Things to do in St. Martin

[cruisenellie]

We have done 10 Celebrity cruises and heading out on a 14 day in March on Eclipse. (67 days!) We do the same shore excursion every time in St. Martin (Beach Rendevous) and are looking for a beach where we can spend more than an hour and a half. We heard at one time that you can walk to a public beach from the ship but do not know for sure where to go. Any help would be appreciated!:)

[CruiserBruce]

You might want to do some research on the St Maarten board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93

[janetz]

We have done 10 Celebrity cruises and heading out on a 14 day in March on Eclipse. (67 days!) We do the same shore excursion every time in St. Martin (Beach Rendevous) and are looking for a beach where we can spend more than an hour and a half. We heard at one time that you can walk to a public beach from the ship but do not know for sure where to go. Any help would be appreciated!:)

 

You can take the water taxi right near the pier over to the public beach...5 minutes away. We have also taken a taxi to Little Divi Bay, about 8 minutes from port. They have a great beach and will call you a taxi when you want to return to port. :) You do not have to be a guest for use of the water sports center

 

http://www.diviresorts.com/DiviLittleBay/st-maarten-water-sports.html

[John Bull]

Decent beach "the Boardwalk", Great Bay with a few bars etc behind the shops of Front St, Philipsburg.

From the cruise terminal it's about a 20 min walk, or go by taxi or water-taxi.

Mebbe start the day with a taxi tour from the cruise terminal over to the French side, & get the driver to drop you at the shops/beach.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Cyrus+Wathey+Square&hl=en&sll=18.018344,-63.04425&sspn=0.015814,0.033023&geocode=FcfeEgEdVAc-_A%3BFSIDEwEd0P49_A&oq=Fronmt+St+Philipsburg,+Sint+Maarten&t=h&dirflg=w&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=16&z=16

 

JB :)

[Hlitner]

Kind of interesting that the OP keeps taking an excursion in St Marteen. Normally, folks learn from experience. In St Maarten you can save money, and dictate your own time at the beach, by simply taking a taxi from the port. This works fine for any of the popular beaches such as Orient...where a taxi, and paying for your own chairs will save you money over the excursion. As other have said, another option is to simply take the water taxi over to Phillispburg and spend your day on the town beach that is on Great Bay (you can see this from the port). If you want to be a bit more adventurous there are numerous other beaches scattered around the island...all of which can easily be accessed by taxi. The taxi prices are fixed and this info is available at the taxi area located just outside the port.

 

Hank

[fleckle]

Previously posted info with links to taxi prices and tours on other thread

 

here:

- St Maarten Taxi Tours and Prices

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Since I have to use a walker, I can no longer handle the water taxi's.

So we use the regular taxi's to get around -- and we have found them to be reasonable.

We like to go to Majo Beach just to watch the planes going low over the beach (and people).

[Krazy Kruizers]

Since I have to use a walker, I can no longer handle the water taxi's.

 

So we use the regular taxi's to get around -- and we have found them to be reasonable.

 

We like to go to Majo Beach just to watch the planes going low over the beach (and people).

[cruisenellie]

Kind of interesting that the OP keeps taking an excursion in St Marteen. Normally, folks learn from experience. In St Maarten you can save money, and dictate your own time at the beach, by simply taking a taxi from the port. This works fine for any of the popular beaches such as Orient...where a taxi, and paying for your own chairs will save you money over the excursion. As other have said, another option is to simply take the water taxi over to Phillispburg and spend your day on the town beach that is on Great Bay (you can see this from the port). If you want to be a bit more adventurous there are numerous other beaches scattered around the island...all of which can easily be accessed by taxi. The taxi prices are fixed and this info is available at the taxi area located just outside the port.

 

Hank

 

It's not that we have to "learn from experience". We have enjoyed the shore excursions in the past but are just ready for something "new".

[Putterdude]

We have done the beach tour thing but last January just took the water taxi into Philipsburg, there are two stops, the second putting you right on the boardwalk and beach scene...lots of bars, restaurants that rent chairs and buckets of beer. We had a great day without the crowds of Orient and Maho. Plus you can do some shopping if you wish.

[jdvmd]

Why not just take a shuttle/taxi to a beach? Forget about the shore excursion through the ship. You can dictate how long you want to be there and have total control over the situation. It will also be much cheaper. Also, suggest that you check out the Ports of Call board for St. Maarten and also your roll call.

[Hlitner]

We have done the beach tour thing but last January just took the water taxi into Philipsburg, there are two stops, the second putting you right on the boardwalk and beach scene...lots of bars, restaurants that rent chairs and buckets of beer. We had a great day without the crowds of Orient and Maho. Plus you can do some shopping if you wish.

 

We also like the convenience of going to Great Bay (this is the downtown beach). However, that beach is a bit controversial among locals and regulars who vacation at St Maarten (we are soon heading there for a few weeks). There have been too many instances where the waters in Great Bay are polluted...probably by ground water run-off or possibly sewer overflow. We have been told that this is primarily a problem after a lot of rain.....but its difficult to get the real story from a source without some kind of agenda. We personally have swam in those waters without any problems.