Yet Another Orient Beach Question

[LisaT91403]

I spent a nice day at Orange Fever 2 years ago, and Gary has kindly suggested that we visit Orange again when we are on SXM next week.

 

However, after doing some reading, I'm wondering if it's the right spot for us. Here's a bit about what is/is not important to us:

 

- We would like *really* nice chairs, great service, very clean bathrooms, and excellent food with a nice table to enjoy it at. We'd prefer not to have the chairs too close to one another, but more importantly, we need shade and are willing to pay for it.

 

- We are *not* concerned about it costing more than Orange Fever or other places down that end of the beach. We are not concerned about the Euro/Dollar conversion.

 

- We want it to be very easy to get to by cab...no long walks with the 5 year old

 

- We would prefer the calmer water (but I have a feeling that this last part might contradict all of the other parts above, right?)

 

I think we are the only ship in port that day, but it's Allure, so there are a lot of us! Thanks for your help.

[gtaylor]

<snip>

 

- We would prefer the calmer water (but I have a feeling that this last part might contradict all of the other parts above, right?)

 

<snip>

 

 

I think you're correct here.

 

The most sheltered stretch of the beach is in front of Club Orient, and in our experience the surf/waves/water get rougher the farther you venture from there.

 

I really like Orange Fever because of the location and because I think it provides a quality product and a great value.

 

The other main taxi drop is in the Bikini/Kakao area, and the chairs are nicer and the food is reputed to be nicer and it is more expensive, but it is what it is.

 

BUT, for you, it sounds like you may be interested in going All In.

 

I'm going to recommend Palm Beach.

 

I understand that the chairs are free if you have lunch there.

 

We haven't used any of their facilities, but I've walked through their area a few times and it is pretty impressive, as is their menu. (And prices)

 

Their website is here.

 

You'll probably need a private taxi from the Cruise Facility, not a shared one to 'Orient Beach', as it is located at the FAR end of Orient Beach, but the good news is that you will be dropped at their doorstep.

 

If you are at all interested in Palm Beach, let me know and I'll dig up some hints I've discovered to perhaps save a few Euros. :)

 

gary

[LisaT91403]

Thanks again, Gary. It's a tough call for us.

 

What do you think of Kakao? Is it a compromise between Orange Fever and Palm Beach in that it is not quite as expensive/not quite as far off the beaten path as Palm, but has "better" food and facilities than Orange? I think I read that they have a children's play area as well? Is the water just as rough at Kakao as it is at Palm?

 

On a different note, I'm assuming that while the pricing is listed in Euros...when you get the check it will be converted to US Dollars and you can pay in dollars. Correct?

[B-52]

We have been to Orient 4 times, and never encountered what people refer to as Rough water...large waves......

I am wondering, if it has something to do with the time of year you are there....

 

On the times we have been there..it has always been in the hot, balmy summer months.

[blue_water]

When we've stayed on orient our favorite stretch was where the Bikini Bar and Kakao are. We stay at the Alamanda Resort and get reserved chairs at Kakao but we prefer eating at the BB, also great margaritas there.

 

We don;t go there often because it's like being on the ship. But if you want the amenities you have to deal with that of course. We would head for a nicer beach that has 1 beach bar but you won;t find the "creature comforts" there either.

[navybankerteacher]

I spent a nice day at Orange Fever 2 years ago, and Gary has kindly suggested that we visit Orange again when we are on SXM next week.

 

However, after doing some reading, I'm wondering if it's the right spot for us. Here's a bit about what is/is not important to us:

 

- We would like *really* nice chairs, great service, very clean bathrooms, and excellent food with a nice table to enjoy it at. We'd prefer not to have the chairs too close to one another, but more importantly, we need shade and are willing to pay for it.

 

- We are *not* concerned about it costing more than Orange Fever or other places down that end of the beach. We are not concerned about the Euro/Dollar conversion.

 

- We want it to be very easy to get to by cab...no long walks with the 5 year old

 

- We would prefer the calmer water (but I have a feeling that this last part might contradict all of the other parts above, right?)

 

I think we are the only ship in port that day, but it's Allure, so there are a lot of us! Thanks for your help.

 

You might want to consider Le Galion, just to the southeast of Orient - especially considering your young child. The grade of the beach is very gentle and the reef across the mouth of the bay makes the water very calm. The beach is much less crowded than Orient, and you will find the food, service, and facilities at Tropical Wave pretty much what you want.

[LisaT91403]

You might want to consider Le Galion, just to the southeast of Orient - especially considering your young child. The grade of the beach is very gentle and the reef across the mouth of the bay makes the water very calm. The beach is much less crowded than Orient, and you will find the food, service, and facilities at Tropical Wave pretty much what you want.

 

I appreciate the recommendation. Le Galion is probably great for my 5 year old, but it's a little too sleepy for my husband and me. We enjoy being near the "action" of Orient :-)

 

So, I'm back to Orange Fever or Kakao?....

[gtaylor]

We don't spend much time or money down on that section of the beach, but I believe that you are correct viewing it as a compromise.

 

I'm not aware of a children's play area, but there may be one.

 

I believe that the water gets progressively rougher as you walk north, but note that some days, if the weather and ocean are cooperating, no section of the beach is very rough. Other times, watch out.

 

Prices: many spots offer a 1 = 1 conversion between Euro and Dollars. Orange Fever does, for sure. I don't know specifics about many of the other places. Be sure to ask.

 

This 1 = 1 would only apply for CASH US Dollars (or perhaps travelers checks), but would certainly not apply for credit card purchases, where they would convert Euro to Dollars at some (probably favorable to them) rate and run the charge. You credit card company would most likely then add a 3% or so 'conversion fee' on top of that. Our Capitol One card does not.

 

gary

[labeachcomber]

We stayed at Bikini Beach. Chairs were nice and comfortably apart from the next pair of two, and rows were far apart. $15 for two chairs and an umbrella. The guy gave us tickets and said the chairs (and umbrella?) we're free if we got lunch.

 

But after looking at the menu and seeing 18-23 euro sandwiches and 11 euro guacamole, we did the conversion in our head and thought, heck, you can keep the $15. Only as we were leaving did we find out the conversion was one to one. Still expensive though no matter what.

 

Waves were a bit rough. Definitely some that knocked you down and pummeled you from above.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[SDCowboy]

We are going on the excursion, St. Maarten Beach Rendezvous - SM06, and was wondering if anyone can tell me about it.

[LisaT91403]

We just got back a few days ago, and I wanted to report back. For a variety of reasons, we decided to stick with Orange Fever for this trip. We took a shared van over to Orient, and the driver seemed shocked that we wanted to be dropped off near Pedro's rather than further down the beach. She kept saying "you want to be where they are all hanging low?!" Yes, I told her, that's where we wanted to be ;-)

 

When we were dropped off, there were a couple of aggressive "salesmen" trying to get us to stay at their beach area. I'm not sure what the name was, but it was right next to Pedro's. They would not take no for an answer, even when we starting walking down the beach.

 

Orange Fever was just as I remembered it from 2 years ago. We got prime lounge chairs in the first row by the ocean...perfect for us to relax while still being able to watch our 5 year old play in the sand. The chairs are very comfortable with nice cushions. The food and drinks were great, and I thought the prices were really good as well. Maybe it's because it's off season, but we did not feel crowded at all. There was an empty lounge chair in between our party and the party next to us.

 

I would not hesitate to go back to Orange Fever again!

[gtaylor]

:)

 

gary

[Karysa]

We just got back a few days ago, and I wanted to report back. For a variety of reasons, we decided to stick with Orange Fever for this trip. We took a shared van over to Orient, and the driver seemed shocked that we wanted to be dropped off near Pedro's rather than further down the beach. She kept saying "you want to be where they are all hanging low?!" Yes, I told her, that's where we wanted to be ;-)

 

When we were dropped off, there were a couple of aggressive "salesmen" trying to get us to stay at their beach area. I'm not sure what the name was, but it was right next to Pedro's. They would not take no for an answer, even when we starting walking down the beach.

 

Orange Fever was just as I remembered it from 2 years ago. We got prime lounge chairs in the first row by the ocean...perfect for us to relax while still being able to watch our 5 year old play in the sand. The chairs are very comfortable with nice cushions. The food and drinks were great, and I thought the prices were really good as well. Maybe it's because it's off season, but we did not feel crowded at all. There was an empty lounge chair in between our party and the party next to us.

 

I would not hesitate to go back to Orange Fever again!

 

We were at Orient for a couple of hours about a week and a half ago and one of the RCCL ships was in port and the beach was lively but not crowded. Can't imagine what it looks like with 5 or 6 ships in.

 

Often in the summer I find the beach to be very seagrassy but that was not the case on our visit this year.

 

Glad you had a fun day.

[archergal918]

Gary, I am interested in your "hints" to save Euros at Palm Beach.

 

Thanks,

Lynda

[Michthebeech]

We don't spend much time or money down on that section of the beach, but I believe that you are correct viewing it as a compromise.

 

I'm not aware of a children's play area, but there may be one.

 

I believe that the water gets progressively rougher as you walk north, but note that some days, if the weather and ocean are cooperating, no section of the beach is very rough. Other times, watch out.

 

Prices: many spots offer a 1 = 1 conversion between Euro and Dollars. Orange Fever does, for sure. I don't know specifics about many of the other places. Be sure to ask.

 

This 1 = 1 would only apply for CASH US Dollars (or perhaps travelers checks), but would certainly not apply for credit card purchases, where they would convert Euro to Dollars at some (probably favorable to them) rate and run the charge. You credit card company would most likely then add a 3% or so 'conversion fee' on top of that. Our Capitol One card does not.

 

gary

 

 

I don't think the conversion was 1:1. I ordered some beer and soda. The bill came it and said $15 Euros and under it it said $19 and change in Dollars. I still have the receipt in my luggage, I'll go check for sure but...

 

We were at Bikini Beach. I recommend it. We paid $15 for two chairs and umbrella. We did not get the free drink or ticket that others speak of. My negotiating skills are not the best. LOL But it was comfortable. The beach was nice. There were waves, but not dangerous. My 12 year old handled them. I walked further down and found the chairs closer together at the other end so I was happy with our location. There was parasailing the jet skis nearby. It was a great day!

[gtaylor]

Gary, I am interested in your "hints" to save Euros at Palm Beach.

 

Thanks,

Lynda

I'm currently about 6,000 miles away from my notes, but stand by.

 

gary

[gtaylor]

Gary, I am interested in your "hints" to save Euros at Palm Beach.

 

Thanks,

Lynda

 

Well, I'm home and found my notes, but it appears that they are out of date.

 

There have been many changes at Palm Beach, including opening up a section just for cruisers on tours.

 

The only item that I believe is still valid is that lounge chairs are free with purchase of drinks and lunch, and charges on the beach are €1 = $1, but if you were to move inside to the restaurant proper then the charges are in € at the current rate, and they may convert all those 1:1 charges on the beach, as well.

 

 

gary

[Luvmypups]

We just returned from our cruise a week ago. We went to Orange Fever due all of the great reviews. The restaurant/bar and waiters were great as were the prices. Our only complaint was how close the chairs were, most all of the chairs were in use by mid-day and they were right on top of each other. It was only after we were settled in that we found quite a few places just a little further down the beach where the chairs were spaced out much more to our liking....and would be worth the money to us to pay more. I would definitely go back to Orange Fever for the food and drinks!!

[LucyTX]

How was the restroom at Orange Fever?

[caribsun]

How was the restroom at Orange Fever?

Flush and run. :D