right, there was the taxi dispatch area. There was a column for each destination where you stood to be dispatched. The more popular spots had vans running, and the price per person went down when more people went to the same destination.

We were the only candidates for Pinel, so for the 2 of us it was $25. total. Coming home we were joined by 2 others, and the fee went to $18 or $9 each. Prices are fixed.

Pinel was a beautiful spot. We went to snorkel, and are beginners like you, but we didn't find the spot where snorkeling would be good. In fact, right off the beach we didn't see any fish at all! The water was very calm and beautiful though. Food at Karibuni was very good, but quite pricey.

If you go, try to get your cab driver to commit to coming back for you. There wasn't anything else around where you take the ferry. I'm not sure how we would have gotten back if the cab driver didn't show. And it is quite a way back to the ship!

Have fun!

[cruzobsessed]

what type of food do they serve there? and...how pricey is pricey?:D

[Wineguys]

Hi-- My husband and I went to Pinel Island a couple of weeks ago while in St. Martin on the Caribbean Princess. We got off the ship and as you walk to the right, there was the taxi dispatch area. There was a column for each destination where you stood to be dispatched. The more popular spots had vans running, and the price per person went down when more people went to the same destination.

We were the only candidates for Pinel, so for the 2 of us it was $25. total. Coming home we were joined by 2 others, and the fee went to $18 or $9 each. Prices are fixed.

Pinel was a beautiful spot. We went to snorkel, and are beginners like you, but we didn't find the spot where snorkeling would be good. In fact, right off the beach we didn't see any fish at all! The water was very calm and beautiful though. Food at Karibuni was very good, but quite pricey.

If you go, try to get your cab driver to commit to coming back for you. There wasn't anything else around where you take the ferry. I'm not sure how we would have gotten back if the cab driver didn't show. And it is quite a way back to the ship!

Have fun!

 

The snorkeling off Pinel is not near the beach. You need to go out past the rocks and along the white and yellow buoy lines. It gets good from there.

[otistwilly]

Thanks KatyD and Wineguys, that's good info. You say the good snorkeling is out past the rocks. Is that within swimming distance or is it best to book a boat. My husband and 16 year old are strong swimmers, but who wants to waste all your energy getting out there?

[KadyD]

Hi again-You had asked about lunch at Karabuni. I think we spent about $70 for the two of us. We each had an entree and one drink. They have lots of grilled fish on the menu, and they have lobsters in a trap in the water if you want really fresh lobster. I think they may also have had burgers. There's also a second restaurant that I have heard had less expensive entrees.

 

I don't know about swimming past the rocks to snorkel. I am not a strong swimmer, in fact, not much of a swimmer at all, so I didn't try to go out there because the water was rough out there the day we were there.

Also, a little storm blew up while we were there, so that cut back on our water time.

 

It is a beautiful, quiet spot. Even if you don't get to snorkel, the water is really nice there.

[shipty2]

We also had lunch at Karibuni. It was the most expensive lunch we have ever had ....anywhere. DH had a very large lobster and I had a salad and DS had a burger. We all had water and DH had one beer as well. the bill came to.....$256 USD!!!

Of course they only take cash there no credit cards. So there was a moment where I thought I may need a diaper as we also had to have enough cash to take the ferry and taxi back to the ship. Now having said that I would return to Pinel and eat at Karibuni in a heartbeat however I would carry more cash. I thought I had way more than enough for a simple lunch.

[SCCAcruiser]

As per my post on the other Pinel thread, a lunch cost of $256 is absurd. Maybe you spent it, but you either got totally ripped off or ate everything on the menu. KadyD's statement of $70 for two is exactly what we spent. Yes, the most expensive lunch of our week on St. Maarten, but ya can't beat the location and they have a captive audience! AND, they do take credit cards, but you get a better exchange rate for cash.

[shipty2]

As per my post on the other Pinel thread, a lunch cost of $256 is absurd. Maybe you spent it, but you either got totally ripped off or ate everything on the menu. KadyD's statement of $70 for two is exactly what we spent. Yes, the most expensive lunch of our week on St. Maarten, but ya can't beat the location and they have a captive audience! AND, they do take credit cards, but you get a better exchange rate for cash.

 

 

Actually $256 USD is exactly what we spent not including a tip and I believe I already said what exactly we ate. These are facts .

[SCCAcruiser]

Then, plain and simple - you got screwed! This "very large lobster" - exactly how much did they charge for that? Maybe that's what threw your bill out of whack. But ALL of the other entree items were, if I recall correctly, in the range of 12-20 Euros (approx. $17-28). Appetizers were, again if I recall correctly, 6-10 Euros ($8-14). So yeah, if someone chooses the most expense entree (let's leave the lobster out of the equation for now!) and the most expense appetizer, and then has a drink, we're getting to $100 for two people before tip. As I said, we shared an appy, and we spent in the $70s, as another poster did as well.

 

Folks reading this - yes, you probably can't find a more expensive lunch on St. Maarten (well, maybe a couple of the top restaurants on the French side can match it), but Pinel is just the most amazing place to spend six hours! If only they'd let you stay there MORE than six hours....

[kal]

If we work backwards on the $256 meal we may be able to figure it out. First off, remember with 1 Euro = $1.60 the meal is 60% higher than normal at the get go. Then when you figure in the service charge and taxes at about 20% there's another built-in increase over the expected base price. Now most Americans love to provide a tip and let's say that's 15%. So a single item that would go for $30 in the US would be over $65 when you take all the above into account.

 

One BIG problem with leaving a 15% tip is there is already a built-in tip of 20%. So that results in a 35% tip (20% + 15%). Add in the Euro at 1.6 and the compounded rate really gets huge.

 

So a nominal $20 US menu item will cost $45. A $45 lobster would end up at $100.

[shipty2]

The lobster itself was $192. Believe me when I got the bill I blinked about a hundred times and one of the workers saw me and came to ask if everything was ok. We had a lovely lunch and I had planned the trip there because I knew my DH would love the idea of choosing his own lobster not from a tank. So I wasn't about to complain and mar the good feeling of the day but I have wondered about it(the price) ever since. Below is the picture of the lobster cut in 2 for grilling.

[SCCAcruiser]

Thanks for providing the missing piece to the puzzle. It's not fair to scare people off from such a beautiful place by just saying that lunch cost you a huge amount of money - at least now readers know to just stay away from the lobster (unless cost is no object) and then you'll ONLY have to pay approx. $35-40 per person for lunch!

 

AND, the exchange rate is not $1.60/Euro, unless you haven't done you're research and buy your Euros in a U.S. bank to take down there. When we were there (three weeks ago), all establishments that we encountered on the French side were charging $1.35-1.40 per Euro, other than those certain places (research on the internet will find them for you) that give 1:1 if you pay cash.

 

Additionally, do your research on tipping, and you'll see that when traveling to places/countries that add a "service charge" to your bill (and it's typically 15% in St. Martin), you don't add another 15% if you want to acknowledge your waiter for good service, but rather 5-10%.

[kal]

You are missing the entire point. The French include a service fee on the menu items. Many Americans either do not realize this or feel compelled to leave a customary tip (usually 15%). That means there is a double tip for the service.

 

As of 8/4/2008 the exchange rate for the euro is $1.5567 US. The restaurants on Pinel DO NOT give a 1 Euro = $1 exchange rate. They are at or very close to the posted rate. However, other restaurants on the island provide all sorts of incentives for cash payments, but if a credit card is used there is no discount from the market exchange rate.

 

In any case, the menu prices at Pinel are extremely high especially when you take into account the Euro issues and the inclusion of the French service fee.

 

This is based on my annual 3-week visits to the island over the last 8 years, the last being in April/May 2008. For me, Pinel is indeed a nice location but it has priced itself out of the market.

[shipty2]

I do not think I was scaring people away from Pinel at all. I would have liked to know beforehand and so want to pass the info on to my fellow cruise critic members-that is what a message board is for . I imagine most people would not order a lobster the size of a small turkey as my DH did as you can see in the pic I previously attached. The lobster was excellent and I would not hesitate to go back again.

[SCCAcruiser]

Kal, since you are clearly a St. Maarten regular, whereas our first week there last month left us wanting MORE, and we loved Pinel, what other beaches on the island would you recommend that we try? Orient is way too crowded, Dawn Beach (where we stayed at OBBR) was ok since it was right at our resort, but what beaches provide the "package" like Pinel (which truly has everything perfect other than the food prices)?

 

And shipty2, your initial post that lunch cost you $256 for two people, without indicating that the lobster was the great majority of that cost, sure would scare ME off from going to Pinel. I've just been trying to get across the point that full disclosure of why the price was so high is vital to making your post helpful to people. So when you ordered the lobster, you didn't even ask the price per pound, eh???

[shipty2]

SCCAcruiser the waitress did point out the price per pound,which we paid no attention to and of course that is part of why I didn't say anything about the bill. We were just reveling in the beauty of Pinel and did not pay any attention at all to how much it was. She surely knew it would be alot because she weighed the thing in front of us and even asked if that was ok. LOL. I always think that the price at a restaurant is the price so no point complaining about it after all I don't have to eat there. Of course I will take note from now on as I never dreamed it could be so much (BTW it was lunch for 3-as I stated DS had a burger and water). Are you sure they take credit cards there? I would go back in a heartbeat if I didn't have to carry Fort Knox in my wallet.

 

We are going back to St Martin in December and pondering going back to Pinel or checking out Orient beach. How crowded is crowded to you? No chairs available ? I have never been to Orient.

[kal]

Kal, since you are clearly a St. Maarten regular, whereas our first week there last month left us wanting MORE, and we loved Pinel, what other beaches on the island would you recommend that we try? Orient is way too crowded, Dawn Beach (where we stayed at OBBR) was ok since it was right at our resort, but what beaches provide the "package" like Pinel (which truly has everything perfect other than the food prices)?...

 

"Orient is so crowded, nobody goes there any more"

Aside from the fact that Orient is one of the top 3 beaches in the Caribbean, it's a little difficult to suggest something better at St. Maarten. Even then, there are so many variables it really becomes a personal choice. If you want to avoid human beings, I would suggest Baie Rouge, Baie Longue or Happy Bay. There are many other choices, but only Mullet, Maho or Dawn are in close proximity to taxi service. All others would require a rental car.

 

Orient is 1.3 miles long, so if you want to get away from people, there are still options. For me, the food and beverage selections at Orient are second to none of any beach in the Caribbean. Of course people watching is spectacular.