The St Maarten Tiki Hut Tour

[kcparrothead]

OMGOSH !!!! I finally got this straightened out. The emails to these people were all different stories. They gave me the phone number of the actual driver of the tour. He was one of three drivers for this tour. He told me the pick up time is 9am at the pier. There is then a 2 1/2 hour tour of the island which includes a stop at Maho (morning) a stop at Marigot for 15 to 20 minutes and some other places prior to Marigot. Then we board the ferry for Pinal Island arriving around noon. Spend three hours on Pinal Island then back on the ferry for a straight return to the cruise pier. Will arrive at pier by 3:45 or 4pm. Hope this helps anyone on this tour.

 

Well that makes much more sense! I noticed that the lady who was e-mailing me, confident that the stop at Maho is on the way back to the ship, is actually working out of Grand Cayman. I'm sure she has no idea where Maho is in relation to Pinel and the port!! Thanks for the research! My husband won't get to see any BIG planes if we do this, but at least I can get a quick look at the "beach..." :)

[Karysa]

This excursion sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day in St.Maarten. Please come back and let us know how it went. I am especially interested in hearing about how the snorkeling on Pinel Island is now.

[jacksmom09]

If anyone tries this before we go, would love a review!:D

[debshomespun]

I am also interested in knowing how this tour goes. We used Island Marketing for a dune buggy tour in Roatan in Feb.12 with no problems. I have wanted to go to Pinel Island and not made it yet. We have been to maho and watched the planes land and take off. It's lots of fun. Also been to Marigot before. We won't be in St. Maarten until Jan/13, so I have lots of time to hear back on some reviews before I make a reservation!

[kcparrothead]

If anyone tries this before we go, would love a review!:D

 

We won't be doing this until June, so if noone else gives us a review soon, could you check back in after you get back? I'd love to hear about it!!

[jacksmom09]

Be glad to post a review!:D

[2Canucks]

How was the St Maarten Tiki Hut Tour?

 

Any recent reviews for this tour?

 

Pat :)

[kcparrothead]

"Jacksmom" said she'll report back & it looks like she cruises in 19 days. We've booked it for June 20th - can't wait!!

[telecomgirl111]

"Jacksmom" said she'll report back & it looks like she cruises in 19 days. We've booked it for June 20th - can't wait!!

 

Darn! Jacksmom is away the same week we are so I won't get to see her review before we go. I really want to go to Pinel Island, but I'd like to see the big planes, too.

[kcparrothead]

Darn! Jacksmom is away the same week we are so I won't get to see her review before we go. I really want to go to Pinel Island, but I'd like to see the big planes, too.

 

I know what you mean. We had to make the decision and chose Pinel Island. We were at Maho last Sept. from around 12:30 to 2pm on a Wednesday and got to see one pretty big plane (& lots of smaller ones). I told my husband he'll just have to be happy with a few small ones this time & maybe we can go back & do a land based trip to St. Martin next time so he can see all the planes he wants! ;)

[cindygad]

We have rented a car two times and made a few stops and then went over to pinnel island. Very nice beach and enjoyed it very much. A lot cheeper to do on your own especially if you share a car with another couple. Easy island to drive around.

[MississippiMom]

We have rented a car two times and made a few stops and then went over to pinnel island. Very nice beach and enjoyed it very much. A lot cheeper to do on your own especially if you share a car with another couple. Easy island to drive around.

 

This might be a reasonable option for our family of 5. Who did you rent a car from and how difficult was it to find from the dock? And did you need anything special to cross from one side of the island to the other?

 

Thanks!

[cherylroslyn]

Has anyone tried this lately? I'm booked for April 29th so if no one has reviewed it by then I will do it upon my return.......

 

 

 

Someone has done it I am sure!!!!!!!

[kcparrothead]

Has anyone tried this lately? I'm booked for April 29th so if no one has reviewed it by then I will do it upon my return.......

 

 

 

Someone has done it I am sure!!!!!!!

 

"Jacksmom" should be back tomorrow, so I'm hoping she'll be back on here to give us a review soon! Sure hope she liked it, because we are already booked in June! :)

[cherylroslyn]

"Jacksmom" should be back tomorrow, so I'm hoping she'll be back on here to give us a review soon! Sure hope she liked it, because we are already booked in June! :)

me too ;)

[telecomgirl111]

Well, we did this tour last Thursday and I must say I was a bit disappointed. I'm not saying it was horrible, but not awesome, either.

 

Our driver was a younger man who's name starts with a "D" but escapes me at the moment. He wore a bright red shirt and a chain with a big "S" on it and people did call him Superman. My husband commented (to me) that he knew more about how many KFC's were on the island than any real history.

 

Desmond! His name is Desmond!:D

 

We stopped at the Simpson Bay overlook for about 5 minutes to take pictures. It is pretty.

 

We stopped at Maho Beach for about 10 minutes. Neat. I think I would have liked to stay there a few minutes longer - sit back and have a drink. We didn't really have enough time for that but we did see a couple of small planes land.

 

From there we went to Marigot. We were looking forward to finding a bakery to buy some pastry or something similar. He dropped us in a flea market type area with not a bakery in sight. We wandered a bit to try to find one but we were only there for 25 minutes so we couldn't wander too far before we had to turn back.

 

Then to the island. It was nice. Not crazy beautiful, but pretty in a very primative kind of way. The free rum punch was good as was the lunch. Tasty. They had chairs with umbrellas reserved for our group when we got there. Nice. The snorkling left a bit to be desired, though. The snorkling area we were shown was very, very shallow. At times no more than a foot deep. I had trouble swimming without hitting the coral. My husband did a little better by swimming farther out, even saw a starfish. I was too afraid of getting hit by a boat to go out that far (I tend to focus on what's under the water and not pay attention:eek:). We were there for 3 hours which went by very quickly.

 

We were back at the dock by 3:30, plenty of time for our 4:30 all aboard.

 

Again, I'm not saying it was horrible, it was just ok. Maybe others would have a better experience.

[maudde]

This was Pinel You went to? It sounds like you were not impressed at all with it. I am trying to decide if I want to go to Pinel. Thanks for the review.

[Karysa]

Well, we did this tour last Thursday and I must say I was a bit disappointed. I'm not saying it was horrible, but not awesome, either.

 

Our driver was a younger man who's name starts with a "D" but escapes me at the moment. He wore a bright red shirt and a chain with a big "S" on it and people did call him Superman. My husband commented (to me) that he knew more about how many KFC's were on the island than any real history.

 

Desmond! His name is Desmond!:D

 

We stopped at the Simpson Bay overlook for about 5 minutes to take pictures. It is pretty.

 

We stopped at Maho Beach for about 10 minutes. Neat. I think I would have liked to stay there a few minutes longer - sit back and have a drink. We didn't really have enough time for that but we did see a couple of small planes land.

 

From there we went to Marigot. We were looking forward to finding a bakery to buy some pastry or something similar. He dropped us in a flea market type area with not a bakery in sight. We wandered a bit to try to find one but we were only there for 25 minutes so we couldn't wander too far before we had to turn back.

 

Then to the island. It was nice. Not crazy beautiful, but pretty in a very primative kind of way. The free rum punch was good as was the lunch. Tasty. They had chairs with umbrellas reserved for our group when we got there. Nice. The snorkling left a bit to be desired, though. The snorkling area we were shown was very, very shallow. At times no more than a foot deep. I had trouble swimming without hitting the coral. My husband did a little better by swimming farther out, even saw a starfish. I was too afraid of getting hit by a boat to go out that far (I tend to focus on what's under the water and not pay attention:eek:). We were there for 3 hours which went by very quickly.

 

We were back at the dock by 3:30, plenty of time for our 4:30 all aboard.

 

Again, I'm not saying it was horrible, it was just ok. Maybe others would have a better experience.

 

Thanks for the information. I have never had much luck snorkeling at Pinel island myself. The last time that I went I just snorkeled out in front of the main beach . There were a few fish and a small stingray but that was about it.

The best snorkeling on the island is around Creole Rock out in the water off of Grand Case.

[kcparrothead]

From there we went to Marigot. We were looking forward to finding a bakery to buy some pastry or something similar. He dropped us in a flea market type area with not a bakery in sight. We wandered a bit to try to find one but we were only there for 25 minutes so we couldn't wander too far before we had to turn back.

 

Sorry it wasn't awesome. :( Maybe since I'll be going into it not expecting too much, I will have a great time! We plan to go to Sarafina's in Marigot and I thought it was right across the street from the market. Can someone confirm that for me???

 

Fortunately, we watched several planes land last Sept., so if we see a couple in our short time there, my husband should be happy enough! :rolleyes:

[Karysa]

Sorry it wasn't awesome. :( Maybe since I'll be going into it not expecting too much, I will have a great time! We plan to go to Sarafina's in Marigot and I thought it was right across the street from the market. Can someone confirm that for me???

 

Fortunately, we watched several planes land last Sept., so if we see a couple in our short time there, my husband should be happy enough! :rolleyes:

 

Dont know about a flea market but the Marigot Market can be seen from Sarafina's. It is across the street at the waterfront. Could the poster have gone on a Sunday perhaps?

[menaceman]

We also did this trip last Thursday and we really liked it. DH and I had time to share a beer while watching the planes and did some shopping in Marigot.

 

Pinel island was just our style. Lunch was very good. Lounges and umbrellas were set up for us. We spent most of our time in the water. Didn't bother snorkeling, we were just to relaxed in the water to bother.

 

We are really beach people and are very glad that we went.

 

By the way, behind the bar near the bathrooms you can see a lot of iguanas.

[kcparrothead]

Dont know about a flea market but the Marigot Market can be seen from Sarafina's. It is across the street at the waterfront. Could the poster have gone on a Sunday perhaps?

 

She said she was there on a Thursday..:confused:..... Thanks for confirming that Sarafina's is close! So, if the driver drops us off at the market, we just head towards the waterfront to the west? Since we only have about 1/2 hour, I hate to spend a lot of time looking for it! :)

 

We also did this trip last Thursday and we really liked it. DH and I had time to share a beer while watching the planes and did some shopping in Marigot.

 

Pinel island was just our style. Lunch was very good. Lounges and umbrellas were set up for us. We spent most of our time in the water. Didn't bother snorkeling, we were just to relaxed in the water to bother.

 

We are really beach people and are very glad that we went.

 

By the way, behind the bar near the bathrooms you can see a lot of iguanas.

 

This sounds like just our style, too! Thanks so much - I feel much better now! :D

[flashdog_1]

Thanks for the review of the Pinel Island excursion (Tiki Hut). Do you remember the NAME of the restaurant where you received the "free" meal? I've read that there are 3, Yellow something, I think right at the dock, then something that starts with a K that is of worldwide renown as far as beach restaurants go & to the left of the dock, and then something that has the word "key" in it whose restaurant according to reviews is not so hot.

 

What were your food choices?

 

Was it cash only for drinks other than the "free" rum punch? No trouble with US dollars, I guess.

 

I'm so disappointed that you had so little time in Marigot. I'd picked this excursion because it says you will stop there for an hour (and does not mention stopping at Maho, even though it shows a photo of Maho!). I like you, had wanted to find a bakery or something French!!

 

Thanks for telling us about it, though.

 

Maybe some others will also report on their experience there.

[cherylroslyn]

Thanks for the review of the Pinel Island excursion (Tiki Hut). Do you remember the NAME of the restaurant where you received the "free" meal? I've read that there are 3, Yellow something, I think right at the dock, then something that starts with a K that is of worldwide renown as far as beach restaurants go & to the left of the dock, and then something that has the word "key" in it whose restaurant according to reviews is not so hot.

 

What were your food choices?

 

Was it cash only for drinks other than the "free" rum punch? No trouble with US dollars, I guess.

 

I'm so disappointed that you had so little time in Marigot. I'd picked this excursion because it says you will stop there for an hour (and does not mention stopping at Maho, even though it shows a photo of Maho!). I like you, had wanted to find a bakery or something French!!

 

Thanks for telling us about it, though.

 

Maybe some others will also report on their experience there.

I did this excursion with the same driver the first week in May. Desmond was polite, albeit a little shy and very charming. I had a very nice time and the whole group enjoyed it. We were a group of four and we were the onlyones scheduled so we could decide where we wanted to go and for how long.

 

We chose not to go to Maho since this was our third time in St. Marteen in the past year the opther members of the group had spent the day at Maho in the last few months.

 

Desmond tried to give a little history and point things out as we drove. He did inform us of the number of KFCs on the island and how important they are to the local residents. I found it to be interesting because it is somthing that we take for granted in this country.

 

The market in Margiot is directly across from Serafina's and I WAS there on a Sunday and it WAS open. The open air Market is fine and I actually bought a gorgeous woven had that would have been 80 or 100 dollars where I live.

 

From there we drove to the "ferry". The ferry is a small wooden boat that seats about 15 -20, with no life jackets. Everyone who goes to Pinel takes these ferries, but if I were traveling with children I would not have boarded the "ferry" without a life jacket.

 

When we landed at Pinel we walked to the left past the Yellow Beach restaurant to the Restraunt on the Key. There were chairs lined up for the four of us in the shade and Desmond sat there about fifty feet away for the whole day. He watched our stuff when we went in the water. He brought us menus to order at lunch, took our order and came and got us when our lunch was served on a picnic table. The ribs were great. We fed the Iguanas...they stay in a little area behind the restaurant and don't beother anyone....they come out when the restaurant feeds them lettuce......YUM!!!!

 

We left the island around 2:45 and made it back to the ship with an hour to spare.

 

The water was gorgeous and calm...we spent a lot of the day in the water. I was one girl snorkeling but there did not look like there was much where we were.....there was more stuff over by the area of Yellow Beach Restaurant.

 

 

I really enjoyed the excursion and it was a nice change from the usual Orient Beach......

[kcparrothead]

I did this excursion with the same driver the first week in May. Desmond was polite, albeit a little shy and very charming. I had a very nice time and the whole group enjoyed it. We were a group of four and we were the onlyones scheduled so we could decide where we wanted to go and for how long.

 

We chose not to go to Maho since this was our third time in St. Marteen in the past year the opther members of the group had spent the day at Maho in the last few months.

 

Desmond tried to give a little history and point things out as we drove. He did inform us of the number of KFCs on the island and how important they are to the local residents. I found it to be interesting because it is somthing that we take for granted in this country.

 

The market in Margiot is directly across from Serafina's and I WAS there on a Sunday and it WAS open. The open air Market is fine and I actually bought a gorgeous woven had that would have been 80 or 100 dollars where I live.

 

From there we drove to the "ferry". The ferry is a small wooden boat that seats about 15 -20, with no life jackets. Everyone who goes to Pinel takes these ferries, but if I were traveling with children I would not have boarded the "ferry" without a life jacket.

 

When we landed at Pinel we walked to the left past the Yellow Beach restaurant to the Restraunt on the Key. There were chairs lined up for the four of us in the shade and Desmond sat there about fifty feet away for the whole day. He watched our stuff when we went in the water. He brought us menus to order at lunch, took our order and came and got us when our lunch was served on a picnic table. The ribs were great. We fed the Iguanas...they stay in a little area behind the restaurant and don't beother anyone....they come out when the restaurant feeds them lettuce......YUM!!!!

 

We left the island around 2:45 and made it back to the ship with an hour to spare.

 

The water was gorgeous and calm...we spent a lot of the day in the water. I was one girl snorkeling but there did not look like there was much where we were.....there was more stuff over by the area of Yellow Beach Restaurant.

 

 

I really enjoyed the excursion and it was a nice change from the usual Orient Beach......

 

Thanks for the review! I can't wait!!!