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Divi Little Bay


Haylersmom

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I'm planning on going to Divi Little Bay. I'm a little confused and had a few questions.

 

Is this a private beach? Pay to get in?

Is a taxi the only way to get there?

How far away from the Phillipsburg port is it?

What water sports do they have? (we were thinking of a banana boat ride)

 

I heard it's a fun & appropriate place for kids. I would appreciate any advice you can offer.

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I'm planning on going to Divi Little Bay. I'm a little confused and had a few questions.

 

Is this a private beach? Pay to get in?

Is a taxi the only way to get there?

How far away from the Phillipsburg port is it?

What water sports do they have? (we were thinking of a banana boat ride)

 

I heard it's a fun & appropriate place for kids. I would appreciate any advice you can offer.

All beaches on the island are public, no fee.

 

Taxi is the best way to get there. About $4 per person.

 

One mile across the bay, a bit farther by land.

th_greatbay.jpg

(click)

 

Water sports? Let me Google That For You: Divi Little Bay water sports

 

It's certainly not the best beach on the island, but it's clean and should be suitable for children.

 

gary

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Thanks Gary..love your photo albums. Had my heart set on Le Galion then started to sway when reading about Divi. Is that the beach thats man made or was it Great Bay? Sorry OP to hijack thread but I think we are looking for the same thing in a beach.

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Thanks Gary! I think Divi will be just fine for us, especially if we can stop by Gizmos!(heard about the bird:))

Last time I went to St. Maarten, about 12 years ago, I walked down the dock into the shopping area, took a left and went to the beach on the left. Is this where the boat still docks?

I don't mind any posts added here, since it's all helpful to me too!:D

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Thanks Gary..love your photo albums. Had my heart set on Le Galion then started to sway when reading about Divi. Is that the beach thats man made or was it Great Bay? Sorry OP to hijack thread but I think we are looking for the same thing in a beach.

:)

 

Both beaches are man-augmented, Great Bay Beach more-so.

 

gary

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Thanks Gary! I think Divi will be just fine for us, especially if we can stop by Gizmos!(heard about the bird:))

Last time I went to St. Maarten, about 12 years ago, I walked down the dock into the shopping area, took a left and went to the beach on the left. Is this where the boat still docks?

I don't mind any posts added here, since it's all helpful to me too!:D

A lot of people do just fine with Divi Little Bay, and it's close and cheap and easy to get to.

 

12 years ago things were a lot different in Great Bay.

 

You very likely anchored and were tendered into Philipsburg, to the Little Pier. Go back in this thread and look at the Google Earth shot I posted.

 

They would have dropped you into shopping and near the middle of Great Bay Beach, which today is fine for sunning, but I wouldn't go into the water there because of concerns about pollution.

 

That same Google Earth shot shows the relative positions of the Little Pier, Divi and the new Cruise Facility. (Which has added the new Mega-Liner pier since the shot.)

 

gary

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gary- is Le Gallion a better beach than this? Looking for calm' date=' clear water and a place to get a drink. We have two small kids.[/quote']

 

Le Gallion is a beautiful, natural, authentic beach and it is the perfect beach for small children. Since it is a great family beach it does however get very busy on weekends as it is the preferred beach for many family gatherings.

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  • 2 weeks later...

we did divi beach on our very first cruise. my son was 9 at the time. half day there then headed to maho beach.. it was a perfect day...

 

at divi we did snorkeling and my DH and DS did wave runners rented right on the beach... then we just relaxed on the beach...

 

we took a taxi from the pier and there were taxis waiting there when we wanted to head to maho...

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we did divi beach on our very first cruise. my son was 9 at the time. half day there then headed to maho beach.. it was a perfect day...

 

at divi we did snorkeling and my DH and DS did wave runners rented right on the beach... then we just relaxed on the beach...

 

we took a taxi from the pier and there were taxis waiting there when we wanted to head to maho...

 

 

Thanks, good to know!:)

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We were there 4 weeks ago. Easy taxi ride $4 pp , maybe 10 mins.

Just when you get out of taxi, just walk out on the beach and the beach dude will set you up a lounge chair & umbrella for $5 each. Fyi...when you get out of the taxi there will be a woman hawking timeshares & some kind of deal...just keep walking out to beach.

Great beach, extra clear water & warm. 2 beach huts there, one I think was renting jet skis, not sure what else. The one I went to rented snorkel gear, floats, etc. We rented the snorkel gear & my boys had a blast snorkeling around some rock groins off each end of beach.

A great beach bar/grill is there too. Good food. Gizmo's, it's named after the resident macaw parrot. He was quite entertaining.

My family of 4 were just going there for an hour or 2 & planned on going to Maho to see the planes but we all changed our minds & stayed at Divi Little bay all day. A fantastic day. Our boys are 15 & 12.

Hope this helps.

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I too would choose LeGallion over Little Bay for a beach day. For small children, Le Gallion and Pinel Island are the two best beaches on the island IMHO. It is an authentic Caribbean Beach. Little Bay is an ok beach and I recommend it for people who have a morning excursion and want a quick beach to get to and from in the afternoon. The islanders love LeGallion and many spend time on the weekends at this beach so it can get quite busy on those days.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi, I am going in circles with these posts, yet learning so much. I too am heading to St.Maarten for the first time on a cruise and don't know what to do. After reading this, I think I am between Little Bay-Divi and Le Gallion Beach. We also want to hit Maho Beach for the planes and not sure which beach to closer or easier accessible. We were gonna do Mullet but it sounds like people prefer these other 2. Can someone, maybe Gary, help us with a gameplan? We are 2 adults with a 17 and 15 year old. We are looking to relax with a beach day, maybe light snorkeling and swimming, with drinks and bathroom facility. And allow for time to go see the planes. Thanks.

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Hi, I am going in circles with these posts, yet learning so much. I too am heading to St.Maarten for the first time on a cruise and don't know what to do. After reading this, I think I am between Little Bay-Divi and Le Gallion Beach. We also want to hit Maho Beach for the planes and not sure which beach to closer or easier accessible. We were gonna do Mullet but it sounds like people prefer these other 2. Can someone, maybe Gary, help us with a gameplan? We are 2 adults with a 17 and 15 year old. We are looking to relax with a beach day, maybe light snorkeling and swimming, with drinks and bathroom facility. And allow for time to go see the planes. Thanks.

 

Unless your 17 and 15 year olds want beach toys such as jet skis (Little Bay) or Kite or Wind surfing (Le Galion) I would skip these two beaches and head straight to Mullet. Other than the bathroom facilities being better I just can't see how anyone who has been to both Mullet and Little Bay can say that Little Bay is a nicer beach. It's a resort beach, a decent resort beach on St. Maarten but really nothing more IMHO. Le Galion, well that is another story. Le Galion is the real deal but for what you want to do Mullet is your best choice. Take a taxi to Mullet, snorkel by the rocks and enjoy this gorgeous beach. The washroom facilities are gross, it is true but for a few hours this beach is worth putting up with them and you are not traveling with small children so you should be just fine. When you are ready just walk the less than 15 minutes over to Maho. No need to wait for a taxi or anything like that. Do a search on here for walking directions from Mullet to Maho.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Can you use the pool and bathroom at Little Divi Bay Resort? Is the bar on the beach?

 

I'm wondering the same thing.

 

Is there a water taxi to/from the Oasis of the Seas to Little Bay or just a regular taxi cab? And, how easy will it be to get a taxi back to the Oasis?

 

Also, I read in a post above that Great Bay is polluted. What about Little Bay?

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  • 4 months later...
I would love answers to the last question of this post ? THanks in advance.

 

Little Bay gets good marks for water quality. No issues reported with this beach and in fact it was rewarded for being the cleanest beach on the Dutch side of the island if memory serves me.

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