TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Boat Excursion

We have been coming to St Maarten for 20 years but have never been on a boat trip other than the booze cruise. I would like to go around the island or most of it. I do not snorkel & barely swim. I would like a bathroom, good food, some shade, & maybe stairs into the water. What charters do you recommend? We are coming in November. Thank you in advance, I’m sure I will get a lot of recommendations unless I have too many requirements.

no1sxm

I have enjoyed sailing with Pieter and Miriam numerous times.

While I love sailing on No1SXM, I'm not sure it meets all of your criteria. For the things you want, I would recommend Enigma/Celine 3 with Captain Neil Roebert.

Another good option.

Both of the previously suggested trips are awesome. I’m particularly fond of No1SXM but there some others that are very good, too. We had a very nice day on Eagle tours around the island sail. We are long time visitors and over almost fifty years of consecutive visits we’ve done a great many day sails and they’re all different but all worth experiencing. So many trips and do little time….. 🙂🙂

Michael and I did a private excursion with Eagle Tours two years ago. Just the two of us and the captain and first mate. It was wonderful!

While we didn’t do a ‘private tour’ with Eagle Tours, it might just as well have been. The boat trip was termed an echo tour and the boat itself huge, I think rated for fifty or so passengers plus crew and there were only twelve of us on one tour and about fifteen on the other. These were not booze cruises or party cruises but merely a bunch of visitors who wanted a more laid back experience. They did stop a couple of times for the few snorkelers on board to do their thing and for those who wanted them, drinks were free flowing. Both trips with them were round the island and we would go again in a heartbeat.

Pat, we were lucky to have been able to schedule ours during the height of Covid. I didn't want to be amidst a lot of people. Just 4 was perfect. And, the tuna sandwiches we had for lunch were FABULOUS.
The drinks could have been flowing but we elected to sit back and enjoy the waves.
We had the owner of Eagle tours son (whose name escapes me) and the Two Rum punch. It was fantastic. Lucky for us, back then, they needed the business so we could do a private!

We had a boat trip to AXA one year, although sadly, I don't recall the name of the boat or tour, that was much like your experience. John and I and one other couple, friends we were traveling with, booked the sail and we were the only ones who did. It was out of Simpson Bay and included a light breakfast, lunch at one of the AXA hotels along with the use of their beach, pool and chaise lounges, and drinks for the duration of the day on the boat. And literally, we were treated like loyalty. I really feared they might cancel the trip when we showed up as the only guests.but they made the day a very special memory for us.

I agree. Enigma would be a very good choice for the poster.

The Santino Round the Island Tour with Captain Roy is my favorite boat trip. It makes a couple of snorkeling stops but I’m not much of a snorkeler so I remain on the boat and have a couple of tasty beverages. It stops in Grand Case where you can purchase lunch from one of the logos. It also stops at Pinel Island where you can easily wade ashore. Captain Roy is a wealth of information and does a great job of describing all of the sites and his crew makes sure your cup doesn’t run dry. Aquamania Tours operate out of the Simpson Bay Resort.

We went once on the Funseaker out of Anse Marsel. They picked us up at the Grand Case pier. Fabulous trip! We saw dolphins & sea turtles. Several stops to snorkel. Excellent food & drink. At the time they had several tours to choose from. One went to Anguilla where I believe you got off the boat and had a lunch on shore.We went to Tintemare, another place which escapes me now, and Creole Rock. We chose the half day tour, so were dropped off in Grand Case & the rest went on to Anguilla.