It's all about the beautiful beach of Great Bay. It felt like we were the only ship in port that…read moreday which made it even more relaxing and enjoyable. The aqua blue water is stunning here. There's even a boardwalk that runs along the beach. Great Bay Beach is on a strip of land between Great Bay and Great Salt Pond. It's super easy to get to by water taxi (only $7 round trip). With that said, it's a very walkable part of Philipsburg full of local flavor. We walked from east to west, from Front Street to Back Street, so that we could learn as much as we could about the culture here during our shore day. The west side has many public art murals as well as a fountain square dedicated to a local legend, Walter "Plantz" Williams. His sculpted bust had been lost at sea during Hurricane Irma, but somehow made it's way back to the beach exactly 4 years later. The east side has shopping, restaurants, and charming passageways. A highlight for me was discovering a very unique sculpture in front of the Courthouse. One that has a mirror shaped like Africa that is placed behind the subject's head to reveal a Sankofa bird. The Caribbean woman in the sculpture represents "Oualichi" or "land of the brave and beautiful women." It's very moving, and especially after reading the interpretation of it on the plaque. So, it ended up not being just about the beach. We did find some gems along the way, and not just the jewelry kind. We had a great lunch on Old Street, and a cold gelato treat on Front Street as we made our way back to the water taxi pick-up point on the boardwalk. It was a hot & beautiful day in Sint Maarten!

Very nice beach, located in the city of Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. The Great Bay Beach is pretty…read morewell developed, with the Eastern portion covered with restaurants and bars that are also renting loungers and umbrellas, most often as a deal with a bucket of bottled beer for under $40 USD. There were plenty of chairs available, so one could get a good location with a bit of exploring. The beach also runs parallel to Front Street, where there are plenty of duty-free shops and attractions. The beach itself has an under-developed portion to the West, where if you brought your own towel or chair, you could hang out at the beach unbothered (pretty empty on this side on a Wednesday afternoon). The water is warm, the sand is fine, and the surf moderate...could easily be an afternoon at the beach if you have the time. I did walk to the end of the beach to the West and there is an abandoned beach hotel on that side (along with a few beach houses on the way, some being renovated)

The small beach is located adjacent to the airport. With the airport's landing strip literally…read moresteps away. The planes fly directly over your head to land! This is what the beach is famous for. A two way road sits between the beach and a gate around the runway. Every once in a while instead of landing, a plane will take off from said runway. If these planes are traveling away from the beach, their rear jets will face this gate. For some thrill seekers holding onto this gate and experiencing the jet blast is "a thing". The force of the blasts and visible plume of chemical gases, are beyond dangerous. The locals tell of a person who was blown from the gate right into the path of a car. There is clear signage that encourages folks not to engage in this behavior. The beach itself was clean and the waters clear. All beaches in St. Maarten are public and no lifeguards were present. Signage tells you to swim at your own risk. We enjoyed taking in the sun, taking dips in the Caribbean Sea and seeing the occasional plane land. Yeah, we stayed away from the gate.

Beautiful beach with very soothing water. Very clean and nice to relax in. Bring cash to purchase a…read morechair and umbrella.

This is a stunningly beautiful and all natural, wild and undeveloped beach. Saline natural state…read moreis the reason we spend 8-10 weeks on Saint Barth each year.

I proposed to my wife nearly 15 years ago on this beach, and have been nostalgic ever since when…read morereturning. A relatively calm beach with very few patrons through long stretches of the day, Ffryes is that little piece of Heaven that you can sit on the surf, drink a beer and pat yourself on the back in approval. Although Ffryes is one of Antigua's 365 total beaches, it's easy to put this one in the category of "must return to."

If you come to the beach from the cruise ships, it is an adventurous ride through bumpy roads and…read morethird world countryside for 35-45 minutes depending on traffic. Once at the beach, it is quite pretty. The water is basically calm and shallow at the shoreline. There is a drop off a yard or two out but there are no big rocks so it is really safe. If you rent a jet ski, you can see sea turtles and beautiful mountainside homes.