Eastern Caribbean ideas?

[sydneyguy]

My boyfriend and I are taking the Royal Princess leaving Dec 29 and stopping in Princess Cays, St Thomas and St Maarten. Any suggestions for quality restaurants/ bars or tours please? We are in our 20's/30's so prefer a good vibe and action type tours than sightseeing. Any good beach clubs? Thanks

[shawne71]

My boyfriend and I are taking the Royal Princess leaving Dec 29 and stopping in Princess Cays, St Thomas and St Maarten. Any suggestions for quality restaurants/ bars or tours please? We are in our 20's/30's so prefer a good vibe and action type tours than sightseeing. Any good beach clubs? Thanks

 

Check out Maho Beach in St. Maarten. Very famous beach where the BIG jets fly directly overhead. You can find videos on YouTube. The Sunset Bar & Grill is right there on the beach. :D

 

Also, Google "Power Rafting Adventure" in St. Maarten. This is what we are doing in January. They make a stop at Maho Beach on the way back to the ship so you can see it from the water.

Edited November 4, 2013 by shawne71

[Cashew14]

We rented a car at St Maarten and drove around the island (good roads) and also went to Maho Beach.

On St Thomas we did a sailing trip with Captain Jim (can't remember the company but you can find it on trip advisor), great guy and it was fantastic.

 

Andrea :)

[sydneyguy]

Thanks Shawne and Andrea, some good tips. I love the idea of Maho beach, sounds fun! From what I see of Princess Cays we might just stay on the boat and enjoy the spa or Sanctuary pool that day.

 

 

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[sydneyguy]

Any good restaurant suggestions for St Martin please? Preferably beachside, quality food, good vibe. Thanks :)

 

 

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[AttilaTheFun]

In St. Martin, we went to Orient Bay, which is clothing optional on the right-hand side and not on the left-hand side. On the left-hand side, they have lots of "beach shacks" and restaurants that rent out chairs in front of the buildings. We went to the Sun Beach Clubber and the deal included a lounger, an umbrella, free wifi, and a welcome cocktail for $7. You can walk much further down on the right side and just lay your towel down for free though. The tiny restaurant in our beach shack was excellent, but fairly pricey. Bring cash - if you pay in US dollars, the prices on the menu are in US dollars, but if you want to use a credit card to pay, they charge you in euros for the menu prices, so about a 35% markup!

 

Here's a picture of Orient Beach and the Sun Beach Clubber with loungers:

 

 

 

 

I am one of the few people that do NOT recommend hanging out at Maho Beach. We went and the beach is so tiny and when a plane lands or takes off, it kicks up a ton of sand and blows everything away. I have no idea how anyone could hang out there for a day - it's an extension of a runway, not a real beach!

 

A sign at Maho Beach - if that doesn't say "fun" then I don't know what does!

 

 

In St. Thomas, we went to Maegan's Bay, which is pretty popular and a bit crowded. It's very shallow though and good for snorkeling if you go to the far-right side.

 

Some pictures from Maegan's Bay:

 

 

 

 

 

[sydneyguy]

Hi Atilla

Really appreciate your detailed suggestions. Your photos have definitely helped me to get a good sense of the beaches and activities. Now just have to wait another two months to experience for myself! Thanks :)

[AttilaTheFun]

Glad to help - apologies that the pictures turn out so huge! I didn't realize they would post that big.

[HappyHappy1]

We did the southern caribbean itinerary this summer and had a blast. Our favorite tour, which I highly recommend, was the Segway of Antigua tour. The tour was two hours on the segway plus beach time. We went to several beaches, a fort, and along several trails. The views were magnificent. Our guides took lots of photos and created a photo video which they emailed to us after the tour. They also supplied fresh fruit refreshments and drinks at the fort. Afterwards, we went to Millers Beach, which is located right next to the segway office. There is a bar on the beach with very reasonable prices and the water is gorgeous.

 

Prior to our tour, I contacted Juliette Miller (owner) for more information. In my email I mentioned that it was my partner and I along with four teenagers. My nephew is 6'8" tall so I emailed her to see if he was too large and had mentioned that he was joining the armed forces. Juliette quickly replied and offered my nephew to ride for free since he was going to serve his country.

 

We did not hide our relationship and they were very open to having us on the tour. Juliette and her girls were very nice and took lots of photos of our family, and a few of Mona and I together.

 

This company does not discriminate and are very forward thinking. You will have a great time on this tour and will not feel uncomfortable. The cost was $65 pp. Prior to going on the tour, they show you a video and give you a riding lesson. I am such a clutz...and even I did it with no problem. Here are a few photos from my camera (which is horrible). If I can figure out how to get the photos from the video, I will share them as well.

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2013 by HappyHappy1
spelling

[neilrr]

Just a suggestion - When in St. Thomas, we take the excursion to St. John - which is absolutely beautiful and it goes on to Trunk Bay for snorkeling. It has a marked underwater trail to follow, identifying everything, and you do it off the beach. It is a perfect location. We have done all the other excursions to Buck Island, Honeymoon Beach, Turtle Cove -- and by far Trunk Bay is the best. It is in a U.S. State Park and it has shower and changing facilities.

 

The island was pretty much owned by the Rockefellers and was given to the U.S. as a underwater sanctuary.

 

Good luck and happy sailing...:)

Edited November 12, 2013 by neilrr