Husband and I will be on a family cruise which takes us to this island. We were just here last April and took a bad snorkeling tour, but had a really relaxing time on the beach by where the ship docks. Does anyone have any suggestions for our second time around? We like to snorkel, eat, and relax. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

What does SXM stand for?

SXM is the airport ocde for the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten

Have you thought about renting a car and just driving around the island for the day? We did just that last November and have a wonderful time. Saw the whole island, visited the infamous Orient Beach plus some others, had a really nice lunch at King BeauBeau's joint and even after all that still had time for shopping on Front Street in Philipsburg. We used Budget and the car only cost like $32 plus a bit of gasoline.

I second and third the recommendation that you rent a car and explore on your own. Cars are cheap on St. Maarten, and you can get one right in town. Take the family out onto the island and see some of the sights.

Unless you have really small children, you could head to Loterie Farm, a beautiful place on the side of Pic du Paradis (before the mountain road gets really steep). It's a private nature reserve with a lot of different kinds of activities. www.loteriefarm.com

The Butterfly Farm is also nice and a quiet activity for kids before heading over for some beach time and more fun on-beach activities at Orient Bay.

Or just go to Friar's Bay, which is a more secluded beach on the French side. There's a great restaurant there, and you can rent beach chairs and umbrellas.

Or if you want to do a more traditional cruise activity, take the America's Cup 12-Meter Challenge tour. It's often considered among the best shore excursions in the Caribbean. You ride on a real America's cup racing yacht and can even help with the sails. Very fun but expensive.

These would all be great activities for families. None is more than a half-hour from Philipsburg.

Take one of the charters to Anguilla -- at least a couple a week go to Shoal Bay East which is one of the prettiest beaches you'll ever see and it has snorkeling right off the beach.

Is Orient Bay all it is cracked up to be? I have heard it is a beautiful beach. Do they have amenities at this beach including lockers?

There are no lockers anywhere at rient. There are no lockers anywhere on the island. Orient is lined with restaurants and water sports. There is a lot to do. In season it is a busy beach. Some people think it is too busy.
It is one of our more beautiful beaches though.
The suggestions given by the previous posters are all excellent.

Hello Stephy,

take a charter to St. Barth and relax on the beautiful beaches. Look at my website.
www.iledestbarth.com

Have fun.
Ingo