TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Pinel questions

How much is ferry return & how much to rent 2 chairs & umbrella? We’ve been coming for 25 years & have never been there. Deciding whether to go. Thanks

12.00 us dollars or 10 euro round trip. Chair prices depend on front or second row and time of year.

On Pinel, how important is it to reserve umbrella/chairs ahead? If it’s important, how far ahead? What is the area further AWAY from the docking platform called? Is it Karibuni? Is the area/chairs closest to the dock Yellow Beach? Any comments/tips about the restaurant Karibuni? And anything else good to know about a day trip to Pinel?

"Is the area/chairs closest to the dock Yellow Beach?"
Yes

Do you have to reserve?

I would recommend reserving chairs/umbrella at either Yellow Beach (my preference) or Karibuni at least a day or two in advance if you will be in SXM during peak Dec-Mar timing. The beach at Pinel is normally quite calm since it is so protected and it is an easy flat walk into the water. I always find the "swimming" there to be more wading because it is fairly shallow. There is a short walk on Pinel to the north side beach (which is sometimes all chunks of coral instead of sand) that is worth doing. On that walk, you get a good view of SXM from a different perspective. Note instead of taking the ferry, you can also rent kayaks from Caribbean Paddling (located on the ferry dock) and it's an easy paddle over. If you want to do the kayak thing, definitely reserve those in advance too.

Thank you very much JohnW. We've been going to SXM foremost 50 years and have yet to go to Pinel. We've been to all the islands around but not there.