Best quiet NON-NUDE beach in St Maarten/St Martin

My husband and I are cruising to in St Martin with another couple in a few weeks and we are wanting to know which beach would suit us best. We want to find a beach that is fairly secluded; definitely NOT NUDE or TOPLESS; and one that will have chairs/umbrellas & service available for the day. Does such a beach exist in St. Martin? Thanks!

My husband and I are cruising to in St Martin with another couple in a few weeks and we are wanting to know which beach would suit us best. We want to find a beach that is fairly secluded; definitely NOT NUDE or TOPLESS; and one that will have chairs/umbrellas & service available for the day. Does such a beach exist in St. Martin? Thanks!

I can vouch for Dawn Beach on the Dutch side. It is a 15 minute taxi ride from the port. They have chairs, umbrellas, bathrooms, snorkel equipment for rent. There is also an adjacent restaurant ($1 beers all afternoon !!)

Thanks for replying; I was beginning to think people only go to the French side! My DH and I were in St. Martin a couple years ago. We taxied to Marigot and walked up to the Fort for quite a view, then dined at a wonderful restaurant called "The Rare Bird" for lunch. The cuisine there was wonderful and the French waiters were so very attentive. This time, we wish to enjoy a beach but there are so many to choose from.

Be aware that there is no beach in St. Martin in which you will find a guarantee of not seeing at least toplessness. It is possible on every beach there, although it is less likely to happen on the Dutch side. Hope you have a great time!

Dawn Bay and Little Bay beaches are good choices for you. Petite Plage in Grand Case is a nicer beach IMHO and although on the French side, perhaps because it is one of the two beaches at the Grand Case beach club I have yet to see any topplessness on my many visits.

yeah, I agree with the other posters, its possible to see toplessness on almost any beach on St Maarten, French or Dutch side.

Is there some particular reason you seem to be so dreadfully afraid of accidentally seeing a topless woman on a beach?

We have seen occasional topless women on just about every beach so that is why I'm concerned for you

yeah, I agree with the other posters, its possible to see toplessness on almost any beach on St Maarten, French or Dutch side.

 

Is there some particular reason you seem to be so dreadfully afraid of accidentally seeing a topless woman on a beach?

 

We have seen occasional topless women on just about every beach so that is why I'm concerned for you

IMHO I prefer these types of ?'s to posters that are disappointed that they didn't see nude supermodels at Orient.

Always best to go to a resort beach if nudity of any type is an issue .

Dawn Beach isn't really secluded. When I visited last year there were quite alot of people there.

Dawn Beach isn't really secluded. When I visited last year there were quite alot of people there.

2 out of 3 isn't bad.

OP asked for a fairly secluded beach with chair and umbrella rentals and no nudity.

Getting all three on the island is a difficult task.

Any other suggestions?

I am looking for the same type of beach. I am thinking of trying Simpson bay.

IMHO I prefer these types of ?'s to posters that are disappointed that they didn't see nude supermodels at Orient.

Always best to go to a resort beach if nudity of any type is an issue .

Are you familiar with a resort beach in St Martin that describes what I am looking for? When in Cozumel, we went to Nochi Cocom and enjoyed it immensely :).

I am looking for the same type of beach. I am thinking of trying Simpson bay.

I was thinking of this one, too, but my DH heard it gets crowded there...we have 5 ships in port that day.

I was thinking of this one, too, but my DH heard it gets crowded there...we have 5 ships in port that day.

That is where we plan to go with our 3 teens in March. It is one of their favorite beaches on the island. We went to Mary's Boon which is a small resort/restaurant and beach bar. It was not crowded at all. They put out chairs for us after lunch but I am not sure that this is there normal policy. Next door at Karakter they have loungers and umbrellas for free if you purchase drinks/food. I really like this place. The food is great and they use glass glasses and white china plates. It is an old bus and very unique. I have seen pictures of it when it was busy but this past summer we were there a couple of times during the week and it was not overly crowded.

Here is the website: http://www.karakterbeach.com/

2 out of 3 isn't bad.

OP asked for a fairly secluded beach with chair and umbrella rentals and no nudity.

Getting all three on the island is a difficult task.

Any other suggestions?

Two out of three is probably the best the OP will get. Any secluded beach will probably not have a vendor with food/drinks. Depends what is most important for her I guess. I love Simpson beach. Alot less crowded than some of the others.

Are you familiar with a resort beach in St Martin that describes what I am looking for? When in Cozumel, we went to Nochi Cocom and enjoyed it immensely :).

I would suggest checking out these two websites:

http://www.grandcasebeachclub.com/ and http://www.snorkel-trips-sxm.com

Since there will be 5 ships in port and with no great wish to see the planes landing at Maho I would personally avoid going towards the Simpson Bay area just because of traffic congestion. That would leave Dawn Bay as the best Dutchside beach since it is no where near the Simpson Bay area. Dawn can be nice but it can be get crowded and the water can get rough. I have found it too rough for me on a couple of occasions. There are some nice French side beaches including Orient, Le Galion and Pinel Island and Anse Marcel that have most of what you are looking for but I have seen toppless sunbathers at all of them and full nudity at Orient. So due to traffic concerns and the desire to hang out at a beach where everyone at least has a bikini on (much to my shagrin there will be speedos!):) this leads me to suggest Petite Plage beach at the Grand Case beach club for you. I can not guarantee that there will be absolutely no nudity but that can not be guaranteed at any beach on the island. I have stayed at the resort for vacations for up to 11 days at a time on 3 or 4 occasions now I think and I have never seen any nudity on either of the resorts beaches. Since the resort is only about a five minute walk straight in to the village of Grand Case where there are restaurants and little boutique style shops to explore there is plenty to occupy a full day. The websites that I posted above will give you a good look at what this beach and area is like. On the Grand Case beach club website you will notice a piece of land that jets out towards the water and has a building on it. That piece of land seperates the two beaches. The very narrow beach by the resort condos is the resort guests beach and the other beach which has more sand and the loungers with the flags is the beach for the public and resort guests. For arguments sake all beaches on the island are public but getting to them without trespassing onto private property is the tricky part sometimes. There are two ways to access Petite Plage beach. You can ask the driver to take you to Grand Case beach club and buzz in and tell them that you are going to spend the day at Creole Rock watersports and Sunset Cafe or you can have the driver drive you just past the resort entrance to the public pathway and just walk in that way.

I really do hope that you find the right beach for your day on the island.

karysa,

great advice on the grand case beach club.

We are in our mid 30s, travelling with twin 4 year old boys, and our in-laws which are in the mid 60s.

Do you think it would be a better/nice time for us to spend our day at Grand Case / Petite Plage instead of Le Galion?

It sounds like there is a walkable downtown area, etc.

Do they give you a hard time, i.e. because you are not a guest? I would genuinely like to check the resort out because we might come back and stay for a week, we have done this many times on cruises, etc.

About how long is the ride from the pier to this resort

karysa,

 

great advice on the grand case beach club.

 

We are in our mid 30s, travelling with twin 4 year old boys, and our in-laws which are in the mid 60s.

 

Do you think it would be a better/nice time for us to spend our day at Grand Case / Petite Plage instead of Le Galion?

 

It sounds like there is a walkable downtown area, etc.

 

Do they give you a hard time, i.e. because you are not a guest? I would genuinely like to check the resort out because we might come back and stay for a week, we have done this many times on cruises, etc.

 

About how long is the ride from the pier to this resort

I think that you made an excellent decision with 4 year olds and young seniors as long as you are not visiting on a weekend. Le Galion is a very popular spot for islanders to enjoy time with their families on the weekends and it can get really crowded. I love Le Galion, I think that it is a really authentic Caribbean beach. I can't think of a better beach on the island for small children, Pinel Island would be right up there though. On the other hand Petite Plage is really nice as well and it will provide the opportunity to venture out and see the village if you so choose. Regarding looking around at the Grand Case Beach Club. I can not see this as being a problem at all. Just inquire about this at the Front Desk. Petitie Plage and the Sunset Cafe are open to the public. The actual resort grounds are not but those areas are clearly marked. I would say that the taxi ride would be about 30-35 minutes but I would definitely give myself much longer on the way back to the pier as I do at any port. I don't think that you can go wrong with either of these beaches for your group IMHO.

karysa,

When we get dropped off at Grand Case Beach Club, is the area generally walkable, i.e. can we walk around the downtown area to and from the beach without getting into cabs etc?

That might sway us to Petite Plage instead of Le Galion, if the beaches are equally nice but it seems like Grand Case has more to offer as far as food, shops etc

Is there parasailing on any of these beaches, French or Dutch, and if so, which do you recommend?

karysa,

 

When we get dropped off at Grand Case Beach Club, is the area generally walkable, i.e. can we walk around the downtown area to and from the beach without getting into cabs etc?

 

That might sway us to Petite Plage instead of Le Galion, if the beaches are equally nice but it seems like Grand Case has more to offer as far as food, shops etc

Definitely walkable. We walk to dinner and the shops on a daily visit when vacationing there. You need to becareful because there are no sidewalks in areas and it can be tight. I can not stress that part enough since I had twins that were 4 before.:DLike I said before these are both great places but they are different. Do a search and look at the pictures that gary has taken at LeGalion and the ones from Petite Plage to help you make your decision.

Karysa thanks again, you have been so much help.

I guess my take is if the beaches are similar, both great for kids, why wouldn't Petite Plage be the "easier" choice since it also appears to have more shops/restaurants within walking distance?

Karysa thanks again, you have been so much help.

 

I guess my take is if the beaches are similar, both great for kids, why wouldn't Petite Plage be the "easier" choice since it also appears to have more shops/restaurants within walking distance?

You are most welcome. This island has so many great beaches that it is sometimes difficult to choose which one to visit. We really find it a great island to vacation on and I think that you will as well. There is a lot to discover on the island and Anguilla, St. Bart's and Saba are great to visit on day trips. They are both calm beaches. I like the facilities at Petite Plage better and the rugged beauty of LeGalion is like no other beach on the island. I think that with 2 small kids, and 4 adults Petite Plage will give you the opportunity to take turns watching the little ones and having a bit of adult time to stroll down to the village if you so choose. You really put thought into your choice and I think that you will really enjoy your day.

Is there parasailing on any of these beaches, French or Dutch, and if so, which do you recommend?

Yep, at Orient beach or Great Bay. Can't say which is better since I have never done it but I won't go in the water at Great Bay beach due to pollution concerns.

Can you advise on beaches in or near Marigot?