BEWARE of Kontiki beach bar on Orient Beach!!

Just wanted to give anyone that may be heading to Orient beach soon, to be warned about the horrible treatment we had when we recently visited.

We were there on Nov. 24th and took a island tour with Bernard (by the way, I can't say enough great things about Bernard and his tour). We were a family of 3 (myself 42y/o female, 16y/o son and 70y/o mother).

We were being dropped off at the beach for approx. 1 1/2 hrs and we just wanted to walk along the beach and sit on our towel long enough for my son to play in the water for awhile. I had asked Bernard and his fellow tour guides if it is okay to just put down a towel to sit on on the edge of the water line because we did not want to have to rent a chair for such a short time. We were told that the beach is a public beach and that you could put your towel down anywhere along the beach. With that being said, we headed out down the beach and stopped a short distance down because my mom's hip was bothering her trying to walk in the sand. We spread out a towel at the waterline which happened to be in front of the Kontiki bar. We were sitting a good distance in front of the lounge chairs that they offer for rent.

Shortly after sitting down, one of the waiters came by to offer chairs for rent which we declined stating that we were only there for a very short time. He then proceeded to tell us that we were not allowed to sit there because it was a "private beach area" and we would have to walk down to the "public" area. I explained that we were already told that the beach is public and could sit anywhere along the beach. To make a long story short, he and another coworker proceeded to harass us for an hour which included being threatened about being physically removed, having ice water dumped on myself and my mother (stating that if we weren't going to move, they were then going to "clean" the beach) soaking not only us but our towel and belongings, having sand kicked on us and being verbally harassed. Several people that were not only walking along the beach but one's that were also renting chairs from them came over to find out what was going on. After explaining that we just wanted to sit on the beach, one of the ladies walked farther down the beach to find out the rules and regs and came back to say that what they were doing was illegal and should be reported.

Some will probably wonder why we didn't just move--well after having ice water thrown on us, I was sure as h--l not going to move and have them think they ran us away from somewhere that we had every right to sit.

Our time was up so we gathered our belongings and headed back down to our guide and told him (Bernard) what had happened. He was appalled at how we were treated and sought out a beach security guy who then wanted me to take him back down to Kontiki and show him who had done this to us. Myself, Bernard and the security guy went back down and not only confronted the two guys but also their bosses and were thoroughly warned that what they were doing was illegal and they better not be treating tourists that way. They were all speaking French but I was getting the understanding that the Kontiki staff was trying to say that we made it up. The security guy then wanted to know if we had any witnesses. I then went back to the beach and spoke with the family that had witnessed it all (the ones renting chairs from Kontiki) and they offered to talk to the security guy to back up our story. In the end, I was apologized to and offered free chairs to sit on but our time at the beach was done and there was no way I would have accepted anything from them.

This was the 2nd year in a row that I had been to Orient beach but it was my mom's first cruise and she never wants to return there again and I can say that although I love the beach, I may never want to go back either. I just can't believe that on an island that relies on tourism for their economy, that people get treated this way.

When talking to Bernard about this, he stated that they have alot of problems with the French being not very friendly at times.

Bernard was so upset about how we were treated, that he called the local newspaper and had me speak with someone to report our incident in hopes that this will never happen again. He also states that they never used to have security on the beach but have recently started to due to incidents to the tourists like we had.

I hope this prevents other travelers that are just out to experience a beautiful island and beach from being harassed.

Have fun on Orient beach but stay away from Kontiki!!!!

I am going to Orient but I will make sure to not buy anything from Kontiki and to make you feel better I will kick some sand at the workers when I walk by... (: sorry to hear that happened.

Bernard is wonderful.

I do hope that in light of this he stops dropping his customers off at Kon Tiki. Last year he dropped us at Pedros.

Beanandme

That is really to bad to be harrassed like that. I have been to Orient twice and that is enough for me. The drive is to far and the bathrooms are disgusting! We just go into downtown Phillipsburg to the beach its every bit as nice and they are thrilled to have us there and the bathrooms are much cleaner.

Beanandme, thanks for posting. What a horrid experience!

We'll be going to St. Martin on our next cruise and might go to Orient but can guaranty will take my business anywhere but Kontiki.

Hope others read this and pass it on.

Beanandme

That is really to bad to be harrassed like that. I have been to Orient twice and that is enough for me. The drive is to far and the bathrooms are disgusting! We just go into downtown Phillipsburg to the beach its every bit as nice and they are thrilled to have us there and the bathrooms are much cleaner.

The day that we went to Orient last July the water and beach were full of seaweed but the bathrooms at Pedroes were the cleanest outside of my resort BR that I experienced during my whole vacation. Also there have been many posts regarding the cleanliness of the water at Great Bay Beach. There have been some reports of sewage been pumped into it.

To the OP, sorry you had this experience. St. Martin is our favorite island and I hope that your next experience will be better.

Karysa

Bernard is wonderful.

 

I do hope that in light of this he stops dropping his customers off at Kon Tiki. Last year he dropped us at Pedros.

Bernard dropped us off at Pedros too, not Kontiki, but due to the amount of seaweed and lack of beach at Pedros, we chose to walk a little further down the beach.

Thanks everyone for the support in boycotting Kontiki. I hope noone else has to experience "hospitality". As my 16 y/o son said afterwards, "they acted worse than the bullies in gradeschool".

And just to reemphasize, Bernard did a fantastic job of taking care of us and the situation that day. He went up to my mom several times afterwards to make sure she was okay and see if she needed anything. 100% gentleman!

Below are photos of the place to stay away from.

The next two pictures are of the employees that were harassing us. I did not want them to see me taking the picture (was afraid they would break the camera) so only got their backs.

Bernard DID just drop us off at Kon Tiki a few weeks ago, although he took us to Pedro's the first time we used him.

You should know that the big 5 beach bars are owned by the same interests. Bikini, Kon-Tiki, Waikiki, Kakao and Cocoa?(senior moment here). The most expensive at Orient.

We avoid them like the plague.

Just wanted to give anyone that may be heading to Orient beach soon, to be warned about the horrible treatment we had when we recently visited.

 

We were there on Nov. 24th and took a island tour with Bernard (by the way, I can't say enough great things about Bernard and his tour). We were a family of 3 (myself 42y/o female, 16y/o son and 70y/o mother).

 

We were being dropped off at the beach for approx. 1 1/2 hrs and we just wanted to walk along the beach and sit on our towel long enough for my son to play in the water for awhile. I had asked Bernard and his fellow tour guides if it is okay to just put down a towel to sit on on the edge of the water line because we did not want to have to rent a chair for such a short time. We were told that the beach is a public beach and that you could put your towel down anywhere along the beach. With that being said, we headed out down the beach and stopped a short distance down because my mom's hip was bothering her trying to walk in the sand. We spread out a towel at the waterline which happened to be in front of the Kontiki bar. We were sitting a good distance in front of the lounge chairs that they offer for rent.

 

Shortly after sitting down, one of the waiters came by to offer chairs for rent which we declined stating that we were only there for a very short time. He then proceeded to tell us that we were not allowed to sit there because it was a "private beach area" and we would have to walk down to the "public" area. I explained that we were already told that the beach is public and could sit anywhere along the beach. To make a long story short, he and another coworker proceeded to harass us for an hour which included being threatened about being physically removed, having ice water dumped on myself and my mother (stating that if we weren't going to move, they were then going to "clean" the beach) soaking not only us but our towel and belongings, having sand kicked on us and being verbally harassed. Several people that were not only walking along the beach but one's that were also renting chairs from them came over to find out what was going on. After explaining that we just wanted to sit on the beach, one of the ladies walked farther down the beach to find out the rules and regs and came back to say that what they were doing was illegal and should be reported.

 

Some will probably wonder why we didn't just move--well after having ice water thrown on us, I was sure as h--l not going to move and have them think they ran us away from somewhere that we had every right to sit.

 

Our time was up so we gathered our belongings and headed back down to our guide and told him (Bernard) what had happened. He was appalled at how we were treated and sought out a beach security guy who then wanted me to take him back down to Kontiki and show him who had done this to us. Myself, Bernard and the security guy went back down and not only confronted the two guys but also their bosses and were thoroughly warned that what they were doing was illegal and they better not be treating tourists that way. They were all speaking French but I was getting the understanding that the Kontiki staff was trying to say that we made it up. The security guy then wanted to know if we had any witnesses. I then went back to the beach and spoke with the family that had witnessed it all (the ones renting chairs from Kontiki) and they offered to talk to the security guy to back up our story. In the end, I was apologized to and offered free chairs to sit on but our time at the beach was done and there was no way I would have accepted anything from them.

 

This was the 2nd year in a row that I had been to Orient beach but it was my mom's first cruise and she never wants to return there again and I can say that although I love the beach, I may never want to go back either. I just can't believe that on an island that relies on tourism for their economy, that people get treated this way.

 

When talking to Bernard about this, he stated that they have alot of problems with the French being not very friendly at times.

 

Bernard was so upset about how we were treated, that he called the local newspaper and had me speak with someone to report our incident in hopes that this will never happen again. He also states that they never used to have security on the beach but have recently started to due to incidents to the tourists like we had.

 

I hope this prevents other travelers that are just out to experience a beautiful island and beach from being harassed.

 

Have fun on Orient beach but stay away from Kontiki!!!!

Are there still 3 sides to every story? Has anyone else had a horrific experience there? Thanks

Bernard is wonderful.

 

I do hope that in light of this he stops dropping his customers off at Kon Tiki. Last year he dropped us at Pedros.

Who is Bernard? How do you contact him and arrange for a tour? What does he charge? We'll be in St.Maarten from 1 p - 8 p . Is it worth hiring him or Joyce ? for like a 3 hrs tour. DH does want to miss the 6 pm dinner bell:rolleyes:

Thanks for any feedback.:)

PS: Pedros is near the cloth or no cloth side of OB...just want fyi

Thank you for that info. So sorry this happened to you. We are arriving by cruise ship the week of Jan 10 and have already booked with Bernard. I am happy to hear you had a great experience with him. I have read lots of good reports and this confirms what a nice gentleman he is. We will definitely not be going to the Kontiki area.

Just wanted to give anyone that may be heading to Orient beach soon, to be warned about the horrible treatment we had when we recently visited.

 

We were there on Nov. 24th and took a island tour with Bernard (by the way, I can't say enough great things about Bernard and his tour). We were a family of 3 (myself 42y/o female, 16y/o son and 70y/o mother).

 

We were being dropped off at the beach for approx. 1 1/2 hrs and we just wanted to walk along the beach and sit on our towel long enough for my son to play in the water for awhile. I had asked Bernard and his fellow tour guides if it is okay to just put down a towel to sit on on the edge of the water line because we did not want to have to rent a chair for such a short time. We were told that the beach is a public beach and that you could put your towel down anywhere along the beach. With that being said, we headed out down the beach and stopped a short distance down because my mom's hip was bothering her trying to walk in the sand. We spread out a towel at the waterline which happened to be in front of the Kontiki bar. We were sitting a good distance in front of the lounge chairs that they offer for rent.

 

Shortly after sitting down, one of the waiters came by to offer chairs for rent which we declined stating that we were only there for a very short time. He then proceeded to tell us that we were not allowed to sit there because it was a "private beach area" and we would have to walk down to the "public" area. I explained that we were already told that the beach is public and could sit anywhere along the beach. To make a long story short, he and another coworker proceeded to harass us for an hour which included being threatened about being physically removed, having ice water dumped on myself and my mother (stating that if we weren't going to move, they were then going to "clean" the beach) soaking not only us but our towel and belongings, having sand kicked on us and being verbally harassed. Several people that were not only walking along the beach but one's that were also renting chairs from them came over to find out what was going on. After explaining that we just wanted to sit on the beach, one of the ladies walked farther down the beach to find out the rules and regs and came back to say that what they were doing was illegal and should be reported.

 

Some will probably wonder why we didn't just move--well after having ice water thrown on us, I was sure as h--l not going to move and have them think they ran us away from somewhere that we had every right to sit.

 

Our time was up so we gathered our belongings and headed back down to our guide and told him (Bernard) what had happened. He was appalled at how we were treated and sought out a beach security guy who then wanted me to take him back down to Kontiki and show him who had done this to us. Myself, Bernard and the security guy went back down and not only confronted the two guys but also their bosses and were thoroughly warned that what they were doing was illegal and they better not be treating tourists that way. They were all speaking French but I was getting the understanding that the Kontiki staff was trying to say that we made it up. The security guy then wanted to know if we had any witnesses. I then went back to the beach and spoke with the family that had witnessed it all (the ones renting chairs from Kontiki) and they offered to talk to the security guy to back up our story. In the end, I was apologized to and offered free chairs to sit on but our time at the beach was done and there was no way I would have accepted anything from them.

 

This was the 2nd year in a row that I had been to Orient beach but it was my mom's first cruise and she never wants to return there again and I can say that although I love the beach, I may never want to go back either. I just can't believe that on an island that relies on tourism for their economy, that people get treated this way.

 

When talking to Bernard about this, he stated that they have alot of problems with the French being not very friendly at times.

 

Bernard was so upset about how we were treated, that he called the local newspaper and had me speak with someone to report our incident in hopes that this will never happen again. He also states that they never used to have security on the beach but have recently started to due to incidents to the tourists like we had.

 

I hope this prevents other travelers that are just out to experience a beautiful island and beach from being harassed.

 

Have fun on Orient beach but stay away from Kontiki!!!!

Sorry to hear about your experience, but I wouldn’t have went that far with it. By all means you had every right. We just value our time in port and doing what you did would be wasting my time, even if you were right.

I stay away from the "Big 5" like the plague mostly because they are very high priced. There are plenty of other customer-friendly beach bars.

However, I pay good money to rent a chair and umbrella and want to sit in the front row with an unobstructed breeze and direct access right into the water. The thing that irks me (and others who pay good money for the rentals) is when free-loaders plop down right at the water's edge in front of the paying customers! When it happens, the beach bar attendants speak to the free-loaders and point out the broad area of the beach where visitors can spread out a towel and sit for free. In every case I have seen, the people politely move on. That area is specifically set aside for people who don't want to pay the rental charges.

In those rare instances I always thank the attendants for looking out for the paying customers.

The beach bar owners pay a high price for property rental, utilities and taxes. It is unrealistic to expect any owner to allow someone free occupancy. Granted all beaches are public, but the chairs are always placed right at the normal high water mark. The area between the water edge and the first row of chairs is used for people who walk along the beach. If someone puts a towel down in the walkway area they are disrupting others who walk the beach.

With regard to the OP, it's never smart to pick a fight with the locals. I would ask why the OP didn't just move down to the "free area" of the beach and not hassle the beach bar owner?

I stay away from the "Big 5" like the plague mostly because they are very high priced. There are plenty of other customer-friendly beach bars.

 

However, I pay good money to rent a chair and umbrella and want to sit in the front row with an unobstructed breeze and direct access right into the water. The thing that irks me (and others who pay good money for the rentals) is when free-loaders plop down right at the water's edge in front of the paying customers! When it happens, the beach bar attendants speak to the free-loaders and point out the broad area of the beach where visitors can spread out a towel and sit for free. In every case I have seen, the people politely move on. That area is specifically set aside for people who don't want to pay the rental charges.

 

In those rare instances I always thank the attendants for looking out for the paying customers.

 

The beach bar owners pay a high price for property rental, utilities and taxes. It is unrealistic to expect any owner to allow someone free occupancy. Granted all beaches are public, but the chairs are always placed right at the normal high water mark. The area between the water edge and the first row of chairs is used for people who walk along the beach. If someone puts a towel down in the walkway area they are disrupting others who walk the beach.

 

With regard to the OP, it's never smart to pick a fight with the locals. I would ask why the OP didn't just move down to the "free area" of the beach and not hassle the beach bar owner?

I will assure you, I am anything but a freeloader!! As I mentioned in my original post, I was also at the beach last year in which we spent all day long there. We paid for the chairs, umbrellas, drinks, food and had no problems with people sitting down in front of us to play in the water or sand. I was not about to pay for a chair for 1 1/2 hrs but had planned to buy a drink and pay for my son to play on the water trampoline until they were so rude.

As the security guy explained not only to me but to the bar manager, the beach is public, people can sit in the sand, make sand castles, play in the water and whatever else they choose to do because it is a "public" beach. You do not have to rent a beach chair in order to enjoy the "public" beach and there are no "private" areas on Orient. Yes it was my right to stand my ground which I did and also had the support of the people behind us that had rented the chairs that even took it upon themselves to check into harrassment issues with other locals along the beach and also spoke to the security guy on our behalf. As the gentleman witness said to the security guy, "I am also a business owner, and in the States, we do not treat people this way. I will return to this beach but will never bring my business back to this bar."

So when people stop along the area of beach that you are sitting in so that their kids can build a sand castle or play in the water, they should also be paying a fee to do so?

I knew by posting this that I would get flamed by some but felt it more important to notify those that may not be aware in hopes of this not happening to them.

And I did not "pick" a fight with anyone-I sat in the sand on a "public" beach that had security present to reinforce this right.

Who is Bernard? How do you contact him and arrange for a tour? What does he charge? We'll be in St.Maarten from 1 p - 8 p . Is it worth hiring him or Joyce ? for like a 3 hrs tour. DH does want to miss the 6 pm dinner bell.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

PS: Pedros is near the cloth or no cloth side of OB...just want fyi???

Pedro's is next door to Club Orient and it is easy to see the boundary sign from their dining area. So stay away if you are upset by the nekkid folks. Or bring a superzoom if you wan't to get internet-worthy pictures of the clothing challenged folk wandering around Club O.:D:):D

Pedro's is next door to Club Orient and it is easy to see the boundary sign from their dining area. So stay away if you are upset by the nekkid folks. Or bring a superzoom if you wan't to get internet-worthy pictures of the clothing challenged folk wandering around Club O.:D:):D

LOL! Thats funny I don't care who you are:D

As for the OP...I don't know what to think as I have never been there. However, if I was paying to stay on that beach and I am not a fan of kids or what-have-you then I would be upset. Now the employees would never try that BS with me or face a beatdown. At the same time I wouldn't want to be somewhere that I was not wanted. I am on the OP's side but I personally wouldn't roll up to a spot where there are paying customers regardless if it was a 'public' beach. That is just me. It would take one employee to say "not sure if you are aware but the people you are sitting in front of paid to be there." I would get up and move on. At the same time, there is no need to be harrassed like that. Wish I was there and had your back.

Are there still 3 sides to every story? Has anyone else had a horrific experience there? Thanks

greatful,

Horrific? No. We were waaaay over charged for lunch to the tune of over $100 for five very meager 'Mexican' dishes for DW, myself and three sons.

They went on about the exchange rate for the dollar vs whatever currency they were using and we paid the listed rate for the items we consumed and offered them a tip of don't try to rip me off. ;)

I guess the incident would have been horrific to some, but to me it was just amusing and I never gave it a second thought til now. :(

We were there last April and I'll have to check my pics to make sure it's the same restaurant, but I'm pretty sure it is. The food was ok, but not 'Mexican' as I think of Mexican.

I think what they did to the OP was wrong, but they could have done the same to me and I would have thanked them for cooling me off. :D If I were there with my Mother and they harassed her in any way, I doubt I'd let it go. In fact.....yikes, don't wanna think about that. :eek:

beanandme,

Please don't misconstrue my comments as not agreeing with your assessment of what happened.

By any standard what happened to the OP is beyond unacceptable ! kal,paying for a chair rental does NOT mean everybody else is barred from the beach.You are paying to rent the chair only, not the beach.

I'm thinking of carrying a chair off the ship and placing my big bohind down on this beach right in front!!

Only kidding, but i don't blame her for wanting to just sit there for a short time- no biggie-- get over it!!

I am sure these tourist traps make enough $$$ off of us to have not acted like 2 year olds!

Just my humble opinion.........

I'm with Kal on this issue. It sure sounds to me like you were cruising for a conflict and just had to force your views on others. We spend nearly a month each winter on Orient Beach and enjoy going to the beach early each day and selecting just the right chairs on the front row. It is so rude when latecomers try to set up in front of us, whether by dragging chairs out, or sitting on towels. Especially when there are so many open areas available for towel sitters. The beaches may be public, but remember - you were in France, and French laws can be much different than US laws. Beach businesses apparently have the right to control the sector directly in front of their establishments, without obstructing the right of others to pass along the water edge.

Another French law you may not be aware of - I've been advised it is unlawful to take photos of others and display them without that persons permission, and I doubt the beach waiters would grant you that permission.

Bottom line - why cause friction on the very short time you were on the beach - so much better to be nice to others and they will be nice to you.

I had lunch at Predro's and sat on the nude beach. no one bugs you there. I had planned on paying for a chair and no one came up to me. I will be on that beach next month. I never had a problem there. oh the food and booze is great at predro's.

I had lunch at Predro's and sat on the nude beach. no one bugs you there. I had planned on paying for a chair and no one came up to me. I will be on that beach next month. I never had a problem there. oh the food and booze is great at predro's.

Did you just sit on a chair or on a towel on the beach? Pedros and Club O usually leave you alone if not sitting in their chairs.

Love the ribs at Pedros, my fav.

The place is always packed, for good reason.

Kal, you are dead wrong. It's a public beach, and if someone wants to sit down without a chair, that's their right.

If an employee poured ice water on me or threatened me he'd get one quick kick in his private parts.

I love Orient Beach ... we were there again in August. We sat at a place called Le String. Had a great time, the owner (? from Maryland, I believe) even bought us a drink for our anniversary. Had the cleanest bathrooms too.

We've also had a tour in the past with Bernard, and I think he is a wonderful man. Jan