TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin TRIP REPORT, June 8-July 14, 2023 – Activities Part 1

Because of the limit on number of photos per thread, the Activities portion of my trip report will have to be separated into Part 1 and Part 2.

BEACHES

Anse Marcel

It’s my favorite beach on the island. Unfortunately, it was windy enough that we weren’t allowed to open umbrellas until later in the afternoon so it got pretty hot when on the loungers.



Coco Beach

My favorite jeweler organizes “Sunday Fun Days” most Sundays. I was invited to one at Coco Beach. Jeff is color-coordinated even at the beach: sunglasses, shirt, bag, shoes were all green.





Cay Bay (Indigo)

I didn’t go here for a beach day, just lunch, but it’s a beautiful setting.



Friar’s Bay

FBBC was closed so I hung out at 978 Beach Lounge. The chairs are much more comfortable than at FBBC, and the rest rooms are much nicer. The staff were friendly.





When leaving Friar’s Bay, I drove around the residential area a little. Anyone know what kind of tree this is? I thought the green gates were pretty.






Little Bay

I have a timeshare at Divi in June but haven’t stayed there for two years. It’s a wonderful beach so went there on a Saturday (timeshare turnover day) when there aren’t many people on the beach. After some texting, I realized that Wild Bill and family were just a few chairs down from me, so we spent some time bobbing in the water together. It was a beautiful day to be at the beach.




Grand Case

I went on a Sunday; big mistake as pounding “music” started up at Rainbow early afternoon. I was next door at Captain Frenchys but noticed Rainbow has replaced those awful red loungers with something that looks much more comfortable.




Petite Plage

I parked on the street and they opened the gate at GCBC so I could walk down to the restaurant and beach. This is such a lovely beach: easy water access and calm waves. It was a splendid beach day.




EXCURSIONS

Boomerang

This was my second time on Boomerang and will be my last. I went only because a group from the SXMorBust! Facebook group was going. I know I am in the minority, but I prefer quiet sails, which is not what this is. It’s a speed boat that stops at four places (Creole Rock, Pinel Island, Tintamarre, Long Bay) during the day so it’s always speed, and often very bumpy. There are also too many people on the boat for my personal taste. The food is good, and they did accommodate my Keto request. Most people think it’s a blast, so take my comments with a grain of salt.



No1SXM

My first sail on No1SXM was a sunset cruise. After that, I went on two day sails. It was a perfect evening for sailing and was so peaceful. I have never seen a sand bank at La Samanna like this one. On all of the sails, it was this high.




Three days later I went on a day sail on No1SXM. It was a beautiful day, and the sailing was very calm all day long. Just perfect.



The day after my beach day at Friar’s Bay, I did another sail on No1SXM. FBBC was closed that day also, so closed on Wednesday and Thursday. This time, it was a very windy day and the boat bounced a good bit. Still a great sail.



Enigma/Celine 3

I also went on two day sails on Enigma. Neil didn’t stay on board for either sail, but he did take us to and from the dock at beginning and end of day. One day he had a doctor’s appointment, but the other day was just a day off for him. He has a good crew, and they maintain his high standards for a wonderful day of boating.

The better part of the day was spent at Happy Bay with a late-afternoon hour at Long Bay. Still an amazing sand bank at La Samanna.





This was the first I’ve seen of these. They are next door to Karakter; I assume from the name that Karakter rents out cabanas.



Horny Toad from the water.



On my second Enigma sail, I noted the sand at Dany’s.




Kalatua, which I haven’t managed to get to yet.



Conclusion of "Activities" in Part 2 thread.

Thanks for another nice report and pictures. Tough to beat No1SXM.

That's a mango tree my dear!

I thought it was mangoes on that tree. Very pretty gate, for sure.

Were those cabana things between Karakter and Beachside Villas, or between Karakter and Mary's Boon? I guess maybe it's been two years since we've been to Karakter, as I know we didn't get there this year.

Great report and pictures!

Beautiful pictures! We still haven’t been on a boat trip.

Great info! Especially about the sailing trips. We've been planning to do one, just haven't gotten around to it yet. This info helps narrow down some possibilities.

Right next door to Karakter on the Mary's Boon side.

OK thanks

Wonderful photos and report, Linda !

Linda,

You never disappoint. Thank you for your time and efforts.👏👏

Absolutely Stunning Pictures!
Thanks for sharing!

Nice to see pics from the water looking in. Very nice,
Thanks

Beautiful pictures Linda. Those Karabanas will be very close to us during our upcoming stay at Mary's Boon.

I'm still trying to decide on a day sail, and No1SXM certainly looks fabulous!

Thanks for the reports Linda

Love to see your photos from the water. I have always water to see the island from the water but hubby won't get on a boat.

Thanks for the photos, looks like you had great weather most of the time.

Terrific photos. Thanks for continuing to share.