Dawn Beach Info

[palmtre2]

I've read many conflicting posts about this beach, some say it's hard to get to, some say the surf is rough & others say it's a calm protected cove??? Anyone who has actually been there, that can provide info, I'd love to hear from you. Is there a beach bar/snack bar??? Can you rent chairs & umbrellas? Is the surf rough or not, snorkeling good or not? If we taxi there, is is easy to get a taxi back to the pier???

[kal]

I've read many conflicting posts about this beach, some say it's hard to get to, some say the surf is rough & others say it's a calm protected cove??? Anyone who has actually been there, that can provide info, I'd love to hear from you. Is there a beach bar/snack bar??? Can you rent chairs & umbrellas? Is the surf rough or not, snorkeling good or not? If we taxi there, is is easy to get a taxi back to the pier???

 

Here is a picture of Dawn Beach. The route is very easy and closer to PBurg than Orient. As you may notice on the image, the beach is protected by a reef, but has direct exposure to the ocean. There is surf, but it breaks at the reef. Some nice waves lap onto the sand tho.

 

There are two great places to eat. One is an outdoor restaurant while the other is a beach bar. You can rent chairs and umbrellas. The snorkeling is best at the reef, but probably only so-so due to previous hurricanes. Taxi's don't hang out at Dawn, but the restaurant can readily call one for you.

[texasgirl]

We were there last year. I personally didn't think the beach was as nice as many others but it was still beautiful. It wasn't rough the day we were there -- I think the cove itself stays fairly calm, with the bigger waves out a little ways. We hung out at Busby's Beach Bar and rented chairs there. Sorry to say I don't remember how much.

[Kviolasr]

We have been to Dawn Beach several times. The snorkeling is good but you need to be careful of the waves breaking over some of the large coral formations. Food, restrooms and chairs are all available. Dawn used to be much more difficult to get to until the newer roads were built a few years ago.

[jkloni]

We go to Dawn Beach everytime we go to St. Maarten. Will be there next Friday! We love it.

 

Busby's is right there, beer is 75 cents and the chairs and umbrellas were $5 each last year.

 

We didn't snorkel (though we usually do) because you have to swim out a ways to get to the reef.

 

Each time we've been, the water has been beautiful. I don't ever remember it being glassy calm, but you are able to get in the water, cool off, talk to friends, etc. I like water that has movement to it.

 

We found it by accident the first time in St. Maarten. Went to a taxi and asked him to bring us to a beach. He came back for us at the appointed time.

And we didn't know the name of the beach that first time. We had to look at our pictures and find out where Busby's was in order to go back the next year.

[gtaylor]

We've been there twice in the past two and a half weeks.

 

First time water was extremely rough. Day before yesterday was absolutely perfect.

 

Had lunch at Ms. B's. Chicken and ribs combo was wonderful. $9.50 and split one order. Carib's for a buck.

 

2 chairs and umbrella $10 (I think included 2 drinks, but we didn't rent them).

 

Say hi to Amanda.

[Grape One]

we'll be on the Caribbean Princess in March, wife has the detials, and would like to know how far Dawn beach is from the port? Cab fare? Thanks all for info on chairs, food, and drinks.

 

Last questions, how does this relate to sapphire beach in st. Thomas? I saw that the water might be a bit rough, but no different than swimming in California or the Outer Banks of NC. Thanks for your response in advance!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Is dawn beach topless? It sounds as though it's not as crowded as orient and if it's topless too then that's what we're looking for.

 

Cheryl

[kal]

Dawn is a bit more family oriented but topless is not uncommon.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I guess I just need to spend a week there and test all the waters for myself :D

 

Cheryl

[L_T]

We spent two weeks at Orient Beach (mid-beach area) last February, and will be there again this February for a little longer. Top-freedom is common on Orient (while sunning, walking, eating, etc), not as common at Dawn Beach (maybe two or three sunning the two times we visited). We like Dawn Beach (we enjoy Scavenger's Beach Bar), but Orient is our favorite. For overhead photos of the Dawn Beach/Oyster Bay area, click on this link.

 

http://home.carolina.rr.com/stmartin2003/Dawn%20Beach.htm

[palmtre2]

LT - great link, thanks so much. We are definitely headed for this beach.

[L_T]

I forgot to mention - on the Dawn Beach site I posted above, some of the identified locations in the photos have links to their own websites. Also, there is a link to an Orient Beach map which also has links to OB websites - plus links to very detailed trip reports from a couple who love their visits to St Martin/St Maarten.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Thanks....great info!!

 

cheryl

[judy46]

Can Anyone Tell Me The Beach Length Of Dawn Beach, Is It Good For Strolling. Torn Between Going To Dawn , Divi Or Orient When In St. Martin In November. We Like To Snorkle But Am Concerned About The Rough Surf At Dawn. Anyone Out There Who Has Snorkled At Dawn Or Divi.

[kal]

If you like people watching, Orient is probably the ultimate for strolling. I would rate Orient 9 on a 1-10 scale. Dawn is much smaller where most of the people are at one end. I would rate it 3 for strolling.

 

Snorkeling at Dawn is pretty boring because of the damage from previous hurricanes. The best snorkeling at Orient is on Green Cay which is a 5 minute ride away. Do not know about Divi.

[judy46]

Thanks Kal I was origanally planning to go to Orient, but am traveling with my 14 year old daughter. With the nudest nature of Orient wasn't sure if I wanted to expose her to it. Do the people from the nudist colony stroll the beach in the buff? :o

[judy46]

Kal its judy again just read that Simpson Bay beach is one of the longest and nicest beaches. Can you tell me anything about it please. Are there facilities there? Is there snorkling? How far from cruise dock?

[kal]

... am traveling with my 14 year old daughter. With the nudest nature of Orient wasn't sure if I wanted to expose her to it. Do the people from the nudist colony stroll the beach in the buff?

 

...Simpson Bay beach is one of the longest and nicest beaches. Can you tell me anything about it please. Are there facilities there? Is there snorkling? How far from cruise dock?

 

Judy - If it were me I wouldn't worry too much about the nudity at Orient. The number of topless women far exceed the number of nudies. Granted, some nudies do stroll the beach but most of the strolling occurs before the core noon-3pm period. You can select a strategic location at about the mid-point of the beach then pick a second or third row spot which is away from the water's edge. You could actually set it up to be a biology lesson and maybe talk about certain "exhibits" if you see her paying too much attention to it. Her biggest initial issue will be seeing adult women (like her mom) lounging in the sun without a top. After about 20 minutes it will really become second nature and she'll be more interested in the music, sail boards, parasailing and beautiful sand/water.

 

While in St. Maarten, my wife and I will walk the entire length of Simpson Bay every other morning, so we know the beach quite well. The Kim Sha Beach section is about the only area for visitor sunbathing, but it doesn't at all compare to many other beaches on the island. Compared to Orient, Dawn, Friars, and Baie Rouge there are no readily available facilities along Simpson Bay. Not only that, because of the surrounding topography, the prevailing winds are blocked and the beach gets VERY HOT. The beach is further away from the cruise dock than Orient or Dawn. Probably about 30-40 minutes with mid-morning traffic.

[judy46]

Kal thanks for all the suggestions and laughs!! I think we will go to Orient, sights or no sights it sounds interesting. The biology lesson will sure be alot different than the usual high school frog dissection. :p

[kal]

Judy - I should also make mention of another important fact for the biology lesson. Your daughter (and Mom) will quickly come to a finding that THOSE THAT DO SHOULD NOT and those that DON'T SHOULD. In some other cases you really start to wonder if the Darwinian theory of evolution got side-stepped in the equine transition.

[gtaylor]

Judy - I should also make mention of another important fact for the biology lesson. Your daughter (and Mom) will quickly come to a finding that THOSE THAT DO SHOULD NOT and those that DON'T SHOULD. In some other cases you really start to wonder if the Darwinian theory of evolution got side-stepped in the equine transition.

??? Equine = horses, asses, and zebras.

 

Having just returned from St. Maarten/St. Martin a couple of hours ago, I have to say that in my view MOST of the women on Orient beach are beautiful and a pleasant sight to my eyes. The rest are certainly beautiful in their own way.

 

The guys may be a subject for another conversation, but there ARE some 'hunks' on the beach.

[scubaRN]

Thanks for the link, excellent photos and information. Definitely answered a lot of questions.