St. Maarten on a budget

[TNIris]

Happy Friday, everyone!

 

We are 50ish days from our cruise, and we are finding after paying for the cruise, and the two days at Disney beforehand, we are coming up a bit short on the cash flow. :rolleyes:

 

Originally, I was planning to do the Bernard's beach/sightseeing tour, because it takes you to Orient Beach to swim for 2 hours, AND to Maho beach to see the planes, the two main things we are interested in.

 

However, it would be $180 for the four of us, Yikes!

 

So the question is, what is the best beach for swimming/snorkeling that is closest to the ship, and how much trouble would it be to then take a taxi from that beach to Maho?

 

If you guys tell me it's not a good idea to do this stuff on our own, then I will bite it and pay the $180 for Bernard's, because I trust what cruise critic members say!! They've never steered me wrong! :D

 

But I am trying to save a bit of money, and we *may* want to spend longer at a beach swimming than the 90-120 minutes Bernard's allows on their tour.

 

Thanks, guys!

[Karysa]

Happy Friday, everyone!

 

We are 50ish days from our cruise, and we are finding after paying for the cruise, and the two days at Disney beforehand, we are coming up a bit short on the cash flow. :rolleyes:

 

Originally, I was planning to do the Bernard's beach/sightseeing tour, because it takes you to Orient Beach to swim for 2 hours, AND to Maho beach to see the planes, the two main things we are interested in.

 

However, it would be $180 for the four of us, Yikes!

 

So the question is, what is the best beach for swimming/snorkeling that is closest to the ship, and how much trouble would it be to then take a taxi from that beach to Maho?

 

If you guys tell me it's not a good idea to do this stuff on our own, then I will bite it and pay the $180 for Bernard's, because I trust what cruise critic members say!! They've never steered me wrong! :D

 

But I am trying to save a bit of money, and we *may* want to spend longer at a beach swimming than the 90-120 minutes Bernard's allows on their tour.

 

Thanks, guys!

 

If you don't mind walking a little bit you can enjoy Mullet Bay beach for swimming and lounging and Maho beach for the planes by bus for $4 pp round trip. It would take about an hour of easy and enjoyable walking (divided up of course) and I think that you would be able to have a very nice day.

[wallie5446]

IMHO, ( which wont get you an interview with Mickey! ) cut back on something at WDW and do the tour with Bernard. We did Tour II last yr that had Maho & Orient, worth the $45 ea.

[caribsun]

Just a 17 minute walk to Great Bay Beach and shopping. Beach access is free.

[funatseascott]

If you don't mind walking a little bit you can enjoy Mullet Bay beach for swimming and lounging and Maho beach for the planes by bus for $4 pp round trip. It would take about an hour of easy and enjoyable walking (divided up of course) and I think that you would be able to have a very nice day.

 

 

We have a timeshare in Maho. Some of the buses mentioned above now go to Mullet, so it should cut out a lot of your walking, but will probably cost $5 pp round trip as the extra leg will cost the extra $1 pp. If you have never been to St Maarten or don't know about the buses, here is a little update for you. The buses won't be at the port or even on Front Street in Phillipsburg. You have to wander up a few streets closer to the salt ponds. You will see vans that have a homemade cardboard sign saying where the van is headed. If it says Maho, the bus is headed West to Maho. If you ask, the driver might go further and take you to Mullet. If the sign says Mullet, it will go there. There are more buses that only go to Maho then Mullet, so be careful on cutting things close to get back to the ship if Mullet is your last stop. Once in Maho or Mullet, go to the main road and look for the bus that says Phillipsburg, which means the bus is heading east. Flag the bus down and jump on. You pay the driver as you exit the bus. Easy and cheap way to get around. Enjoy the Sunset Bar and Grill when watching the planes come and go.

[gtaylor]

The bus stops (Bus Halte) are on Backstreet, the next one over from Frontstreet, with all the jewelry shops.

 

There should be plenty of busses with a Mullet or M'llt or M'Bay on the sign in their window.

 

I would expect the fare to be the same $2 for any of those. If you catch one with 'Maho' in the window, they might charge you an additional dollar to continue to Mullet Bay Beach, less than 5 minutes.

 

I recommend Guy's Driftwood Boat Bar on Maho Beach, cheaper than Sunset.

 

(click) and more photos over there

 

gary

[Hstergo]

Bernards is really worth the money... you might want to shave off a few other expenses here and there. They do a great job you will a lot and it even includes beer, soft drinks, and rum punch

[Karysa]

Bernards is really worth the money... you might want to shave off a few other expenses here and there. They do a great job you will a lot and it even includes beer, soft drinks, and rum punch

 

I think it depends on the age of the kids. When my kids were 8 it was way more fun to do a beach day with a little sightseeing on the way than a lot of touring and a little beach.

 

If money is an issue there are some islands that are safer to get out and explore on your own and some that being with someone who can help you stay in areas that are tourist friendly is the way to go. I think St. Maarten is one of the best islands for venturing out a little on your own.

[Karysa]

Just a 17 minute walk to Great Bay Beach and shopping. Beach access is free.

 

Documented ongoing pollution issues at this beach have kept us our of the water at Great Bay beach AKA the town beach since 2006.