MAHO BEACH by City Bus & BOARDWALK--REVIEW!

[Smileeface]

We arrived in St. Maarten on Day 6 of our 7/19 - 7/26/09 AOS cruise. Of the ports we visited (San Juan, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Croix) St. Maarten has the prettiest port area. Although there is alot to see and explore on the island itself, this is a port, with it's beautiful new BOARDWALK, you can simply hang out at and have a great time. We had been in St. Martin in 2001, and on that visit we had rented a car and circled the entire french side which is really lovely. We had stopped to shop, swim and eat lunch in Grande Case and then gone on to swim at Orient Beach as well. Because we had already seen the french side then, we decided to explore the dutch side this time and see the planes land over MAHO Beach.

With the help of my CC friends, we found our way to the city buses (vans really) on BACK STREET. We waved a bus that said MAHO BEACH on it (you can also get one that says Mullet Bay which passes Maho Beach first) paying $2 per person (each way) and went to MAHO BEACH next to the airport to see the planes land & depart. WHAT A BLAST, literally!!! We had such a great time! My husband was like a little boy waving his arms as the planes flew above us, wanting us to take his picture and video him too! The bus ride took about 30 minutes on the way there and about 25 minutes on the way back. We picked up and dropped off local people--everyone decent and polite. As others have posted about this bus ride, we felt safe, and our girls thought it added to the experience and was cool that we were traveling like the locals. It seemed we were mostly on the main road along with other taxis. Best times to see planes as posted was between 12noon and 2:30pm (giving you 2:30 as a safe time to head back for 5:30 sailing.)

Once at Maho Beach, we just sat on our towels and within 5 minutes the first plane came in; many small planes and a couple of 757's with the last one being AIR FRANCE at about 2:20pm which seemed huge flying over us. There were two men from our cruise who stood in the middle while a jet was in position for take-off. Well, when the jet thrusted it's engines for take-off, it was hysterical to watch these two guys fall back, one rolling into the water. They talked and laughed with us later about how it stung and how they couldn't stay upright in the blast. We walked over to Sunset Beach Bar and ordered Carib beers for $3 each and later had rum-runners for $5 each. We did not eat there as we had a huge breakfast before going. There were chairs & umbrellas for rent (sorry, don't know how much). We packed up after the AIR FRANCE plane at 2:30 and immediately flagged a bus back to PHILLIPSBURG. The bridge did not go up, but you should allow at least 2 hrs return in case it does according to what people have posted. This is supposed to be the low tourist season for them, so that may help with traffic. As far as the beach there, the truth is you don't go there for the beach itself. The attraction is definitely the planes. The stretch of sand is narrow in width going from the ocean to the street, but the sand is clean and soft. The water was crystal clear and cool, but drops to waist level pretty quickly. Although it was not wavy that day, you could feel the tide pull you back and forth a bit, so I would be very careful with small children. It's good for a quick dip to cool off, but not to stay in for a long time I feel.

Okay, the one thing I messed up on was finding BACK STREET in the first place. I took directions with me from these boards, but once there I was a little confused and had to ask a couple of people. So I wrote down very specific directions with a more scenic route through the BOARDWALK to help out those who want to try it. You can take the water taxi from the pier to the Boardwalk for $6 per person roundtrip, but we decided to take this walk which was about a 1 mile/15 minute walk, really not bad at all!
Here are DIRECTIONS:

Walk straight to the end of the shops at the pier, turning right at the end of the straight line of shops, to exit the entire pier area. You will exit passing the security guardhouse and out through the bluish gates onto the main city street. Once there, turn LEFT walking on the paved sidewalk on the left side of the road. On your left you will pass the construction site of the Pier Improvement Project and then a boat dockyard. Once you pass the boat dockyard look for a green gate with a sign on it for FRONT STREET & BOARDWALK. Turn left into there to follow the paved walkway. If you pass the Shell Gas station you have walked too far. Follow the pavement along the BOARDWALK which lines the beach there and is very picturesque & beautiful. The beach is pretty there with lots of colorful bars restaurants & shops. This area is only about 4 yrs old and very cosmopolitan looking. Walk to the area of the main WATER TAXI pier which is at the mid-length of the beach & Boardwalk. This is the cross street where you will turn RIGHT--when you turn right you will be facing the COURTHOUSE. Walk past the first block which is FRONT STREET to the next block behind the courthouse which is BACK STREET. Once on Back Street you will find the city bus/vans driving by with their signs on the window. You can try to find a bus stop sign (a symbol really) or just flag a bus down from anywhere which is what most of the locals do. Don't be afraid to ask for directions as the people there are quite friendly and helpful. Also, at the water taxi building area, there is a Tourist Information Booth you can get help at. I also got a great map of the area on the ship right before you swipe your sea pass to debark. Silly me though, I didn't actually look at it until afterwards!

The BOARDWALK had great specials and happy hours, some of them starting at 2:00pm. There were signs for "2 beers for $3.00" and also "2 chairs, 1 umbrella and a bucket of beer for $15.00". We came back here after Maho Beach and swam, drank, shopped, and had a great time! It was a fun-filled and inexpensive way to spend the day. Absolutely enjoyed ourselves!

[The Big Booper]

You can also grab a van-cab at the pier for $ 6 pp and be at Maho in 20 minutes: while the walkers are still looking for Back Street, you are enjoying a cold one at SBB.

And if the temp is 90 +, do you REALLY want to take a 25 minute walk in a treeless environment to save a few bucks?

As always, the tradeoff is precious time vs a few dollars.

[Smileeface]

Tis true, tis true. I get what you mean. Our foursome probably only saved $32 vs taking the taxi roundtrip, which does not break the bank all on it's own. But depending on your wants & needs and if you are still inclined to try the walk and the city bus, it really wasn't a bad walk. Most of it is through the pier and then again through the boardwalk which is so pretty. If you don't stop and walk at a normal pace, it was about 15-20 mins. We didn't mind the walk especially since we had just left after a huge breakfast at Windjammers. It all depends on you and your group...

[The Big Booper]

Originally Posted by Smileeface

Tis true, tis true. I get what you mean. Our foursome probably only saved $32 vs taking the taxi roundtrip, which does not break the bank all on it's own. But depending on your wants & needs and if you are still inclined to try the walk and the city bus, it really wasn't a bad walk. Most of it is through the pier and then again through the boardwalk which is so pretty. If you don't stop and walk at a normal pace, it was about 15-20 mins. We didn't mind the walk especially since we had just left after a huge breakfast at Windjammers. It all depends on you and your group...

I know what you mean, the WJ has tons of stuff. And no lines at the action stations.

This is one island where we eat off the ship for lunch with the great restaurants at Orient, Marigot or Grand Case.

[mafig]

great info smileeface! thank you

[chloedmom]

Big Booper - are there any particular restaurants you like? We are doing a tour with Joyce Prince but then have enough time after to go for a drink and maybe some appetizers. Would love to be able to see water or a marina. Any suggestions?

[ThinkingInPink]

so you can lay on the beach here and watch the planes land and such? My hubby might like this.

[The Big Booper]

Originally Posted by chloedmom

Big Booper - are there any particular restaurants you like? We are doing a tour with Joyce Prince but then have enough time after to go for a drink and maybe some appetizers. Would love to be able to see water or a marina. Any suggestions?

When we are on the island off a ship, we usually eat at Orient Beach, most often Baywatch, run by Andy and Cheryl of NJ. Really good food at reasonable prices, and we can discuss the wonders of NJ with the owners when things slow down. We have also gone for a quicker chow-down at Pedros also on Orient Beach, not as fancy food as Baywatch but we love the ribs.

There are many other places at Orient, as well as at the Marina (at Marigot) or Gran Case as well as some nice eateries back in Philipsburg, but we don't go there unless we are staying on the island. A question of time and all that.

[Smileeface]

Originally Posted by ThinkingInPink

so you can lay on the beach here and watch the planes land and such? My hubby might like this.

Yes, it's very cool! We just showed our pictures and video to our family, and they were in awe! You can also find people's videos of the landings in Maho Beach (also a search for landings at Princess Juliana Airport St. Maarten) which will give you more of an idea. The Sunset Beach Cafe on the beach at Maho also has a website--you can check out their menu and, you can also click on pictures there of planes landing. Hope that helps.

[MrsPete]

Maybe a bit foolish, but also totally serious: Is it SAFE to be so close to the planes as they're coming down? I know my husband would love-love-love this place, but is it really okay? How high in the air are the planes?

[Spurs Fans]

Sunset Beach Bar is a great place to watch the planes landing. You can also listen to the control tower and the pilots communications from the bar. The planes are probably no more than 50 feet above the road as they near the runway. The beach does drop off quite a bit from the road down to the water. It seems safe but you never know! Watch it from the bar if you have any concerns. And, if you are a woman and you take your top off, you can drink for free.

[The Big Booper]

Originally Posted by MrsPete

Maybe a bit foolish, but also totally serious: Is it SAFE to be so close to the planes as they're coming down? I know my husband would love-love-love this place, but is it really okay? How high in the air are the planes?

Just don't stand directly under the glide path of the plane. The runway starts right after the beach so use that as a guide where to stand. Or just sit at the bar.

Among the best photos ever at Maho

http://www.sunsetbeachbar.com/Member...JPG/photo_view

[Smileeface]

Probably foolish, but very cool! The sand burn alone is something to worry about--especially take care with your eyes!

[The Big Booper]

Wrap around shades tied to your face with an earpiece strap is the way to go.

[Rogocop]

This shot is Incredible !!!

http://www.airliners.net/photo/KLM--...4d6d7436d2b1aa

[camarodrivenrs]

Originally Posted by Rogocop

This shot is Incredible !!!

http://www.airliners.net/photo/KLM--...4d6d7436d2b1aa

This low of an approach is extremely rare, as you can see the plane is going to touch down before the displaced threshold meaning he is way too low. I dont believe there has ever been a major accident. Being a pilot myself, I know the pilots are aware of the beach and the spectators and always err on the high side. Both times I've been on the beach I've seen go arounds being down as the plane was too high.

[gtaylor]

Back in the day that Air France was still flying 747's into here, the week before we arrived two different AF flights took out the fence at the end of the runway with their landing gear.

While we were here that visit an AF747 stationed for takeoff blew over a little mini-van crossing the road behind the runway.

gary

[Sandyrella]

Thank you so much for this wonderful information and amazing pictures!

We will be going to St. Martin for our first time on March 3rd and this is number one on our to do list but I have a couple of questions.

1. There are 4 huge ships in port that day, including the Oasis of the Seas (5000+ passengers!). Did you think it is a risk for us to go to Maho Beach and make it back in time for our 6:00 p.m sailing? (on the bright side, the Oasis sails at 5:00). I thought that we would make our way back around 2:30.

2. Is there any way to find out exactly what planes will be landing on that day or is it still too early?

Thanks for any insight you can offer!

[Smileeface]

There are some posts on the St. Martin boards about plane schedules. I used this site: http://www.bywindkal.com/SXMJets.html
and the airport's own website:
http://www.sxm-airport.com/timetable.html
I don't know if they have March 2010 on there or not, but it's a place to start. Once you get to Maho Beach you can find a schedule written on the surf board stuck in the sand in front of Sunset Beach Cafe.

I would try to head out as early as you can and start heading back close to 2:00--2:30 the latest. That will give you plenty of time to see alot of planes; I believe there are even more flights during winter, so that will be to your advantage, but yes, traffic can also be heavier. If you get back early enough you can spend some time on the boardwalk which is really very pretty.

[The Big Booper]

Kal is a regular poster here who visits the island every year for 3 weeks. He prepares the big jet schedule by himself. The link (Bywindkal) still only shows through 2009; this is a live link and when he updates his schedule, the schedule will show 2010. So bookmark the link and check it out periodically.

The surfboard at Sunset/Maho