TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Beach Chairs and Umbrellas

Hello TTOLer's,

My group of 15 (ranging in age from 14 to 65) is scheduled for a trip 8/1-8/8. We have secured 3, 2 bedroom units at La Plage. I am trying to wrap my head around what our itinerary is going to look like. I have compiled a list of restaurants, beach bars, happy hours, hiking trails/other things to do on the island (now just need to choose lol). When my family of four visited in 2021, we beach-hopped, securing chairs at various beach bars. I am looking to do that again, but, from what I am reading the chairs are at least $15/pp at most/all locations, regardless of whether you eat/drink. Is this correct? Are there any places that rent you a chair for free/reduced if you eat/drink? Those fees will add up pretty quickly with our large group over a week's time. Any suggestions for touring with such a large group? Any/all advice is welcome! TIA!

Keep in mind it's going to be difficult to get 15 chairs close together with out a prior reservation. Orange Fever has $5 chairs. La String used to have them for free but now charge a nominal fee that I'm not sure of.

Thanks Scuba. Good point about the reservation. We went to La String in 2021, and ate. Good to know about OF! Do most of the beach bars take ressies? I assume most aren't online. How far in advance do they take ressies (those that do)? I really do appreciate the information!

Aloha is free when eating lunch.

I would make reservations for everything if you have a group of 15, especially if you are doing lunch in Marigot or some of the smaller restaurants.

Thanks erb! I will check out Aloha. Does anyone have a recommendation about how far in advance restaurants generally take reservations?

In May we usually make ours day before or early morning.

Thanks!

Le String now charges $20 for 2 chairs which includes 2 free drinks. With most mixed or frozen drinks costing $8, you pay the equivalent of $2 per chair. Of course, drinking a beer will increase the effective cost of your chair. Beer drinkers can enjoy $15 buckets. 1€ = 1$ cash only.

Friars Bay Beach Cafe, arrive before 10am and it should not be a problem. $10 for two chairs and an umbrella if you eat there which i highly suggest as one of the better lunches on island. Cash only. Closed Tuesday and you might want to check further at that time of year. We usually arrive about 930 to 945 and have the option of 20 plus front row.

At one time Buccaneer's was doing free chairs with an order of lunch!! I bet if you made a reservation at D's sailor bar, Heather would comp your chairs. Mention my name!! You're gonna have lunch and drinks!! https://www.facebook.com/dsbeachbarsxm

Thanks for all of the information! I have all of these on the to-do list!

On days the weather is iffy, D's is a good option. Lots of covered area near the bar to wait out rain. Food is fairly good and I don't recall paying for chairs if we were eating lunch there.

"Mention my name!!"
We have never paid for chairs at D's and didn't mention your name.

Good to know! Thanks!

Not to ask a stupid question, but do you anticipate that everyone will go the same place all the time?? To ME, I would hate that. Have you travelled with such a large group before? Imagine the logistics of 15 people getting anywhere at the same time... I bring this up because I don't think that you would want to try to rent 15 chairs, even if you could, but you might consider renting maybe a half dozen chairs for the week, from Craig at Packlight. Then on some days, your group could split up and some go to a less crowded beach, without services, like Bai Rouge or Happy Bay or Le Gallion. I think the cost for a week is something like $25 a chair, similar for an umbrella. Just a thought.

With rare exceptions, if we have friends going with us we tell them they need to get their own car.

Wow. When we invite another couple to go with us I get a big enough car for us all to use. I wouldn't think of telling them to get their own car. Especially newbies.

Grand Case Beach Club rents chairs & umbrellas on Petit Plague. I don't know the cost. Perhaps their website has the info. Plus at their site you can view the beach. Place is o a peninsular one side being Grand Case Beach the other is Petit Plague.

Also on Grand Case Beach is Capt. Frenchy's and Rainbow. Both offer what you want..

Anse Marcel Beach, a beautiful coved beach, has too. Jazzgirl, a poster here on TTOL has the name of eatery there and perhaps price to rent.

But making a reservation is good where ever you choose.

In this case, the group is 15 people, so one would assume they will be renting at least a couple of cars. Regardless of that, it can be like herding cats to get that large a group of people all together in one place.

For sure. 15 people would be 3 cars at a minimum figuring 5 per car. 2 couples and a 3rd wheel in each.

Thanks everyone. Your insight is invaluable. The group of 15 is my family (4 adults), my sister's family (4 adults), my step mother and sister (both adults), my sister's husband's adult married daughter and her husband, and my sister-in-law and my niece and nephew (both 14). This is my brother's Celebration of Life. I am thinking we will have at least 3-4 cars. I will probably rent one large enough for my sister in law and niece and nephew to share with my family of 4. I have been looking at car rentals and have not decided which company to go with. The only people in our group who have ever been to Sint Maarten is me, my husband, and my daughter. My son started a new job before we visited last time and could not join us. They are looking to me for planning since no one else has ever been. I am trying to be careful budget-wise. I want to have a nice trip for everyone, but not break the bank. We have all traveled together several times (except my sister's step daughter and husband). We are Walt Disney World travel buddies. I figure if we can make through a week together there and still speak to each other, Sint Maarten ought to be fairly easy. I think we will probably do most major things together during the day (visiting beaches, boat tour, Rainforest Adventures, etc...). Evening activities may vary a bit. I told everyone I will come up with an itinerary and they are free to do it or not, and/or come up with alternatives. All that to say, yes, we will probably need 15 beach chairs, at various locations. We don't necessarily have to sit together at beaches (side-by-side). The nieces (all 20 somethings except my brother's daughter) usually sit together to gossip, etc... The married daughter and her husband may want to do something separate. I guess we shall see how this goes LOL. You all have given me a lot to consider. Please offer any advice. All is appreciated!

My only advice would be to not overschedule. I have been an owner at LaPlage for the past 25 years, and there's really a lot to do within easy walking distance. I've had visitors come down and after one drive around the island they really just want to reax by the pool, watch the planes or go to the beach. LaPlage has an excelent location, and I don't even usually rent a car anymore. Mullet Bay beach is a short walk up the street, and I suspect that in August getting a group of 15 chairs there would not be that difficult - you might even be able to negotiate a group price as August would be off-season. LaPlage, of course, has chairs for its guests, and again, in August, it may not be that crowded, so fifteen chairs might be possible. You can use the little van/busses and get down to Simpson Bay or Phillipsburg for a couple of dollars - at night you may have to take a taxi back, but that's still cheaper than renting a car. The little van/busses pass in front of the LaPlage every few minutes, and there's a taxi stand right in front of the Sonesta next door. Right in Maho there's live entertainment every night at the Hole in Walll. The new Smashburgers is really good and reasonably priced. The new Maho Deli makes excellent sandwiches and terrific breakfasts - aslo reasonably priced. The Driftwood Boat Bar will give you a real island vibe (lots of locals) has good food - also reasonably priced - and some of the best frozen drinks on the island. At the other end of Maho beach (also very walkable) You'll find the Sunet Beach Bar (unfortunately overwhelmed now by tours off the cruise ships) and the Sand Bar. Parking in Maho can be challenging. There's a parking garage under La Terasse next to the market, and guests at LaPlage can arrange permits, but there's a nightly fee and with 3 or 4 vehicles it could add up. For a special night out there are many fine restaurants in Maho. The Tortuga, right at LaPlage, has probably one of the best settings for a nice meal on the island - right on the water! One other consideration might be island traffic. I can't really comment since I don't usually rent a car anymore, but manhy posters complain about it, but again, in August, it may not be that bad . Anyway, I guess the pont of my ramblings is to suggest not overscheduling and perhaps only renting vehicles for a couple of days and taking advantage of the location of LaPlage in Maho. Whatever you do - don't worry - you can't have a bad time in Saint Martin!

You are going off season, it will be hotter and more humid but being from NC you are probably used to that more than I. It will be less crowded and for things like car rental negotiate noting it is off season and they will have cars sitting around. The water will be warmer and clearer, and the odds of a hurricane are low but still something to think about. It seems you have your planning relaxed which when herding cats is good. As mentioned and you probably already know this but you are in a great walkable area. There have already been some great suggestions so far, so noting the budget friendly comment here are my suggestions, good but not breaking the bank.

Beach days - First off show up by 930am at any of these and you will have your best shot of getting lots of chairs. D's, K as in Karakter, and Marys Boon on Simpson Bay all have good food and last I heard free chairs. Note at K, it is French style where the tip/service is in with the food so when you consider you are maybe adding 3-5% tip it is a bit more reasonable. Just note that drinking there can get expensive. On Orient Orange Fever was suggested, might be tough to get 8 chairs let alone 15 you could call for reservations. Food and drink are reasonable there. Grand Case - While we like Grand Case Beach Club getting 4 or 8 chairs can be tough, let alone more. LTC is great but the price is not bargain. I would suggest Frenchy's, a bit more reasonable on all and probably the best place for a chance at a large number of chairs if you want to try Grand Case which has a great beach. Mullet is right by you, Rosies and Da Watering Hole are more reasonably priced and it is a great beach. The beaches all come and go and change daily, including the beach right there at the resort where you will have free chairs and Tortuga really is pretty good.

Food - Walking distance you have a lot to choose from, Roma for Happy Hour is a great choice. Up in Jordan Village you have a couple inexpensive places that cater to college students along with the tourist and locals. Fat Tony's is good, and La Chingona (real deal Mexican) while mostly for take away it is one of my favorite places on island and inexpensive. Dany's at Cupecoy for Sunset and Beer/Cocktails is another favorite. In Simpson Bay I know people that like to take larger groups to White Swan for Chinese Food and for the 20 somethings and above I highly suggest Huppel The Pub especially on Monday nights. Inexpensive drinks, great vibe and great music. Something you might also want to do as a group is contact Richard at Gutside and have a dinner there, can't get much more local than having dinner with Richard and Lourdes and it is very reasonable. There are lots of places for higher end but these were the easier on the pocketbook favorites that we know of.

With 15 you could probably charter or rent out an entire boat for the day or a sunset cruise like on No1SXM, not a out on a boat person but I am sure others can give suggestions on this. You might also want to consider The 12 Meter Regata and racing each other, a lot of fun that can be done as a group.

Have a great trip!

Thanks Tim! I chose La Plage strategically for all of the reasons you mentioned. We also stayed there in 2021 and absolutely loved it! My daughter and her friend called our trip "life changing" LOL. Living up to that may be difficult with such a large group. I've priced out car rentals at around $170 for a week, per standard size vehicle, with Hardy's. However, if you upgrade to a larger vehicle that seats 7-8 (Ford Explorer or Van), the price goes to around $475 or higher for the week. That seems to be the best deal going that I've seen. While I haven't done the exact math, with 15 people, I think it would be cheaper to rent a car for the week, than taxi from/to the airport and then taxi other places. I think parking is $5 a day in the garage under La Terrasse. We are planning to visit Orient, Phillipsburg, Zip Line, Marigot, Grand Case, and Pinel. Still trying to decide if I want to do a full or half day boat tour, and whether or not I want to do it to Anguilla or St. Maarten. We did a full day around SM last time and had a great time. I have been in touch with the manager of the tour company we used last time, and they can privately accommodate all 15 of us privately for our tour. Thanks for the tips!