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We have put together a few comments on St Martin's many beaches. Remember that beaches change gradually via erosion and replenishment and drastically via storms. The information is accurate having been updated for the 2007/8 season, but tings change, mon! The beaches on the east provide lots of morning sun while facing the shore and the beaches on the west will provide you with a glorious sunset into the water. Most beaches have some, if limited, amenities. We have a separate section on snorkeling that has a fish identification quiz.
The map below has hot spots. Move the mouse to a beach name and click on it to get beach information and possibly some pictures. You can also try our beach finder. Tell us what would make your perfect day at the beach, and we will find the perfect beach. If you're going to the beach, get some reading material in out bookstore. There's plenty of mysteries, travel books, and a special section on the islands that includes fish identification books.
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Four rooms and a two suites in French Cul de Sac, a ten minute drive away from world famous Orient Beach in French St Martin and the culinary delights of Grand Case. The units are in a quiet residential area with sweeping views over Etang de Chevrise to Orient Bay. Best of all, you are on the grounds of Sol é Luna Restaurant, regularly voted the most romantic spot on the island. Visit our apartment website for more details. |
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Great Bay (Philipsburg) - You should go to Philipsburg for the shopping, casinos, and restaurants, but there is a beach and there are beach bars with plenty of facilities. After St Maarten dredged the harbor for the new cruise ship pier and terminal, much of the sand was used to replenish the beach. Thus, it is one of the longest and widest beaches on the island. Now that they have added a boardwalk and are even expanding it, it is more of a great place to hang out and party than an idyllic tropical beach, but if that is what you want, check it out and look for great lunches at
Antoine Restaurant.
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Little Bay - Next door to Great Bay is Little Bay. The Divi Peninsula separates the two. The photo on the left was shot from the restaurant at the Belair Hotel and looks along the beach to the Divi Hotel in the distance. The photo on the right is looking straight out to sea with the America's Cup 12 meter boats in the foreground and Saba in the distance.
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Simpson Bay Beach - One of the longest and nicest beaches on the island. Lots of sand and small waves. Great views off to Saba and on good days, Statia, and on really clear days St Kitts and Nevis. There are a few beach bars. The Horny Toad Guesthouse is in the center of the beach.
Looking east
The beach in the foreground
and the lagoon behind it
| Maho Bay - A little beach at the end of the runway next to big hotels. Somewhat smaller after Lenny. The Sunset Beach Bar is there and has great sunset views, but watch out for low-flying aircraft.
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| Mullet Bay - This was crowded when the Mullet Resort was in operation, but now it is a very pretty beach with sunset views. It is usually calm on this side of the island. There are beach bars. It is the quintessential Caribbean beach with lots of white sand, palm trees along the fringe of the beach, and volcanic mountains in the distance.
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Cupecoy - Beautiful sandstone cliffs back up the beach, producing beautiful coves and caves, and as it faces SW, there are beautiful sunsets. Unfortunately Luis and Lenny have made it smaller, but as always, it is coming back. The photo on the left is a bit deceiving as there is a lot of sand, but note that it is wet. The photo on the right was taken the next day as sand filled in the pools along the shore. It's still the same in 2007 (photos below on the left): a bit of sand is here, but big rollers move it around. New construction is certainly changing the look of the beach. | 
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There are photos on the construction feature and photos taken from a sailing trip on Capt Morgan. This is the NW end where there are beach boys with chairs and umbrellas and they do serve drinks and grill up a few things. In case you hadn't noticed, at the NW end of the beach, clothing is optional. Stay in Sapphire Beach Club, great deals are available directly from owners at Caribbean View Condo, unit 255. |
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These are from March of 2008 taken from the Celine as we sailed by during the regatta. They show the entire beach from the NW edge (top left) with the Cupecoy Yacht Club construction coming over from La Samanna on the left, Shore Pointe in the center, and the open area that was supposed to become The Villages at Cupecoy. This open area serves as the access to the NW end of the beach. The next shot (top right) shows Pharos on the other side of the road, behind more open area belonging to The Villages at Cupecoy, Ocean Club, and the towers of Sapphire Beach Club. There is still a private villa between Sapphire and Rainbow Beach. You can see a bit of the property in the top right photo and most of it on the left of the bottom right photo. The rest of that photo shows the still growing Rainbow Beach development with its circular staircase access to the beach.
On the bottom right is The Cliff (the tallest structure on the island) and Cupecoy Beach Club above the cliffs at the extreme SE end of Cupecoy. There is access to this beach from a gate across from Montmartre Restaurant in the Atlantis Casino.
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Bay Long - A long beach with the expensive La Samanna complex at one end (the white building at the far end of the beach) and limited access in the center to a rather rocky beach. Other than Samanna, which will not let you in, there is no service on the entire beach.
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Plum Bay (prunes in French) - A pretty beach, but rocky and a bit rough. Great sunsets because it faces west. No facilities at all.
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Bay Rouge - Bay Rouge is named for the pinkish cast of its sand. It's a pretty beach with the Falaise des Ouiseaux (Bird Cliffs) to the west and David's Grotto on the east. The photo on the left looks along the beach from the entrance next to the two beach bars over to the start of the cliffs. The other photo shows the rocks that start the formation that encloses the grotto. below are photos from Feb 2006. It's still there and so are Gus's and Raymond's beach bars. |  |
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David's Grotto or Hole is this circular hole in the cliff on a point between Bay Rouge and Nettle Bay. It reaches down 30 feet to sea level and two other holes connect it to the sea.
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| Nettle Bay - Largely blocked off by hotels, but Ma Ti Beach Bar on the west and Layla's on the east provide parking, access, chairs, etc. This is the beach at Layla's.
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Friar's Bay - A small, rather pretty and very protected cove with two beach bars (Kali's Beach Bar and Friar's Bay Beach Bar) providing all the amenities, but a tough road.
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| Happy Bay - A short walk up and over a hill at the northern end of Friar's Bay brings you to Happy Bay, a very secluded beach with no amenities, but a grandiose project on the books. At present some people have been spotted working on their all-over sun tans. This photo was taken from Random Wind as we sailed by in Jan of 2005.
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Grand Case Beach - There is some street parking and a bit of free parking in the lot in the center of town. There are great sunsets. The picture was taken from Sunset Café at the Grand Case Beach Club. For an amazing aerial photograph that shows the entire sweep of the beach and has links to all restaurant websites, check out Ed and Sandra's panorama.
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Anse Marcel - A hotel controls access to the beach so you have to park outside their grounds and walk in to the beach. Once you are there, you will find that the beach faces north and is hemmed in by high hills on the remaining three sides. It is calm and there are amenities. The best part is the view from the hill (see below).
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| Ilet Pinel - This uninhabited island has some facilities during the day and is a great spot for snorkel trips and picnics. It's a short ride in a beach taxi from Cul de Sac or a bit longer from Orient Beach. If you need a book to help identify the fish, check out our bookstore. There are two restaurants open for lunch. |
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The view from the road to Anse Marcel
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Wide angle view
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Orient Beach - Despite being on the windward eastern coast, this is one of the gentlest of beaches because of the protection afforded by the reef running from Green Cay to Pinel. The southern end is clothing-optional. There is a reef running southeast from the start of the nude section that is home to many fish. If you need a book to help identify the fish, check out our bookstore..
There are several fine, full-service restaurants right on the beach: Kakao Beach, where this picture was taken, Bikini Beach, and others. South of these places are about a dozen smaller places serving simpler fare at lower prices. Pirate Beach Bar is a toward the southern end and Pedro's, at the border of the nude and prude sections, has music on Sundays and when the cruise ships are in port. For an amazing aerial photograph that shows the entire sweep of the beach and has links to larger individual restaurant photos and websites, check out Ed and Sandra's Orient panorama. |
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These photos were taken on 27 January 2008. The one on the left was taken from directly in front of Pirate Beach Bar looking northwest. There is now quite a bit of beach in this middle section all the way down to Pedro's where it gets a bit thin.
Back to the map | SXM-Info |
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L'Embouchure or Galion Beach - It's a large extremely calm eastern-facing beach past the Butterfly Farm. Chez Pat/Tropical Wave has chairs, umbrellas, food, drink, outdoor equipment, and St Barts in the distance. This is a great place for windsurfing. The bay is protected and calm, but there are good breezes.
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It's a beautiful shallow, eastern-facing, wind-swept tidal pool. There was a rustic, unpermitted beach bar and not much sand. It has been removed, so there are no facilities except this view tower.
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Oyster Pond - Not much beach here, but it is very safe and beautiful harbor ringed with hills. Well worth the trip over the steep hill (if you approach from the south), especially for this view from the hill. Heading north to Orient Beach is a short and beautiful drive along the shore.
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| Dawn Beach - A pretty beach that is fairly well protected. There is either good snorkeling or if the surf is up, good boogie boarding. If you need a book to help identify the fish, check out our bookstore. Follow the signs to Mr Busby's Beach Bar to find the northern end. It doesn't look like this anymore as the Westin built a prison-like fortress on the site, bulldozing the ruins of the old hotel and much of the hillside, and filling the mangrove pond.
For an amazing aerial photograph that shows the entire sweep of the beach and has links to larger individual restaurant photos, check out Ed and Sandra's Orient panorama and their Dawn Beach panorama.
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Guana Bay - There is a bit of a beach, but the water on this eastern-facing beach can be rough and so is the beach in many spots. Photo by Glenn Akers.
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Pointe Blanche - You can get nice views from this point, but not much swimming. Photo by Glenn Akers.
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Kimsha Beach - This is the far eastern end of Simpson Bay Beach, on the eastern end of the channel into the lagoon. Many of the boat trips start from this area, as it is outside the lagoon. There has been quite a bit of construction here, so access is limited, but there are beach bars.
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