St Barts favorite beach??

[wlbox]

I have heard wonderful things about the beaches on St Barts. cant decide between Gouverneur, Saline, St Jean or Shell Beach.

 

please help

[Zeno]

I liked Plage St Jean - pretty and there are restaurants where you can rent loungers. I have heard that Gouverneur is beautiful though.

[2Feathers]

We did Shell Beach in the morning, and St. Jean in the afternoon. Shell Beach is within easy walking distance. Its a fairly small, quiet beach with a little bar/restaurant, and, of course, lots and lots of shells! We got back on the ship for lunch, then took a taxi to St. Jean for the afternoon. You can almost walk to St. Jean Beach, but I wouldn't recommend it. It would be a hot walk over the hill, and the road is narrow and the drivers are nuts! Its a short, yet expensive taxi ride over. (I think the two of us paid something like $14 each way...) But we loved this beach! Its beautiful, long and wide, with clear water and white sand. There are a few places to eat/drink and shop on the beach or nearby, and the little airport, with its runway running right out to the beach, is very entertaining. I haven't been to the others you mentioned, but heard ALL of the beaches on St. Bart's are nice. We rented a little Smart car there one year, and although its a beautiful island to see, those crazy drivers I mentioned earlier make it a real adventure to drive around. I turned the car in early, as my nerves were shot! I've rented cars on other islands with no problems, but would hesitate to do that again on St. Bart's. Maybe I'm just a wimp...

 

St. Bart's is beautiful!! Have fun!

[The Islander]

Hello,

 

If you want a less developed beach then Gouverneur or Saline. Saline does have a few restaurants just passed the parking area, which is a short walk from the beach. If you want restaurant just on the beach St. Jean or Shell Beach. Shell Beach is quite convienient if you want to shop and look around town, maybe stop into Le Select for a famous cheeseburger in Paradise! Gouverneur is beautiful, as are the others; can't go wrong.

 

--Islander

*****

[NitaBcruising]

Anyone take an island tour first, then get dropped off at one of these beaches? I would like to see some of the island first, then relax at the beach. Needing ideas!

[cprincess]

Which is best for snorkeling?

[stebul]

Not sure about snorkeling, but if you want to go all out and sample everything this island has to offer -- rent a car. We booked a car through the cruise line at $150 (including gas & pickup/dropoff), which seemed high but it turned into a wonderful day. I'm sure better deals are available directly from Budget, Hertz, Europcar, or one of the local agencies -- but the arrangement with the cruise line was a nice, last minute convenience for us. We drove past most every beach on the island before deciding to spend a couple hours at Governours. You can see the whole island and spend some time on your favorite beach in 5 or 6 hours. Roads are hilly, but safe because traffic is light, drivers are relaxed and friendly, and its impossible to drive fast on the roads (and also perhaps because the island is so beautiful everyone seems to want to drive slow!) Since St Barths is French you drive on the right side of the road.

[screagan]

Not sure about snorkeling, but if you want to go all out and sample everything this island has to offer -- rent a car. We booked a car through the cruise line at $150 (including gas & pickup/dropoff), which seemed high but it turned into a wonderful day. I'm sure better deals are available directly from Budget, Hertz, Europcar, or one of the local agencies -- but the arrangement with the cruise line was a nice, last minute convenience for us. We drove past most every beach on the island before deciding to spend a couple hours at Governours. You can see the whole island and spend some time on your favorite beach in 5 or 6 hours. Roads are hilly, but safe because traffic is light, drivers are relaxed and friendly, and its impossible to drive fast on the roads (and also perhaps because the island is so beautiful everyone seems to want to drive slow!) Since St Barths is French you drive on the right side of the road.

 

Which cruiseline arranged for your car rental?

[stebul]

I was on the Oceania Regatta. They had an "independent" shore excursion available for purchase. They had a van from the rental car meet tenders in the morning and drove us about a mile to the Budget office. We were off the tender and driving away from Budget in about 10 minutes.

[Kelina]

The best beach, without a doubt, is Columbier! It might be too much a trek if you are just there for a day. For snorkeling, I would try Marigot or Lorient those are more "accessible" beaches.

 

Have fun!

[johnnycruise]

We rented a car with National for $42 a day (including tax, auto with A/C) and spent less than seven Euros for gas. All of the rental companies have offices in town (Gustavia), at the most three blocks from the tender pier. Our car was larger (not much) than the one someone who arranged through the ship had and paid $118 for. The island is extremely hilly so walking beyond town is not an option.

 

We visited five beaches: Petit Cul-de-Sac for AM snorkeling (B+) and Grand Saline (A) for sunning in the morning. After lunch on board the ship we visited Petite Anse for PM snorkeling (A), Flamands for photos (A) and St. Jean for unique photos (A+). All of the beaches are somewhat different yet beautiful in their own way. We had the two snorkeling beaches completely to ourselves. I think I liked St. Jean the best since it had activity if you wanted it or solitude if you wanted that. Plus the airport runway literally ends on the sand with no barrier fence to keep you off of it. Only commuter planes use St. Barth's but you can get one-of-a-kind photos of them up VERY close nonetheless.

 

Just remember that Saline Beach (and I was told Governeur also) has ZERO shade so bring your own beach umbrella, wear 30 SPF sunscreen, or go during the morning as we did. Saline had the nicest, whitest sand and seemed to be longer than the others (probably a 1/2 mile long) with a little bit of wave action which was fun to play in.

 

St. Barth's is a most beautiful island whose "worst" beach is better than many other islands' best beach. It's small size and few roads make it ideal for self-touring ... just remember there are only two gas stations and the main one (opposite the tiny airport terminal) is closed for lunch between 12 and 2. The tourist office 1/2 block from the tender pier will help you choose a beach or "driving tour" right for your interests. I look forward to my next visit in December!