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Bernard's Tours, St Maartan

acesallyelton

By acesallyelton,
in St. Martin/St. Maarten

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Putterdude

Putterdude

Posted
Posted
Okay - I have a few questions about Bernard's tours...

First off does the part of Orient Beach he takes you to have nude and/or topless folks? We are a family and don't look forward to taking my teenaged boys to a nude/topless beach lol. I mean they would probably really like it, but I being the mom would find it slightly awkward!

Is the 30 to 45 minutes enough time to shop/look around Marigot markets?

Is it better to book the private tour?

Open to suggestions!

Thanks so much!

(going in March)

 

Part of Orient Beach is topless and part of it is swimsuits optional. Having said that very few people are topless and even fewer are nude...but they are there and there is no avoiding it. This is the norm in many parts of Europe but only you as a parent can make a decision to expose your sons to it. I will say that it is very natural and certainly not sexual, frankly I personally would have no problem with our sons being there if they were teenagers again.

With regard to the Marigot market, yes the 30 to 45 mins is quite adequate.

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Kikkycat

Kikkycat

Posted
Posted
Okay - I have a few questions about Bernard's tours...

First off does the part of Orient Beach he takes you to have nude and/or topless folks? We are a family and don't look forward to taking my teenaged boys to a nude/topless beach lol. I mean they would probably really like it, but I being the mom would find it slightly awkward!

Is the 30 to 45 minutes enough time to shop/look around Marigot markets?

Is it better to book the private tour?

Open to suggestions!

Thanks so much!

(going in March)

 

As has been mentioned, there is no way to guarantee not seeing any topless women on any beach in St. Martin/Sint Maarten, short of staying on the ship (not recommended). We had youngsters on one of our tours with Bernard, and he did give the option of going to a beach other than Orient where it was less likely - le Galleon, I believe it was.

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heeb

heeb

Posted
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Bernard takes you to the last part of the beach which is not the nude part but occasionally you will see someone topless waling down from the other beaches to the right. There's no way to stop it because it is legal there.:cool:

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allie3490

allie3490

Posted
Posted

We've been to St. Martin before and somehow ended up on the nude side. There were 4 of us (all adults) so we didn't care either way. Believe me there is nothing sexual about the nudity on the beach. Most of the nudists are not attractive (not trying to offend anyone!) and nobody gives them a second glance. I wouldn't hesitate bringing my 2 boys there.

 

We were in jamaica at an all inclusive and lots of girls were topless. Nobody cared and they did not bother us in the least.

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l1lgreekprincess

l1lgreekprincess

Posted
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We did a tour with Bernard wednesday last week. He took a group in 1 bus and a group of 7 of us that were together went in a full size van by ourselves. Our ship didnt get into port until after 10 so we were only able to do some of the things that were on the itinerary. Weather was rough so we went to Maho first and then to Orient for lunch. It was nice and recomended for anyone looking to book with them.

 

Our ship also gets in at 10. What part of the tour did you miss?

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Ashland

Ashland

Posted
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Do we pay for the tour when we get there or do we pay online?Thanks for your help

If you're doing a private tour you give Bernard a $50.00 deposit via credit card over the phone and then balance when you get there ..If doing a group tour you pay when you get there before your tour leaves...cash or credit card.

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keishashadow

keishashadow

Posted
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If you're doing a private tour you give Bernard a $50.00 deposit via credit card over the phone and then balance when you get there ..If doing a group tour you pay when you get there before your tour leaves...cash or credit card.

 

:confused:would 2 people be considered a private tour? I had expected to be lumped in with other cruisers. Guess i'll find out when i receive email back.

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hancogran

hancogran

Posted
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:confused:would 2 people be considered a private tour? I had expected to be lumped in with other cruisers. Guess i'll find out when i receive email back.

 

If you didn't specifically ask for a private tour, then I'm sure you'll just be part of the group tour. When we went with Bernard's, there was 12 or 14 of us in his van and it was a great day! :)

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katiecat

katiecat

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I had a group of 25 people there just a couple of weeks ago all in one van. It was one of the best day I ever had in St.Martens after visiting the place at least 4 times before. The whole group enjoyed themselves with a lot more refreshments than even I expected for $40. They deserve a nice tip!

I'm going back next year for more fun with Bernard's tours.

Book them you will not regret it!

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luv2travel29

luv2travel29

Posted
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I had a group of 25 people there just a couple of weeks ago all in one van. It was one of the best day I ever had in St.Martens after visiting the place at least 4 times before. The whole group enjoyed themselves with a lot more refreshments than even I expected for $40. They deserve a nice tip!

I'm going back next year for more fun with Bernard's tours.

Book them you will not regret it!

glad to hear you liked it!! i just booked with bernard and looking forward to it after the great reviews!!!:D

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Algebralovr

Algebralovr

Posted
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We took Bernard's Tour last week while there on the Celebrity Eclipse. We had Junior as the driver and Juliette as speaker on the bus. Both gave great info about the island and provided drinks as often as desired.

 

We stopped first to see the sea urchin and a look-out point for a photo opp. Then we went to Orient Beach for about 2 hours, followed by a 30 minute trip to Marigot (we found the pastry shop for a snack), and about 30 minutes at Maho Beach to see the planes. We spent plenty of time just driving around to see what there was to see and take a lot of pictures of the beauty of the island. We had the option of being dropped off in Phillipsburg to shop before heading back to the ship. If we had taken that option, we would have had about 2 hours to shop.

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