TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Surprise at SBRM

Can’t be certain but it sure looks like SBRM is busing in people from the cruise ships. I’d be major pissed if I couldn’t get a palapa on the beach I’m paying for.

what is SBRM?

No idea but it is possible. Remember, all beaches are public and with the lack of tourism I am sure many places are hurting and want any business they can get.

Several cruises (many years ago) we went on had excursions to a hotel/beach. All in hopes of you spending $$ there.

I feel like this has already been done prior to Irma. What’s a palapa?

A thatched roof structure for shade.

SBRM=Simpson Bay Resort & Marina

A palapa is one of those shade huts with palm thatch on it.

edit==JD, saw you were answering the palapa question at the same time.

They bus the Tourist all over the Island . They have now also using El Zafiro by us White Sands Beach.

And most likely with the blessing of El Zafiro as it creates business for them.

They were doing that in June this year at El Zafiro. We talked to a couple who were on that excursion, as they were walking by Beachside. They came in and took a look around our unit..

Exactly. As a timeshare owner I would be too. The beach is public but the palapas and loungers are owned by the resort. I would take that up with the resort management.

And perhaps they are renting them out if the property is not full of owners.

Hey Scuba, how do you feel about owners "reserving" (or tipping an attendant to reserve for them) loungers very early in the morning and then not using them until well later in the afternoon? I have witnessed MANY times at Royal Palm well over 1/2 of the loungers "reserved" and not being used for hours. This puts other owners out of the ability to use the loungers also. If the loungers are owned by the resort and not individual timeshare owners, it does not seem right that there should be any "reservation system".

You are right. Loungers should not be reserved for patrons over one hour in length. A sign even states that at the pool area at Flamingo. Tipping is supposedly not allowed but some indeed to. Some will tip to have loungers brought over to a palapa but in no way are they allowed to reserve loungers and palapas for the duration you brought up. I've on occasion seen it happen and I'll time it. If people don't show, I give them more than an hour, I remove their stuff and take it over for myself. If they don't like it I just tell them to complain to the management. It usually stops right there.

Good for you for doing that. It has been rampant at Royal Palm for years. I am usually up VERY early and the prime spots around the pool are virtually all reserved with shoes, magazines, etc. and then not used until well later in the afternoon.

It doesn't really affect me as a renter as I would spend very little time around the pool but it is obvious and routine.

Very true, I’ve seen it at SBRM ( Pelican ) and also in Aruba. And like Scubaman I just remove their stuff and tell them to say it walking.

I'm not sure you are correct. There is only one cruise ship in port today. I was on the beach from about 8 and the beach seemed to fill up gradually. I heard the resort is almost fully booked. Check in yesterday was a nightmare. Luckily the owners line was a little shorter. It took at least 45 minutes.

agreed i will remove your stuff Aruba is the worst even after hours of no one showing up, they wont give you a lounger... uggg

After seeing no ships in today and seeing the size of the crowd at SBRM I have to say I was wrong about SBRM busing in people from the cruise ships. It sure looks like the ( Pelican ) of old.

Just for the record, the island is desperately trying to recover and if a Resort is offering this option, personally I think ‘good for them’ caveat being - but NOT if it interferes with paying guests enjoymentbof the resort.

We were checking out of ElZafiro the next morning anyway but late Wednesday afternoon we watched the beach attendant setting up and squeezing in almost every lounger they owned. Based on the number of loungers we saw occupied each of the days we were there and not knowing they did this, we thought Tim, the beach attendant had to be really bored. Until that night when our waiter at dinner explained they had over 100 confirmed reservations through one of the cruise lines. For sure, had we been staying there we would NOT have been too happy but I get it. They have to do whatever they can do to stimulate their bottom line and stay afloat until the island is fully back to its norm.

Belair is the only place I'm aware of that assigns you chairs upon check-in. I think, when walking from Divi to Belair's beach restaurant, I also saw a sign stating chairs were for guests only.

We've given up at getting a chair at one of the pools, when staying at Divi. During a 2 week stay couldn't get any. I even went out at 4;30 am to the pool behind the unit we were in and found all covered with towels. When we went by again I saw a woman come to the pool pick up 3 towels and replace them with new towels. I guess Divi has no rules.

I don't care for the look of El Zafiro, too 'modern' for me, but if I were staying there and 100 people showed up on that beach, I would be peeved also..

We all haves our likes and dislikes and honestly, we weren’t peeved. I get it! As for our stay, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at El Zafiro and it was exactly what we were looking for at a rate we couldn’t ignore. And my thoughts, had those cruiseship people come a day earlier, we would have just visited another beach. They’re only there briefly so I wouldn’t let it ruin an otherwise delightful stay.

I want the island and all its people to succeed and right now, in particular, they need all the help and additional revenue they can garner. My glass is more than half full.

Pat--you are a lot more tolerant person than I am!! I would have left to go someplace else for the day, but I would have been miffed about it...

This happens commonly in Europe. I hate to say this but one nationality seems to do it a lot.
In Rhodes there was never a lounger available. Towels on them first thing am.
In UK they had a commercial for a beer and it showed an arm flinging a towel off a balcony onto
a lounger and then they started playing DamBusters. They have various versions.
Maybe someone remembers better than I?

Divi does have a rule about saving chairs, but I’ve never seen it enforced so I guess that doesn’t make it much of a rule. We’re only there in July or a August so it isn’t too crazy anyway. This year I did see them politely boot some non-guests from beach chairs though.