Best family beach day

[NECruiser83]

We will be in St Marteen from 8-5. We are doing a boat/snorkeling excursion the day before in St Thomas. We are looking for a nice beach to sit back and relax, and possibly some water sports. I'm hearing Orient Bay is extremely crowded, and also a top less beach. I have a 7 year old boy, so not sure about that one. Are there some less "touristy" beaches that will also have some water sports?

[SnorkelAway]

If you do not want a topless beach - want a relatively quiet beach with watersports available - then I would recommend Divi Little Bay.

[NECruiser83]

If you do not want a topless beach - want a relatively quiet beach with watersports available - then I would recommend Divi Little Bay.

 

Thank you, I will look into that one. Are a good amount of the beaches topless? Is it something that it's just a few people topless that I can maybe just distract my DS as needed? I have no issues with it, just don't want to be answering certain questions I am not ready to answer if you know what I mean 😄

[NECruiser83]

All I can find online about it is the resort. Do you have to pay at the resort to get on the beach?

[c-leg5]

All I can find online about it is the resort. Do you have to pay at the resort to get on the beach?

 

If you are talking about Little Divi resort, access to the beach is free, you need to pay for chairs and loungers rental and will not have access to the pool.

[NECruiser83]

If you are talking about Little Divi resort, access to the beach is free, you need to pay for chairs and loungers rental and will not have access to the pool.

 

Thank you for the info!

[jerrib]

Though I have never been myself, here is what I came across while researching for my upcoming cruise -

 

- just over the mountain from Philipsburg $4/6 taxi 20-30 min

 

- "check in at the reception desk, (an outside desk - we never actually went into hotel) but were directed to a booth on the beach where you pay for chairs and umbrellas, about $5 per chair, $10 per umbrella and someone sets them up for you. There is a bar and restaurant and pool (hotel guest use only) near the entrance and one or two more down the beach." 6/15

 

- "We were there two weeks ago on a very busy port day and there were no more chairs available by about 10:30" 3/15

 

- "beach was awesome with a gradual slope" 1/16

 

 

Hope you find this info helpful.

[NECruiser83]

Though I have never been myself, here is what I came across while researching for my upcoming cruise -

 

- just over the mountain from Philipsburg $4/6 taxi 20-30 min

 

- "check in at the reception desk, (an outside desk - we never actually went into hotel) but were directed to a booth on the beach where you pay for chairs and umbrellas, about $5 per chair, $10 per umbrella and someone sets them up for you. There is a bar and restaurant and pool (hotel guest use only) near the entrance and one or two more down the beach." 6/15

 

- "We were there two weeks ago on a very busy port day and there were no more chairs available by about 10:30" 3/15

 

- "beach was awesome with a gradual slope" 1/16

 

 

Hope you find this info helpful.

 

Very helpful, thank you!!! ☺

[Karysa]

Very helpful, thank you!!! ☺

 

It's about 10 min via taxi, 15 if traffic is dense. Beach is ok for St. Maarten standards. View is very pretty and it's a safe day with clean restrooms and a nice beach bar/restaurant.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Karysa

[NECruiser83]

It's about 10 min via taxi, 15 if traffic is dense. Beach is ok for St. Maarten standards. View is very pretty and it's a safe day with clean restrooms and a nice beach bar/restaurant.

 

I noticed you said the beach is ok for St Maarten standards, is there a better one you recommend?

[Karysa]

I noticed you said the beach is ok for St Maarten standards, is there a better one you recommend?

 

If you are willing to rent a car my recommendation for a really nice beach would be Happy Bay. It involves a 15 minute hike from Friars Bay. I also like the lovely Prune Bay where Donald Trumps estate is.

 

On or near a bus route Mullet would be my recommendation.

 

Simpson Bay by Mary's Boon and Karakter beach bar is a beautiful stretch of soft sand that is perfect for walking and about a 25 minute taxi ride.

 

There are many others depending on what I am looking for on that particular day.

 

LB has a lovely view, clean washrooms, a place to eat and drink, chair rentals and watersport rentals and some snorkeling and is close to port AND passes the water pollution tests so it checks a lot of boxes for cruisers. The negative to me is the quality of the sand, perhaps Nettle Bay is the other beach with the same quality of sand and those two are the poorest to me compared to the other swimable beaches that I have gone to.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Karysa

[SnorkelAway]

Karysa - since OP was concerned about topless, I do not think Happy Bay is going to work - NECruiser83, fyi, there often are people nude at Happy Bay - which is in fact a beautiful beach but also not the easiest to deal with off a cruise ship.

 

At Divi Little Bay - do not worry about checking in at front desk - just go to beach and get with one of Aquamania beach guys to get chairs and umbrellas five dollars a piece. Sometimes you have to approach them and tell them what you want - they often are not very aggressive at getting with you about what you want. If you want to eat at one of their restaurants, go to Gizmo's - you can grow old eating at Sea Breeze, although it is fine and the people nice if you have a lot of time.

 

I am amazed that a poster above was there when they ran out of chairs - March 15? - I guess maybe that was during Regatta and high season with an unusually high number of people there. Between mid-April and November, I just cannot imagine them running out of chairs unless they start running more cruise ship tours.

[Karysa]

Karysa - since OP was concerned about topless, I do not think Happy Bay is going to work - NECruiser83, fyi, there often are people nude at Happy Bay - which is in fact a beautiful beach but also not the easiest to deal with off a cruise ship.

 

At Divi Little Bay - do not worry about checking in at front desk - just go to beach and get with one of Aquamania beach guys to get chairs and umbrellas five dollars a piece. Sometimes you have to approach them and tell them what you want - they often are not very aggressive at getting with you about what you want. If you want to eat at one of their restaurants, go to Gizmo's - you can grow old eating at Sea Breeze, although it is fine and the people nice if you have a lot of time.

 

I am amazed that a poster above was there when they ran out of chairs - March 15? - I guess maybe that was during Regatta and high season with an unusually high number of people there. Between mid-April and November, I just cannot imagine them running out of chairs unless they start running more cruise ship tours.

 

That is very true. :) I have only been to Happy Bay a few times and I saw nude folks on each visit. It's a lovely beach though.

 

Perhaps the timeshare folks have complained about the number of visitors renting chairs at Little Bay and because of that Little Divi has put a limit on the number of chairs they will rent out.

[Karysa]

I noticed you said the beach is ok for St Maarten standards, is there a better one you recommend?

 

There is a thread entitled Little Divi beach by jsf and a poster just posted a couple of pictures from her visit last week that shows the sand/ beach at Little Bay. Personally I think that it looked better the last time that I was there and that was in May of 2015. The view is lovely and like I said before the amenities are very good, it's just the actual beach that I'm not a fan of.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Karysa

[miss_rach]

Thanx for the info!