TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin gallion beach

ive been to St Martin 4 times now...never been to Gallion Beach....whats the deal with the water ? is that coral? rocks? sea grass? many of you on the forum have nothing but good things to say about the beach....is it me? but I want to see what im stepping on...idk

I wondered the same thing before our last trip a few weeks ago. There is sea grass in the water. I avoided it, which is easy to do since the water is shallow, clear and calm. There are plenty of areas that are free of the sea grass and I just swam over the sea grass when I saw it. Le Galion was a wonderful respite from windy, crowded Orient Beach and it was an easy walk to get there.

the seagrass is only in a small patch but it is fun to walk through as it is full of fish. if not our favorite beach it is right in the top 3

Number one, best place to have your car broken into? Le Galion Beach. Please don't leave anything in your car.

Many locals. The water is very shallow which is good for kids. Sandy bottom 2 feet deep for about 300 feet out. they have chair rentals and a small food shack.

why are you always so negative?

Small food shack doesn't begin to describe the food that comes out of it. Fantastic! You would be surprised to see that most of the food would be considered top notch by most standards

I spent a week there back in the day, wonderful hotel and restaurant. It's a shame that it is a car break in hot spot.

Because it happens on daily basis.. sadly and unfortunatly!.... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />

Well I agree with Barbara. It is one of our favorite beaches on SXM. And you are quoting "this happens on a daily basis"??? We spend most of our 2 weeks every time we are in SXM (over 35 trips) at this beach and have never had any problem with our car being broken into. So, you are wrong!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> No.. I am not wrong... you are just very lucky or you park your car on a good spot <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Remember that Le galion is not only "centered" around the parking near Tropical wave, bellow the cocotrees.... It is a pretty vast beach.
ask the gendarmes, you will see what they tell you, except if two weeks per year on the rock qualify you to know better than them and French side residents <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

I have to agree. Friends of ours a few years ago did some shopping and stopped at Gallion Beach for some sun and had everything taken from the trunk of there car within an hour or two. Not sure where they parked but one should never leave things in their parked car.

Well, now THAT is true EVERYWHERE. And it doesn't take an hour. Often it takes about 5 minutes. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

I have to say between this board and the SXM cruisers board, you guys have us a little on edge. Dinghy thefts, boat break ins, and car break ins are not making our first extended trip to SXM feel safe. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

Don't know anything about boat security, but car break-ins have been the norm in SXM ever since I have been going there. Don't like it, and it sure seems like to me that the SXM cops COULD get a handle on it if they wanted to, but apparently they don't. The resolution is never leave any thing in your car, at any place, at any time, for any length of time. Then there won't be anything stolen from it. As I said, I don't like it, but that's the facts.

I was trying to be helpful, not negative. Please, don't leave things in your car at Le Galion. My friends knew better, left their bags and dog in the car and the thieves took everything but their dog. True story. January 2015.

sail2wind,

DH and I have been visiting St. Maarten for over forty years EVERY year, and for the past fifteen or so, we've been coming twice a year, but with a few trips to other of the Caribbean islands thrown in for good measure, as well.

Assuming you are a seasoned island traveler, St. Maarten/St. Martin is no better and no worse than most of the other Caribbean islands. But it sure does seem to be talked about a lot more.

It is well known and well documented that crime is definitely on the upswing throughout the entire Caribbean and St. Martin is no exception. Not that any crime news is good, but the only good news along the "crime line" in St. Martin is that most of the crime that occurs against visitors consists of car break-ins.

There was a time - a long time ago - when we wouldn't worry about needing to lock our car, regardless of what was in it or where it was parked. Those days are long gone.

As the island started to become more popular, car break-ins became pretty common occurrences - almost like a cottage industry there, mostly happening at beaches and in isolated locations and they were mostly crimes of opportunity, so the word then became lock your cars completely and leave nothing in them anywhere. Most car rental insurance calls for this measure anyway.

Of late, the majority of car break-ins, of which I agree the police should be able to be bring under control if they wanted to, still seem to be happening at beaches and in cars parked in isolated areas, and the latest word from many rental agents about locking them seems to be, "leave absolutely nothing of financial or sentimental value in your car anywhere antime, and when parking at beaches, leave them unlocked."

Our preferred agency suggests we lock the car everywhere EXCEPT at the beaches and leave nothing in it that we value anywhere. Because our car was broken into once over all the forty years worth of trips, and because significant damage was done to the power door locks and the trunk lock, we follow this advice whenever we go to any of the island beaches.

As far as crimes involving personal injury, it seems like St. Martin is about on par with most of the other islands and light years safer than many. Of course there will be bad guys doing bad things but most of the violent crime, sad to say - yes - there are violent crimes happening on St. Martin - are usually crimes of severe greed or crimes of passion and they are generally not directed at vacationers as a rule.

Again, 40+ years we've never been a victim of anything beyond that one car break-in, though I will concede that as we've gotten a lot older, our habits have changed and we are much more cautious about doing 'stupid stuff' than we were years ago.

I would take all you've heard to heart but don't dwell on it. Given the high volume of return visitors, it can't be that bad, can it? Certainly not if we are any example.

thank you for your perspective, yes ,we always are cautious and aware of our surroundings. Is the unlocked idea so no one breaks anything? If there is nothing to take, it sounds like a good idea.

sail2wind--with regard to not locking the car, check with your car rental person to see what they recommend.

Yes, sail2wind. Upon the advice from our agenecy, we generally leave the windows visibly down a bit and the doors unlocked but only while at the beach and we hope the potential perps get the idea that 'if they left the car unlocked there's probably nothing in the trunk either' and just head on to the next vehicle that looks more promising. There were a string of cars broken into that afternoon, all parked in basically a long row of which we were but one car in the middle at the time it happened, so at least we had lots of company. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

That one time our car was broken into there was considerable damage done to the door and trunk locks, so much so that it was undriveable. Our agent, once contacted, met us at the beach and gave us his car while he waited for ours to be flat-bedded away. He did not charge us for the damages or the trailering, nor did he file an insurance claim for it, and he wouldn't tell us how much it all amounted to but even on St. Maarten, it couldn't have been cheap. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Funny story, nothing to do with any of this, but while at the towers, we parked the car went to the room for a couple of hours and then out to dinner, we realized between shower and dinner we left a back window down, in the parking lot at The Towers, returned after dinner, stopped at the gate and they didn't just wave us through, security came to window and asked us what our room number was, told them, and he said please roll up all the windows in the car next time and make sure we lock it, even in the lot!

wow.....all i asked was how the water was at Gallion beach and you guys are going off on this tangent about crime? lolololololololol

pito3
Welcome to the SXM forum.

I guess that amounts to "questions asked and answered and then some...." but note, please, I was responding to a very specific question asked about problems with crime on the island. It's just the way these threads go sometimes... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

We are in SXM 2 weeks at a time. I guess I did not make you aware we do 3 to 4 trips a year to SXM. It does not "qualify me to know better than them" but we have never witnessed a break in and even where we park, we surely would hear what's going on. If the gendarmes are saying there are car break ins every day, then what the he!! are they doing about it???? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

That's a whole other debate.... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/hammer.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/impatient.gif" alt="" />

We spent six weeks in SXM this January/February and went to Gallion most every day. Never saw or heard of any break ins and never felt uncomfortable.
The weekends are particularly crowded with locals who love their loud music. It is their island and some weekends we stayed away because of the loud music and not for any other reason.
We never leave anything of value in the car or on the beach, which is what we would do at any beach anywhere else. We walked the beach each day and if nobody stayed at the chairs we took our cash, kindles and keys with us in a small waterproof bag.
The food at Tropical wave is delicious. Our family loves to have lunch there with our feet in the sand and a view of the bay and Saint Barts.
It is sad that Gallion has such a bad reputation. Pat Turner has a man rake the beach and area near his restaurant on a daily basis and he maintains the area and volleyball courts.

Gee, good news to hear this. Well it's the two of us who have never witnessed a break in all the time we spent on Galion. Believe me, I know it happens in SXM but false statements of everyday break ins on Galion, I do not believe this happens.

LeGalion is a beach we've visited many times over the years without any issues but it's a place I've also been warned about by residents and visitors alike, with regard to car break-ins being the norm. But the thing is, that could be said about almost any beach on St. Maarten/St. Martin, couldn't it?

It's been a few years and trips since we've last been there and we're early morning beach people so we used to park fairly close to Chez Pats as opposed to further down the beach, and usually with our car in sight of our spot on the beach, so perhaps that's why we've had no issues. But it's a good stretch of beach and I can easily see how it could be a vulnerable spot depending on where you park and settle on the beach.

I think I'm inclined to go with Philippe on this one. He lives there, knows the gendarmes personally and knows a lot more about what goes on there than those of us who visit, regardless of how often or for how long. And since I've been given the same warnings by several others.......it's a spot I'd still visit but one I'd bring nothing of value to and one where I'd remain very aware of my surroundings<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

We were there on the weekend and the local families were playing some loud music, but it was not a problem for us. Actually, we much preferred hanging out with the locals than being jam packed on Orient Beach with endless rows of beach chairs and huge crowd of cruise ship people walking back and forth. Le Galion was a welcome respite for sure on those days when there were multiple ships in port.

In recent years because of hip and knee issues, Le Galion has become our favorite beach. In our many trips there, we have never had a problem. We park our car as near to the spot where we will encamp on the beach and lock it. The car is close to where we sit in beach chairs, and while in the water we look back to the car. We also avoid weekends, when the beaches are enjoyed by the locals and overcrowding occurs. We enjoy watching the local school kids arriving for their gym/swimming class, and have spoken to many about their lives on the island.

I too have never had a problem and park as close to where we will be. I do take the extra step of leaving the windows open to make it obvious there is nothing in the car.

Are there beach chairs located at good beach bars for lunch at Gallion, similar to Grand Case, etc?

Yes, leave NOTHING of value in the car. They don't want your fun-noodles though! We walk to Le Galion from Orient when it is too windy on Orient. It is wonderful. Reminds me of a midwest lake in terms of family feel. We've never driven there, we always walk from Orient. Besides a decent food concession there is also a water sports concession and if you want to learn to windsurf it is the best place on the island for that since it is so shallow you can fall off your board and get right back on easily.

Left their dog in the car? Nice <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/smashpc.gif" alt="" /> .

Don't leave anything in your car, anywhere.

With regard to LeGallion, there was a carjacking there at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, just a couple of weeks ago...

Pito, sorry your post got hijacked but that happens from time to time. The water is very calm almost 100% of the time at Le Galion. It's not a huge beach, but long enough for a nice stroll. Lots of locals hang out there on Sundays and holidays. The road to get there is a little bit rough (or at least it was a couple of months ago) and, yes, there have been robberies/thefts there but it happens in other places, as well. It's definitely worth a visit just to see it, if nothing else. Very different from many of the other beaches.