Hi,
We will be cruising to St. Maarten again in December and we'd like to see more of the island that we saw on our last visit. We arrived last time just as the taxis went on strike and we only only got to go as far as the ferry took us. Then our son had his wallet stolen, so we spent the rest of our stay dealing with that. Still, everyone was really nice and the bit of beach we did see was gorgeous.

So... I am travelling with a diabetic husband and two older kids. I'd love to spend some time on the beach, but we have to be near facilities and food, or my guy panics. It would be great if there was something for the kids to do once - maybe some beach snorkling?

Also, is it possible to arrange for a van/taxi ahead of time? We are travelling with a group and I am sure there will end up being 9 or so of us. Given what happened last time, I'd love to know someone was waitng to transport us when we arrived.

Thank you,
Marcy

Sounds like you might want to take the tour to Orient Beach. The cruise company should offer that tour and you will go in a motor coach with a tour director. Orient has a lot of activities for the kids and pleanty of food and shopping for the adults.

~~ Once you've slept on an island, you'll never be the same ~~
2008 St Maarten Pics

mlana Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------
>
> So... I am travelling with a diabetic husband and
> two older kids. I'd love to spend some time on the
> beach, but we have to be near facilities and food,
> or my guy panics. It would be great if there was
> something for the kids to do once - maybe some
> beach snorkling?
...........................

Well, with the limitd amount of time that you have on a cruise ship visit, and with that description, I'd recommend staying right on Great Bay Beach.
You'll maximize beach time, forget transportation inconvenience and have all the restaurant choices and beach activity facilities you could ever want.

If the beach is a priority, save the tours for another time when you're staying on the island. Hey, you can tour Philipsburg; it's right there!

Ed

Ed,

Great suggestion!! The Philipsberg Front Street area is very nice these days - you can beach, shop, gamble, eat, drink and for the kids, there's even a new playground area which recently opened along with an ice cream shop and Burger King. Many of the nicer restaurants, Antoines and Pasangrahan come immediately to mind because they're island oldies but still island goodies, have lovely palm tree plantings and tables along the beach where you can eat with toes in the sand and still enjoy some of the incredibly good cuisine offered in the shade of palm covered tables. You can rent beach chairs and many different toys at the different establishments along the beach.

Personally, cruises are fun for those who enjoy being in close quarters (I don't care how big the ship is - if I can't get off it anytime I want to, it's close quarters to me!!!) and I've only done one which was very, very nice, but I discovered on that one cruise they're really not my thing so, personally speaking only and not trying to cast any aspersions on cruising itself, I can't imagine anything worse than getting off a ship where I've been a captive audience since the last port of call, and then jumping into a motor coach and being an even closer captive audience and then getting stuck in traffic as it so often does.

If you really want to tour the island, my personal suggestion is to hire a private van or bus driver for the day (or whatever portion of it you wish to tour...) and then go where you want to go and see what you want to see. And of course, it is one of the most notable of island sights so if you want to see Orient Beach (aka THE NUDE BEACH) the drivers will take you there but given your particular situation, staying in the P'berg area puts you much closer to the ship and should you wish to return, the logistics are much simpler for you if you stay in that area.

And on a side note, Ed, welcome back.

Respectfully,

pat
:-) :-)

Hi Pat.

Right! this is the Dutch side forum :-)

Ed

Hey, Ed,

I hate to disagree with you right off the bat but this isn't the "either" side forum - I don't think it applies to either side in particular but to the island in its' entirety and that's the way it should be. And hopefully, we'll be able to keep it that way.

Respectfully,

pat
:-) :-)

HI,
Thank you for the suggestions. Our family loves to cruise because we get to see different places without having to unpack and pack. Strangely enough, however, we've never done any of the cruise line's excursions. Somone on a cruise board clued me in early about the high prices and overcrowding on the cruise's excursions, so I've always arranged our own. Being able to communicate with local folks is great because most folks want people to see the best of their home city, state, country, etc.

If ya'll are ever headed to Georgia, send me a mail. I'll be glad to return the favor.

Thanks,
Marcy

Marcy,
It sounds like Ed is right, P'Burg & area beach will give you a good taste of SXM. Orient Beach is great, we just got back from there, but really it's big yahoo is the "Nude Beach" and trust me, after you've seen one nudie walking the beach you've seen him all, I mean you've seen them all. Orient does offer great water sports and fun bars/rest. though and unless your comfy with kids doing water sports with nudity in the area I wouldn't suggest a trip to Orient.
I would have to advise against a visit to Pinel Island. We ferried over there and while there, talked to a group who was from a cruise ship. They had van shuttled basically from the southern end of the island to the northern end, probably 20-25 min minimum, ferried over to Pinel, only about 30 min.they advised in wait time and ferry time and then felt stuck on a small, albeit beautiful little beach, with little to do but try to relax while they worried about getting back to ship on time. This did not sound like fun to me. If you want something totally different go over to the Maho/Airport area probably 15-20 min away to small shopping district over there and visit the small beach @ the end of the runway between something like 1:00-3:00 pm. The experience of being on that beach while planes come in or depart will literally blow your socks off! Search for "St Maarten Airplane takeoffs" and you will see what I mean. Have fun!!

IMHO Orient has so much more to offer than just its clothing optional experience! The beach itself is absolutely beautiful, and offers an incredibly long area for beach walking. The many bars/restaurants each offer a different atmosphere and food of all varieties. Many different types of water sports are available such as jet skis, catamarans, parasailing, and wind surfing. The actual nude beach is a very small portion of Orient, and if you tell your taxi/van driver that you don't wish to experience that section he can drop you off and pick you up at a different place. I don't have a lot of experience with the Phillipsburg/Great Bay area, but I wouldn't rule Orient out just because a part of it offers the clothing optional experience. It's easy to avoid that area if you choose.

GA, OB is a pretty beach but for those that knew it when it was beautiful and pristine without all the tacky building there and all the activity stuff. Knowing it then and seeing it today makes it a sad sight. No problems with the nekkids but again those who knew it when it wasnt a group nekkid spot all lost something. All the honky tonk atmostphere ruins the area for a lot of people. Those that jumped to Cupcoy for this reason are starting to know what I am meaning because of the currant building there and who knows what beach is next. My fear is for Long Beach next.

OP said "older kids"--- Sunset Beach Bar might be an option--as Eddie implied-- right on the beach at the end of the runway----watching those jumbos land and take off is-- to me-- a thrill-- plus they have food and facilities---rent chairs and umbrellas--cab ride out might cost a bit ---but theie staff is always friendly and can get you a cab back in a matter of minutes--chbpod