drooler Posted December 31, 2008 #26 Share Posted December 31, 2008 By any standard what happened to the OP is beyond unacceptable ! kal,paying for a chair rental does NOT mean everybody else is barred from the beach.You are paying to rent the chair only, not the beach. Well said. Don't know about down there but pouring ice water or whatever on a person could be considered assualt. Add me to the boycott list. Beach incident aside I love St. Maarten and will be there for the 3rd time on Monday. Joyce or Bernard- you can't go wrong but from experience Joyce is our gal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorky Posted January 2, 2009 #27 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I'm with Kal on this issue. It sure sounds to me like you were cruising for a conflict and just had to force your views on others. We spend nearly a month each winter on Orient Beach and enjoy going to the beach early each day and selecting just the right chairs on the front row. It is so rude when latecomers try to set up in front of us, whether by dragging chairs out, or sitting on towels. Especially when there are so many open areas available for towel sitters. The beaches may be public, but remember - you were in France, and French laws can be much different than US laws. Beach businesses apparently have the right to control the sector directly in front of their establishments, without obstructing the right of others to pass along the water edge. Another French law you may not be aware of - I've been advised it is unlawful to take photos of others and display them without that persons permission, and I doubt the beach waiters would grant you that permission. Bottom line - why cause friction on the very short time you were on the beach - so much better to be nice to others and they will be nice to you. What utter rubbish it's a public beach. Shamefull posting after what the op had to suffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
run4rain Posted January 2, 2009 #28 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Kal, you are dead wrong. It's a public beach, and if someone wants to sit down without a chair, that's their right. If an employee poured ice water on me or threatened me he'd get one quick kick in his private parts. Totally in agreement here. If the people behind the OP sitting in the paid for chairs didn't have a problem with them being there, why should anyone else? For those who pay for the rental chairs, if someone sat in front of you and you don't want them there, politely ask them to move to the side or something instead of sitting in your paid-for throne waiting for someone else to speak up for you. And I'm with dgreeney, if those waiters threw ice water on me and sand in my face, they'd get a punch to the nose and kick to the crotch! That's just rude and unnecessary by any standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p3sgirl Posted January 2, 2009 #29 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I'm sorry about your experience. That's awful. To the people who pay for chairs and expect royal treatment- wake up and get off your high horse. You are renting a chair, get over yourself. It doesn't entitle you to anything other than sitting your behind on something other than the sand. Some quick questions... 1. How much is a taxi from the cruise ship to Orient Beach? 2. Has anyone ever taken the zipline canopy tour that is close to Orient Beach? If so, did you enjoy it? 3. How much are the watersports like the banana boat and snorkeling at Orient Beach? Thanks so much. Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHAMPDDS Posted January 3, 2009 #30 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I'm thinking of carrying a chair off the ship and placing my big bohind down on this beach right in front!! Only kidding, but i don't blame her for wanting to just sit there for a short time- no biggie-- get over it!! I am sure these tourist traps make enough $$$ off of us to have not acted like 2 year olds! Just my humble opinion......... This would give a whole new level to the term "CHAIR HOG" !!! HAHAHAHA David:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribsun Posted January 3, 2009 #31 Share Posted January 3, 2009 And if it was Brad and Angela in the buff blocking some of their view I bet no one would be to upset.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamin jul Posted January 6, 2009 #32 Share Posted January 6, 2009 we were at the kontiki beach bar in december and had a wonderful time. they have a new bartender- tony. he was so nice and made excellent mojitos. there were people from multiple countries at the bar and everyone was treated equally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host CJSKIDS Posted January 11, 2009 #33 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Are there still 3 sides to every story? Has anyone else had a horrific experience there? Thanks We also had an experience here. We were stopping there for only about 20 minutes and didn't want to rent a chairs as it was late in the afternoon. We inquired about renting just one so we could place our things on it and go in the water and was told no, we would need 4 as there were 4 of us. We purchased beers here and placed our towels down at the waters edge and sat in the water. We turned around and they had taken our stuff and dumped it elsewhere and then we couldn't find my husband's shoes. The beaches are public, we were clearly not in their area and had spent money with them. Got into an bit of an argument and then walked down to the public beach. Not sure I want to bother going back there in April because of our experience there last time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kew852000 Posted May 19, 2009 #34 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I was just at Kontiki during a port stop of our Liberty of the Seas cruise last week and was appalled at their rudeness. My husband and I arrived at the restaurant and inquired with the waiter if we ate lunch at the restaurant if we could sit in their beach chairs. He told us yes no problem. After eating lunch in their dining area (and spending $80) we sat down in the beach chairs and an extremely rude french man came up and said we needed to pay for the chairs. I told him that the waiter had told us we could sit there because we ate lunch. He angrily said "He doesn't know sh&*!" I was extremely offended by his language and tone. I said "well that's what he said" to which he replied "well that's not the way it is!" I told him he should make sure he tells the waiter that he was incorrect. I really couldn't believe his attitude and horrible customer service. In most establishments if an employee tells a customer something incorrect they honor it. I will never go there again and would advise anyone else not to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiTomCruisers Posted May 19, 2009 #35 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I love Orient Beach ... we were there again in August. We sat at a place called Le String. Had a great time, the owner (? from Maryland, I believe) even bought us a drink for our anniversary. Had the cleanest bathrooms too. We've also had a tour in the past with Bernard, and I think he is a wonderful man. Jan Yes, Le String was great. The owner is a huge Raven's fan from Maryland (he has a Raven's flag at Le String)... He was a great guy, very engaging and even bought us a drink too. The bathrooms were clean and they had a little shower thing too to rinse off the sand. I would highly recommend Le String. The guys handling the chairs & umbrellas couldn't do enough for us. In fact, after we declined a sales person or two, he kept the rest away for the remainder of our stay ( he got a nice tip when we were leaving). We got to the beach by the taxi outside of the port, he dropped us off and picked us up later in the day. We've done that another time since and will do it again on our next stop at St Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan_In_Maine Posted May 20, 2009 #36 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Yes, Le String was great. The owner is a huge Raven's fan from Maryland (he has a Raven's flag at Le String)... He was a great guy, very engaging and even bought us a drink too. The bathrooms were clean and they had a little shower thing too to rinse off the sand. I would highly recommend Le String. The guys handling the chairs & umbrellas couldn't do enough for us. In fact, after we declined a sales person or two, he kept the rest away for the remainder of our stay ( he got a nice tip when we were leaving). We got to the beach by the taxi outside of the port, he dropped us off and picked us up later in the day. We've done that another time since and will do it again on our next stop at St Martin. Thinking back, I believe his name is Ray. Was the drink you had a shot? I have no idea what it was .... but I'd love to know what was in it .... I wanted to lick the glass:rolleyes: It was very good. Tyear we are doing a Southern route and it does not include St Martin's. I will go back to Le String again in the future (probably two years!). Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-dubya Posted May 20, 2009 #37 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I stay away from the "Big 5" like the plague mostly because they are very high priced. There are plenty of other customer-friendly beach bars. However, I pay good money to rent a chair and umbrella and want to sit in the front row with an unobstructed breeze and direct access right into the water. The thing that irks me (and others who pay good money for the rentals) is when free-loaders plop down right at the water's edge in front of the paying customers! When it happens, the beach bar attendants speak to the free-loaders and point out the broad area of the beach where visitors can spread out a towel and sit for free. In every case I have seen, the people politely move on. That area is specifically set aside for people who don't want to pay the rental charges. In those rare instances I always thank the attendants for looking out for the paying customers. The beach bar owners pay a high price for property rental, utilities and taxes. It is unrealistic to expect any owner to allow someone free occupancy. Granted all beaches are public, but the chairs are always placed right at the normal high water mark. The area between the water edge and the first row of chairs is used for people who walk along the beach. If someone puts a towel down in the walkway area they are disrupting others who walk the beach. With regard to the OP, it's never smart to pick a fight with the locals. I would ask why the OP didn't just move down to the "free area" of the beach and not hassle the beach bar owner? A public beach is a public beach...NO ONE pays for renting the beach. If you choose to rent a chair, you are entitled to a chair - not an unencumbered view, privacy, or anything else... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kal Posted May 20, 2009 #38 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I've seen it time and time again where the free-loader gets removed by the beach bar owner. There is a public section of Orient just for free-loaders. Besides, if you don't have an umbrella that sun is brutal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CathyG Posted May 20, 2009 #39 Share Posted May 20, 2009 A couple of years ago we went to Pedro's but it didn't really look like the one in the picture posted here. It had an area outside where you could eat. Does anyone know if this is this the same place? Where in relation to Pedro's is Le String? I can't seem to find any info on it. Also, does anyone know if they still have parasailing in this area? When we were there the smily face one was there. Thanks for any help. Cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Booper Posted May 20, 2009 #40 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Le String is a few hundred feet north of Pedros. Facing the water, turn left and walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiTomCruisers Posted May 20, 2009 #41 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Thinking back, I believe his name is Ray. Was the drink you had a shot? I have no idea what it was .... but I'd love to know what was in it .... I wanted to lick the glass:rolleyes: It was very good. Tyear we are doing a Southern route and it does not include St Martin's. I will go back to Le String again in the future (probably two years!). Jan yes, it was Ray!.. LOL.. I finished a Red Stripe beer in about 18 seconds and he bought me another. I then bought a frozen whatever for the DW and went back to talking to Ray.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinbuzz Posted September 24, 2009 #42 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Ray is awesome! Everyone should check out LeString. We were there last week for 8 days and saw him around the island. Super nice guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurs Fans Posted September 24, 2009 #43 Share Posted September 24, 2009 This is another vote for Le String. We had a great time there in July and were treated like royalty by John, the waiter. Would not hesitate to go back there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluvsc Posted September 24, 2009 #44 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Yes, Le String was great. The owner is a huge Raven's fan from Maryland (he has a Raven's flag at Le String)... He was a great guy, very engaging and even bought us a drink too. The bathrooms were clean and they had a little shower thing too to rinse off the sand. I would highly recommend Le String. The guys handling the chairs & umbrellas couldn't do enough for us. In fact, after we declined a sales person or two, he kept the rest away for the remainder of our stay ( he got a nice tip when we were leaving). We got to the beach by the taxi outside of the port, he dropped us off and picked us up later in the day. We've done that another time since and will do it again on our next stop at St Martin. I would like to know how much the taxi ride costs from the port to Orient Beach. We are Ravens fans and would love to see Ray at Le String. Do I ask the driver to let me out near there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurs Fans Posted September 25, 2009 #45 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Should be 6 or 7 bucks a person each way. Just ask the driver to pick you up at a set time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtaylor Posted September 25, 2009 #46 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Taxi rates: (click) No need to make advance arrangements for your return. There are always plenty of taxis there when a ship is in. gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwdtgb Posted September 26, 2009 #47 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Sorry I can't go along with the boycott. We have been to Kon Tiki and Kako many times and have nothing but great service and food. Yes we rent the chairs as soonas we arrive at the beach and then have lunch at the restaurant. The guys who work the chair rentals have been nothing but polite to us each time and go out of there way to get us what we need from the bar. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christian19 Posted December 1, 2009 #48 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I wish we had read this before leaving! We made the mistake of visiting Kon Tiki last week. It was raining and we asked how much chairs were ($20!!) but the guy said we could sit there until it stopped raining for free. So as we're sitting there my husband puts his flip flops on the chair while he goes in the ocean and "that guy" comes over and berates him repeatedly for leaving sandy shoes on his nice chairs. Then the guy comes over to me and gets mad at me because I was drinking a small cup of rum punch that our tour guy gave us. He told me that he was so nice to give us a chair- why didn't we buy from his bar? I felt bad and went up to the bar and ordered 3 drinks from the very polite bartender. My husband went down the beach and asked our tour guy about Kon Tiki and he told us they are known for being the biggest @-holes on the beach. We took our things and left. Too bad- it was a really cute little bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mallbucks Posted December 3, 2009 #49 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I was just at Kontiki during a port stop of our Liberty of the Seas cruise last week and was appalled at their rudeness. My husband and I arrived at the restaurant and inquired with the waiter if we ate lunch at the restaurant if we could sit in their beach chairs. He told us yes no problem. After eating lunch in their dining area (and spending $80) we sat down in the beach chairs and an extremely rude french man came up and said we needed to pay for the chairs. I told him that the waiter had told us we could sit there because we ate lunch. He angrily said "He doesn't know sh&*!" I was extremely offended by his language and tone. I said "well that's what he said" to which he replied "well that's not the way it is!" I told him he should make sure he tells the waiter that he was incorrect. I really couldn't believe his attitude and horrible customer service. In most establishments if an employee tells a customer something incorrect they honor it. I will never go there again and would advise anyone else not to do so. Last time we were there, the bathroom looked like it was located in a third world country! For that reason alone, I'm with you. I'll spend my money where they don't treat me like crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissSummers20 Posted December 4, 2009 #50 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I stay away from the "Big 5" like the plague mostly because they are very high priced. There are plenty of other customer-friendly beach bars. However, I pay good money to rent a chair and umbrella and want to sit in the front row with an unobstructed breeze and direct access right into the water. The thing that irks me (and others who pay good money for the rentals) is when free-loaders plop down right at the water's edge in front of the paying customers! When it happens, the beach bar attendants speak to the free-loaders and point out the broad area of the beach where visitors can spread out a towel and sit for free. In every case I have seen, the people politely move on. That area is specifically set aside for people who don't want to pay the rental charges. In those rare instances I always thank the attendants for looking out for the paying customers. The beach bar owners pay a high price for property rental, utilities and taxes. It is unrealistic to expect any owner to allow someone free occupancy. Granted all beaches are public, but the chairs are always placed right at the normal high water mark. The area between the water edge and the first row of chairs is used for people who walk along the beach. If someone puts a towel down in the walkway area they are disrupting others who walk the beach. With regard to the OP, it's never smart to pick a fight with the locals. I would ask why the OP didn't just move down to the "free area" of the beach and not hassle the beach bar owner? While I can appreciate why the bar owners feel territoral, there is no excuse for harrassing two women, especially when one of them is in her 70's! They got ice water poured on them for sitting on a public beach? That is ridiculous, I don't even care if it was a private beach, that is unacceptable. Trying to rationalize the outragous behavior of those brutes by saying they like to make money off of the chair rentals is wrong. They were there for less than 90 minutes, those men should have gotten over their territory issues and behaved like men and not barbians. If my family goes to Orient Beach while in St. Maarten next August I will be sure to not spend a dime in any of those beach bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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