Which beach to visit in St. Maarten?

[roe2ship]

Little Bay has 2 resorts on it. Mullet has none directly on the beach.

 

LB is approximately a 10 minute or less taxi ride at approximately $5 and M takes about 30 minutes at approximately $10pp eachway.

 

LB has a watersports booth with rentals. ( Aquamania ) No watersports rentals at M

 

LB has restrooms in a building. M has a port-o-potty.

 

 

Both has places to purchase food and drinks and rent chairs and umbrellas.

 

You can walk to Maho from M in about 15 min or less and it's easy and straight forward.

 

You might be able to find a taxi at Little Bay for the trip back but your chance of finding one at Mullet is slim. Calling a taxi should work out fine t both and if you don't get lucky at M just walk 7-8 minutes to the Maho strip and you will find one.

 

Mullet gets lots of islanders visiting it especially on the weekends. LB has more of a timeshare and cruiser crowd.

 

I could spend the entire day at Mullet/Maho and if I were to go to LB I would need to combo that with Philipsburg as to me it's not a beach that I would spend all day at.

 

Hope that helps.:)

Thanks for your reply.....very helpful. My initial thoughts were just to try Maho but after reading that the beach is not that great, Mullet came to mind. Mullet looks fantastic and we will walk to Maho later in the afternoon to view some planes coming in. Thanks!:)

[Karysa]

Thanks for your reply.....very helpful. My initial thoughts were just to try Maho but after reading that the beach is not that great, Mullet came to mind. Mullet looks fantastic and we will walk to Maho later in the afternoon to view some planes coming in. Thanks!:)

 

Like all beaches Maho comes and goes some but when it goes there really isn't much beach to sit on at all. There was more rocks than sand 2 weeks ago but it was still great for 45 minutes at least 3 times during our 2 week vacation.

 

Just be careful if you cross the golf course at Mullet. It is not used much but it is still used. This is a great combo. Check the plane schedule the weeks leading up to your visit to see which planes land and when on your particular day of the week. I like to say 11-2 during the summer months and 12-3 in the winter months are the best times as a rule. I really love Mullet Bay beach, the only thing I wished it had would be a restroom instead of a port-o-potty.:D

Edited August 4, 2014 by Karysa

[roe2ship]

Like all beaches Maho comes and goes some but when it goes there really isn't much beach to sit on at all. There was more rocks than sand 2 weeks ago but it was still great for 45 minutes at least 3 times during our 2 week vacation.

 

Just be careful if you cross the golf course at Mullet. It is not used much but it is still used. This is a great combo. Check the plane schedule the weeks leading up to your visit to see which planes land and when on your particular day of the week. I like to say 11-2 during the summer months and 12-3 in the winter months are the best times as a rule. I really love Mullet Bay beach, the only thing I wished it had would be a restroom instead of a port-o-potty.:D

I'm with you about the restroom.:D Your advice is appreciated. Thanks again!:)

[saphir]

Just got back from Carnival Valor trip there. We went to Little Bay, less than 10 min from the cruise port, $5 cab ride. There resort there is Divi Bay. It's beautiful there, and if you're a snorkeler there is excellent snorkeling.

 

Beach rentals are $5 for a lounger or umbrella, there's an excellent bar and restaurant and a three-level pool (with bubbler!).

 

It can be on the grounds of the hotel?

[randye]

Is Mullet Bay Beach really noisy with the planes coming in on the next beach or can you relax?

[Karysa]

Is Mullet Bay Beach really noisy with the planes coming in on the next beach or can you relax?

 

No plane noise issues at Mullet to me. Maho and Simpson Bay beaches get the plane noise. :)

[aeegee]

Can anyone tell me if you can snorkel at Maho beach? I've read it's not the best beach to go to, but the plane watching is fantastic. We want to sit at the bar and watch the planes, but we have a friend that would like to snorkel before hitting the bar to watch the planes.

 

Thank you

[Karysa]

Can anyone tell me if you can snorkel at Maho beach? I've read it's not the best beach to go to, but the plane watching is fantastic. We want to sit at the bar and watch the planes, but we have a friend that would like to snorkel before hitting the bar to watch the planes.

 

Thank you

 

You can snorkel there but the snorkelling is poor. Stop by Mullet first and snorkel by the rocks. It's ok but nothing special really.

[Hlitner]

Can anyone tell me if you can snorkel at Maho beach? I've read it's not the best beach to go to, but the plane watching is fantastic. We want to sit at the bar and watch the planes, but we have a friend that would like to snorkel before hitting the bar to watch the planes.

 

Thank you

 

You can certainly put on a mask and fins.....but it will not be a very rewarding snorkel adventure. The reality is that snorkeling is not very good at any of the beaches on the island (we have tried most). Probably the best known for snorkelers is Dawn Beach....which is often too rough for a good snorkel experience. DW and I did enjoy snorkeling at Happy Bay Beach (there were some interesting fish along the rocks on the right side) but even this is not anything special. And few cruisers would ever go to Happy Bay Beach because its pretty far from the port and the best way to get there is to hike from Friars Bay.

 

The best snorkeling at St Maarten is usually going to be on boat-based snorkel tours.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

We found fairly decent snorkeling at Baie Rouge - near the rocks at the right end (looking at the water). It can be too rough (facing roughly west) but then east facing Dawn Beach is likely to be calm enough.

[aeegee]

Thank you everyone. I guess we'll suggest that our friend try snorkeling at another beach.

 

Jeanne & Bob

[Karysa]

Thank you everyone. I guess we'll suggest that our friend try snorkeling at another beach.

 

Jeanne & Bob

 

I would suggest that your friend either takes a boat trip to a snorkeling destination such as Creole Rock or just chooses another island to snorkel at. St. Thomas/St. John has much, much better off the beach snorkeling for instance. Take a look at the boards of your other ports and see if any of them offer great off beach snorkeling. The best off beach snorkeling that I have done is in Curaçao. It was incredible.

[aeegee]

Thanks to all. I will let our friend know. I think he was looking to be by the bar since that's where we will be, watching planes, etc. :D

 

Jeanne & Bob

[Life is Good Cruising]

Thanks to all. I will let our friend know. I think he was looking to be by the bar since that's where we will be, watching planes, etc. :D

 

Jeanne & Bob

 

I have often seen people at Maho Beach go snorkeling, which others have indicated, is not that great. Tell him watching the planes land and take off will be much better than snorkeling there. LOL

[Hlitner]

I would suggest that your friend either takes a boat trip to a snorkeling destination such as Creole Rock or just chooses another island to snorkel at. St. Thomas/St. John has much, much better off the beach snorkeling for instance. Take a look at the boards of your other ports and see if any of them offer great off beach snorkeling. The best off beach snorkeling that I have done is in Curaçao. It was incredible.

 

Tis very good advice :) There are about 37 beaches on St Maarten and DW and I once spent 2 weeks on the island trying to explore each and every one. We are avid snorkelers and took our equipment to most of the beaches figuring we could find a good "secret" spot somewhere on the island. We are now convinced it does not exist...other then the area off Happy Bay Beach (which we previously mentioned) which would probably rate as just OK when compared to snorkel spots on many other islands around the world.

 

Hank