Calm Beach for Snorkeling

[gidgetgoes]

we've given up on finding a resort day pass on 4/4 for this port, and now we'd just like to find a nice, calm beach where we can both sip beverages on loungers and do a little beach-based snorkeling with our ten year old son, maybe grab some lunch. we are in port this day with many other ships, so maybe somewhere not insanely crowded? not really interested in maho, we can do the low plane thing in Virginia/DCA near where we live. thanks for any recs!

[shellster1]

I have a 9-year-old son, almost 10. We spent the summer in St. Martin so I might be able to offer suggestions for you.

If I were you, I would get off the ship and grab a cab to Mullet Bay. It's just a bit past Maho, so not too far from the port. I feel like it's one of the top beaches, especially for kids: Fun, gentle waves that are not over powering, but not too shallow and boring for adults. It also has a reasonably priced beach bar and grill, loungers and umbrellas for rent, it's very safe, and even though there's no great snorkeling, you can still bring your snorkel gear and see fish: just grab some sandwich bread from the grill and bring it out with you to the ocean. Drop it around you, and you will find yourself surrounded by friendly, mellow, yet similar looking fish. It's so much fun and your 10-year-old will have a blast!

If you want to stay closer to the port, go to Divi Bay resort. It's on Little Bay, the next beach over from Great Bay. I wasn't too impressed with it, but cruisers like the proximity to the cruise port.

Whatever you do, I would NOT recommend swimming in Great bay, where the cruise ship docks. The water is polluted, and (I don't feel like) it's safe for kids...or adults. The boardwalk, however, has wonderful restaurants and is a lot of fun to walk around!!

St. Martin is one of my favorite places in the Carribean. It's absolutely beautiful, safe, and a lot of fun if you know where to go!!

[gidgetgoes]

thank you! mullet bay sounds great, do you think it gets mobbed with ships in port? we really want to avoid crazy crowds but are totally okay with some. this is the only port where there's like 15k in port that day. yikes!

 

i did a kayak/snorkel trip in Simpson bay with some awesome guides, but don't want to make our son do the kayak. mullet bay could be a good middle ground for him?

 

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[Karysa]

thank you! mullet bay sounds great, do you think it gets mobbed with ships in port? we really want to avoid crazy crowds but are totally okay with some. this is the only port where there's like 15k in port that day. yikes!

 

i did a kayak/snorkel trip in Simpson bay with some awesome guides, but don't want to make our son do the kayak. mullet bay could be a good middle ground for him?

 

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With 15 k in port ( which is a lot more ships than almost any day in the summer ) Mullet will be busy. Not packed but busy with beach goers and with catamaran trips docking in the water. It's generally considered the busy section of the island since it's beside Maho beach which is the "airplane" beach which is a hit with cruisers. I love this beach though. If you don't need facilities the far end is lovely.

[shellster1]

I totally agree with you, Simpson would be a bit too rough for a 10-year-old to kayak. I never felt like Mullet Bay was too crowded...but honestly, I was there during the summer which is low season. 4 ships is a lot, but my guess is Mullet wouldn't be a cruise passenger destination. I don't think it's listed on the ships as an excursion, and unless you are familiar with the island, I don't think a newbie would venture there, even though it's really not that far. Of course that's only my opinion.

My second choice would be Anse Marcel, and my third Grand Case. They are a hike from the port...but it's on a less traveled road. The beaches at both are amazing. Barely any waves. Still not great for snorkeling, but great for relaxing, paddle boarding, etc..

Even though my son is a string swimmer, I'm overly paranoid about being too far from my son in the water. However, I felt all these 3 beaches were very safe for him. I never worried. The waters are so calm. My little guy preferred Mullet because he loved playing in the slightly bigger waves, and he enjoyed feeding the fish.

If it were me, I would risk the increased possibility of crowds and go to Mullet. Go early. You'll be sure to get a great, front row spot on the beach and I believe you guys will have a great time!!

[gidgetgoes]

i think mullet bay sounds like the place for us. it'll be my son's first snorkel of the trip, we can cut our losses of necessary and just play in the water, there are facilities, etc. don't want to go too far out. honestly, i was thinking we'd stay on the ship except there are so many sea days on this cruise. thank you so much for the suggestion!

 

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[gidgetgoes]

is there a hotel or restaurant you would suggest we tell a taxi driver? or just say mullet bay?

 

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[shellster1]

With 15 k in port ( which is a lot more ships than almost any day in the summer ) Mullet will be busy. Not packed but busy with beach goers and with catamaran trips docking in the water. It's generally considered the busy section of the island since it's beside Maho beach which is the "airplane" beach which is a hit with cruisers. I love this beach though. If you don't need facilities the far end is lovely.

 

Agreed: It's not the cruise passengers that would be a concern...just the other visitors this time of year. Still, I think an early arrival at Mullet would work out. I don't feel like Maho visitors would venture over to Mullet. I'd go for it!!

[Karysa]

Agreed: It's not the cruise passengers that would be a concern...just the other visitors this time of year. Still, I think an early arrival at Mullet would work out. I don't feel like Maho visitors would venture over to Mullet. I'd go for it!!

 

Actually 1/2 day mullet and walk 20 minutes to Maho is getting rather popular for cruisers as many want to go to Maho but not spend the day there.

 

I think it's both the cruisers and land vacationers both and if it's a weekend then add the islanders to the list!

[Karysa]

I totally agree with you, Simpson would be a bit too rough for a 10-year-old to kayak. I never felt like Mullet Bay was too crowded...but honestly, I was there during the summer which is low season. 4 ships is a lot, but my guess is Mullet wouldn't be a cruise passenger destination. I don't think it's listed on the ships as an excursion, and unless you are familiar with the island, I don't think a newbie would venture there, even though it's really not that far. Of course that's only my opinion.

My second choice would be Anse Marcel, and my third Grand Case. They are a hike from the port...but it's on a less traveled road. The beaches at both are amazing. Barely any waves. Still not great for snorkeling, but great for relaxing, paddle boarding, etc..

Even though my son is a string swimmer, I'm overly paranoid about being too far from my son in the water. However, I felt all these 3 beaches were very safe for him. I never worried. The waters are so calm. My little guy preferred Mullet because he loved playing in the slightly bigger waves, and he enjoyed feeding the fish.

If it were me, I would risk the increased possibility of crowds and go to Mullet. Go early. You'll be sure to get a great, front row spot on the beach and I believe you guys will have a great time!!

 

I love Mullet and Grand Case and used to love Anse Marcel before the RIU came. Oh how I love that location though. You have good taste in beaches! :D What I have come to know about the island is that there is only one beach that you can say has no or barely ever any waves and that is Le Galion Beach AKA Baby Beach.

 

You are right Mullet is generally fairly calm but last November we walked the beach and couldn't get in due to the waves. The boogie board riders sure did though. The waves were the biggest I have ever seen there.

 

A few or 4 years ago :) on January 2nd Petite Plage in Grand Case did not have a beach near the restaurant at the Grand Case beach resort and the main beach was crazy rough as well. We ended up driving to Le Galion and it was super calm and went back to Grand Case for lunch where to our amazement a lady with one arm had 3 small children playing in the waves under her watchful eye. She was braver than I was I will be honest. I remember being really scared for them at one particular moment but they were all fine and had the beach to themselves that day!

 

 

For kayaking, the Lagoon is a good choice generally.

 

Also re snorkeling at Mullet. Try the far end by the rocks. The end nearest to the condos and farthest from Maho. Did went in December and was surprised to see as many fish as she did by the rocks there. She went to Baie Rouge a few days later and was disappointed with the snorkeling that she found there.

[gtaylor]

as karysa points out, Mullet Bay is not always calm and gentle.

 

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gary

[Karysa]

as karysa points out, Mullet Bay is not always calm and gentle.

 

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gary

 

Perfect video to show just how intense the waves at Mullet can be. Thanks for posting it.:)

[gidgetgoes]

yikes! okay, maybe not.

 

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[Karysa]

yikes! okay, maybe not.

 

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I love this beach. It's not usually like this. It sure was when I was there last November though.

[gidgetgoes]

I love this beach. It's not usually like this. It sure was when I was there last November though.

i'm wondering if it's calmer early April. in any case, if it's just a day to sit on the beach and watch the waves, not exactly a loss! but we would like to get in some snorkeling.

 

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[Karysa]

i'm wondering if it's calmer early April. in any case, if it's just a day to sit on the beach and watch the waves, not exactly a loss! but we would like to get in some snorkeling.

 

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Oh, I have been there many times and this November was the only time that I have seen it anywhere close to what the video shows. Actually, the waves may have been bigger en I saw them in November.:o

 

There are lots of threads on Mullet so I would sugggthaou go read some and get idea of how the beach is usually in April.

 

I do remember that on a visit in March many years ago, one of our DD's got knocked down by a wave there and it scared her and definitely made her more cautious. It was a fraction of the waves that we saw in November and it was very swimmable to me on that day but the waves were breaking quite hard near shore.

 

Some times the sand is pushed right up at Mullet and the drop from where the chairs are and where the water is can be 3 ft and perhaps more. Again, it's usually quite calm and it is a lovely beach. It's many islanders favorite beach on the Dutch side with Le Galion being their number one beach on the French side of the island. Le Galion is the calmest beach on the island consistently.

[gidgetgoes]

do you know if Le Galion has good snorkelling, and does it have services like restaurant, bathrooms, chairs? thanks!

 

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[Karysa]

do you know if Le Galion has good snorkelling, and does it have services like restaurant, bathrooms, chairs? thanks!

 

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I have not snorkeled at Le Galion cause when I did it was not good. I have not read that this has changed in recent years. There is one restaurant ( government issues- long story) no problems with the restaurant itself from recent reviews but it seems that it is living on borrowed time. It has a bathroom and there are chair rentals.

 

My DD who is a certified scuba diver and former lifeguard snorkeled at the far end of Mullet nearest the condo buildings this past December while on vacation and was pleasantly surprised at the fish that she saw. The coast is rocky there and it's the quiet end of the beach and does not have facilities right there. The port-o-potty and food shacks are at the other end of the beach. Mullet is a fairly long beach.

 

My educated guess is that you will be fine at Mullet in April. You can ask the taxi driver on the morning of your visit how the beach conditions are. :)

[gidgetgoes]

as some have suggested, i'm also looking at going to divi resort for the day. a couple places offer a day pass of sorts, including lounges and umbrella and an hour of kayak or paddle boat fur $40/20. what do you think of this? does this resort get overrun with cruise passengers?

[Karysa]

I like the view from Divi. Really pretty to me when looking out from the beach. Good Watersports company operating the Watersports booth there as well. The water is clean and has tested well in the results that I have seen. The one thing that I don't think is very good at Divi compared to say Mullet, Simpson Bay, Orient and pretty much any other popular swimmable beach is the quality of the sand on the beach. It's not bad it's just not as nice as the other swimmable beaches. I have not. Snorkeled here but have read that it's decent for beach snorkeling in St. Maarten. I think it's a great 1/2 day option close to the port. With that said I am not someone who stays on the beach for hours at a time.

 

Kim has a great review on Little Bay. I think her cc name is Mitsugirly. If you can find that then I suggest giving it a read. She is my favorite reviewer on cc I think. She gives a thorough review along with pictures.

[Karysa]

as some have suggested, i'm also looking at going to divi resort for the day. a couple places offer a day pass of sorts, including lounges and umbrella and an hour of kayak or paddle boat fur $40/20. what do you think of this? does this resort get overrun with cruise passengers?

 

I think paddle board rentals were $25 per hour back in 2015, so $15 for a chair and umbrella which sounds about right would bring it to $40. If everyone wants to rent a kayak or paddle board then you break even unless the /20 means $20 for kids and you have some with you. In that case there would be a savings. We never rented loungers specifically for the kids as they never lounged long enough to make it worth the cost. These days I often visit less crowded beaches that don't offer facilities and a cheap final table cloth works great to keep our stuff off of the sand and provides a place to sit/lie down if we want to.

[gidgetgoes]

Kim has a great review on Little Bay. I think her cc name is Mitsugirly. If you can find that then I suggest giving it a read. She is my favorite reviewer on cc I think. She gives a thorough review along with pictures.

 

i am having such trouble finding this! i've tried searching in both the CC app and Tapatalk, tried every combo, tried going through several of her reviews, still can't find it. would you happen to know in which review it's found? thanks and i'm sorry to be a bother, i feel like an idiot.

[gidgetgoes]

FOUND IT. apparently you can't see the signature on the forums apps, so i searched in a browser and finally saw the signature block with review links. whew!

[Karysa]

FOUND IT. apparently you can't see the signature on the forums apps, so i searched in a browser and finally saw the signature block with review links. whew!

 

Glad to hear that you found it. I think the same poster has a review of Mullet as well and her Orient/Maho day and one about Kayaking to Pinel island. They are just one persons view on one particular day but I think that they are very well done reviews.

[Hlitner]

we've given up on finding a resort day pass on 4/4 for this port, and now we'd just like to find a nice, calm beach where we can both sip beverages on loungers and do a little beach-based snorkeling with our ten year old son, maybe grab some lunch. we are in port this day with many other ships, so maybe somewhere not insanely crowded? not really interested in maho, we can do the low plane thing in Virginia/DCA near where we live. thanks for any recs!

 

You have asked a tough question. There really is no beach that meets your specifications...as off-beach snorkeling is not very good on St Maarten. Dawn Beach probably has the best off beach snorkeling, but is not suitable for a 10 year old since it is often too rough (especially during the late fall/winter months). The best beach for young children is Le Galion (this is the safest beach (swim wise) on the island...but the sandy bottom is not great for snorkeling. That being said, the calm conditions at Le Galion do make it perfect for a 10 year old to use snorkel gear..and they might see some fish. Le Galion has a small but very decent beach bar/cafe where the food is perfect for families. We notice that another poster mentioned Mullet Beach (a place I happen to like) but off shore conditions can make this a bit rough if the winds are blowing from the North. Mullet is also pretty convenient for those that want to also visit Maho (you can actually walk between the two places).

 

Like another poster, we have spend some quality time staying on the island (in Grand Case) and have managed to explore all 37 beaches (it was a quest). One quickly learns to choose beaches according to the prevailing winds and sea conditions. On a day when Orient Bay is full of whitecaps and rough seas, it is likely to be pretty calm at Mullet. Le Galion is nearly always calm due to the fact it is sheltered by a large off coast reef. As to Great Bay (this is the Phillipsburg City Beach that can be seen from the port) the pollution issue does remain....although its probably clean during periods when there has been little rain.

 

Hank