St. Maarten excursion help

[gdulaney]

Hi everybody,

We're trying to decide what to do in St. Maarten... I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions. What was your favorite excursion in St. Maarten? What would you like to do again? We've done the 12-Metre Regatta, Under 2 Flags, and Rhino Rider excursions.

Thanks!!
Ginny

 

[DOOGIERUNNER]

Two summers ago, we chartered our own cigarette boat and spent the day in Anguilla. It was wonderful. They had the whites, most secluded beaches I'd ever seen. I think our testimonial is still on the web site. See www.offshoresunsations.com.

 

[GOVAC24]

Last year we took the French Riviera Rendezvous to Orient Beach. This was a great tour. We love the beach! Lots of waves. Down fall to this beach. Lots of people on the beach selling things. They move on with a no thank you. If nudity bothers you then you might not want this tour. You do have people walking the beach without clothes on (it's allowed on all French beaches). It really didn't seems to raise any eyebrows with the folks on our tour. The only time I think it bothered us was when a really old, hairy (bear type hairy) guy walked down the beach. There are some people who shouldn't walk naked anywhere! This was a really nice tour & the food was good. I think it was about $5.00 for the unbrella for the day. We recommend renting one. It does get hot. But over all we loved this beach & would go back again.
We have also taken the Golden Eagle tour. This one too is a great tour! Love catamaran sailing. The only problem is that it wasn't long enough! The island where they take you is pretty & has lots to explore. The snorkling is nice but can be rough drepending on the water. Again this is a tour we would do again.
Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise!

 

[gdulaney]

Two summers ago, we chartered our own cigarette boat and spent the day in Anguilla. It was wonderful. They had the whites, most secluded beaches I'd ever seen. I think our testimonial is still on the web site. See www.offshoresunsations.com.

Wow, that sounds pretty exciting...did you have a big group going or just your family?

thanks,
Ginny

 

[gdulaney]

Last year we took the French Riviera Rendezvous to Orient Beach. This was a great tour. We love the beach! Lots of waves. Down fall to this beach. Lots of people on the beach selling things. They move on with a no thank you. If nudity bothers you then you might not want this tour. You do have people walking the beach without clothes on (it's allowed on all French beaches). It really didn't seems to raise any eyebrows with the folks on our tour. The only time I think it bothered us was when a really old, hairy (bear type hairy) guy walked down the beach. There are some people who shouldn't walk naked anywhere! This was a really nice tour & the food was good. I think it was about $5.00 for the unbrella for the day. We recommend renting one. It does get hot. But over all we loved this beach & would go back again.
We have also taken the Golden Eagle tour. This one too is a great tour! Love catamaran sailing. The only problem is that it wasn't long enough! The island where they take you is pretty & has lots to explore. The snorkling is nice but can be rough drepending on the water. Again this is a tour we would do again.
Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise!

Would you mind telling me a little more about the Golden Eagle tour?

Thank you,
Ginny

 

[lisa702]

Ginny
I can't help you but I was thinking of doing the Under 2 Flags tour. What did you think of it? TIA!

 

[gdulaney]

Lisa,
As a basic tour, it wasn't bad. The bus was air-conditioned and the tour guide provided a running commentary....we stopped for a bit in Marigot and everybody was on their own to shop or whatever. We did a bit of shopping and drank a beer.......at the KFC (how weird is that ).

The only downside is that we had a couple of folks who either (a) could not tell time, (b) were on their own special time, or perhaps it was option (c) decided that nobody would mind their selfish lack of courtesy to the other 30 + people who were sitting on a very hot, stuffy bus. The driver couldn't keep the bus running while we were just sitting there. This one couple was almost 30 minutes late returning to the bus. So the rest of us just sat there. They were totally clueless and unlike me (I'd have been apologizing my rear off), they got on the bus and acted as though nothing happened.

It really was a pretty inexpensive way to see the island and get an idea of the differences between the Dutch and French sides.

I'd highly recommend the 12-Metre Regatta. I was a "bar chick" (handed out water, sodas, and beer), which is an inactive role and my husband was one of the two wench guys, which is a pretty active role.

The Rhino Rider was also neat. These are cool little inflatable-like boats that look alittle like jetskis. You ride in pairs (2 to a boat). They start you off which a safety lecture and an overview of what you will be doing/where you will be going, so you really know what to expect. Then you take several "practice" laps around the bay before heading out. As you pass under a bridge, before heading out toward the sea, they take your picture (which was cute, but overpriced). You cruise up the coast, stopping several times for the guide to talk. Upon reaching a pretty secluded bay, you stop and are able to swim, float, drink some bottled water or sodas. Then you head back up the coast and return to the marina. Pretty fun!

Hope these descriptions help. Let me know if you have more questions about the "Under 2 Flags" tour.

Ginny

 

[GOVAC24]

The Golden Eagle tour:
The tour meets you at the docks and you get on a large catamaran. They sail from the Dutch side to a small island off the French side. The sail takes about 45 minutes (I think) but it's a great ride. They change the flags as they pass the border marker. The crew tells you about the island as they pass by. Lots of little tidbits. They do have drinks for you on board. Once you get to the island you are given snorkling gear (if you didn't bring any) & you walk to shore in about waist high water. It's so clear there. The guide will take the group out to snorkle. If you want you can stay on the beach,swim or explore. The island was an airbase during the war so there are still plane parts & other airport items around. They tell you when to be back on board so don't be late. Then they head back. You get some drinks & sandwiches on the ride back. The folks in the front by the netting should expect to get wet! that's the best place to sit to feel the waves! As you get closer they get everyone to start singing & yelling. They want you to wave at the folks on the ship! IT was a blast! Just too short. The crew was really nice & took good care of you. It was worth the cost.

Hope that helps you out. If I can be of anymore help let me know!

 

[gdulaney]

double post --

 

[gdulaney]

Wow, that sounds like alot of fun. I do have a couple of questions...

Was lunch good? For the cold drinks...was it sodas? water? beer? And most important....was it available if you got hot on the beach? Did you have to pay extra for the sandwiches and drinks?

Thank you!!
Ginny

 

[pacercolt]

We did the French Riviera Beach Rendevous in April and absolutley loved it. The beach is beautiful. We are going again next year.

 

[cruisenewbie2004]

We enjoyed the bus tour of the island very much.

 

[jdm]

We had a few things we wanted to do in St. Martin but weren't interested in a formal tour. We wanted to have flexibility in case we weren't enjoying ourselves etc.

We had never been to St. Martin before and I researched it before we went. We took a cab to the butterfly farm and did a quick tour there. Then we walked next door to Bayside riding stables and did a one hour ride on the beach. The cab came back and got us at a prearranged time and took us to Bikini Beach for the rest of the afternoon. This was the most beautiful beach I'd seen and we had a blast. There was some surf so the kids got to ride the waves and we really enjoyed the Guavaberry Coladas! I felt like I was in a Corona commercial! Anyway, same cab came back and got us and dropped us off at the dock where we did some shopping before getting back on the ship.

All in all we had a full day doing a little for everyone tastes. I highly recommend Orient Beach. It was gorgeous.

Have fun
Jenn

 

[StuartMI]

Well I'll ask in this thread, too.

Has anyone done any Deep Sea Fishing charters in St. Martin? We want to go and catch some Tarpon, or Marlins, and wanted to hire someone to take us out and provide equipment. Anyone??

 

[GOVAC24]

Hey there!
The lunch was chicken or something else.. I can't remember. The food was very good & was served under thatched roofs in a little picnic grove. Very nice. They gave you a ticket when you got off the bus & told you the lunch would be served between what time & what time. Durning those times you just walked off the beach to the "grove" and gave the ticket to the person at the entrance of the grove. They took you to a covered picnic table told you your choices & then off they went. Lunch included soda, water & juice(I believe). There was a cash bar there so you could order beer or a mixed drink. Oh as you come through the place to go to the water you are given a sample of a drink they make. It was good. I think it was a mango drink. There is also a "shower" to rinse off before you get back onto the bus for the trip back. If you want the bus will leave you off downtown if you want to shop before going back to the ship. Hope that helps

Lisa

 

[gdulaney]

Lisa,
Thank you for the info. Sounds like alot of fun....I'm off to email hubby.

Ginny

 

[castlegazer]

We did the Golden Eagle last time too. Tons of fun!!! Its a booze cruise no doubt about it, though. So don't be too fooled if that is not your cup of tea. It was hilarious in my opinion to be drinking a beer and rum punch at 8:30 am - I have a picture to prove it. I had a blast and the little island they took us to was very nice and had OK snorkeling - not the best, but OK. We also got to see naked people in boats showing off for us (this was not so fun as people who choose to go al fresco probably would not be on the cover of any magazine). And it was tons of fun to buzz the ship as we came back to shore.

Overall, I had a ton of fun and we danced on board and listened to good music and basically had a caribbean party out there.

This trip, we will not be doing it. I felt that while it was fun, its not why I am there and we want to spend more time exploring the actual island and experiencing the culture. You don't get this AT ALL on the Golden Eagle. I also don't want to be laying down in my cabin at 2 pm trying to stop the bed from spinning (this little tidbt may have been caused more by the free rum samples that are so prevalant in town).

We are probably going to rent a car and go exploring ourselves.

 

[Weegl]

We just got back from our cruise and stop in St. Maarten. This year we did the Lord Sheffield Tall Ship Adventure and had a great time. Its a 72 foot brigantine ship and they had food (some of the best ribs I've ever had!), drinks, snorkel gear, flotation devices all included. Can't say enough about Captain Rob and his all female crew!

We sailed from Philipsburg out to Long Beach (where all of the famous people stay) on the French side and swam and snorkeled, then motored back. It was a 4 hour trip. The cost for 2 adulta and 2 kids was $150.00 and well worth it. My daughter even got to steer the ship!

Here's the link: http://www.lordsheffield.com/

 

[gdulaney]

We just got back from our cruise and stop in St. Maarten. This year we did the Lord Sheffield Tall Ship Adventure and had a great time. Its a 72 foot brigantine ship and they had food (some of the best ribs I've ever had!), drinks, snorkel gear, flotation devices all included. Can't say enough about Captain Rob and his all female crew!

We sailed from Philipsburg out to Long Beach (where all of the famous people stay) on the French side and swam and snorkeled, then motored back. It was a 4 hour trip. The cost for 2 adulta and 2 kids was $150.00 and well worth it. My daughter even got to steer the ship!

Here's the link: http://www.lordsheffield.com/

That sounds like fun. I've got to check out the website. So many choices...only one day in St Maarten. We've gone from no ideas to a bunch of ideas. Thanks everybody!!!

Ginny

 

[GOVAC24]

Anytime, by the way.. great choice in drivers!