St. Maarten

[Famof6]

My husband and I and our four kids ages 13-19 will be sailing on Mariner the first week of May. We will be on the beach at Coco Cay and St. Thomas, but we aren't sure what to do on St. Maarten. We don't mind more beach (we're from Idaho and never get enough!) but I don't want to take teens to a nude beach. We don't care much for shopping, and we do plenty of hiking/ATVing at home. Any ideas?

[KEG21552]

The 12 meter regata. You actually sail boats that have sailed in the America's cup. And I do mean actually sail. There is a captain and first mate that will give instructions and then the race is on. You will be racing other boats. It is my all time favorite excursion, have done it 3 times. They will ask about your level of involvement, from light to very physical. My kids did it for the first time when they were 18 (male) and 15 (female) and both loved it.

Have fun

Karen

[1corona4u]

My husband and I and our four kids ages 13-19 will be sailing on Mariner the first week of May. We will be on the beach at Coco Cay and St. Thomas, but we aren't sure what to do on St. Maarten. We don't mind more beach (we're from Idaho and never get enough!) but I don't want to take teens to a nude beach. We don't care much for shopping, and we do plenty of hiking/ATVing at home. Any ideas?

 

Maho Beach.:) It's where all the big jets fly in, and they fly right over your head!! It's really cool. It's about 1/2 hour from the pier, and you'll have to find a cab driver to take you there. I got a driver in town, he stayed with us all day, dropped us off at Maho, then came back at 1:00, then drove us totally around the island. It was a blast. $80.00 bucks.:)

 

Be there early though, because they stop coming in about 12:30. There is the Sunset Beach bar & grill too, so you can sit there a while.:) But it can get hot.

 

Here are a couple pix of Maho.

 

This is the sign that tells you when they are coming in;

 

 

 

 

The water there is beautiful!

 

 

[Tenbyman]

When you get off the Ship take the water Taxi into the Town (5Minutes) and you have a great beach with good sand and clear clean water, and you have the added advantage that the shops and Restaurants are close by.

[Sheffie]

I IMHO, the beach in town is okay, but not as nice as other beaches. Little Divi might be more interesting with things to do. We like Dawn Beach, when the wind isn't blowing in waves.

 

I agree with KEG about the America's Cup Regatta. It is a fabulous excursion! You can only book it through the ship and it is a little pricey, but well worth it. You get to sail one of the retired boats that was in the real America's Cup Regatta. Our group drew the Stars and Stripes and we raced, and beat, True North. There is a job for everyone from grinder, to winch wench (me), to time keeper to beer keeper.

 

Here are some pictures from our excursion: http://community.webshots.com/album/528943965HpvFnj

[flagger]

Just be advised it is possible there will be nude sunbathers at any beach on St. Maarten. More likely on the French side, but still possible no matter which beach you visit. If you have a problem with nude sunbathers, it would be best to avoid the beach all together. JMHO.

[sbell1]

The Lord Sheffield is a great family excursion. A day sail around the island with swimming and snorkeling. They provide drinks and food. The max for the ship is 25 people but only 14 on our trip in November.

 

http://www.lordsheffield.com

[Ocean Boy]

I agree with going to Maho. No stop at St. Maarten would be complete for me without as visit there. There is nothing quite like being sand blasted by a 747 preparing to take off. Ther is no other place quite like this!

[cruzobsessed]

just came back from st. martaan (christmas). we got off the ship at 9:30, got a van (there were 8 of us), had the driver take us first to DIVI LITTLE BAY. it is a beach resort where they let you use their facilities. we rented chairs and umbrellas(5.00 each), snorkeled, jet skiied and it was beautiful. then we had the driver (12:30) take us to maho. we ate lunch at the sunset bar and grill and for 3 hours were amazed by jets landing RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS!!!. i don't care how close you might live to an airport...this was STUNNING!. the driver picked us up at 3:30 and we were back on the ship by 4:15. we are returning to st. martaan next cristmas and will more than likely do this again!!!

[cusyl]

Definitely do the America's Cup Regatta, even if you can only afford to send the teenagers. My husband took this excursion last month and said it was an amazing experience he will never forget. Your kids are the right age to work the grinders if they wish to. No where else in the world can they have this adventure.

[atlcple2]

Rent a jeep soft top in St. Martin. There is one main road that takes you around the entire island pass all the beaches. Merigot is very pretty and is on the west side of the island. We had no problems getting around and have already reserved a jeep for our visit next month. We are going on the Mariner as well. As for Orient Beach, the northern part of the beach is very tame. We didn't find any topless or nude people there and plan on taking the kids there next month as well. There is a shopping area right there as well. Enjoy your cruise!

[L_T]

Maho Beach.:) It's where all the big jets fly in, and they fly right over your head!! It's really cool. It's about 1/2 hour from the pier, and you'll have to find a cab driver to take you there. I got a driver in town, he stayed with us all day, dropped us off at Maho, then came back at 1:00, then drove us totally around the island. It was a blast. $80.00 bucks.:)

 

Be there early though, because they stop coming in about 12:30. There is the Sunset Beach bar & grill too, so you can sit there a while.:) But it can get hot.

 

Here are a couple pix of Maho.

 

This is the sign that tells you when they are coming in;

 

Don't be surprised to see topless women sitting at the bar at SunSet Beach Bar, or on the beach as "topless women drink for free". At the bottom of your surfboard photo you can see the notice ("topless" the rest is cut off by the camera).

[OldNavy]

The 12 meter regata. You actually sail boats that have sailed in the America's cup. And I do mean actually sail. There is a captain and first mate that will give instructions and then the race is on. You will be racing other boats. It is my all time favorite excursion, have done it 3 times. They will ask about your level of involvement, from light to very physical. My kids did it for the first time when they were 18 (male) and 15 (female) and both loved it.

Have fun

Karen

Agree! This had to be the most fun we've had cruising! Biggest mistake we made was NOT buying the pics after it was all over. Too much fun and how often do you get to actually sail a multi-million $ racing boat?

[BlahBlahBlah]

The 12 meter regata. You actually sail boats that have sailed in the America's cup. And I do mean actually sail. There is a captain and first mate that will give instructions and then the race is on. You will be racing other boats. It is my all time favorite excursion, have done it 3 times. They will ask about your level of involvement, from light to very physical. My kids did it for the first time when they were 18 (male) and 15 (female) and both loved it.

Have fun

Karen

 

 

This is the best tour if you are an active person... don't forget to get a shirt!! and don't be surprised if some of the Officers are racing with you :)

 

If you like Curry there is a great place (it is a white house with green trim) ask some crew members where it is (or if they are going tip a 20 and ask them to show you)

[Dr. Dean]

Via RCCL/A.O.S., we've been to St. Maarten twice. We'd highly recommend the America's Cup Race as well as the Loterie Farm Treetop/Eco-Tour for something different and fun (the latter is sort of like a Outward Bound high ropes course).

 

Happy Cruising!

[1corona4u]

Don't be surprised to see topless women sitting at the bar at SunSet Beach Bar, or on the beach as "topless women drink for free". At the bottom of your surfboard photo you can see the notice ("topless" the rest is cut off by the camera).

 

Well, there were no topless women when we were there, just topless men.:)

[Isaac]

Anyone done the ATV trip in St. Maarten?

[RoyalWoman]

just came back from st. martaan (christmas). we got off the ship at 9:30, got a van (there were 8 of us), had the driver take us first to DIVI LITTLE BAY. it is a beach resort where they let you use their facilities. we rented chairs and umbrellas(5.00 each), snorkeled, jet skiied and it was beautiful. then we had the driver (12:30) take us to maho. we ate lunch at the sunset bar and grill and for 3 hours were amazed by jets landing RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS!!!. i don't care how close you might live to an airport...this was STUNNING!. the driver picked us up at 3:30 and we were back on the ship by 4:15. we are returning to st. martaan next cristmas and will more than likely do this again!!!

 

Don't mean to change the subject at all, but do you know about how much it is to rent the jet skis? DH and I would love to rent some, and want some idea how much $$ we should bring for it! Thanks!

[CaribbeanBound]

We recommend Orient Beach.

Here's all the details...

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/easterncaribbean.html

[travelbugs]

I agree that Maho (just behind Princess Juliana Airport) is a must for any kid to experience. I have to say that I'm surprised to hear they offer free drinks to topless women. Last I heard, Maho was still on the dutch side where nudity is considered an infraction.

Philipsburg is THE place to buy camera equipment. We upgrade every time we go. They will haggle.

There was a wonderful Butterfly farm (not sure how it faired through hurricane season). It looks like a little shack on the outside but it is quite lovely on the inside. The guys running it are passionate about what they do.

Kids would probably enjoy hiking up to the fort as well.

Pinel Inlet is about as good as it gets for watersports. Kayaking & snorkeling.

If you are divers. Grab the water taxi to take you over to Saba. Beautiful diving (they even have a medical university with hyperbaric chamber on the little island).

No need for a private driver. We either rent cars or vespas. You will know when you are on the French side when you hit the dirt roads.

It's not a rich island but the people are very friendly and very proud.

Try the Dutch butter...It's yummy!!!!! Have a great time!

[texancruzer]

I second the motion to rent a jeep (soft top) We had a blast driving all around the island with a stop in Marigot for shopping and lunch and a stop at Orient to snorkle (and yes there were nude and topless but mostly at one end).

 

We definately liked the French side best... dirt roads? Thought the roads on French side were actually better than Dutch side. And as for nudity on Dutch side - it is tolerated pretty much all over. Cupecoy is kind of known as nude and gay/lesbian.

[mohendry]

I agree with going to Maho. No stop at St. Maarten would be complete for me without as visit there. There is nothing quite like being sand blasted by a 747 preparing to take off. Ther is no other place quite like this!

 

 

 

What is the noise level when the planes are overhead?

[Ocean Boy]

When they are landing it is not bad at all as the planes' engines are idling at that point in the landing. If they are revving to take off, or taking off over Maho, it is fairly loud but it is too exiciting to really bother you and it doesn't last long.