Family St. Maarten Beachs

[MemawB.]

Hi all. Am traveling to St. Maarten in May with CC. Read up a lot on this island and their bathing suits optional option. Does anyone know which beaches are more family oriented and modest? Am traveling with small child. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[solly4]

Hi there. We were just there in January for the first time. We have a 4 and a 7 year old and we went to Little Divi Bay beach. We all had a wonderful time. It's a beautiful beach and it's at a resort, so there's food and water sports if needed. It wasn't very crowded when we were there. Very short drive from ship. Definately family friendly.

[Ltvscout]

Hi all. Am traveling to St. Maarten in May with CC. Read up a lot on this island and their bathing suits optional option. Does anyone know which beaches are more family oriented and modest? Am traveling with small child. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Le Galion beach is good for kids. Note that any beach on the French side may have some topless women. I believe that the only beach that has full nudity is one end of Orient.

[beachchick]

Actually, you may see full nudity anywhere along Orient Beach, but the majority will be closer to Club Orient, the fully clothing-optional resort. Topless sunbathing is allowed on all areas of all beaches on the French side. You will also see toplessness at some of the beaches on the Dutch side. Cupecoy (Dutch) is known for being fully c/o and Maho Beach (Dutch) has Sunset Beach Bar where "topless women drink for free."

 

Little Divi (Dutch) has been reported by many to have very little, if any, toplessness. It's also reported to be a fun beach day. However, it also sounds like some of the cruise excursions go there, so I don't know how crowded it might be. I don't recall ever reading a really negative report about it and mostly positive ones.

 

(Warning: On my soapbox.) A little note and my own opinion. I understand what you are saying, but frankly, it is extremely insulting to the very many cultures which allow topless sunbathing to equate a US standard of "modesty" with being family oriented. In many countries, you will see entire families on the beach in various states of dress and undress. They consider it normal and very family oriented. These are not cultures which include nude people running up and down the streets or parading through the town hall. These are cultures which believe that enjoying the sun on the beach au naturale is natural and has nothing to do with modesty or immodesty.

 

Modesty is a personal opinion, I do understand that, but I believe it's important to differentiate one's own preferences and opinions from a universal standard. I also believe that we US citizens tend to be somewhat hypocritical because we portray our society, and our young women particularly, as extremely sexualized (look at the clothing available for the "tween" set--my goodness, I wouldn't wear it, and I'm an adult woman). I certainly do not consider a 12 y/o in a "hooker" ensemble to be "modest," and the teeny, tiny bikinis that don't cover a thing don't seem a particularly "modest" choice. (Anyway, off my soapbox about the issue. Sorry to lecture, but I think it's important to realize that modest/clothed on a beach and family friendly do not mean the same thing in some cultures.)

 

If you are dead set against any toplessness whatsoever, you may have a tough time, but Little Divi and Le Galion do seem to be "safe" choices for those who prefer not to see any toplessness or nudity. It wouldn't hurt to explain, before you even go there, that other cultures have different ways of enjoying the beach and that you might (emphasis on "might") see a topless woman. It seems that when the adults/parents freak out over the issue or make a huge deal of it, then the kids get upset; but when the parents don't make an issue of it and merely explain that things are different in different countries, then the kids mostly shrug, maybe look for a minute, and then go on with enjoying their day.

 

As always, JMO.

 

beachchick

[pg.]

A topless women , ,no problem, although I know my 14, and 16 yr old boys would stare, they wouldn't be able to help themselves, LOL.

An eighty yr old man with no pants, well, sorry that is simply off putting, don't want my ten yr old daughter to have nightmares. LOL I know the vision I have of a very elderly man in a neon green thong has never left me, call it shallow, call it agesism, but now if it had been Brad Pitt,, LOL

 

Personally I would be much less concerned if my children were younger, I mean why would a 4 yr old care, they still need help in the bath and bathroom themselves, and I assume still used to walking in on mommy on the toilet to ask for juice, LOL ... I do worry my teens would act silly,,, it would just be such a "buffet" for teen boys not used to seeing naked women, I mean, like giving them nude magazine, and yes I know many of the women are not sexually stimulating at all( old grannies with boobs to their knees is not that tempting I imagine to a teen) but, I saw many beautiful women on Orient Beach, and there is no denying that some males are going to enjoying the view in more then in a " family way" .. lol .

 

We may still take the kids to Orient, as we felt that there was not that much full nudity on the end of the beach we hung out at, and we could just lecture the boys to keep their tongues off the ground. LOL

[Ltvscout]

We may still take the kids to Orient, as we felt that there was not that much full nudity on the end of the beach we hung out at, and we could just lecture the boys to keep their tongues off the ground. LOL

Heh, I feel the same way. No problem with the topless women, but I don't need my young daughters seeing 70yr old Jacques strolling down the beach in all his glory. ;)

[Kerry&LuAnn]

Spend the day at the Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, a lovely secluded beach resort situated on a private peninsula between two beautiful bays in Dutch St. Maarten. The resort wraps around a wide arc of white sand washed by the gentle blue waves of Little Bay… the perfect complement to the resort’s pastel exteriors and striking terra cotta rooflines. The short taxi ride will cost $5 per person each way. At the resort, you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas for $5 each. The staff at the resort are friendly, and there are clean restrooms and restaurants near the beach. Most of the people there are from the timeshare condos, but cruise excursions often bring groups of passengers there. The beach in front of the condos is less crowded. When ready to leave at the end of the day, just ask someone at the resort to call a taxi for you.