AmyBeth68 Posted April 18, 2004 #1 Share Posted April 18, 2004 We just returned from a week on the Golden Princess. I wanted to post my thoughts on St. Martin. My 6 year old daughter and I began our day with an Island tour I booked through Shoretrips.com. We were met near the ship and proceeded to a van with an older couple. We stopped at a lovely vista overlooking Simpson Bay and then proceeded to Marigot where we had some time to shop. My daughter and I headed over to the vendors who were set up flea market style. She was able to make a great deal of purchases with her souvenir money. Everyone was friendly and the prices were very reasonable. Afterwards we were driven around a bit more to get a feel for the Island and then brought to Orient Beach. The driver let us out near Bikini Beach which was a lovely spot. The waves were a bit rough that day but we had fun in the water none the less. We were given two chairs and an umbrella. My daughter had her braided on the beach. Orient is truly one of the most picturesque beaches. It was surreal sitting on this lovely beach, with clear blue skies, aqua blue water and the live Caribbean music playing from the band at the bar. There was just a great "feel" about St. Martin and Orient....we encountered so many friendly people and the atmosphere was very cool. As for the beach and nudity...there were a few topless ladies...no big deal. One guy walked by totally nude. Again, no big deal. My daughter didn't even notice him, she was too busy enjoying herself in the surf. I would not worry about this because it just wasn't anything that felt weird or took away from the experience at all. I know it seems strange to us Americans who are not used to European style beaches, but it really wasn't uncomfortable. Unless you are in the Club Orient area, most of the people around you will be in full swimsuits. The bikini beach bar and restaurant were wonderful. The owner was great! The shop is pretty nice as well. Our tour guide came back to pick us up as promised 3 hours later. He gave us a great deal of insight about the Island as we drove around. It was great to get his perspective. I would definitely consider spending a week on St. Martin. The whole experience was wonderful! Go and enjoy [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hambone1205 Posted April 18, 2004 #2 Share Posted April 18, 2004 [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img] thanks for the post what was cost will be on serenade 6th-13th nov 04 looking to see island and beach time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyBeth68 Posted April 18, 2004 Author #3 Share Posted April 18, 2004 I believe it was $50 per person. Enjoy! This is a nice way to see the Island and spend a good deal of beach time on Orient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fab5 Posted April 18, 2004 #4 Share Posted April 18, 2004 We are a family of 5 and we rented a car and drove around St. Marten. We were there on Good Friday so all the stores were closed and everyone was at the beaches. We did stop at Orient beach for a while then drove around until we came down to Mullet Bay and stayed there for a little while. Great water and not so many people. Orient has more to do and rest. Mullet bay is just for swimming. Would go back again. Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Napagal1 Posted April 22, 2004 #5 Share Posted April 22, 2004 AmyBeth, did you do the full day tour with Shoretrips? They have one on their website that says Charter which I was interested in, but I assume that to mean no one else is with you. I can't decide whether to just get a taxi and have them drive us around, or do one Shoretrips tours. Thanks for the info! 6/12/2004 CruiserChicks on the Glory [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;6;12;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grins88 Posted April 22, 2004 #6 Share Posted April 22, 2004 Fab, how was the driving on the island? We are considering renting a car also, but we didn't want to get into a mess. Was it pretty easy to get around and were the roads well marked? Also, is driving on the right side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtaylor Posted April 27, 2004 #7 Share Posted April 27, 2004 [B]grins88[/B]; It's easy to drive the island. Car configuration and driving are just like the US. You'll read of the crazy drivers and the narrow, winding, hilly roads on St. Maarten, but take all of that with a grain of salt. You may come upon a herd of goats in the roadway, but the cars in front of you will have already slowed to allow for them. There's really only one main route around the island, so I can't imagine that you'd get lost during daylight hours. The roads aren't especially well marked, but it's really not a problem. _____ We must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor. Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatania_starstrider Posted May 1, 2004 #8 Share Posted May 1, 2004 Fab, I'm looking to rent a car and wondered what agency you used and how much you paid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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