Beaches on St. Maarten

Presently on the Anthem and Orient Beach is not available. Our tour was rescheduled for Simpson Bay's Kim Sha Beach and it is a very nice beach. Much calmer than Orient. Island shows the devastation from the hurricane and our tour guide mentioned that it may take some 3-5 years to fully rebuild the Island.

Thanks for the info. We will be on Anthem in May. Can you tell me about the excursion? Not sure of the official title for this excursion. Did you enjoy it? Bringing along 3 teenage boys.

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I was just in St. Maarten last week. Orient Beach has no vendors or facilities at this time. Our Tour guide took us to Friar's Bay (Kali's Beach Bar) for a few hours. Nice beach, little rocky but not bad. Drinks were great also. We also stopped at Maho Beach, Sunset Bar is open, the beach is very narrow but you can still sit on it and watch the planes come in. There are no large planes right now though.

We went to Little Divi Bay last time we were there. Its a time share place but has free beach access. We rented a chair and enjoyed the nice calm water and did some snorkeling. No one was there selling anything so we weren't bothered at all.

It is currently not open now but it is scheduled to open in May.

we also enjoy holland house hotel and have gone there for the past 2 years, how do you reserve on line, we just showed up and last year could only get 2 chairs, I would love to reserve ahead of time

We also enjoyed Holland House. We were there the end of January this year. We took the water taxi across for $7 per person. That includes as many trips on the taxi as you want, you get a wristband. When we got off the taxi, we did get approached by multiple people offering beach chairs, but told them we were headed to Holland House and they backed off. I believe it was $20 or $25 for 2 chairs, and umbrella, 4 drinks (water, soda, beer) and showers. We got the last front row chairs when we got there. When I contacted Holland House ahead of time, they said no reservations, just walk up the beach and the beach attendants would help you. The food was expensive so we just waited to eat until we got back to the ship. We didn't use the showers so I can't speak to them. There were vendors up and down the beach (frequent but not intrusive), and the beach chairs were all side by side very close together. But it was a fine beach day and the water was nice, though there is a bit of a drop if you have any knee or hip issues. The water was nice though not crystal clear like some other beaches in the Caribbean.

Friends of our took a tour of the island and said the damage was obvious and sad. I'm kind of glad we just stayed at the beach. Said friends ended up at I believe orient beach and were surprised it was fully nude. They brought their parents and were telling fun stories the rest of the trip about that surprise!

We also stopped at Maho Beach, Sunset Bar is open, the beach is very narrow but you can still sit on it and watch the planes come in. There are no large planes right now though.

That is not completely accurate. The number of large planes arriving and departing has dropped from pre-hurricane numbers, but they are still coming - just fewer and farther between. JetBlue, Delta, American, KLM, and Air France all have flights into SXM that use large planes.

. I really think the cruise lines need to be more transparent regarding how bad the island is.

People need more than one source of information, and I certainly wouldn't rely on them for information. There is no much evidence that profit drives their opinions. I wouldn't shop at only the places they recommend.

No worries about "clothing optional" The Club Orient beach section that had signs posted as to entering a nude beach was leveled completely after the hurricane and hasn't been rebuilt. Orient Beach is a wonderful beach where nude sunbathing is not allowed. ( so the sign says) but the beach is still not back to the way it was and wont be for quite sometimes.

Any pictures of this sign? This goes contrary to the many people that I see there every week.

Is Holland House kid friendly for a beach day? Is the beach calm?

Is Holland House kid friendly for a beach day? Is the beach calm?

Yes. You canT really tell where you are on the beach. The chairs are elbow to elbow and where HH stops, more chairs form another establishment start. We had our three yr old there and my sister had a 5, 7, 9 and 12 yr old there. There weren’t any water toys or anything but it wasn’t an adults only vibe.

Is Holland House kid friendly for a beach day? Is the beach calm?

There is an active webcam at Holland House showing the beach.

You can also see the cruise ship dock...

http://www.portstmaartenwebcam.com/

Joe

Halifax,Canada

Going to be on the Oasis of the Seas in November and one stop will be St. Maarten. Wanted to know opinions of the beaches there, specifically Orient Beach and the beach near the cruise dock. Also how long of a cab ride is it to Orient Beach? And where is the best point or points on Orient Beach to find a taxi back to the cruise dock? Any other beach recommendations and/or advice? I'd like to be able to swim in some really nice clear waters that are relatively calm. Have a nice underwater camera that I'd want to use there.

I know part of Orient Beach is a clothing optional beach. I like to walk along beaches. Does the beach have clear signage where the nude beach begins and where I need to cover up?

Any other nude beaches on the island?

Are they safe for single women to sun nude and not get bothered or hit get on?

I just saw this thread, there is some discussion on the st martin board here and several good Facebook groups of people that are there now. Since you mentioned Orient Beach, it was hit hard, but seems to be improving daily with re-construction of nearby buildings now starting. Transportation to and from is reported good. I'm not worried and will drive there myself in early May, By November this should be even better.

Can you tell me how to find the Facebook groups?Thanks!

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I know part of Orient Beach is a clothing optional beach. I like to walk along beaches. Does the beach have clear signage where the nude beach begins and where I need to cover up?

Any other nude beaches on the island?

Are they safe for single women to sun nude and not get bothered or hit get on?

I know part of Orient Beach is a clothing optional beach. I like to walk along beaches. Does the beach have clear signage where the nude beach begins and where I need to cover up?

Any other nude beaches on the island?

Are they safe for single women to sun nude and not get bothered or hit get on?

Pretty much just the beach in front of the club o property is c/o. Pretty tame, no vendors no cameras etc.

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We were on Orient beach a few years ago and there were people along the whole beach that were without clothing going left or right from Pedro's

Is Pedro's open? I believe that was the name of the bar where the taxi's dropped you off.

We were on Orient beach a few years ago and there were people along the whole beach that were without clothing going left or right from Pedro's

Is Pedro's open? I believe that was the name of the bar where the taxi's dropped you off.

Washed away , temp bar setup nearby.

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