Hi All, I wanted some thoughts on your favorite beaches. My husband and I always go to the same beaches when we are visiting St Martin. We go to Dawn Beach and Orient. Thanks in advance

On a good day Mullet Bay is tough to beat IMHO. I also like Simpson Bay Beach.

'BEST' is always a hard call.

On a 'Bathtub' day, we love Mullet and Rosie's ribs for lunch. And by Bathtub day! I mean a day when there are no waves or strong surf and the water is as calm as floating in your own bathtub... On other days, it can be tough getting in and out of the water, so I like it not so much for anything beyond a good place to soak up some sun while reading......but I can do that on my balcony, too.

On a non-swimming day, we love Dreams Beach and Restaurant but don't care all that much for the beach for swimming.

We thoroughly enjoy Friars Bay and what we think of as the BEST beach lunch on the island at Friars Bay Beach Cafe.

We enjoy Simpson Bay Beach with lunch at Karachter if you get there early enough to find parking, or at Mary's Boon for a yummy salad lunch.
So many beaches - so little time. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Baie Rouge
Can be rough but very scenic. Good lunch not too expensive
Pinel island. A must see. Scenic and decent snorkeling

Does Pinel have good shade anywhere? (not just umbrellas) One in our group doesn't do sun at all.
We love Baie Rouge, but sometimes the waves can be a challenge! Good place if you want less busy!

Think you could sit back further or near restaurant and get some shade as well as umbrellas

My favorites (there are many); Orient; Cupecoy; Happy; Mullet; Simpson; Galion; Rouge; Plum and Long. In St. Martin there is a beach for every occasion, every mood. Some are not easy to find, or to find parking for, ie. Dawn Beach, unless you are staying there. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/smashpc.gif" alt="" />

Simpson Bay, Mullett, Plum, Rouge, are among my favorites.

Orient is crowded, loaded with cruise daytrippers. and this year, covered in piles of seaweed. It also faces to the Atlantic and can be windy and rough, so I wouldn't pick it as a best beach. It is one of the most popular though.

I think all the beaches on this island are nice for different reasons! I would suggest you take a day and do an island tour stopping at all the beaches for a short while to explore for yourself. We did this on one of our first trips many years ago and decided what beaches we liked the best. Some are more private like Long Bay, Plum Bay, Happy Bay and Petit Plage. Others are busier with more activities like Orient. Mullet, Friars and Dawn are popular for other reasons. Some have restaurants and beach bars and some have none.Others are famous for their sunsets. These are all things you will see on your day of exploration.

St. Maarten/St. Martin has 37 beautiful beaches contained within 37 square miles so you have many to pick from and enjoy!

Whammy, Pinel doesn't have any shade near the water. Only back off the beach are there a few trees. They do offer large umbrellas.

The only time we were on Pinel was a day in June 2013. It was extremely hot with little shade other than the umbrellas, no breeze at all. It was our only time there so I can't say whether that's the usual case or no; and while it's a very pretty beach, if it's shade other than umbrellas you want, I'd say no.

I know I'm in the minority on this, but for one reason or another, I've never particularly enjoyed Pinel Island since it became so peopled and developed. Back in the day it was wonderful but all those chairs and umbrellas packed in like sardines just turn me off completely. But that's the really nice thing about St. Maarten - St. Martin....there really is a beach for everybody and if you search around and seek them out, you'll find the one that best suits your wants and needs of the moment. I've always thought one of the more fun things to do was to explore as many of them as I could to see what appealed and what didn't, and actually, that's how we got to Pinel the first time about a gazillion years ago. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

My top picks: Dawn Beach for great waves, Simpson Bay for peace and quiet, and Anse Marcel for beauty and privacy.

I somewhat agree regarding Pinel. What I like is the short ferry ride over and exploring the other areas of Pinel. It is just something different to do.

Is it ever possible to snorkel at Dawn Beach
Where is best spot to get into water

I agree with IslandGem, check out the beaches and decide what you like. For whatever reason Galion and Anse Marcel do not appeal to us. Dawn this week was a turn off with the Weston hassle. Orient - the seaweed issue seems mostly gone and a little less busy than usual. Mullet is a favorite, except for the family if 5 adults and 2 babies from a cruise ship who settled in front of us and parked the baby strollers in front of my wife's chairs. We asked them to be moved, they did, but the mother was upset. It's a one off, we'll be back
J&B