St. Maarten Question

My husband and I will be sailing to St. Martin in May on the Oasis. He would like to go to the beach and bar that is close to the airport to see the airplanes land. We plan to take a taxi from the port and back but since we have never done this we wanted some advice. What would be the average cost to do this and do we need to arrange ahead of time or take one that is waiting there? Is this something that anyone else has done and if so do you have any advice?

Thanks!

I would post this on the "Ports of Call" board under Caribbean/St. Maarten. You will get more information from there, I would believe.

Thank-you!

That would be Maho beach. I haven't gone there but I know there are taxis close to the ship you can have take you there. I don't know what the cost would be but when we went there were plenty of taxis waiting and people would just walk up and tell them where they wanted to go. The drivers were much less pushy than in St. Thomas.

Seems to me it was $7 per person each way but that may be old pricing. As I remember the prices are posted at the port where you catch the taxi. It's not a long ride and there should be no problem going or coming. The bar we always go to is Sunset Bar and Grill. You can sit outside, have a Guavaberry Colada (really good), order some food and they have speakers tuned to the tower frequency. You can enjoy watching (or participate if crazy enough) the people on the beach trying not to be blown into the water by the jets. Check the flight schedule for arriving and departing flights to see when the big jets come and go. It's a fun place, and I think a must do for St. Maarten.

Sunset beach bar is on maho beach. You can watch the planes while ordering drinks and food. Its a good time They have a website you can check out. FYI beware, you may see some topless women if it bothers you. They advertise free drinks to women topless.

We were just at Majo beach in December. Taxi cost us 8.00 per person each way.

The cruise line does not have an excursion to Majo beach. The party boat does not come ashore - so the taxi is the best way to reach the beach.

Sunset bar is still there - and posting the arrival and departure times of the planes.

There is some sand on the beach now - not enough for chairs, but enough to stand and take photos. I wish I knew how to post photos - I tried to post them and they are showing up as thumbnail attachments.

Be sure to leave enough time to get back to the ship - everyone tries to leave at the same time and with traffic jams it can take twice as long to get back to this ship if you wait too long to leave. We have heard that people have been left behind when they miss getting back to the ship.

Majo was a fun outing.

Hi,

Was there last year. St. Maarten had had a storm in the days prior to our arrival and so the beach was heavily shelved. Lots of flooding on the island.

Be warned to watch the first large planes take off standing away from their jet wash. My wife ended up getting blown into the sea! Was funny watching the video footage later! :-)

Taxis are aplenty both at the port and for the return trip behind Sunset bar.

Leave plenty of time for the return trip as the roads can get very busy.

And enjoy the trip, if I ever get the opportunity to go back to St. Maarten, I for sure will be heading back to Maho Beach to watch the planes.

Have a look on youtube for what to expect.

Rob.

Seems to me it was $7 per person each way but that may be old pricing. As I remember the prices are posted at the port where you catch the taxi. It's not a long ride and there should be no problem going or coming. The bar we always go to is Sunset Bar and Grill. You can sit outside, have a Guavaberry Colada (really good), order some food and they have speakers tuned to the tower frequency. You can enjoy watching (or participate if crazy enough) the people on the beach trying not to be blown into the water by the jets. Check the flight schedule for arriving and departing flights to see when the big jets come and go. It's a fun place, and I think a must do for St. Maarten.

That sounds like so much fun!

Take a taxi which is outside of the port. Plenty of people want to hit this spot. It cost between 7 and ten dollars per person for about 30 minutes ride. The earlier you go the better the spot you can get before the rush start. ALso the first plane don't land till 11 am. However, Maho beach got destroyed from a hurricane. The beach is mostly in jagged rock. I was there last year and thee was plenty of sand back then. Too bad they don't do beach replenishment program.

Yep as stated this would be Maho Beach. the bar next door is Sunset Bar & Grill. You can sit at the bar or a few tables outside of it. Or if you just want to beach it, it's very doable. If you decide just to use the beach you can find some beer for $1.75 ea at a little grocery (has an Asian name) about three or business' down from Sunset. They have snacks too.

KLM is the big jets to look for. Occasionally they are a tad late. So be prepared to check their website for arrival times if you find wi-fi. Also, be forwarned the bathrooms are/were port-a-cans and they were pretty pathetic. But overall, Maho Beach is a great time.

Enjoy.

We're doing Maho Beach on our March cruise - can't wait! Glad to see the beach is filling out, but totally get how quickly it can change.

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Agree with all above. Can't stress enough to allow plenty of time for return..the backup generally comes from the drawbridge at Simpson bay. Check the open and close times for the bridge. Generally around 9, 11:45 and somewhere between 4-5. The bridge opening is anywhere between 15 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the yachts. We stay at a local resort near the drawbridge and watch lots of folks very anxious who rented scooters, jeeps and the like who are yelling at others about the slowness of the traffic...know this is the minority but still happens. Have fun at the beach....it's wonderful

We took the bus last year. $2 a person. Catch it in town two blocks from the water and ride along with the locals.

While Maho is great if you want to watch planes or enjoy Sunset Bar....we would call the beach "Maho non-beach." In a word, the beach "sucks." There is not a lot of sand and the place can become overcrowded on busy days. One strategy might be to go to Maho to watch some planes and then walk over to Mullet Bay (less then a mile) where there is a lot more sand and enough space to actually stretch out on the beach :).

Hank

While Maho is great if you want to watch planes or enjoy Sunset Bar....we would call the beach "Maho non-beach." In a word, the beach "sucks." There is not a lot of sand and the place can become overcrowded on busy days. One strategy might be to go to Maho to watch some planes and then walk over to Mullet Bay (less then a mile) where there is a lot more sand and enough space to actually stretch out on the beach :).

 

Hank

Thanks for that info, that sound much better to walk to a beach instead of trying to take multiple taxis. My husband really wants to see the airplanes so that is at the top of the list even over the beach.

While Maho is great if you want to watch planes or enjoy Sunset Bar....we would call the beach "Maho non-beach." In a word, the beach "sucks." There is not a lot of sand and the place can become overcrowded on busy days. One strategy might be to go to Maho to watch some planes and then walk over to Mullet Bay (less then a mile) where there is a lot more sand and enough space to actually stretch out on the beach :).

 

Hank

I would also suggest Maho/Mullet, but would reverse the destinations.

Visit Mullet Bay Beach first for your beach time and then walk over to Maho for the planes.

(click)

Most of the big ones will be coming in between shortly before noon and 2:00.

Here's a post I made earlier today about Maho.

gary

While Maho is great if you want to watch planes or enjoy Sunset Bar....we would call the beach "Maho non-beach." In a word, the beach "sucks." There is not a lot of sand and the place can become overcrowded on busy days. One strategy might be to go to Maho to watch some planes and then walk over to Mullet Bay (less then a mile) where there is a lot more sand and enough space to actually stretch out on the beach :).

 

Hank

What are the facilities like at Mullet, restrooms, places to eat/drink etc? Is it preferable to Orient?

The OP is going in May which means the KLM comes in around 11 not 12 like in the winter months. I think knowing the plane schedule for the day is important before deciding which beach to visit first. In the winter 12-3 is great but in the spring/summer the action starts an hour earlier.

The OP is going in May which means the KLM comes in around 11 not 12 like in the winter months. I think knowing the plane schedule for the day is important before deciding which beach to visit first. In the winter 12-3 is great but in the spring/summer the action starts an hour earlier.

It looks like they will be there on Wednesday, May 18, and there are no KLM flights on that day.

gary

It looks like they will be there on Wednesday, May 18, and there are no KLM flights on that day.

 

gary

Too bad for OP :( it's the best! For others though you will be sad heading to Maho at 12 jet to find out that the KLM landed 30 minutes ago.

Take a taxi which is outside of the port. Plenty of people want to hit this spot. It cost between 7 and ten dollars per person for about 30 minutes ride. The earlier you go the better the spot you can get before the rush start. ALso the first plane don't land till 11 am. However, Maho beach got destroyed from a hurricane. The beach is mostly in jagged rock. I was there last year and thee was plenty of sand back then. Too bad they don't do beach replenishment program.

I was at Maho in May of 2015. The beach had lot's of sand and was in great condition. There wasn't a hurricane since Oct. 2014. A hurricane is not the reason why the beach eroded this fall.

It looks like they will be there on Wednesday, May 18, and there are no KLM flights on that day.

 

gary

Thanks for that information, we will be sure to check schedules to get the most out of going.

Too bad for OP :( it's the best! For others though you will be sad heading to Maho at 12 jet to find out that the KLM landed 30 minutes ago.

I've posted here earlier that we were staying near Maho (Towers at Mullet Bay) and headed over to the beach just to see, in the distance, KLM arriving 50 minutes early, as we turned onto the main road. :(

gary

I was at Sunset Bar and Grill on 1/20/16. I took taxi back to the cruise port. It can cost $4 to $20 depending on the number of passengers. Sunset Bar and Grill is remodeling so there was a lot of construction noise. Bathroom were temporarily in the trailer across the street. You need to go up about 6 to 8 steps with no handrail on the stairs.

Most spots are reserved for lunch customers. If you go alone or with a partner, there are stools along the railing. It is best spot to take photos. I turning one of my photos into a "I survived the jet wash" t-shirt.