Going to Orient Bay this week, anybody been recently?

I've been a couple of years ago and going back in sept. One of ny favorites in the caribbean. We went to the top of the mountain and you can see half the virgin islands it seems.

ive been there two times.. probably our favorite island in the caribean soo far.. if you have a few hours take a taxi to maho beach and chill out under airplanes on final approach (princess juliana airport) youtube it.. lol.. Last time i was there, they put a double fence so you can't hang on to the fence anymore.. but you can still stand on the beach and be blown into the water by jet blast. Its great when you can wave to the pilots and they wave back thinking "wow.. these guys are idiots" Theres two bars on either side of maho beach. One is Sunset beach bar where you can buy tshirts and stuff and the other is an old boat. lol When we where there, that area had very little lighting at night though and gets pretty local.. so id probably shy more towards the tourist areas after dark.

 

If you do end up in the maho beach area.. basically across the street from the sonesta is an open air bar called Cheries Cafe. that has some really good giant hamburgers.. Liz and I made a promise that the first time we ever get back to St Martin, were stopping there for a beer and a burger before we even check into the hotel.

 

Theres a french restaurant in that area too, right next to the sonesta.. We did not have a great experience there.

 

I think we got a better vibe from the dutch side rather than the french.

 

Orient Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches you can go to.. I'll agree with checker50 there. It is a clothing optional beach too.. idk if you have kids or not.. but you might see some stuff you dont wanna. The naked locals seem to come out early in the day and are mostly done by the time the cruise shippers arrive. The full naked club is on the south end of the beach, and pretty much the entire rest of the beach is vacationers. The taxi drivers all have their friends/favorite places to bring tourists, and its usually pretty affordable.. around $20 a day for two chairs, an umbrella, and some even through in a drink or two.. there are a lot of little shack type restaurant/bars who even have waiters right on the beach so you can just sit there and have someone else bring you drinks.. lol WAAAAAYYYY different than the Jersey Shore.. You didnt mention if you where going to be in an all inclusive resort or just daying it.

 

Last time we where there, there was a local guy feeding the fish and he gave us some old bread.. the fish will come right up to you and eat the bread out of your hand.

 

Just make sure you get a taxi driver with an Orange Shirt.. they are the legit ones, and have the special license plates, and they can actually be pretty damn good tour guides.. and will actually come back for you on an agreed upon time. There are some unlicensed taxis rolling around down there, but they are pretty easy to spot.

 

I didn't do an extensive search, but I've only found one crepe place and that was a tourist trap at the cruise port. They use American Dollars, and I couldn't find a euro as a silvenour on the island. Gas and Milk are very expensive. Liqiuor and Cigerettes are cheap. Lots of Gambling can be done in the casinos. There is a really large Market/Flea market type thing in the center of the dutch side if your wife is into that. Just remember.. everything is negotiable. Lol..

 

You can rent a jeep or small car for a pretty reasonable price.. but In my opinion.. some of that traffic can get crazy and fast, there's weird road signs and your driving on the wrong side of the road, so I'd probably opt to just pay the little extra for the taxis. Its worth the money and I've never met an unfriendly taxi driver there. And like I said, they are a great source of local knowledge and even impromptu tour guides.

 

There are tours with ATVs, Jetskis, Little two man boats, parasailing, all the normal tourist stuff if your into that.

 

You didn't mention how you where arriving.. but if it's by air, there was a pretty awesome duty free shop in the airport. I assume its still there. The only concern there is that if you do not have a direct flight, you will have to go through customs upon arriving back in the US, and will have to re-check in to your domestic flight and rescreen through security.. and then the liquior becomes an issue because its over the limit for liquids..

 

I know it goes without saying.. but being this is a gun forum.. make sure you dont have any guns or extra bullets on you.. or like if your re-using a bag you might have been to the range with double check it really well.. I heard you can get like 10 years for a single round. The entire time I was there, I saw one woman in the air port who I believe was military with what I thought was a glock 17 on her belt. and it was just one glock, no extra mags, no baton, no hand cuffs anything like that. lol..

 

But man.. your gunna have a great time.. I wish I was going.

I go to St. John and St Thomas every year, but yet to be to St Marten. All those islands seem similar to me, with differences in their own little ways.

 

I love the caribbean. I've been going ever since I was a child and hope to continue going every year in the future!

St. Maarten is beautiful and it's also one of my favorite Caribbean islands.

 

Here are some pics of various islands:

 

You need to visit the Sunset Bar & Grill. It's located on the beach with the airport behind. When a plane comes in to land.... you definitely won't miss it.

 

 

Make sure to try the guavaberry rum. Awesome!

We were there a few weeks ago, much prefer Dutch side however both have something to offer. Nice place and will go back there at some point.

 

I personally hated the bar/beach by the airport, found it very noisy and smelling of jet fuel.. however my wife liked it. If you're going there (and it is worth it just once!) then take some ear plugs just in case.

 

TheWombat

We were there a few weeks ago, much prefer Dutch side however both have something to offer. Nice place and will go back there at some point.

 

I personally hated the bar/beach by the airport, found it very noisy and smelling of jet fuel.. however my wife liked it. If you're going there (and it is worth it just once!) then take some ear plugs just in case.

 

TheWombat

 

Love the smell of jet fuel in the morning...

 

The Sunset Beach Bar is ranked #3 on the list of Top 21 Best Beach Bars in the world. There is a sign on the bar that topless women drink free.

 

ja sprake da Nederlands?

LOL

 

Thats me in the dark blue shirt

 

 

Cherrie's Cafe Burger

 

Yep- I hung on that fence too a few yrs back! Got a timeshare there near the harbor where all the cruise ships come in and they float about 300 yds off my window- freeky! All you see is ship- f'n huge. We rent a car and explore but watch out for the dirt bikes/quads, they must be street legal and go blasting all over. Also watch out for goats crossing the road(oops). And lots of cheap rum , like $2-3 a btl when we were there. We much preferred the Dutch side vs French. Just sux costing so much to get there.

Thanks everybody. We are renting a house and I will be driving a car w/scuba knife in my pocket.

Thanks everybody. We are renting a house and I will be driving a car w/scuba knife in my pocket.

 

Things will be a little cheaper now with the Euro falling...