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Heading back to St Maarten...what's next for us? Suggestions needed.


mitsugirly
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We have been here several times. We are "beach" people. I'm looking for some place new to go that we haven't been to before. A lot of you on here know my "taste". But...if not...I love beaches that have natural shade if possible (trees fairly close to the beach)...snorkeling is a plus, not a must, time and accessible taxi service is a must of course.

 

We have been to:

Orient

Maho x2

Mullet

Divi

Pinel Island

 

Tell me what you suggest. :)

 

karysa- Where are you...I need your suggestions. ;p

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How about Grand Case Beach? I'm going to vacation there in the summer and wanted to try Rainbow for lunch and the beach. I have walked by it and it looked nice. Really nice part of the beach and they have free loungers for customers I believe. Water sports are also available. Seemed like a very family friendly place. I have read good reviews of it on here and on trip advisor.

 

The beach is no Pinel but I love this old fishing village.

 

The only concern I have is that once in January the beach was hit by northern swells and it was so rough it was unswimmable and we went over to LeGalion which is always calm.

 

What month are you visiting in Kim? If I go before you I will stop by and let you know how it is.

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How about Grand Case Beach? I'm going to vacation there in the summer and wanted to try Rainbow for lunch and the beach. I have walked by it and it looked nice. Really nice part of the beach and they have free loungers for customers I believe. Water sports are also available. Seemed like a very family friendly place. I have read good reviews of it on here and on trip advisor.

 

The beach is no Pinel but I love this old fishing village.

 

The only concern I have is that once in January the beach was hit by northern swells and it was so rough it was unswimmable and we went over to LeGalion which is always calm.

 

What month are you visiting in Kim? If I go before you I will stop by and let you know how it is.

 

we went to grand case a couple of years ago and went to rainbow cafe...ended up staying for the entire day...loved it...we went in April and beach was wonderful.We are headed there again in October.

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Le Galion.

 

th_DSCN3348.jpg

(click)

 

gary

 

Thanks Gary. I remember Le Galion being an area that they say is very calm for small children and a lot of families go there. I'll check it out again and see if it fits our needs.

 

 

How about Grand Case Beach? I'm going to vacation there in the summer and wanted to try Rainbow for lunch and the beach. I have walked by it and it looked nice. Really nice part of the beach and they have free loungers for customers I believe. Water sports are also available. Seemed like a very family friendly place. I have read good reviews of it on here and on trip advisor.

 

The beach is no Pinel but I love this old fishing village.

 

The only concern I have is that once in January the beach was hit by northern swells and it was so rough it was unswimmable and we went over to LeGalion which is always calm.

 

What month are you visiting in Kim? If I go before you I will stop by and let you know how it is.

 

Hmm, I don't think I have heard of this mentioned before. I just looked it up on the map and it looks like it's way up there (like Pinel was, but other side). I wonder how the waves are (you know how you'll get huge waves on one side and calm on the other side of the islands?). Most of the recommended places from before are on the opposite side of the island. I'll definitely have to check it out some more. When you say "old fishing village" does kind of concern me though...I'll be honest. We've been to several places that were described as that and didn't think they were anything special...although laid back, but the beaches just weren't what we were looking for. But still worth a shot. You have never steered me wrong before in suggestions.

 

 

We will be there in August. When are you going?

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we went to grand case a couple of years ago and went to rainbow cafe...ended up staying for the entire day...loved it...we went in April and beach was wonderful.We are headed there again in October.

 

Good to know you enjoyed it so much that you'll be returning. Thanks for your input.

 

 

Le Galion has a lot of trees, and I recall that Friars Bay had a fair sized shaded area.

 

Thanks for the info. Although me and the munchkin could care less about the shade (we stay in the water almost the entire time), the hubby would prefer shade because he spends most of his time on the beach. Thanks for the info. :)

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I suggest Dawn, although it does not have shade available from trees and you will need to rent umbrellas. Also, Dawn will not be worth visiting if the seas are rough there. If sea conditions are good, I think it is the next beach for you to check out. No problem getting taxi either way.

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We will be there on Vacation in August as well. 😊

 

You have read about Grand Case on here no doubt. It's the place with all of the gourmet restaurants. I have always found the beach there nice in the summer BUT we do find that side of the island has more rain.

There are boutiques, restaurants, small hotels and a bakery, beach bars, a bar a perfumery and a dive shop plus down at the end is Grand Case Beach resort.

For natural shade Le Galion is my favourite but it can be busy with kids camps and families in the summer and it's always busy in the summer.

Are you certain that you don't want to rent a car?

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We will be there on Vacation in August as well. 😊

 

You have read about Grand Case on here no doubt. It's the place with all of the gourmet restaurants. I have always found the beach there nice in the summer BUT we do find that side of the island has more rain.

There are boutiques, restaurants, small hotels and a bakery, beach bars, a bar a perfumery and a dive shop plus down at the end is Grand Case Beach resort.

For natural shade Le Galion is my favourite but it can be busy with kids camps and families in the summer and it's always busy in the summer.

Are you certain that you don't want to rent a car?

 

Sorry that was suppose to be "and it's always busy on the weekends" I added that because I'm not sure what day of the week you will be there.:) The Islanders love Le Galion. We love it to. It's a lovely beach to have a picnic under a tree.

 

If I wouldn't trust a taxi to pick me up from somewhere while on a cruise then I just can't recommend it to others. For me that includes Baie Prunes, Friars and Happy and Baie Rouge. That would include Le Galion on a Monday during low season which would include August.

 

I have read that there are seaweed issues again this year. Keep an eye on reports closer to August so you know which beaches to avoid.

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  • 6 months later...
Sorry that was suppose to be "and it's always busy on the weekends" I added that because I'm not sure what day of the week you will be there.:) The Islanders love Le Galion. We love it to. It's a lovely beach to have a picnic under a tree.

 

If I wouldn't trust a taxi to pick me up from somewhere while on a cruise then I just can't recommend it to others. For me that includes Baie Prunes, Friars and Happy and Baie Rouge. That would include Le Galion on a Monday during low season which would include August.

 

I have read that there are seaweed issues again this year. Keep an eye on reports closer to August so you know which beaches to avoid.

 

Karysa, how is Le Galion post hurricane now? I think we will be coming back in early April. Any info/reports? I seen a youtube video that showed it post hurricane in October and it looked demolished. I think (not sure since I have never been there before) that the very end of the video might have been the beach area. It looks like there's no trees left there.

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Karysa, how is Le Galion post hurricane now? I think we will be coming back in early April. Any info/reports? I seen a youtube video that showed it post hurricane in October and it looked demolished. I think (not sure since I have never been there before) that the very end of the video might have been the beach area. It looks like there's no trees left there.

 

I heard that there is no plan to rebuild Chez Pat. This is one secluded beach that I would be hesitant to visit. There have always been reports of car break ins here so personally I will not visit until there are facilities and more people.

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I heard that there is no plan to rebuild Chez Pat. This is one secluded beach that I would be hesitant to visit. There have always been reports of car break ins here so personally I will not visit until there are facilities and more people.

 

Is Chez Pat the same thing as Le Galion? I haven't heard that name before that I can remember.

 

 

Ok, I'll keep that off my radar for awhile.

 

 

Any suggestions for me? Cruising in April.

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Is Chez Pat the same thing as Le Galion? I haven't heard that name before that I can remember.

 

 

Ok, I'll keep that off my radar for awhile.

 

 

Any suggestions for me? Cruising in April.

 

That was the name of the restaurant at Le Galion beach.

 

How about the new zip line. It says it's the worlds or maybe caribbeans steepest zip line. I would keep an eye on reviews of excursions. St. Maarten is on many itineraries so save I would save visiting a new beach until they have more facilities up and running.

 

If you are set on a beach Karakter on Simpson Bay would be my suggestion. Avoid Kim Sha beach as I think that you would be disappointed.

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Grand Case is one of my favorite beaches in the world. I am not sure how it will be when you go in terms of storm recovery efforts, but it is still gorgeous. It's considered to be the culinary capital of the Caribbean, so the beach is lined with delicious restaurants. Again, I know many have been closed since the hurricane hit, but if you are willing to get out the Grand Case, I know you will not be disappointed. It's a stunning beach strip!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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That was the name of the restaurant at Le Galion beach.

 

How about the new zip line. It says it's the worlds or maybe caribbeans steepest zip line. I would keep an eye on reviews of excursions. St. Maarten is on many itineraries so save I would save visiting a new beach until they have more facilities up and running.

 

If you are set on a beach Karakter on Simpson Bay would be my suggestion. Avoid Kim Sha beach as I think that you would be disappointed.

 

Thanks Karysa. I'm looking into it. Can you tell me why Karakter would be better over Kim Sha? I see they are both there on Simpson Bay. What's the difference?

 

Is this the only beach that is doing ok after the hurricane?

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Grand Case is one of my favorite beaches in the world. I am not sure how it will be when you go in terms of storm recovery efforts, but it is still gorgeous. It's considered to be the culinary capital of the Caribbean, so the beach is lined with delicious restaurants. Again, I know many have been closed since the hurricane hit, but if you are willing to get out the Grand Case, I know you will not be disappointed. It's a stunning beach strip!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I don't know what it looks like at the moment, but I do remember seeing pictures of this place post hurricane and it was completely destroyed in those pictures. :(

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Thanks Karysa. I'm looking into it. Can you tell me why Karakter would be better over Kim Sha? I see they are both there on Simpson Bay. What's the difference?

 

Is this the only beach that is doing ok after the hurricane?

 

They are two completely separate beaches. They are separated by the bridge in the Simpson Bay Area. The sand feels completely different on these two beaches. Kim Sha is a small beach and Simpson Bay beach is one of the longest on the island. It would take about 40 minutes to walk along Simpson Bay beach and 3 or 4 to walk Kim Sha beach. These beaches are night and day different if you know what I mean. We stayed at a resort on two occasions for 10 and 14 days and Kim Sha was a five minute walk away and we may have gone in the water there twice.

 

We were at Mullet and Simpson Bay beaches yesterday. Both are doing well. We were at Maho this trip as well and it was quiet with very little beach and only the rare largeer plane. You could not walk from the bar at sunset directly to the sand as that area was covered by rocks. We had lunch on the boardwalk on Great Bay beach in the town of Philipsburg and it looked fine as well but I didn't get too close to the water. This is the beach with ongoing pollution concerns though.

 

The entertainment strip through Maho was hit really hard. There are only a few places open. We did drive and walk through it. It's clear of debris but it is broken beyond comprehension. People were golfing on the golf course and life is getting back to order but it's soooooo quiet here. This is high season and the traffic has been very light. There are 3 ships due in today so I am thinking today may be a heavier day for traffic. The palm trees and flowers are growing. The islanders are really happy that tourists are back.

 

We have not driven over to the French side yet. It's weird but we have spoken to many people who have been back on the island for a long time that have not ventured over there.

 

Something important to keep in mind is that some shops and restaurants have moved due to hurricane damage at their previous location.

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We had lunch on the boardwalk on Great Bay beach in the town of Philipsburg and it looked fine as well but I didn't get too close to the water. This is the beach with ongoing pollution concerns though.

 

We have not driven over to the French side yet. It's weird but we have spoken to many people who have been back on the island for a long time that have not ventured over there.

 

First of all, thanks for all the great info you have provided consistently. It has always been very helpful.

 

Second, I know of the concerns over Great Bay pollution issues. Do you have any update as to how the storm issues have impacted that? i.e. made it worse or better? Is the canal from the lagoon open all or part time now? Or is it pretty much just back to the same issues of beware after heavy rains?

 

Finally, very sorry to hear that the French side is still not bouncing back as well. Is it safe to say we should probably stick to the Dutch side for a January visit?

 

Thanks again, and enjoy your current visit!

 

BobJ

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First of all, thanks for all the great info you have provided consistently. It has always been very helpful.

 

Second, I know of the concerns over Great Bay pollution issues. Do you have any update as to how the storm issues have impacted that? i.e. made it worse or better? Is the canal from the lagoon open all or part time now? Or is it pretty much just back to the same issues of beware after heavy rains?

 

Finally, very sorry to hear that the French side is still not bouncing back as well. Is it safe to say we should probably stick to the Dutch side for a January visit?

 

Thanks again, and enjoy your current visit!

 

BobJ

 

You are welcome for the update and thanks for the nice words.

 

I’m sorry but to be honest I have yet to speak to anyone that I know that would have info on Great Bay Beach and I would simply not trust even the people that I have dealt with for years who work in the town stores and restaurants to give me a truly honest answer.

 

Regarding the French side. It’s so weird to me that we have not been over there yet this trip since arriving on Friday. Unlike many of the islanders, the two sides are pretty interchangeable to us. We love Grand Case and we saw pictures of the devestation and it’s truly heartbreaking to me. I think that my husband wants to drive to Grand Case but I’m not sure that I can. The restaurant that we visit for lunch is on the water and was wiped out from what I have heard. We normally would not think twice to drive over their for dinner (other than avoiding Sandy Ground at night) but we have been a little reluctant to venture their just yet. I will be honest and tell you that I have not eaten nearly as well on this trip and that is because of not visiting the French side. It’s true when people say “you eat on the Dutch side but you dine on the French side”.

Edited by Karysa
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Karysa,

 

Thanks for the response and the information. As I said, hope you enjoy your visit, even as you adjust to the current realities.

 

By way of comparison, I woke up to -10 F temperatures this morning here in Chicago area, so you certainly can enjoy at least one thing that hasn't changed on the island...the beautiful weather!

 

Take care,

 

BobJ

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Karysa,

 

Thanks for the response and the information. As I said, hope you enjoy your visit, even as you adjust to the current realities.

 

By way of comparison, I woke up to -10 F temperatures this morning here in Chicago area, so you certainly can enjoy at least one thing that hasn't changed on the island...the beautiful weather!

 

Take care,

 

BobJ

 

You do speak the truth. The weather is great and the welcome warm and friendly.😊

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First of all, thanks for all the great info you have provided consistently. It has always been very helpful.

 

Second, I know of the concerns over Great Bay pollution issues. Do you have any update as to how the storm issues have impacted that? i.e. made it worse or better? Is the canal from the lagoon open all or part time now? Or is it pretty much just back to the same issues of beware after heavy rains?

 

Finally, very sorry to hear that the French side is still not bouncing back as well. Is it safe to say we should probably stick to the Dutch side for a January visit?

 

Thanks again, and enjoy your current visit!

 

BobJ

 

I got an update for you. I spoke to someone who I have known for several years now about Great Bay. She lives within walking distance to Great Bay beach. She is not a huge beach goer but does go swimming sometimes and she chooses Kim Sha beach. She doesn’t go in Great Bay because of the pollution issues and actually grabbed her arms and shivered when just talking about people swimming in there. She has not heard that the hurricane(s) worsened the conditions though.

 

She has been to Grand Case and said “it’s gone”. I was too sad to speak more about it as I loved Grand Case prior to Irma. There are a few restaurants open but I have only heard of ones on the non beach side being open and only for dinner.

I will try and find out if any beachside places are opening soon.

 

The lady has not been back to Marigot as of yet.

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They are two completely separate beaches. They are separated by the bridge in the Simpson Bay Area. The sand feels completely different on these two beaches. Kim Sha is a small beach and Simpson Bay beach is one of the longest on the island. It would take about 40 minutes to walk along Simpson Bay beach and 3 or 4 to walk Kim Sha beach. These beaches are night and day different if you know what I mean. We stayed at a resort on two occasions for 10 and 14 days and Kim Sha was a five minute walk away and we may have gone in the water there twice.

 

We were at Mullet and Simpson Bay beaches yesterday. Both are doing well. We were at Maho this trip as well and it was quiet with very little beach and only the rare largeer plane. You could not walk from the bar at sunset directly to the sand as that area was covered by rocks. We had lunch on the boardwalk on Great Bay beach in the town of Philipsburg and it looked fine as well but I didn't get too close to the water. This is the beach with ongoing pollution concerns though.

 

The entertainment strip through Maho was hit really hard. There are only a few places open. We did drive and walk through it. It's clear of debris but it is broken beyond comprehension. People were golfing on the golf course and life is getting back to order but it's soooooo quiet here. This is high season and the traffic has been very light. There are 3 ships due in today so I am thinking today may be a heavier day for traffic. The palm trees and flowers are growing. The islanders are really happy that tourists are back.

 

We have not driven over to the French side yet. It's weird but we have spoken to many people who have been back on the island for a long time that have not ventured over there.

 

Something important to keep in mind is that some shops and restaurants have moved due to hurricane damage at their previous location.

 

 

Thanks so much for the update and explaining the difference at Simpson Bay. So Karakter should be where we go versus any other places there on the beach?

 

So more info on Karakter please (do you say this like Character?)

 

Chair/umbrella rental there? Price?

 

Any food prices and what they serve?

 

How long does it take to get there from the cruise port?

 

 

Price for cab to get there?

 

 

Also, have you heard anything about the TikiHut off Divi? Is it still there? Did they manage to get it out of the water and save it prior to the hurricane? I have thought about doing it in the past. Maybe now would be the right time to do this since a lot of the island is destroyed?

 

Thanks for your help Karysa.

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