Help! Which Beach on saint maartin?

[steviek49]

Hi everyone,

 

We are a family of 4 (2 daughters ages 17 and 14) who will be on Westerdam this month. We have booked helmut Diving on Grand Turk and parasailing on HMC. We originally were heading to the Baths on Tortola but it looks like we won't make it because Westerdam changed itineray from noon-10pm to 2pm-10pm.

Can anyone recommend a nice beach to visit with a short cab ride from docking in Saint Maartin and now Tortola as well.

 

Any other recommendations on these 2 islands would be appreciated.

[SandRaven]

Hi Stevie,

I really liked Orient Beach on St Martin. Beautiful sand, water, lots of snack shacks... That said, it's on the french side of the island, and is top-optional. This isn't too big of a deal, but the beach to the right has an all-nude resort, and those folks do occasionally leave the resort to walk the beach, so you might see more than you planned to.

 

Cane Garden Bay on Tortola is great, as long as there aren't alot of ships in port that day. Great snorkeling, and Rhymer's restaurant has the BEST conch fritters.

[KEKCruiser]

Definitely Cane Garden Bay on Tortola, we're on the Noordam on Saturday and we'll be heading there. It's a great place to hang out and an amazing taxi ride there too. As far as Orient Beach, I've heard it's a mixed crowd, you'll see some nudity, so if you're OK with that, try it. I have another one picked out for us, but the name escapes me at the moment. We're with 2 smaller children, so I'm looking for a more family atmosphere with calm water.

[Orcrone]

You mentioned helmut diving so I'm guessing you're into underwater life. If you like snorkeling then you might want to check out Dawn Beach. I believe it has the best beach snorkeling on the island and does not get as much of a crowd as some of the other beaches.

[lippylulu]

Hi everyone,

 

We are a family of 4 (2 daughters ages 17 and 14) who will be on Westerdam this month. We have booked helmut Diving on Grand Turk and parasailing on HMC. We originally were heading to the Baths on Tortola but it looks like we won't make it because Westerdam changed itineray from noon-10pm to 2pm-10pm.

Can anyone recommend a nice beach to visit with a short cab ride from docking in Saint Maartin and now Tortola as well.

 

Any other recommendations on these 2 islands would be appreciated.

 

As others have said, Cane Garden Bay on Tortola is lovely! On St. Martin, I prefer Grand Case Beach over Orient, and the beach near the shopping in St. Martin is excellent too and probably lively enogh for your kids to enjoy! There is a butterfly farm on St. Martin that really is fun too. Enjoy!

[NHCruisr]

We were on the Westerdam last week. The dock facility in St Martin is really well set up. You get off the ship and walk to a area with some small shops and a taxi dispatch area. There are set prices for taxi tours and trips to the beaches. You decide what you'd like to do and the dispatcher assigns you a taxi (with or without other people, rates vary depending on the number in the taxi).

 

We went to Dawn beach. It is clean and very well set up. There is a restaurant, rest rooms, and chair and umbrella rental. It is $7 to the beach. We paid $25 for 5 chairs and 2 umbrellas. Taxis are readily available for the trip back to the ship.

 

There really is little reason to book a ship tour to the beach on any island. Generally, passengers and crew members use the taxis. It is convenient, cheaper, and you can set your own schedule.

[bluegrass grannie]

www.sint-maarten.net is a great website for beach and other info. I hope you find it helpful.

[vmacchirol]

try traveltalkonline.com

 

if you want something nice and quit, go to Le gallone (spelled wrong) its past orient, the butterfly farm & the stable. very nice and no beach peddlers

[MHS4]

We were on the Westerdam last week. The dock facility in St Martin is really well set up. You get off the ship and walk to a area with some small shops and a taxi dispatch area. There are set prices for taxi tours and trips to the beaches. You decide what you'd like to do and the dispatcher assigns you a taxi (with or without other people, rates vary depending on the number in the taxi).

 

We went to Dawn beach. It is clean and very well set up. There is a restaurant, rest rooms, and chair and umbrella rental. It is $7 to the beach. We paid $25 for 5 chairs and 2 umbrellas. Taxis are readily available for the trip back to the ship.

 

There really is little reason to book a ship tour to the beach on any island. Generally, passengers and crew members use the taxis. It is convenient, cheaper, and you can set your own schedule.

 

I would be traveling solo, and assuming that I would be alone, would this option be safe for a sensible grandmother? I have used taxis in FLL & NYC & Aruba as a solo without concern, but they were licensed, I knew the route to expect & my cell phone was very close at hand (except in Aruba where USA phones don't work). thanks

[NHCruisr]

I think you'd be very safe travelling solo on St Martin. You can speak with the taxi dispatcher and tell him or her that you want to be in a taxi with other people going to the same destination. On Dawn beach, there are plenty of people around - either sitting on the beach or at one of the patio tables in the restaurant. I had a good feeling about the area. Although there are beach vendors, they were willing to take no for an answer and move along. I'd bring a waterproof container for money and cruise card when you go in the water. When it's time to go back to the ship, you can always head back at the same time as others going to the dock. I've been to Orient beach in the past and I liked Dawn Beach better. It's quieter and I was more comfortable there.

[steviek49]

Thank you guys,

You have been very, very helpful.

Is Dawn Beach where the new Westin hotel is?

We know someone staying there when we arrive. Maybe we can hop a cab ride there and kill2 birds with one stone.

[FloridaGram]

When you arrive on St Maarten you can either take a taxi or a water taxi to town. (It is not far) If you take the water taxi right where it drops you off there is a fairly nice beach you can go to. It has jet skis you can rent, lots of restaurants and chairs and umbrellas you can rent. Shopping is right there also. How busy it is depends on how many ships are in port that day.

 

The most famous (or infamous depending on how you view it) is Orient Beach.

It is the largest beach and has lots of restaurants and bars and chairs and umbrellas for rent. It is also on the French side and is topless and on the extreme south end, a nude beach. Usually the nude people stay at the south end but occasionally someone walks the whole beach. If a disney ship is in town the same day you are this is less likely to happen. I have heard they enforce the invisible line on those days.

 

I could go on and on as we stayed there for a week last summer. traveltalkonline is a wealth of information but you can also try http://www.sxm-beaches.com/ and they have pictures and information on each beach presented in a concise way. If you have any questions I'll try to answer them.

[FloridaGram]

Thank you guys,

You have been very, very helpful.

Is Dawn Beach where the new Westin hotel is?

We know someone staying there when we arrive. Maybe we can hop a cab ride there and kill2 birds with one stone.

 

Yes, Dawn Beach is were the Westin is.

[GrammaZ]

When we were in St. Maarten a couple of weeks ago we went to Mullet Beach. Good food, not too crowded and very clean.

[JDRMYS]

I would be traveling solo, and assuming that I would be alone, would this option be safe for a sensible grandmother? I have used taxis in FLL & NYC & Aruba as a solo without concern, but they were licensed, I knew the route to expect & my cell phone was very close at hand (except in Aruba where USA phones don't work). thanks

 

When we were in St Maarten on the Noordam last month, we rented a car. However, the last time we were there on a cruise (2 years ago or so) we took a taxi with an older woman driver. I don't remember her name, but she was wonderful and she was not the only woman taxi driver at the dock. It is probably not too hard to find a driver similar to ours and you would certainly feel comfortable with her.

[caribbean girl]

We just got back on the Nordam. The good news is that there are plenty of beaches in St. Maarten and they are all free. We spent the day at Simpson Beach...beautiful spot, lovely beach. I hope you find one which suits your taste and have a wonderful time on your cruise!:)

 

P.S. In Tortola the snorkeling is amazing! We went on a catamaran snorkeling trip booked through HAL. It was a four hour excursion and totally worth the time and money. Brint LOTS of sunblock!!:p If you have teens, I think they will love it! I can look up the exact name of the trip and post it, if you need it. Have fun planning!

[retiredldo]

St Marteen go to mullet bay we were just there last week, rent a car for the family we got a mini mercedes for 50 bucks you can get it cheaper if there are fewer ships in Dawn is ok but with all the construction not as nice as it was Mullet bay was fantastic 2 chairs and an umbrella 15 dollars for the day

 

Tortola cane garden bay beach is ok but that is the shortest ride to the beach over the hill with great fews