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Beach close to pier?

misand

By misand,
in St. Martin/St. Maarten

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Karysa

Karysa

Posted
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Before you swim in the water at Great Bay, you might want to read up on the pollution in the water at that location. Would not recommend it for anyone.

 

I agree with Spurs Fans. If you don't have time to do the search and reading then as someone who has, I would recommend that you choose another beach. Great place for a walk or a drink but we swim elsewhere.

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bgsimp

bgsimp

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We go to St. Maarten alot. We will be there for 2 weeks in May. I love to go to the beach in town. We eat on the boardwalk, lay on the beach, drink & people watch. We always swim in the water there. Never had a problem. Lots of people swimming there when the cruise ships are in. Just take the water taxi & you're right there.

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bgsimp

bgsimp

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I still love the beach in town. :) If you do, have lunch at Taloula Mangos. Good ribs, sandwiches, pizza. Lots of good food there. They usually pay to have music on the beach when the cruise ships are in.

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bgsimp

bgsimp

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I would also love a recommendation for a CLEAN beach near the port that is kid friendly. We would like no nudity. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Nudity is pretty much limited to the French side. You do encounter topless every where. Not so much at the beach in town. We have seen it there, but it's usually only a couple of people & they go to a discreet area.

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crewsweeper "Live from...." Rare

crewsweeper

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I would also love a recommendation for a CLEAN beach near the port that is kid friendly. We would like no nudity. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Guana Bay is probably 5 minutes from downtown Phillipsburg. Very quiet beach, no shade, not much action. Being on the Atlantic side it does get exposure to surf and winds.

 

It's not near the port but a reasonable taxi ride ($20-$25 for 2)...LeGalion Beach/Coconut Grove just above Dawn Beach and below the point that goes around to Orient Bay. It's often used by expat families.

 

Dawn Beach is also a good choice if you want some snorkeling or need the bars and restos like Mr Busby's.

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Karysa

Karysa

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Okay where should I go to the beach? There are 8 of us-4 adults 4 children 12,11, 8 and 7. How do I get there and price?

:DThanks for your help.

 

You could try Little Bay. It is less than 10 minutes by taxi from the pier, has decent facilities and although not the most beautiful beach on the island the kids will love it. It is fine for half a day IMHO and some people say that there is some snorkeling over by the rocks.

Also, do some research on Maho beach where the planes land. They may see some topless sunbathers but not usually. Its St. Maarten/St. Martin afterall!

Kids swallow water and have scratches etc. there is no way I would take my children to Great Bay knowing the pollution issues. I wouldn't swim in it myself either for that matter.

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Karysa

Karysa

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We go to St. Maarten alot. We will be there for 2 weeks in May. I love to go to the beach in town. We eat on the boardwalk, lay on the beach, drink & people watch. We always swim in the water there. Never had a problem. Lots of people swimming there when the cruise ships are in. Just take the water taxi & you're right there.

 

Go when the cruise ships are not in and see if the locals who know about the pollution take their families to this beach. Many, many people live near this beach and it is easily accessible by local bus as well, but it is only busy when the ships are in. Most cruisers don't know about the issue so seeing them swimming at Great Bay Beach really does not mean much at all.

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Nannydd12

Nannydd12

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I still love the beach in town. :) If you do, have lunch at Taloula Mangos. Good ribs, sandwiches, pizza. Lots of good food there. They usually pay to have music on the beach when the cruise ships are in.

We will be in St Martin next thursday and are going shopping and then to Great Bay for some lunch, relaxing and we will get in the water. We were there inMarch 2010 and the water was fine and blue and none of the 6 of us got sick.

We will have to try Taloula Mangos for lunch. Is it easy to spot? Do you know if they had beach chairs and umbrellas for rent there as well? We are on the Carnvial Miracle and the Allure of the Seas is in port with us that day so lots of cruisers in town. Hopefully this area won't be too crowded. Thanks for you help.

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bgsimp

bgsimp

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Go when the cruise ships are not in and see if the locals who know about the pollution take their families to this beach. Many, many people live near this beach and it is easily accessible by local bus as well, but it is only busy when the ships are in. Most cruisers don't know about the issue so seeing them swimming at Great Bay Beach really does not mean much at all.

 

We stayed for 3 weeks 3 years ago. We go to town when there are no cruise ships in. Maybe not alot in the water, but they are swimming.

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Karysa

Karysa

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A very good read for those who have yet to make their mind up about swimming in Great Bay. Is it really worth the so called convenience and few dollars that it saves in taxi fares? Not to me. Thanks for posting it.

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Karysa

Karysa

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We stayed for 3 weeks 3 years ago. We go to town when there are no cruise ships in. Maybe not alot in the water, but they are swimming.

 

More and more has come out on this issue in the last three years. If your mind is at all open to the fact that the water could be polluted and unsafe to swim in read the article that Tom Price ( a couple of posts before this) posted from the Daily Herald a newspaper last November. I read about this in 2007 and the last time I swam in Great Bay was 2006. We vacation on the island frequently and there are so many other much nicer, and cleaner beaches that I don't miss swimming here at all. I do love walking the boardwalk however and manage at least one or two strolls on it on every vacation. When walking in August of 2010 I saw the brown sludge :eek: for the first time myself at the end of the boardwalk furthest from the water taxi stand so people swimming in the water had no idea what they were swimming in. It was so very gross!

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Aubs-Travel

Aubs-Travel

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Valuable info. It is so nice to have a forum like this to fill us in on areas are concern that we would not be aware of otherwise. Thank you all so very much! A cab ride it is, I am off to read about the other beaches you mentioned. ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...
Sea42

Sea42

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Thanks so much for the information. Most of the time it's not possible to tell water quality from the look of the water. It so helpful to share this information with people who are concerned with it!

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