Trying to decide on a family beach

[dvond]

We will in in St Maarten in November;

 

Orient Beach sounds crowded and some naked people that my kids may not enjoy and are not used to

 

Maho beach has the planes, which sounds messy and loud for my wife.

 

Little Divi Beach-cannot really find too much info on this.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Karysa]

We will in in St Maarten in November;

 

Orient Beach sounds crowded and some naked people that my kids may not enjoy and are not used to

 

Maho beach has the planes, which sounds messy and loud for my wife.

 

Little Divi Beach-cannot really find too much info on this.

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

Le Galion is perfect for small children. The islanders love this beach and it gets busy on the weekends. If your kids are young there is a Butterfly Farm 5 minutes or less walk from LeGalion.

 

Mullet is a beautiful beach and only a 15 minute or less walk to Maho to see the planes land and take off. It's not messy and is a fun place. If you time it right say around 1 pm you only need an hour, 1 1/2 tops and you will have seen plenty of planes.

 

Little Bay is also an alright beach but not as nice as Mullet or Le Galion IMO. It's fine for a couple of hours and a good beach for a cruiser that has a half day excursion booked or wants to go shopping in town as well.

[#1TravelMom]

I agree - Le Gallion. We went there with our family and had a great day. There were maybe 20 people on the whole beach. It's very easy to drive to. Rent a car at Coastal right at the pier - GPS is only $5 extra. They have very nice vehicles and are very friendly. Stop at the Fort in Marigot. Very nice - several cannons and great panoramic views.

[GAcruiser417]

Another vote for Le Galion

[Jiffymom]

are there any facilities/ Wy rent a car and not just take a taxi? Now i'm trying decide betwen that and Pinel. That sounds really nice also.

[dvond]

are there any facilities/ Wy rent a car and not just take a taxi? Now i'm trying decide betwen that and Pinel. That sounds really nice also.

 

How far from the port and what kind of facilities are at Mullet or LeGillion?

[Karysa]

How far from the port and what kind of facilities are at Mullet or LeGillion?

 

From the port to LeGalion it is about a 25-30 minute taxi ride. There is a restaurant with washroom facilities and chair and umbrella rentals. There are also watersports mostly kitesurfing and windsurfing which are big at the far end of the beach. No jet ski rentals. There is a raft where you can jump or dive off of. Ask the driver to come back to get you at a set time if possible. The road into LeGalion is full of potholes and not a favorite of the taxi drivers. Worst case scenario you can walk the 5 minutes to the main road and get a taxi coming or going to Orient beach so no worries getting stranded here. Leave 1 1/2 hrs to get back if you don't have a car and at least an hour if you do and hope for under 40 minutes.

 

There are more variables when going to Mullet so I find it difficult to say how long it will take. There is quie a bit of traffic from the port to Mullet and there is the Simpson Bay lift bridge that can really hold the traffic up and could be a problem for cruisers in the morning. If you dont get a bridge i would say that 40 minutes give or take should do it. As for facilities there is Rosie's Rib Shack for food and drinks and a port-o-potty and chair and umbrella rentals. There is some snorkeling by the rocks on the left when facing the water. You should either ask your driver to come back and get you or walk the maybe 10 minutes or less to the Maho Entertainment area or 15 minutes or less to Maho beach where you will have no difficulties getting a taxi to take you back to town or the port. Getting back from Mullet, like Maho can take from 40 minutes plus. I allow for lots of time coming from this side of the island and spend some time shopping in town before walking back to the ship. You never know about traffic or an extra bridge opening (only happened once but set us back about 20 minutes) anyways 2 hours plus is about what I give myself. I like having a good buffer and there is lots to do in town with the extra time if you have it. There are lots of places to stop for a drink on the boardwalk or shop in town.

[dvond]

From the port to LeGalion it is about a 25-30 minute taxi ride. There is a restaurant with washroom facilities and chair and umbrella rentals. There are also watersports mostly kitesurfing and windsurfing which are big at the far end of the beach. No jet ski rentals. There is a raft where you can jump or dive off of. Ask the driver to come back to get you at a set time if possible. The road into LeGalion is full of potholes and not a favorite of the taxi drivers. Worst case scenario you can walk the 5 minutes to the main road and get a taxi coming or going to Orient beach so no worries getting stranded here. Leave 1 1/2 hrs to get back if you don't have a car and at least an hour if you do and hope for under 40 minutes.

 

There are more variables when going to Mullet so I find it difficult to say how long it will take. There is quie a bit of traffic from the port to Mullet and there is the Simpson Bay lift bridge that can really hold the traffic up and could be a problem for cruisers in the morning. If you dont get a bridge i would say that 40 minutes give or take should do it. As for facilities there is Rosie's Rib Shack for food and drinks and a port-o-potty and chair and umbrella rentals. There is some snorkeling by the rocks on the left when facing the water. You should either ask your driver to come back and get you or walk the maybe 10 minutes or less to the Maho Entertainment area or 15 minutes or less to Maho beach where you will have no difficulties getting a taxi to take you back to town or the port. Getting back from Mullet, like Maho can take from 40 minutes plus. I allow for lots of time coming from this side of the island and spend some time shopping in town before walking back to the ship. You never know about traffic or an extra bridge opening (only happened once but set us back about 20 minutes) anyways 2 hours plus is about what I give myself. I like having a good buffer and there is lots to do in town with the extra time if you have it. There are lots of places to stop for a drink on the boardwalk or shop in town.

 

Thanks for all the info, where do you like to go, we have a 9 yr old boy and 16 yr old dd

 

What are the cab costs if you know?

[dvond]

Thanks for all the info, where do you like to go, we have a 9 yr old boy and 16 yr old dd

 

What are the cab costs if you know?

 

 

looks like we are leaning toward Mullet and then walk over and watch the planes in the afternoon for a bit, anything else we should know about Mullet?

 

Is Mullet that much nicer than Maho?

[Karysa]

Thanks for all the info, where do you like to go, we have a 9 yr old boy and 16 yr old dd

 

What are the cab costs if you know?

 

They are both favorites of mine and of the residents of the island. I think the latter fact speaks volumes about the beauty of these beaches.

 

For your family I would suggest The Mullet/Maho combo because of the ages of your children. I think that they would love Maho to see the planes in the afternoon. Mullet has more waves and LeGalion is calm and shallow so another vote for Mullet for your family. If your wife thinks Maho is too noisy there are shops to visit in the Maho entertainment district 5 minutes walk away. Some stores will close for a couple of hours in the afternoon but some will be open. I think that this combo is wonderful.

 

Taxi fares for your family will be $7 pp each way to LeGalion and $9 pp each way to Mullet/Maho. If you get another person the price pp drops $1.

 

To answer your other post: Maho is fun and sometimes the beach is actually quite nice. Other times especially during times of storms in the area the beach recedes a lot and there is not much beach at all then. The planes are a draw even then. I really think your kids will like the atmosphere here.

 

Mullet is beautiful. It has palm trees and powder white sand. There is some snorkeling as well. The washroom facilities could be better but the port-o-potty is actually a step up from the last washroom.:eek:

 

Le Galion is different from the other beaches to me because of its natural rugged beauty and I love that there are palm trees on the beach where you can put down a blanket and and have a picnic.

[gtaylor]

Karysa saved me a lot of typing, as I pretty much agree with her 100% here.

 

All I can add is that le Galion also has some picnic benches if they are available when you arrive.

 

(click)

 

It's a mix of Palm and other trees, but I think that it one of the MOST Caribbean Beaches that people are looking for unless they really travel down/out island into the Southern Caribbean.

 

That said, I like the Mullet/Maho combination, while adding that I understand that the port-o-potty is a PAY convenience. Karysa can correct me if necessary.

 

gary

[dvond]

Karysa saved me a lot of typing, as I pretty much agree with her 100% here.

 

All I can add is that le Galion also has some picnic benches if they are available when you arrive.

 

(click)

 

It's a mix of Palm and other trees, but I think that it one of the MOST Caribbean Beaches that people are looking for unless they really travel down/out island into the Southern Caribbean.

 

That said, I like the Mullet/Maho combination, while adding that I understand that the port-o-potty is a PAY convenience. Karysa can correct me if necessary.

 

gary

 

 

thanks to you both!

 

Looks like we will do Mullet in the morning and head over to Maho for an hour in the afternoon to watch the planes, with 4 ports/beaches in a row this will be different. is it about 15 minute walk from mullet to Maho? Is their transportation? My wife does not enjoy walking in the heat :)

[Karysa]

Karysa saved me a lot of typing, as I pretty much agree with her 100% here.

 

All I can add is that le Galion also has some picnic benches if they are available when you arrive.

 

(click)

 

It's a mix of Palm and other trees, but I think that it one of the MOST Caribbean Beaches that people are looking for unless they really travel down/out island into the Southern Caribbean.

 

That said, I like the Mullet/Maho combination, while adding that I understand that the port-o-potty is a PAY convenience. Karysa can correct me if necessary.

 

gary

 

 

Usually I am asking you to help add directions or updates so I am glad to hear that I saved you some work here.:)

 

I have never had to use the port-o-potty as I have stayed less than 1 1/2 hrs on the 2 occasions that I visited since its been there so I am not sur if there is a fee but I would guess that there would be.

[Karysa]

thanks to you both!

 

Looks like we will do Mullet in the morning and head over to Maho for an hour in the afternoon to watch the planes, with 4 ports/beaches in a row this will be different. is it about 15 minute walk from mullet to Maho? Is their transportation? My wife does not enjoy walking in the heat :)

 

I would not plan on finding a taxi at Mullet. When you walk from Mullet you will reach the Maho Entertainment complex in 5 minutes or so and you should be able to get a taxi from there but the walk would be maybe less than 10 minutes and it's really a nice walk from the main road through the shopping area and across the street to the beach.

[Palioye]

I agree - Le Gallion. We went there with our family and had a great day. There were maybe 20 people on the whole beach. It's very easy to drive to. Rent a car at Coastal right at the pier - GPS is only $5 extra. They have very nice vehicles and are very friendly. Stop at the Fort in Marigot. Very nice - several cannons and great panoramic views.

 

What is the cost to rent a car/van? we are 6 ppl 3 adults 3 kids.

[dvond]

We had no issues in getting taxi at Mullet, guy that brought us picked us up, it was $8 pp and kids were half off. Beach was perfect, would not want to go anywhere else

[Karysa]

We had no issues in getting taxi at Mullet, guy that brought us picked us up, it was $8 pp and kids were half off. Beach was perfect, would not want to go anywhere else

 

So glad to hear that you enjoyed Mullet. Did you stop by Maho on the way back?

[dvond]

We did not, the walk was way too far with kids, just decided to stay as long as we could at Mullet, it was our favorite beach of the week of the 4 ports we did

[Karysa]

We did not, the walk was way too far with kids, just decided to stay as long as we could at Mullet, it was our favorite beach of the week of the 4 ports we did

 

It's not a far walk really for older kids and teens. It's not as far as from the pier into the centre of Front St. in the town of Phillipsburg and people walk that all the time.

[dvond]

With no sidewalk until you hit the street it did not look safe to anyone in our opinion, our group was happy to just sit and relax especially with 6 kids 9 and under

[Karysa]

With no sidewalk until you hit the street it did not look safe to anyone in our opinion, our group was happy to just sit and relax especially with 6 kids 9 and under

 

I see, we always rent a car but I have seen people walking this stretch many times over the years. It's also best to be cautious with kids, I agree.

 

Mullet is a beauty of a beach, quite possibly the islands finest easily reached beach IMHO, so I understand why you would want to extend your day there for as long as possible.:)

[Nole0202]

What is the cost to rent a car/van? we are 6 ppl 3 adults 3 kids.

 

 

All the major agencies are right at the port. We have paid $40 + insurance for a car and $55 for an SUV. You can confirm prices on line. It's the best way to go. Last trip we were only in port from 7-2, but by renting were able to go to the beach in the morning, followed by Marigot for lunch.