We always seem to find the beach at Anse Marcel to be extremely calm and very easy to enter and exit the water without any noticeable 'shelf' and the water does tend to be very shallow there. Ddepending on where on the island you're staying it can be a bit of a drive but it's worth it once you get there. Just know, it is NOT an inexpensive day if you rent chairs and do lunch there. When we were there in April, two chairs with an umbrella and table ran twenty euros. But it was such a nice day and the food is very, very good. To me, if it weren't for the price, it would be a perfect day at the beach!!

Friars Bay is also very nice, the food is out of this world and while I understand they are now charging for chairs, the expense is minimal compared to Anse Marcel. There are usually a few feet of small round rocks where you enter the water though they do attempt to rake them every morning, and there is often a shelf to step up when exiting the water.

But all that said, Mullet on a perfect day, IMO, is the best beach on the island. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />