We'll be there the last week of April and heard of ansnorkeling excursion for snorkeling a sunken ship. Anyone out the know more about it? Is there a better snorkel here or should we consider doing something else. Grateful for any advise.
I've signed up in the past only to have it cancelled because of high waves. Pinel Island is so-so, Green Beach is pretty good, but I haven't found a great spot here yet.
I enjoyed renting a car in St. Maarten. Circled the island, stopping at several beaches and towns. I have not found good snorkeling spots yet, but I bet there is one. Always seem to be windy when I'm there, and very rough snorkeling from the beach.
I agree with the above. My favorite thing is to circle the island and stop at various places, although I hope to do the shipwreck snorkel sometime. One of my favorite spots there is Margot, on the French side. Beautiful little village with a fort overlooking the bay. Another good excursion is horseback riding. I booked it independent of the cruise line (don't recall the name, Lucky stables maybe? -- on the Dutch side) and we had a great time.
Thanks for the advice, my friend is interested in horseback riding, but I've never done it. Would this be an ok place for a first timer and do remember the cost. thanks sue
Sure, it is pretty slow, and they vary the pace based on the skill of the rider. Get vistas. I think the stables we used were Lucky Stables. It is probably about $75/person for 90 minutes or so, plus you'll have a cab ride to get there. If you've never done it before, this is a nice first time experience.
there are several stables in st Maarten and prices range from $45-$100 depending on experience level and how long you want to ride (if you've never ridden before an hour will be more than enough- you will be very sore!) just google St Maarten stables. We had fun just shopping and wandering around Marigot and Phillipsberg- Plenty to do just wandering around the open air market and sitting in the cafes in Marigot! lots of better snorkling elsewhere on other islands- Coki Beach on St Thomas is excellent if you are going there- and just $10 for snorkle rentals for the day!!!
have fun!
Sue and Jackie - I think your original question was about snorkeling on St. Martin, right? ;~) Anyway... the bottom line is that St. Martin is just not known for snorkeling. The best we've found is at Dawn Beach, which is a great place to hang out for the day but if it is windy (which is common) the water gets churned up, waves break over the coral reef and the snorkeling is poor. In any case, the reef is about 200 feet off the beach so its not a place for a poor swimmer. If it is not windy it's worth going though...I'd give it about a 6 on a 1-10 scale (with any number of beaches on St. John solid 9's and Orient Beach on St. Martin a 1) for snorkeling in terms of coral and fish. If you go to Dawn Beach, have some of those great ribs and a nice cold one dollar Carib at Ms. Busby's for me! Gene
St Martin was not vey impressive. Marigot while cute, was overrun with people & dirty. Good jewelry prices on Dutch side, Try Zhaveri. Next time we will just go to a beach & make the best of it. Snorkeling on St John on the St Thomas day was awesome. We were lucky to have calm seas & good weather -- Trunk Bay our US National park is not to be missed! The underground marked trail is lots of fun & the snorkeling is easy with great rewards.
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Snorkeling in St. Martin/Maarten
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