Which beaches?

[pgerbphoto]

We are booked on the Freedom of the Seas with an Eastern Caribbean itinerary. I would like to get some feedback on the local beaches of St. Thomas and St. Maarten. On my previous cruises, we took a taxi to the beaches rather than paying for an excursion and it was SO much cheaper. We would like to do that again, especially b/c we will have a 3-year-old and 1-year-old with us and will probably only spend a couple of hours at the beach, rather than all day (and also need the option to leave whenever we want/need to). Would like to get some feedback on favorite beaches and which beaches have the shortest cab rides from the port. If you remember approximately how much the cab ride was, that would be great, too. Thanks!

[danp]

You can take the ferry right off of the pier into town,the ferry is $7 each.The beach is right off of the ferry dock.And if you want to go into town it is also right there.There is a charge if you want to get a chair and umbrella.Also with the ferry you can go back and forth all day with no extra charge'

[danp]

You can take the ferry right off of the pier into town,the ferry is $7 each.The beach is right off of the ferry dock.And if you want to go into town it is also right there.There is a charge if you want to get a chair and umbrella.Also with the ferry you can go back and forth all day with no extra charge'

 

Sorry forgot to mention that this is St Martins

[pgerbphoto]

Thanks danp! Do you know what beach that is?

[tidygirl]

St Maarten- There is the water taxi for $7 pp but if you have a stroller for the children you can easily walk there. I'm not sure of the name of the beach is either, but you can almost see it from the ship. As you leave the port just turn left.

We have been to St Maarten previously and forgot about walking back to the ship and we oaid for the water taxi. It was a waste for us! We used it one way and when it was time to go back to the ship we figured we would just walk it.

There are plenty of little shops etc right there too.

[imjoyful2]

We've been to St Maarten 4 times and 3 of those time we went to Le Galion beach which is perfect for little ones as there isn't huge waves. I think it was $6 a person each way? We were just there last month but with so many ports, I forget how much it cost. Anyway, you can read about our time here St Maarten

 

In St Thomas, we like Emerald beach as it isn't far from the port and it's not crowded. St. Thomas

 

The beach the above poster is talking about is Philipsburg which is where the ship docks at.

[138east]

I'm sure the beach has a name, but I think of it as just the beach in downtown Phillipsburg. What's really nice about this beach is that one of you can shop while the other watches the kids and then trade places. It's a really easy walk from the ship if you want to keep your expenses down.

 

For St Thomas do some research on Secret Harbor. There are virtually no waves, so it's really nice with small children. Resort has a restaurant, restrooms, and snorkeling.

[George C]

Orient beach in St Marteen is less than a 10 dollar taxi fare ( beach has a nude side ) beautiful beach with many nice restaurants

[camofwilliamsburg]

10$ pp or per cab?

The beach in walking distance is Great Bay. If you want to rent chairs it cost $20 for 2 chairs and an umbrella. Usually comes with some beer, or water or bargain for some pina coladas. You do not need to rent anything though. You can just go there with the kids , play in the very calm water and head back with the little ones. The water taxi will take you longer to get to the ship than walking. We walk all of the time. It is under 20 minute walk. Walk out of the dock area and do not walk through the shopping area at the port. Make a right at the start of the shops into the parking lot where the entrance to the port area is. Go to the street and make a left. Now walk less than 15 minutes watching the sign for beach. You will cut through a parking lot on the left and over a little foot bridge and you will be there.

 

The shops are all along the beach area.

[cruisinfanatic]

Orient beach in St Marteen is less than a 10 dollar taxi fare ( beach has a nude side ) beautiful beach with many nice restaurants

that's per person and not a calm beach for little ones.

[Clarea]

10$ pp or per cab?...

Usually pp in St. Maarten. This is for Maho Beach:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=43475739&postcount=10

[cruisinfanatic]

For St Thomas I recommend Emerald Beach. It's not a tourist trap. Usually calm water with snack bar and bathroom on each end of the beach. And not crowded. Chairs for rent if you like. About $6 - $7 pp each way

 

 

 

[imjoyful2]

Orient beach in St Marteen is less than a 10 dollar taxi fare ( beach has a nude side ) beautiful beach with many nice restaurants

 

We were at Orient Beach once. It gets crowded and the surf is rough for kids.

[GTO-Girl]

We were at Orient Beach once. It gets crowded and the surf is rough for kids.

 

Just FYI.....we were there week before last and ALL the beaches on the Atlantic side ( including Orient) are knee deep in nasty brown tree like seaweed! It is all on the beach and as far as you can see out in the water.

 

There was not ONE person On the beach that day.....it was that bad!!!

 

Be sure to ask the cab driver if it is gone before going as we were told it has been that way for the past few months.....:eek:

[rharvey999]

We were at Orient Beach once. It gets crowded and the surf is rough for kids.

 

Jenn nice to see you again on the boards. We miss you and your family.

 

Regarding Orient Beach...it is our favorite. There are many areas to sit, relax and enjoy the sunshine. Our favorite is Kakao (they have the dark blue chairs). Each beach area is identified by their colors.

 

Special note...only the sound end of the beach (Club Orient) is totally nudity the norm. You may see a few up on the north end but it is nothing to be concerned about. Just folks enjoying the beach.

[imjoyful2]

Just FYI.....we were there week before last and ALL the beaches on the Atlantic side ( including Orient) are knee deep in nasty brown tree like seaweed! It is all on the beach and as far as you can see out in the water.

 

There was not ONE person On the beach that day.....it was that bad!!!

 

Be sure to ask the cab driver if it is gone before going as we were told it has been that way for the past few months.....:eek:

 

Huh that's interesting!! We were there last month and there was seaweed in the water/on the beach and we were told it was due to the rain storm they just had the night before. It did clear up some the longer we were there but it definitely wasn't as pretty as our last time there.

 

Jenn nice to see you again on the boards. We miss you and your family.

 

Regarding Orient Beach...it is our favorite. There are many areas to sit, relax and enjoy the sunshine. Our favorite is Kakao (they have the dark blue chairs). Each beach area is identified by their colors.

 

Special note...only the sound end of the beach (Club Orient) is totally nudity the norm. You may see a few up on the north end but it is nothing to be concerned about. Just folks enjoying the beach.

 

Hey Bob good to "see" you as well! We were hoping you & Joan were joining us on ExOS repositioning cruise last month, you were missed!

 

It wasn't that we didn't like Orient, I think our problem was that we stayed where our tour dropped us off and didn't go further down the beach. Maybe it wouldn't have been so crowded then. It was also our very first cruise so I've learned a lot since then! ;)

[DivaMimi]

St Thomas: we spent a week there in July and had a car so I can't speak to taxis. However, I second Emerald beach for closeness and waves. Our fave tho is Meagan ' s Bay. Great for little swimmers.

 

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