Big Bastaard's Beach Bar — Restaurant in Philipsburg

Hi! So we had booked a Carnival cruise and was looking for something to do when we got to this beautiful island. We saw a Facebook post about someone who had booked a day at this beautiful beach at a place called Big Bastaard's Beach Bar. Well, the name grabbed me and the stunning pictures, so I clicked and started reading about the owners. They were 2 guys from Canada who had also visited on a cruise, fell in love with the island, and ended up coming back and buying the bar and moving here 2 years ago! We read all the reviews and every single one only had good things to say. They looked like a fun bunch in a beautiful spot so we said let's do this! We are 3 older cruisers (55, 60 & 62). We booked directly through their website, it was super easy. We booked 2 sets of loungers with umbrellas and each set came with either 2 free drinks or a bucket of 5 beers. All that for just $65. For the whole day! You cannot beat the price to be on this gorgeous beach all day, and they had wifi access and free floaties too! So my friend and her husband got the beer bucket and I had the 2 free drinks. We got there early and were given loungers in the very front row. When you get off the ship, you walk to the water taxi location, very easy to find. It is $7 for a round trip and they give you a wristband to wear. The water taxi makes 2 stops. You want the second stop as it is right next to the location. We didn't know that and got off at the first stop which was still fine, just a shot 5 minute walk. Our server was a gem named Perla, she checked on us nearly every 5 minutes, if you needed or wanted anything they were right there. Both the owners were there out on the beach, walking around greeting all of their visitors and chatting. I got a picture with each of them! I highly recommend this amazing place, you will love it here. We are so glad we found this place, we enjoyed every minute, and we will be back...

It's been increasingly difficult to find beaches I can visit as I have to use a mobility scooter, which cannot go on sand. Imagine my delight when one of the owners of Big Bastard's Beach posted in our Facebook roll call group for our November 2024 cruise that they offered accommodations for those needing accessible mats. I wrote Marcel and asked questions ahead of time. He was very prompt and communicative. So I reserved chairs/umbrellas/mobility mat.

In a nutshell, it was the best day ever. Super easy to find. From the ship, we had a short walk to signs indicating where the water taxis were. Very short trip on the water taxi that was a lot of fun! Got off the water taxi, and there it was. Very short walk from the water taxi. My grandchildren enjoyed the inflatable toys provided. My daughter and son-in-law got the VIP package. The food was delicious, the drinks superb! The most important thing to tell you, however, is how wonderful the people are. From the very second we arrived, they made us feel so welcomed! They made the experience perfection! While every single Big Bastard's staff member we encountered was super nice, I'd like to highlight, in particular, Marcel and Steve, the owners; and Breanna, our server/attendant. So helpful, so nice, so friendly. They went out of their way to make sure all of us had the best experience possible. Marcel and Steve were extra helpful to me, making sure I had what I needed given my mobility issues. Breanna was very attentive to the needs of all 5 members of my family. By the end of the day, my young grandson decided Breanna was his "girlfriend," and she graciously played along. As I said, the whole experience could not have been any better. We even bought the t-shirts to...

This was such an awesome place to spend our day while in port! The view was beautiful, but the people working here truly made it the best experience. The owners are so nice and we loved that they spent time going around meeting everyone and making sure that we were all taken care of. Jeremy, our waiter, was the best! So glad we got to spend the day with him. He treated us like royalty and truly made this such a fun experience. Make sure to tell the water taxi where you are going, though, as the first one we got on told us we needed to get onto a different one in order to be closest to this location. One other thing I want to make clear because I see other reviews about this is that, yes, there are SOME vendors on the beach.. but that absolutely does not ruin the experience. The owners here do a great job warning you of this and what is allowed and what is not. Personally, we saw so many people being rude and/or ignoring the vendors to which the vendors just stood there. Remember that these are also human beings just trying to make a living - the simplicity of just saying “no thank you” seemed to mean a lot to them and they immediately moved on. Be kind and you will receive kindness back. Thank you for such a fun day! We would definitely return here if we visit...