TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Swimming and Valuables

I have a question about swimming, and where to keep my valuables. On many posts here I see advice telling me don't leave valuables in the car, not even the trunk, and don't leave them on the beach. Yet if my wife and I want to go swimming, what are we supposed to do with them? Heaven forbid we go swimming at a nude beach, we might end up literally w/o the clothes on our backs.
Any suggestions besides carrying our stuff into the water?

Other than some cash, perhaps a credit card, phone (if needed) and car keys, I would not take any "valuables" to the beach with me. You can buy water-proof bags of various sizes to take with you into the water. You can even buy a safe type thing to attach to your chair.

Personally, I take a small water-proof pouch that I wear around my neck if I don't have anyone staying on the beach. As far as a beach bag, it is usually in my sight or with me if I walk.

You can also ask your "neighbors" to keep an eye on anything you leave at your chairs when you swim or walk. Again, "valuables" really have no place at the beach.

Great question and a concern for many who travel or even shop in town anywhere. We dive and found that there are a number of 'dry' boxes and bags you can buy and use. Dry bags are less costly, but get a hole in the bag and your items get wet. There are small dry boxes that you can hang around your neck or tether to your wrist. As far as getting a small safe for your chair, visit www.vacationvaults.com and get that device. We travel everywhere with that and I have one in my vehicle, travel trailer, and at our timeshare in SXM. They really work. Use a bit of WD-40 on the lock if you take it to the beach because sand will get in and potentially cause the tumblers to get stuck. Ask security at O'Club...we had to literally use a hacksaw (took over 1/2 hour) to cut that strap to get it off the chair when our tumblers 'froze' due to several years of use on the beach. Dry boxes and bags and the Vacation Vault work...we travel a lot and now have piece of mind. The Vault cost about $30....order on line...company is in Miami so it's quick shipping.

Have fun! Hope this helps!

We are at Orient beach now we keep a small container with cash for drinks and lunch and leave it in our beach bag between our chairs and have no problem

I purchased a "Kyss" bag for our trip to St. Maartin and it worked well for us. It is a bag with an attached thin chain and small tumbler lock that you can wrap around your chair or palapa. The lock loops through the zipper so nobody can get into your bag or swipe your bag discreetly. I found it gave me peace of mind when my hubby and I went for a swim or a walk. It is a good beach bag whether you use the lock feature or not. Retail for the large bag is about $40. Good luck.

I also have a Kyss bag and it made a great tote for the plane

Excellent, high quality bag. Has a sturdy chain to secure to beach chair, umbrella, etc. Highly recommended IMHO.

We use a Kyss bag also. Gives us great peace of mind.

Another vote for the Kyss bag.

Just ordered my wife a Kyss bag for our trip in March. Hopefully it will be exactly what we need.

We use the Kyss bag too.

Thanks for your help. To me cash, car keys, my cell phone, and a credit card are my valuables. It sounds like the Kyss bag would be good. I will google that.
Thanks again

If you are sitting under the yellow umbrellas on the beach at Club Orient (which we recommend) just introduce yourselves to all your neighbors. We have found that Naturists are the friendliest and most honest people in the world!

When you go into the water just ask your neighbors to please watch your stuff while you are in the water.

Also, Club Orient has good security...including guards at the only exits from their beach and roving guards...you can't outrun a radio...

It did happen to friends of ours. On a deserted beach they went swimming w/o clothes & when they went back their bags had been taken. She lost her passport & money. They left some clothes because she walked until rescued wearing his shirt.

Kyss bag, as the wife uses it as her carry on, as it will fit a kitchen sink into it!

Taking your passport to the beach is a real No No.

Do the cruise people have to have a passport to go into SXM and return to the ship?

No, what they need is their cruise card.

If going to Anguilla for the day, you do need to take your passport. If you go to the beach there, you would undoubtedly have it with you on the beach.

When we went to Anguilla on the lambada all we did was show the passport at check in. We then took the passport back to our room and back in the safe.

Totally different, if you don't go to the beach there for the day and not using an excursion.What you did is not typical.

aggreed

... some form of a government issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or a passport. one of these and the cruise card are needed for admittance to the port area. So we've been told, and have been asked to be seen by port security, on all or our cruises.

Really? We haven't cruised as much lately, but we NEVER had to have an ID, other than a cruise card. Depending on where we were, sometimes we took our passports, but usually I never took any ID at ALL, in addition to my cruise card. Eric usually took his, but I almost never had a purse, and never took my ID. The last time we cruised was maybe 3 years ago, but I can't imagine it's that different now.

All great advice. No valuables except a few bucks for drinks/food. And make friends w/your neighbors....everyone's friendly on the beach so no problem. And if you're buying drinks...buy them one as a good neighbor gesture.
Enjoy!

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Contessa

Bought a Kyss bag - can't wait to see how it works!

When arriving on a private charter boat (Lambada) the captain can validate your ID and clear customs for the whole boat on arrival, hence not needing your passport for more than check in, however if arriving via public ferry to Anguilla you would have to have your passport with you.

This has changed a little over the years and cruise passengers should carry some form of photo ID with them (I would advise them to, anyway) - BUT, in the Caribbean at least, all we (and that means me because I am responsible for all such things) ever bring ashore off a ship are the color photocopies of our passports and that has ALWAYS been enough (often not requested), even with the guys at the pier in St Thomas (are they TSA? - don't rember - but they do check ID for sure in my experience). In addition to carrying a color photocopy of your passport, you also should always have access to a copy of your passport online - not because of getting back on the ship, but just in case something bad happens and you miss the sailing of the ship.

I guess maybe you are supposed to bring ID these days and we never did, for me anyway, although Eric almost always had his DL, but never got asked for it, in the Caribbean anyway. Back in the old days, if you had that plastic card--which basically had no personal info on it, you were onboard!! These days, I somewhat assume that ships use face recognition software anyway.

Leave it locked up in your hotel safe. I don't even take my wallet, just some cash and my ID...

Good advice Jeff-we have been here 4 weeks of our annual 6 weeks and spoken with 2 people that have brought their valuables to Mullet beach and had their valuables stolen. Three men went into the water the other day and told their companions they would be right back. They went back and their bags had been stolen. I take $40 cash a day with me and hide it in the umbrella-so far not a victim. I do not take ID etc with me. By the way the weather has been unusually warm and we do see the usual bad guys lurking in the lots at many of the beaches.

I am so glad I saw this thread! My husband and I are traveling just the two of us to SXM, and that was one of my big concerns, how do we swim and enjoy the ocean with no one to watch our "stuff" when we take day trips to other beaches? I immediately went to the Kyss website and ordered one of their bags (the BIG one!!!), it arrived today and I am so impressed with the quality! I do a lot of sewing, and this bag is really well made and the quality of the materials appears top-notch. The owner Deena was really quick to reply to my emails, and kind enough to make sure the bag got mailed right away so we could have it before departure, which I really appreciated. The website for the bags is www dot kyssbags dot com if you want to check it out, when I get back I am going to order a couple more for my sisters for Christmas next year! I'm finding some of my best SXM tips on these message boards, and thought this might be good product to pass along as making sure our phones, wallets and cameras don't walk off while swimming is probably a concern for a lot of us!

Our Kyss bag arrived yesterday. My wife loves it. I can't wait to use it in SXM in a couple weeks. Thanks for the advice.

Kyss should be a sponsor on this board. We bought our Kyss bag a few years ago based on a similar thread on TTOL.

We did too.