Any opinions on the French Riviera Beach Rondevous Excursion?

[donald@home]

We are thinking of doing the French Riviera Beach Rondevous Excursion while on St. Maarten. Any opinions on this excursion? What does it consist of? How long does it take to get to the beach and how long do you get to spend there? Should we do this one on our own (or other beaches on our own instead of this one)?

Thanks for any and all information.

 

["Ginger"]

We did it on our own. We took a taxi to and from the beach, got 2 beach chairs, had 2 cocktails and lunch for 3, DH did the Parasailing. We saved the cost of our child which was $35. Best of all we did it at our own pace. We went back into town and shopped. Last year while in St. Maarten we got a cab to St. Martin and hopped a ferry to Anguilla. We went to a beautiful beach there WOW!!! what a wonderful island we can't wait to go back. Back to St. M's, to the ship, showered quickly and changed to go shopping in town, St. Maarten.

 

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

Hey Ginger (or anyone else who know's this one...)
Please tell me more about the parasailing in St. M's. It's not a Disney excursion, right? Which "M" side was it on? How did you get hooked up with it? Where from the ship do you go? Do they also offer tandem rides? How much? Questions, questions!!
If it's just as good of a deal, I'd much rather get the ride in there, rather than risk missing out if we can't dock in Castaway Cay.

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[donald@home]

Ginger-

Thanks for the quick response and suggestions. Did you go to Orient Bay while on St. Maarten, the same beach that the Disney excursion goes to? If so, how was it? Is there another beach you would go to instead?

Anyone else have opinions or suggestions?

Thanks.
Donald

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

You need to be aware that there's an "asterisk" next to the listing for this excursion. The asterisk warns that you might see naked people at Orient Beach. If this is something you'd like to avoid, you might want to choose another excursion.

 

[ruvidu]

As Ole Dave says, do beware the asterick. We did not notice it (that is the truth) and were surprised when we got there. There was some full nudity and they were not the type bodies you want to see nude. Just old, fat people. I think they wander down just to shock the Disney folk.
We got brave and wandered up the beach and there was a bunch of topless ladies there. If you have children you may want to prepare them for it. That said,
The chairs are wonderful, the rum punch excellent and the food OK. The sand is a real fine texture not unlike sugar. I had on aqua shoes and they became so coated with the sand that I had to take them off. I tried snorkeling but did not see anything.
Beware that the ride over there takes you through some very seedy parts of the countryside. I don't think I would rent a car but would take a taxi. We were pleased with the value of the excursion which included transportation, lunch, beverages and a soft chair. Seems like we were there about 3 hours. The bus driver stopped downtown and let us off to do some shopping on the way back. We then walked back to the ship.
We have discussed it and probably would not do this excursion again. We have had some fun telling our friends about our day on the Naked Beach.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by ruvidu

We have had some fun telling our friends about our day on the Naked Beach.

ruvidu, I remember reading your trip report from last May. The way you told it was a real hoot!

 

[jjgarv]

We were just there on the 3/23 cruise:
Gorgeous beach and water
Fat, naked, old man strolling down the beach
Hot sun
Ugly ride from the ship, through the worst of the island
Overpriced
Take a cab on your own there, rent a chair and Umbrella and enjoy the sights

 

[tzs]

After our walk down to the "naked" end of the beach (and they had really big signs warning you)... I said to my husband "the men were all old and ugly" ... he said "there were men?" ... most of the women were well ... not old or ugly.

But it is a really big beach but you will see topless ... almost everywhere in St. Martin but it is not a big deal to anyone but the Americans.

 

[aalan]

we were on the 3/23 magic, and did this excursion. the beach and water were beautiful, lunch was good. i really dont know what the big deal is about the nudity: americans are such prudes. we saw a couple of nude men and one nude woman, a few topless, so what? the bus ride does go through some very ugly parts of town. overall, we thought st. maarten was suprisingly ugly: i expected lush tropical greenery, but the islands are very brown. we didnt care at all for the shopping area: it wasnt the cleanest, and just didnt have a good vibe. there were good deals on liquor especially, but i'd rather be relaxing on a nice beach than shopping on vacation anyday. i dont think having 2 countries running things there helps much, either. there is no industry, no farming, the island totally depends on tourist (mostly cruise ship) dollars. i suppose there are nice areas there, and if we went back, we might research and explore on our own, but since it was our lst trip, we did the diz thing, and overall it was fine. again the beach is pretty, but the island is not! we's rather have 2 days at st. thomas, or a day at st. croix, or somewhere else.

 

[ruvidu]

I went back and read each reply including mine twice. I saw nothing that might indicate any of us were prudes. I enjoy a change of pace and NO, you don't see many naked people walking the beaches of SC. If anything it seems we were voyeurs.
A prude would have left the beach and sat in the resturant or started walking back to the ship. I think anyone that has a problem with public nutdity should be aware of this excursion. If we don't repeat this excursion it will be because the ride over was so depressing not because some people choose to go walking without a swim suit. I see a old, fat, nacked man every time I get out of the shower. I am used to it.
We were told that the reason the island was so brown is that they have had so many hurricanes in the last couple of years. The foliage has been killed off and the people have just quit replanting. The same goes for the house in bad states of repair. Our driver said that the folks tooks the money for house repairs and bought cars and jewelry.
If we do the Eastern cruise again I don't know that we would get off the ship in St. Marteen.

 

[doulasue]

Our trip to Orient Beach was the highlight of our 7 day cruise. Just do it!! Do it on your own and save some money, take a taxi and enjoy the beach at your own pace. Find a comfy beach chair, and ENJOY!! It was sooooooo beautiful, naked people and all. The naked people only added to the relaxed, laid back atmosphere. Everyone was is a great, playful mood. Good drinks, good food, great view, and the waves were great for jumping in.
Taxi ride was a little depressing, but only took 15 mins, beware of goats in the road!! Can't wait to go back..... Sue

 

["Ginger"]

DreamsDoComeTrue, I am sorry I can't remember exactly how much the Parasailing was, I think $45. There was a beach stand next to a food shack on the bathing suit required side of the beach. Ha! Ha! Some people on that side were nude also. Our DD who was 4 at the time decided to join them. It is a beautiful beach. It's true the men were fat and ugly the women beautiful and sexy.
Hey Gals, isn't that always the way. No offense Guys.

 

[donald@home]

Hey Kids!!!

Thanks for all of the information and the lively discussion! No prude here. I have no problem with nudity. I don't seek it out, but a few naked people on a beach is no big deal. Thanks for the heads up (I didn't notice the asterisk!).

If we head to Orient Beach on our own in a cab, should we head to any particular section of the beach (we are not interested in participating in the nudity) or is it obvious where we would want to be? Since lunch or chairs will not be included, is food and chairs readily available, or should we pack a lunch?

Sorry for all of the detail questions but we are down to the wire!

Donald

 

["Ginger"]

We had no problems finding food or chairs on our visit. Have a great time.

 

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

Hey Ginger... was the beach you refered to as having the parasailing, Orient Beach?
Thanks so much!
(can't wait to serve womankind- those greyhounds will feel even MORE perfect when they see ME in (OKhalf)full glory on that beach! LOL

 

[aalan]

sorry guys, i reread my post and i should have been a little more clear: i wasnt calling anyone here on the boards a prude: there was a large extended family group next to us on the beach. and i think its o.k. to kind of point and giggle, one, maybe two times. but this group (mainly adults) constantly was going on "there's another one!," "that's disgustinging!" and so on while trying to take pictures at the same time. we just got tired of listening to it. the beach is very nice, i think a taxi ride would be cheaper than the dis excursion price, so overall i think its a nice area to go to. maybe everyone going here should be REQUIRED to be nude, now that would be interesting...

 

[doulasue]

If you are going to eat lunch there, I would recommend the beach shack restaurant with the American Flag ( it is down close to the nude section, near the end of the beach where the taxi stops are, I think there is a sign saying that it is the only American rest. on the beach). A nice woman from Queens runs it, and we had great, cheap, good old American burgers and fries. They were great after eating all that fancy food on the ship!! And the people running it were so pleasant and friendly. Also, bring lots of quarters to use the bathroom! They charged me 50 cents every time I needed to use it, I should have asked for a quantity discount at the beginning of the day, too many cold Carib beers!
Have a blast!!!! Sue

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by aalan

there was a large extended family group next to us on the beach. and i think its o.k. to kind of point and giggle, one, maybe two times. but this group (mainly adults) constantly was going on "there's another one!," "that's disgustinging!" and so on while trying to take pictures at the same time. we just got tired of listening to it.

That's why I alway mention the nudity whenever anyone asks about Orient Beach. People like the ones you described should be fully informed so that they can choose another beach instead.