Reflections on our Eastern Excursions

[Diznut84]

We just returned yesterday!

What We Did:
St. Maarten: Rented a car from Best Deals. Drove to Butteryfly farm, Orient Beach, and all the way around the island.

St. Thomas: Coral World and Coki Beach

Castaway Cay: Deep Sea Bottom Fishing (Cancelled due to high winds)

My evaluations:
1) The Butterfly farm was cute. The cost was $10 (kids are 1/2 price). It is a very small attraction (allow about 60-90 minutes). The guide was informative. The butterflies were beautiful. The guide was very good with children.
2) Orient Beach was beautiful but somewhat crowded. You can park for free right next to the beach. Lounge chairs were about $6 for the day. We rented a boogie board for $10 for the 1/2 day. The waters were very active and fun. The beach was clean although somewhat crowded. It was very inexpensive to get my daughters' hair braided ($40 for the full head; $20 for half head). There was very little nudity (one full; 10-15 very occasional topless).
3) I wasn't overly impressed with Best Deals car rentals. There wasn't much to see on St. Maarten, either.
4) Coral World/Coki Beach: SPECTACULAR! There is a moderate sized beach (300 yards long?) and snorkeling available on the side adjacent to Coral World. I have snorkeled in many great places but Coki ranks with the best. The snorkeling is FAR SUPERIOR to Castaway Cay. Coral World was fun and interesting (allow 90 minutes). Don't forget the coupon on their web site!
5) We used a taxi to get to Coral World/Coki Beach. Good idea! They drive on the left! The taxi ride is breathtaking. Try and find a taxi driver who will narrate the drive.
6) All Castaway Cay excursions were cancelled due to high winds. It was still a very relaxing day, though!

If you have questions, fire away!

 

[ClarabelleCow]

sorry you didn't car for St. Maarten, but with 37 beaches, with 25 years of going to the island I still haven't seen all of them, Orient is my least favorite!!! Way, way to busy, if you had continued straight past the butterfly farm, past the riding stable, you would have entereed LeGalion, fun place, great for kids.

 

[princessdaisy]

We will be in St. Martin in April...what beaches would you suggest? Thanks for the info

 

[princess crazy]

Thanks for your post Diznut84!!

Was wondering if you could elaborate more on Coral World??? This would be for our DD7 and on another thread someone told me it was'nt worth it?? I know everyones opinion is different but what about it did you like?? DD is wanting desperately to get some shells on this trip no matter how big or small so that is a major---if you know of anywhere on the Eastern you saw some on a beach I would love to know. As far as Coral World --DD is doing a Science project on shells and I was wondering if they had any info at Coral World or anything to look at that we could take pics of?? And you said you like the beach---was it busy and how about just going there to do beach time??---Do they have anything for kids--water trampoline?? or anything?? How about chairs would they be easy to get with an umbrella??? Thanks again for your help!

 

[princess crazy]

Another thing I forgot to ask---About how long did it take for you to get to Coral world--Coki Beach??? Thanks so much!!!

 

[ClarabelleCow]

We will be in St. Martin in April...what beaches would you suggest? Thanks for the info

If I was going to St. Maarten for the first time, I would get off the ship, go to the taxi stands, and get a taxi to give me a quickie tour of the island, ask him to take you to see Orient, Grand Case, (quiet little french town - great eating, but by cruise you don't have time), Friars Bay, (quick trip through Marigot - (French capitol), Bay Rouge, Coupecoy, Mullet Beach, Maho Beach, (stop for a drink at the sunset Beach Bar and watch the planes come in right over your head), then back to Phillipsburg, you could shop and then hit the beach right at the Pier, it's called Great Bay Beach, there has been a huge redevelopment of the town, and the beach is awsome!!!

I have no clue what this would cost for the day, but it is definately a way to see first hand what the island has to offer.

this is not a huge island, easily able to travel around in (I learned some of my driving skills there when I was 16!!)

It's not one of the prettest islands, there are poor sections, but she sure is beautiful once you hit the beaches!!!

You won't find your 5 star resorts, and most of the resorts are not even on the beaches, which is nice!!

This is just an opinion, I can't stand that the cruises push Orient, yes it has a nude resort, but it really isn't that big of a deal, and they really crowd in the cruise passengers, on non-cruise days, it's great, but if anyone was on the island last Wednesday, (I don't think Disney is there on Wednesdays, but I am not sure), there were 9 ships in port!!! My cousin was on the Carnival Victory, and said it was awful!!! I don't even go to town with 2 ships in town, so I can't even imagine!


Also, if the cruise offers and "Island Tour:, this is an option, then when you get back to the ship, Great Bay is a great option. But with a "taxi" tour, you will learn more!

 

[edith76]

We like Dawn Beach in St. Maarten. Taxi is about $6/person and 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella $10. Last week there were waves for for body surfing, but last year the water was very calm - so I don't know what is the norm. There is also some snorkeling. There is a food/drink hut - Caribs with a slice of lime are 75 cents before 4 pm if you get them at the bar or $1 if they deliver it to you on the beach. People do walk the beach selling t shirts, beads, towels, etc. but they aren't obnoxious in anyway.

 

[Diznut84]

Thanks for your post Diznut84!!

Was wondering if you could elaborate more on Coral World??? This would be for our DD7 and on another thread someone told me it was'nt worth it?? I know everyones opinion is different but what about it did you like?? DD is wanting desperately to get some shells on this trip no matter how big or small so that is a major---if you know of anywhere on the Eastern you saw some on a beach I would love to know. As far as Coral World --DD is doing a Science project on shells and I was wondering if they had any info at Coral World or anything to look at that we could take pics of?? And you said you like the beach---was it busy and how about just going there to do beach time??---Do they have anything for kids--water trampoline?? or anything?? How about chairs would they be easy to get with an umbrella??? Thanks again for your help!

I didn't see much information or displays about shells at Coral World. The emphasis is on fish, coral, etc. Our favorite areas were the underwater observatory, the marine gardens (liked the sea horses), the touch pool, and the short nature trail (check out the tortoises).

The best shelling we saw was at Castaway Cay. There are thousands of shells. The best selection, though, might be on the Cast Member beach and Serenity Bay (sneak on with your daughter for a brief period).

I enjoyed Coral World and I am a SeaWorld annual passholder. Certainly Seaworld is much larger and expansive, but I like that Coral World is located right on the beach with a cool underwater observatory of an actual natural habitat. Both my 7 year old and 10 year old daughters loved it. I would NEVER go all the way to St. Thomas and save $15 per adult, $8 per child (after coupon on Coral World web site) out of a $4000+ vacation to skip Coral World.

Don't forget that Coki Beach and Coral World are immediately adjacent to each other. So it is very easy to walk off the beach and grab ice cream from Coral World (50 yards?). The taxi stand is right between them and usually is occupied by more than 5 taxis at any given time. So transportation is a non-issue. I should also add that there are a dozen or more local artisans that have shops at Coki Beach and several dozen at the tendering area.

People have vastly different tolerance for crowds. I don't mind them much. Although both Coral World and Orient had a signficant number of people, it didn't bother me personally. There were not many other activities at Coki Beach. Orient Beach had boogie boards, parasailing, jet skis, water trampoline, etc.

You can rent chairs at Coki ($6 a piece?). There are also some shaded areas. I can't remember if there were any umbrellas.

The best part of Coki is the FANTASTIC snorkeling! It is ideal for beginners with fairly calm waters and entrance through a beach rather than a rocky area. The youngest kids can simply stand in the water and throw chunks of dog biscuits. There will be hundreds of fish around them if they do!

I'm not sure I would rent a car if I went again. The roads are very poory marked and many are in poor condition. It was fun to have a Jeep, though! The trek around the island was NOT short. It probably takes a couple of hours because speeds are slow (35 mph) and there are significant stops in Marigot, Philipsburg, and other locations.

The drive to Coki Beach/Coral World was about 30 minutes and was breathtaking. Ask the taxi driver to give you a scenic route with historical information.

Finally, the beach is also very nice (although it drops off rather quickly). Again, I highly recommend doing this...

 

[Diznut84]

sorry you didn't car for St. Maarten, but with 37 beaches, with 25 years of going to the island I still haven't seen all of them, Orient is my least favorite!!! Way, way to busy, if you had continued straight past the butterfly farm, past the riding stable, you would have entereed LeGalion, fun place, great for kids.

I enjoyed our day at St. Maarten. When I indicated that there wasn't much to see from the rental car, I was speaking more of historical and/or geographic views that are incredible on St. Thomas. I will likely return to St. Maarten in the future.

 

[sopandbass]

We just returned from the 1/8 - 1/15 Magic and we went to St. Martin's Le Galion beach, just beyond the Butterfly Farm (down a very bumpy but fun road via taxi - we asked the driver to come back and pick up at a predetermined time). It was the perfect spot for us - DH, DD4 and myself. The beach is small and uncrowded and there were plenty of chairs and umbrellas to rent. We were 3 feet from the water and there were clean bathrooms, a nice refreshment stand and the water was calm, no sudden drops in depth and warm. Adjacent to our area was a place for water sports - we watched many people on paddleboats and wind surfing. Out from the bay, you could see and hear the big waves crashing. It was a beautiful spot and I'm sure we'll return the next time we're in St. Martin.

 

[princess crazy]

Thank you so much to every one here who has posted---this is a very informative thread and is helping me to make some decisions I was'nt sure how to make!! Are the cab fares everyone is talking about one way per person or is that for the roundtrip to and from the pier??

Also any of you who have done Coral World-Coki Beach and the Butterfly farm--La Gallion---would we be able to get a cab for 4 adults and one child??---I did'nt really think of this before but am hoping there is a cab that will hold all of us.

Would it be feasible to do Coral World-Coki Beach at St Maarten and Butterfly Farm-La Gallion at St Thomas both in the morning -early afternoon and then go back to the pier and do some shopping at the shops there and be back for the early show late dinner seating???

Again thanks for all of your help--you've really made me feel better about my decisions since we don't have any excursions booked

 

[Diznut84]

Thank you so much to every one here who has posted---this is a very informative thread and is helping me to make some decisions I was'nt sure how to make!! Are the cab fares everyone is talking about one way per person or is that for the roundtrip to and from the pier??

Also any of you who have done Coral World-Coki Beach and the Butterfly farm--La Gallion---would we be able to get a cab for 4 adults and one child??---I did'nt really think of this before but am hoping there is a cab that will hold all of us.

Would it be feasible to do Coral World-Coki Beach at St Maarten and Butterfly Farm-La Gallion at St Thomas both in the morning -early afternoon and then go back to the pier and do some shopping at the shops there and be back for the early show late dinner seating???

Again thanks for all of your help--you've really made me feel better about my decisions since we don't have any excursions booked

You can take an open-air taxi on St. Thomas that seats at least 15 people. We used one with 14 people in our party all travelling together. I'm not sure about St. Maarten as we rented a car.

Yes, your plan is feasible. We also shopped in the afternoon before boarding the ship.

I believe the cab fare to Coki was $7 per person each way or $10 round trip (must specify return time).

Have fun!