Going to Friar's Bay via taxi for afternoon from Phillipsburg

[brookmill18]

We'll be in port from 1-8 so we think we have more than enough time and it seems like a quiet, secluded beach with a restaurant, drinks, chairs. Should we/can we prearrange with the same taxi driver to both drop us and pick us up? We will be there on a Monday in late July. Is there a better way to do this than just get a taxi at port? Arranging a tour that would basically just take us to beach and maybe a quick stop in Marigot on the way back would cost quite a bit more than simply a taxi to and from, right? We are a party of 5. Would appreciate any help.

 

Thanks!

[navybankerteacher]

Friars Bay is pretty remote - you want to make sure you have firm commitment re: pick up for return to port. Is there a particular reason for your choice? It is an OK beach - some times with annoying smell from nearby salt pond - but not all that special. There are other, more convenient, beaches.

[navybankerteacher]

Come to think of it, with five going to and from Friars Bay, with a stop in Marigot, renting a car would be roughly the same cost - you might want to be sure about how late you could drop it off - but certainly 6:00 would work.

[brookmill18]

Thanks--we don't want to rent a car. We picked Friar's Bay bc it looks more quiet and seems to have a great beach with facilities. We're looking for something more off the beaten path but that has a little restaurant with chairs and drinks. Do you think something else might be a better choice that fits that description?

 

We went to St Kitts on last cruise and absolutely loved Shipwreck Beach, but we didn't like Sapphire Beach on St Thomas. I know its like comparing apples to oranges, but we like the quieter, less busy beaches. Friar's Bay seemed to be the best fit but we have never been to St Maarten so don't really know. We don't want a town with restaurants that happens to have a beach--more looking for a nice quiet beach that has some facilities--looked like Friar's Bay has a small restaurant.

[navybankerteacher]

Dawn Beach has a very good restaurant right on the beach - it is not secluded, but by 4:00 in the afternoon it really thins out. It is on the east side of the island - just about 15 minutes from Philipsburg, so you would not be passing Marigot going to or from. There would be no problem getting taxis there as there are several restaurants along the road.

[crewsweeper]

I like Dawn Beach, especially for snorkeling. But it's not as secluded, quiet as Friar's Bay. And, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Mr. Busby's is about the only place around. It does change menus in the evening to an Italian vibe. And there is a small convenience store nearby. but not sure if that's the type of beach the OP has in mind. Grand Case Beaches might fit the bill; Little Beach is close enough to walk down to places along the main GC seaside restaurants. And taxis should be available in GC.

[brookmill18]

Thanks--based on what we can see on line thru Trip Advisor and such, I think Friar's Bay is what we want. Sounds like the main issue is the taxi back. We'll start looking into it now to see what the options are--unfortunately the St Maarten taxi fare seems to be under maintenance but we'll also ask at Kali's as soon as we get there if they can call a cab for us. We definitely won't wait until the last minute.

[Karysa]

We'll be in port from 1-8 so we think we have more than enough time and it seems like a quiet, secluded beach with a restaurant, drinks, chairs. Should we/can we prearrange with the same taxi driver to both drop us and pick us up? We will be there on a Monday in late July. Is there a better way to do this than just get a taxi at port? Arranging a tour that would basically just take us to beach and maybe a quick stop in Marigot on the way back would cost quite a bit more than simply a taxi to and from, right? We are a party of 5. Would appreciate any help.

 

Thanks!

 

 

I wouldn't consider a relatively small beach near Marigot and Grand Case with two beach bars, a quiet and secluded beach. It's not a cruisers beach but there's always people there when we visit. I think it's a pretty beach but sometimes they have to dump small rocks in the middle of the beach near the shore to help prevent erosion and this does take away from the look of the beach.

[gtaylor]

I agree with karysa. And with NBT about the smell.

 

It's an ok beach, but we rarely visit it, even tho' we spend weeks on the island at a time.

 

If you insist on going there, I think you might be able to arrange round-trip service with a taxi driver at the port, as it appears that you are the only ship that day.

 

I would recommend working a deal to only pay upon your return to the port in the afternoon. It would be very helpful to work with the driver to find a flexible time for the return pickup, so that he can find additional bookings throughout the day.

 

gary

[brookmill18]

What other beach would you recommend that fits what we are looking for? I looked into Grand Case, but that seems more like a great restaurant/bar area that has a small beach, unless we are totally missing something, Orient seems too big and crowded. I looked into Dawn Beach, but the last several reviews on Trip Advisor (I have never been so I need to go by 3rd party reviews) don't make it seem like what we want--very rough waters, lots of seaweed, etc. Am I missing something? Where would you suggest? Based on the reviews on Trip Advisor and the video clips of Kali's on line, I can't understand why Friar's Bay isn't considered a less busy, scenic beach to swim and relax on a chair without large crowds. But I've never been so I definitely appreciate your feedback. So Dawn Beach and Grand Case are the 2 you think would be best?

[navybankerteacher]

Dawn Beach can be rough - we actually enjoy the wave action -- but the seaweed problem seems largely to be a thing of the past.

[Karysa]

Look at reviews from the month that you are traveling in for crowd and general beach conditions. In February, Orient is a whole lot busier than it is in July. Grand Case is a very Long Beach that is narrow at times. Look at reviews of Rainbow Restaurant and beach bar. It may not be as quiet or secluded as you are looking for though. I will be trying it for the first time in August. It's on a nice section of the beach. I for one find Dawn choppy in the summer especially if there is a storm somewhere in the vicinity in the Atlantic.

 

 

I think of Friars as a family beach as it is in a very protected cove. Lots of families picnic here so I don't think that you will have a problem getting a chair at one of the beach bars. Like others have mentioned I would want a car myself while on a cruise but you are in port until 8 so you should be fine.

 

One other place that I stopped for a drink at before that you might like is El Zafiro at the far end of the extremely long Simpson Bay beach. It's a small boutique hotel which also caters to those looking for a nice relaxing day on the beach. Karakters down the beach about a 10-15 minute walk is also good but too busy for what you are looking for, even in July.

[sadie8]

We just spent two weeks on St. Martin. The first time we went to Friar's Bay was the day after a big rain and we turned around and left, the pond and neighborhood water drained into the beach and it wasn't appealing. The next week we tried it again and had a lovely day at Friars and were able to snorkel from the shore. However, I would not recommend it for a cruise ship stop for the reasons everybody keeps giving you, remote, no taxis, and IMO just not really worth it. Take a look at Captain Frenchy's on Grand Case beach. They have free chairs, delicious food and we were there on a cruise ship day and it was still quiet. Have you checked the cruise ship schedule, are you the only ship in port?

[gtaylor]

What other beach would you recommend that fits what we are looking for? I looked into Grand Case, but that seems more like a great restaurant/bar area that has a small beach, unless we are totally missing something, Orient seems too big and crowded. I looked into Dawn Beach, but the last several reviews on Trip Advisor (I have never been so I need to go by 3rd party reviews) don't make it seem like what we want--very rough waters, lots of seaweed, etc. Am I missing something? Where would you suggest? Based on the reviews on Trip Advisor and the video clips of Kali's on line, I can't understand why Friar's Bay isn't considered a less busy, scenic beach to swim and relax on a chair without large crowds. But I've never been so I definitely appreciate your feedback. So Dawn Beach and Grand Case are the 2 you think would be best?

IF this was pointed to me, I would recommend Grand Case, but down at the Grand Case Beach Club for a bit more upscale experience, or le Galion for the picture perfect beach experience usually without too many people.

 

gary

[gtaylor]

brookmill,

 

It appears that you might be there on a Monday, and if so, the bar/restaurant on le Galion is closed off-season.

 

gary

[Karysa]

IF this was pointed to me, I would recommend Grand Case, but down at the Grand Case Beach Club for a bit more upscale experience, or le Galion for the picture perfect beach experience usually without too many people.

 

gary

 

I visit in the summer and there are lots and lots of kids at Le Galion. They come with their families and with camps. I wouldn't consider Le Galion as a quiet beach in the summer. I also second that the restaurant on Mondays in low season is closed.

 

Petite Plage at Grand Case Besch Club is a good recommendation. The water sports booth is called Creole Rock Watersports and they rent beach chairs there.

OP the restaurant beside the beach is Sunset Cafe and it's one of the best places for drinks for sunset views on the island IMO.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Karysa

[brookmill18]

OP here and I just wanted to give an update on how it turned out. We docked around noon on a Monday and were one of the first ones off the Anthem of the Seas. We walked right to the taxi area, told them what we wanted (it was much more organized than other ports we've been to--they sort of had a manager who helped you see rates and then got a taxi for you). They told us it would be $12/pp (we had 5) and that since it was far, we would use the same driver to come back, and off we went. No issues, no worries about a return trip, easy as can be.

 

The driver was lovely and dropped us at Kali's, we arranged a pick up time (he said he'd be there early just in case) and gave us his card with phone number. We had originally thought we'd stay at Kali's, but there were a bunch of people there already, and the chairs looked fine but not great, so we walked down to Friar's Beach Club. We walked all the way down the beach, and there were very few people. They said chairs would be $5/each if we bought food and drinks, $10 if we didn't. We got 3 chairs and 2 umbrellas so in all that was $15. It was exactly what we were looking for.

 

At our end, there were very few people in the water or on the beach. Later in the day, more families arrived but it was still never crowded. The water was absolutely amazing! We were there for 3 hours and I think I stayed in the water for all about 30 min--it was just beautiful! Three of the party went to the restaurant and ordered 3 appetizers--good size, and had some left over. And the adults each had a beer. It was one of our favorite beach days ever.

 

As we walked to meet the taxi and we walked back towards Kali's we saw that end of the beach was now VERY crowded. TONS of families alll over the beach and loud. But our far end, past Friar's Bay Beach restaurant, was quiet and just what we wanted.

 

Cab driver was there waiting, drove us back, and we had a wonderful day.

[navybankerteacher]

Glad it worked so well for you.

[Karysa]

Thanks for updating us.�� So glad that you all enjoyed your St. Maarten stop. think having an all aboard time of 7:30 was good for what you planned. I was not surprised to hear that there were lots of families enjoying this beach.

[2ashevillesailors]

Friars Bay is pretty remote - you want to make sure you have firm commitment re: pick up for return to port. Is there a particular reason for your choice? It is an OK beach - some times with annoying smell from nearby salt pond - but not all that special. There are other, more convenient, beaches.

 

We took a taxi to the beach and the taxi driver said he would come back and we set up a time. He NEVER came back. There was a group of people from Canada and they had a van driver, we asked if we could join them to get back to the ship and offered to pay. They wouldn't take money and they welcomed us for the return ride.

 

We now rent a car while in St Maarten!!