Maho Beach Chairs and Umbrella Question

Does anyone know about what time you should get to Maho beach before all the chairs and umbrellas are sold out?

I've been reading that some passengers have had 6-8 ships in port, which will cause a lot of traffic. I would say then try to get there asap. It is rare to have that many ships in port but it does occur at times, it is not the norm.

Here is a link that will tell you how many ships in port for St Maarten. Find your date and see what how many other ships will be there for the same date.

http://201.220.14.27/sxmonline/VesselScheduleCruise.aspx

If you're going to have 2 ships in port then I would say around 10-11 am you should be fine getting chairs and an umbrella.

Does anyone know about what time you should get to Maho beach before all the chairs and umbrellas are sold out?

i did not see any chairs or umbrellas at Maho in Dec but there were 8 ships in port and we were lucky to spend 15min there on our Bernards tour and got to see 3 planes land and 1 take off. the beach is so narrow and steep i don't know how a chair would sit there - must have been to the far right or perhaps left near the bar. the planes mostly arrive around the 2 o'clock hour and are pretty regular every few minutes coming and going.

I was there in January and got there about 11am and had no issues with getting chairs and an umbrella. I was on the Valor but I don't know how many ships were in port with us.

Thanks for all the replies! It helps in planning our visit.

We were just there two weeks ago. At the sunset bar and grill there were many chairs and umbrellas. We were the only ship in port that day (Oasis), but we got there at 830AM and had to wait until 9-930 before they were even ready to start setting up. The chairs. We had a really great breakfast there. The service was phenomenal. We spent the day and the water was very clean, yes there are a few rocks near the restaurant, but things I've read made this beach sound awful and I thought it was great. The only problem was that the umbrellas were a little short. Still had a wonderful day.

We were just there two weeks ago. At the sunset bar and grill there were many chairs and umbrellas. We were the only ship in port that day (Oasis), but we got there at 830AM and had to wait until 9-930 before they were even ready to start setting up. The chairs. We had a really great breakfast there. The service was phenomenal. We spent the day and the water was very clean, yes there are a few rocks near the restaurant, but things I've read made this beach sound awful and I thought it was great. The only problem was that the umbrellas were a little short. Still had a wonderful day.

Thanks for the feedback. Do you remember about what time there were no chairs/umbrellas left? We are meeting Bernards at 9:30 and wanted to make one stop before Maho beach. So thinking we wouldn't get there until about 11:00 a.m. ish.

I've been reading that some passengers have had 6-8 ships in port, which will cause a lot of traffic. I would say then try to get there asap. It is rare to have that many ships in port but it does occur at times, it is not the norm.

 

Here is a link that will tell you how many ships in port for St Maarten. Find your date and see what how many other ships will be there for the same date.

 

http://201.220.14.27/sxmonline/VesselScheduleCruise.aspx

 

If you're going to have 2 ships in port then I would say around 10-11 am you should be fine getting chairs and an umbrella.

Six ships was not unusual in the winter seasons these last couple of years. We had a 6 and a 7 ship port day in 2013. Even with 8 ships in port you should be able to get chairs at Maho at 10 or 11 because Maho is not a beach that most folks want to spend the day at. It gets busy around 11 but by 3 it thins out a lot.

Six ships was not unusual in the winter seasons these last couple of years. We had a 6 and a 7 ship port day in 2013. Even with 8 ships in port you should be able to get chairs at Maho at 10 or 11 because Maho is not a beach that most folks want to spend the day at. It gets busy around 11 but by 3 it thins out a lot.

I have to disagree with you about 6-7 ships in port for the winter seasons. We have been to St Maarten 5 times in the past 7 months (Nov-May) and had 3 or less ships in port each sailing. Two of those sailings, we were the only ship in port, I guess we got lucky.

With 8 ships in port, I would agree getting to Maho by 10 am should be fine in getting chairs and an umbrella.

Thanks everyone for all the information and helpful tips! I've got my plan of action all set!

We were just at Maho a couple of weeks ago and there were 3 ships in port with us. We walked over to Maho at noon and over by Driftwood Bar there were plenty of chairs the entire time we were there. They are less crowded than Sunset. :)

We were just at Maho a couple of weeks ago and there were 3 ships in port with us. We walked over to Maho at noon and over by Driftwood Bar there were plenty of chairs the entire time we were there. They are less crowded than Sunset. :)

Your cruise was in May. Many ships leave the Caribbean for Europe and Alaska at the end of April.

I have to disagree with you about 6-7 ships in port for the winter seasons. We have been to St Maarten 5 times in the past 7 months (Nov-May) and had 3 or less ships in port each sailing. Two of those sailings, we were the only ship in port, I guess we got lucky.

 

With 8 ships in port, I would agree getting to Maho by 10 am should be fine in getting chairs and an umbrella.

May is not winter season in the Caribbean. You should consider yourself very fortunate to have had 3 or less ships in port in St. Maarten in the winter. On this board in the last 2 years there were many, many threads mentioning 6-8 ships in port and one with a picture of 9 ships in port.

We were there at the end of January and had a day with 7 ships in port, including the giant Oasis. It was very hectic, tons of traffic, tons of people and we're looking forward to going back on a less busy day.

We got to Maho about 1pm and it was CROWDED. First off, the beach isn't what I'd choose for a beach day at all. The drop off is pretty steep right off shore, so the waves are pretty rough and strong. They went very far up the beach and more than once, people were scrambling to pick their stuff up. It's also a very narrow and sloped beach. And when we were there, albeit during rush hour, there was barely room to put a towel down, much less spread out. We didn't even try, we were fine just holding our stuff watching the planes.

That said, it was still an amazing experience...for the planes, but not for the beach. We're going to Mullet next time for a beach day and even the beach right in Philipsburg would be much better for laying out, if that's what you want to do. If you tried that at Maho the day we were there, you'd constantly have someone shading you!

Having just spent a week at an AI right in Maho I would suggest the following.

1. Get there early....smaller planes come in the morning with bigger planes starting to arrive after 10am.

2. Check the Princess Juliana flight schedule for the day you will be there so you know which planes you want to see.

3. Once you are done watching the planes, walk over to Mullet by (10-15 max) and hang out there for your "beach day".

Maho Beach (KLM 747....largest plane that flies into St. Maarten)

Mullet Bay

IMO Maho is not a very nice beach to spend hours at. I went for about 1 hour in the afternoon and watched a few planes land. Been there done that kind of place. :o

Been there done that kind of place. :o

It's so weird how people can have totally different reactions to it. To each their own, I suppose, I definitely plan on stopping there again my next stop at St Maarten, but I agree that you spend maybe an hour there and that's enough. But I definitely want to experience it again! :)

@MillbrookMom: a picture is worth a thousand words, thanks for the photo comparisons!

Also @ OP: If you don't mind a tiny walk, there's a little local convenience store just north of the tip of Maho beach, by the traffic circle/triangle and you can pick up cheap cold drinks/water/snacks for while you're on the beach, if like exploring local. They also had a little buffet-style hot bar with local food when we were there. We weren't hungry but it was very intriguing! And bottled water was cold and cheap! Just a fun alternative to the more touristy beach bar!