This was a fun place that I wish we had had the time to do over again. A small boat takes you over to the island (5-10 minutes) each hour. When you arrive there are yellow and orange umbrellas and chairs for rent ($15). You also get a free rum punch. There is also a boutique and two restaurants. One... more

Based on the help of this forum, we chose to spend our one day on St Martin at Pinel Island. Everything went smooth from the taxi ride out, to the boat ride onto the island. We thought the main beach was OK, not great. It had a crowded feel to it. We were expecting a little more seclusion. However, we... more

By far, my favorite beach. A quick 5 minute boat ride will have you there. The water is clear and warm. I was just here last week and it was so empty we felt we had the island to ourselves. Don’t miss it. Food is good as well. Service on the beach was slow but we were too relaxed to... more

Great relaxing beach! We used the "blue umbrella side" and discovered that the beach service seemed to be better and more available on the "orange" side, but it did not matter food and beverage was convenient. We also ate lunch at the restaurant associated with the orange umbrellas and found it delicious and reasonably priced. Try the Barbequed Chicken! more

Have not been in a couple years but will return in May '09. We have been several times and always enjoyed the day there. There are two beach bars on the island. One has yellow/orange umbrellas and the other has blue umbrellas. We used both facilities and enjoyed them both. Food was equal at both places. Looking forward to the... more

I had a great time on Pinel Island. the weather was so wonderful and day my was so lovely. I ate at the middle place called up on the key, (orange umbrellas) and couldn't ask for better food and service and they are 1 euro = 1 $. The island is such a beautiful island, the water is shallow, the... more

The beach at the island is breathtaking. The side with the blue umbrellas is better than the one with the orange and yellow umbrellas. Do not bother make a reservation for lunch when the guy collecting the umbrella fee asks you. Contrary to what they claim, there is absolutely no problem finding a table at the three cafes on the... more

Pinel is nice break from some of the more crowded beaches on St. Maarten/St. Martin. The water is calm and very clear, but I didn't think it was all that great for snorkeling - at least in the rocky areas that can be reached by swimming from the main beach. There are 3 restaurants - the orange one had good... more

We came to Pinel on a cruise excursion. We had been to St Maarten several times and really just wanted a quiet beach and something different than famous Orient Beach. We got exactly what we were looking for and more. I have one of the best pictures i ever took in the Caribbean from here. We came in October 2007... more