Going solo- St. Martin/Maarten

[wonderdox]

What do you do when you go to St. Martin/Maarten solo? I am looking for any ideas. I love to snorkel and just chill on the beach. Not looking for fine dinning but may be looking for a few nibbles here and there.

 

I am looking for a beach that is quieter (more family suitable) but nervous about just hoping in a cab solo. I don't travel via cab very often so forgive me for being a little extra cautious : )

 

I have done a little research on Grand Case and Mullet Bay Beach and they seem less crowded which is more my speed. I am unsure how easy it is to get a cab back to the cruise ship.

 

I booked an excursion through RCCL last summer and it was just not a good experience. So I need a re-do at St. Martin : )

 

I booked an excursion that listed a specific beach (the only reason I went with that excursion) and then the tour company took us to a completely different beach that I was trying to avoid. I got a refund after bring my concerns to the cruise line and it was a lesson learned. I have never had any negative experiences with other excursions so I was bummed.

 

I plan to also post this on the port board but I also wanted to post here first.

[NW Native1]

I booked a tour through Bernards Tours on my solo Valor cruise last year. For $45 per person I got a group tour of the entire island. We did spend almost two hours at a beach just down from Orient beach, the area was semi-private. The only peolple in the area were the group from our tour - maybe 20 people. The tour was well worth the money.

[wonderdox]

I booked a tour through Bernards Tours on my solo Valor cruise last year. For $45 per person I got a group tour of the entire island. We did spend almost two hours at a beach just down from Orient beach, the area was semi-private. The only peolple in the area were the group from our tour - maybe 20 people. The tour was well worth the money.

 

Sorry for the delay in responding. Crazy work week.

 

I appreciate the suggestion :) I know that Bernard's gets a lot of love on CC. It is certainly something I will consider. Thanks!

[barefoot cruiser]

Sorry for the delay in responding. Crazy work week.

 

I appreciate the suggestion :) I know that Bernard's gets a lot of love on CC. It is certainly something I will consider. Thanks!

I have gone on Bernard's and really liked it, but I am not sure it would fit the expectations you asked for. You see a lot of the island, but don't necessarily get a lot of beach time and not really any snorkeling time.

 

Have you thought about doing a catamaran or power boat snorkeling tour...most of them have beach time also. Maybe see what others are doing on your roll call and maybe hook into one of their tours and split a cab?

[AmoMondo]

I went horse riding on one trip. Arranged it with the stable before I went on the cruise. It was nice to have a trail ride with just me and a guide. I didn't want to go on a ship organised one as groups tend to be too big and you have to have the pace geared to the worst rider, which usually means a nose to tail slow walk. I can ride Nd wanted to have a chance to get up a bit of speed at times. They can cater for all riding abilities though.

 

Another time I just got the water transfer to the beach and sunbathed for a bit (not the best on your own as you can't go into the water unless you have no belongings with you) then wandered around town.

[croozbabe]

I recently returned from a cruise which stopped at St. Martin and I did the Ultimate Beach and Snorkeling Adventure, ship-sponsored excursion. It was really fun as we rode on a power boat which really went fast and stopped at a pretty spot on the French side for snorkeling, then we went to Mullet Bay Beach, a truly lovely spot with gentle waves and beautiful water. Our power boat then continued around the island and the guide pointed out some spectacular homes belonging to Denzel Washington and Janet Jackson as well as a yacht formerly owned by Tiger Woods (now belonging to his ex-wife). It was a fun adventure.

[wonderdox]

I went horse riding on one trip. Arranged it with the stable before I went on the cruise. It was nice to have a trail ride with just me and a guide. I didn't want to go on a ship organised one as groups tend to be too big and you have to have the pace geared to the worst rider, which usually means a nose to tail slow walk. I can ride Nd wanted to have a chance to get up a bit of speed at times. They can cater for all riding abilities though.

 

Another time I just got the water transfer to the beach and sunbathed for a bit (not the best on your own as you can't go into the water unless you have no belongings with you) then wandered around town.

 

You know, I never thought about horseback riding. I actually grew up riding horses. This might be fun! Do you recall what stable you used?

[wonderdox]

I recently returned from a cruise which stopped at St. Martin and I did the Ultimate Beach and Snorkeling Adventure, ship-sponsored excursion. It was really fun as we rode on a power boat which really went fast and stopped at a pretty spot on the French side for snorkeling, then we went to Mullet Bay Beach, a truly lovely spot with gentle waves and beautiful water. Our power boat then continued around the island and the guide pointed out some spectacular homes belonging to Denzel Washington and Janet Jackson as well as a yacht formerly owned by Tiger Woods (now belonging to his ex-wife). It was a fun adventure.

 

Was this with Royal Caribbean by any chance? I totally picked the wrong excursion in St. Martin so I feel like I need a redo. This sounds great.

 

I normal snorkel in St. Thomas but I am changing it up this time and heading to St. Johns. Captain Nautica is a great company and used them twice. Small boats and very laid back. Oh and you get to swim with SEA TURTLES!!

[Tminish]

I hear so many people talking about Bernards Tours....Is their a website for these tours?

[poppadevan]

I hear so many people talking about Bernards Tours....Is their a website for these tours?

 

Yes-- www.bernardstours.com

[croozbabe]

Was this with Royal Caribbean by any chance? I totally picked the wrong excursion in St. Martin so I feel like I need a redo. This sounds great.

 

I normal snorkel in St. Thomas but I am changing it up this time and heading to St. Johns. Captain Nautica is a great company and used them twice. Small boats and very laid back. Oh and you get to swim with SEA TURTLES!!

 

No, it was with Celebrity. But I imagine they offer it to all the cruiselines. At St. Thomas, we took an excursion sailing on a big catamaran to St. John where we anchored at Honeymoon Beach, a simply gorgeous pristine spot for snorkeling or just beaching it. I don't snorkel but my sister did say that she saw a sea turtle.

[mrobstad]

I hop cabs in St. Martin and St.Thomas all the time, and never by myself. When you go to popular destinations like beaches, there's always cruise passengers to share a cab!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[zoncom]

I take the white vans from the Upper Street ,$2 last time each way to the French side.Nice shopping, dining over there.

[klmb318]

Last Month I was in St. Maarten and we took the speed boat tour with Robinson Tours. I cant say enough wonderful things about our day. We visited a couple of very nice snorkeling spots where we say the turtles as well as many other fish and sea life. We also visited a couple of very nice beaches, one was Pinel Island where we had yummy lunch and saw the iguana. The boat driver was very informative about the Island and offered lots of facts about both sides (French and Dutch). He had a large cooler with free water, soda and beer. I will DEFINITELY do this again if I ever go back. My family and I agreed that this was the highlight of our cruise. I think it would be perfect for solo cruisers.

http://www.boat-charter-stmartin.com/show_tours.php?region_id=1

Edited May 21, 2014 by klmb318
add link

[LOVINTNT]

I'm also going to be solo in St. Martin in a couple of weeks. We'll be in port from 8 to 6:00 and I want to take advantage of that nice long day to explore on my own, hitting Orient, Grand Case, Marigot, and Maho. I plan to just take taxis and my question is the availability/ease of finding them once I've left Orient. (I plan to start there in the morning when it will hopefully be less crowded.)

 

So, is this a doable plan and are there any special safety concerns I should be aware of as a woman traveling alone?

 

I will appreciate any information you can provide. Thank you!

[Stallion]

I specifically remember going to Orient Beach several times and they pack about 10-12 people into one of the Taxi shuttles-so you would likely be with other families from your own ship. In fact, you might be better off going to a beach where you are sure to be with large groups back and forth to the ship

[LOVINTNT]

I specifically remember going to Orient Beach several times and they pack about 10-12 people into one of the Taxi shuttles-so you would likely be with other families from your own ship. In fact, you might be better off going to a beach where you are sure to be with large groups back and forth to the ship

 

Thank you for the response. I'm not too worried about the ride to Orient or the ride back from Maho. Do you have any info about taxis between Orient, Grand Case, Marigot, and Maho? Also, is there some reason that I need to be sure to stay with large groups? I was thinking that the places I chose were pretty well traveled, so likely safe - do I need to rethink?

[dazza74]

I go and hang off the fence at the airport by Maho beach. Great excitement and a cool bar.