Trip Report: Petites Cayes Beach on our own

[InsideCruiser]

On our recent cruise we had the stunning Petites Cayes all to ourselves. It is a beach along the north coast of St. Martin (French side). If you have a sense of adventure you should check it out.

 

It is in the middle of a hike that starts near the Radisson in Anse Marcel and ends at the dump behind the village of Cul-de-Sac.

 

Here is a map of the 3 mile hike:

• A - Anse Marcel Trail Head
  
• B - Water Treatment Plant
  
• C - Petites Cayes
  
• D - Dump
  
• E - Grandes Cayes
  

Walk off the pier and find the taxi dispatchers (orange shirts). Tell them you need a taxi to Anse Marcel. We paid $108 return for 3 adults and 3 children. Round trip for 2 should be $70.

 

Request a driver that will provide you with a cell phone should you have any issues meeting up after the hike (apparently providing a phone is not too uncommon).

 

Tell the driver you want the Trail Head for the Petites Cayes trail. Just as you are coming downhill into Anse Marcel, you round a curve and will see a gravel road to your right where the trail starts. It is sometimes blocked by a chain but when we were there the chain was on the ground and could not be seen from the road. If you reach the Radisson you've gone about a minute too far. Taxi took 30 minutes to get us to the trail head.

 

Make sure the driver waits until you've seen the big board with the trail map which will assure you that you are at the correct location. The driver should agree to be paid after he picks you up and gets you back to the ship.

 

Tell the driver you want to be picked up at the entrance to Grand Cayes beach. You could be picked up at the dump but assuming you'll be there a little before the meeting time the beach is a nicer place to wait.

 

Start down the gravel road to the water treatment plant. This section is very hot because there is no tree cover. Bring lots of water. Minimum 1.5 litres/pp. Took us about 20 minutes to reach the water treatment plant.

 

The trail from here is not obvious. There's a fenced area to the left and a fenced area to the right. The trail squeezes through the fenced areas and heads uphill. You can see the trail pass between the two buildings if you zoom in on Point B on the map. From here to the beach you have tree cover so the heat is not as much of a factor.

 

About 10 minutes up the hill the trail branches and you have to choose left or right. The right branch has a sign that says Str de Marseilles (or some other French name that starts with an M). The left branch has some brush in the way and it appears that someone has used the brush to block the trail.

 

Take the right branch. This takes you up and over the hill that separates you from Petites Cayes. After this initial branch the route is very obvious and you simply follow the trail to the beach. There are signs along the way identifying the vegetation which will assure you that you are on the correct trail.

 

It is a difficult hike. Wear sturdy sneakers at a minimum. There are lots of opportunities to turn an ankle or slip. It took us 50 minutes to hike from the water treatment plant to Petites Cayes. We did have a 6 year old and a 70 year old (kudos to both of them) but I can't see doing this stretch in much less than 40 minutes.

 

Petites Cayes is breath taking. Stunning. The perfect Caribbean beach. And we had it to ourselves. Beautiful sandy beach that your feet sink into. But as soon as you get into the water there is no sand. Rocks and marine life. Water shoes mandatory. I ran in with bare feet to help my son and ended up with a couple of spikers in my foot. Pulled them out, mild pain for a couple of days but no big deal.

 

When you leave Petites Cayes head along the coast towards the dump in the opposite direction from which you arrived. There is no visible trail to begin with, you just trudge along the rock/coral beach. It is very difficult as the rocks are loose and you are constantly slipping. You will see some of the vegetation signs on the beach which will assure you the you are indeed on the trail. Keep an eye on the coast above the beach. Eventually you will notice a trail on the coast above the rock beach (maybe after 15 minutes). From here it is smooth sailing. Magnificent views of the coast to your left, pretty hills to your right, cooling breeze off the ocean.

 

We reached the dump in around 45 minutes (with stopping for some photo ops). This is the end of the official trail but the road continues to follow the coast. The beach is along this entire stretch so you can go for a dip at any time. This section will be more private than the main area if you have some time. There is snorkeling along this beach somewhere but you'll have to ask someone where the reef is.

 

It's about a 15 minutes walk to the main entrance of Grand Cayes (big white sign says “Notice to the public, swim at your own risk”, another smaller white sign beside it says “Nudity is prohibited”) which is the most obvious place to meet your driver.

 

Taxi took 30 minutes to get us back to the ship.

 

Here are some Trip Advisor reviews so you can get some other perspectives on the hike.

 

Here is a brief description of both beaches (entries 22 and 23).

 

Go for it! :D:)

IC

[gtaylor]

A very interesting post, and probably of interest to a (very) few cruisers, but thank you for posting in such detail.

 

The current issue of RCI's Endless Vacation magazine (they're the giant timeshare and vacation rental company) has an article focusing on hiking on St. Maarten, though much less energetic than your outing.

 

They list as a resource for planning some of these hikes our friend Joyce Hanley-Prince as Joyce Tours and Services.

 

gary