Bernards tours question on Maho

This question is for all the people who have used Bernard's tours and went to Maho beach to see the planes, In the short time the tour has you there do you get to see many planes land?

This is a once in a lifetime chance here and I would hate to visit the beach and not see a plane land.

Should I take a cab and skip the Bernard tour ?

They know the schedule and will do everything they can to get you to Maho to see the planes. I do not remember exactly how many we saw but it was definitely enough for the experience. Remember they also work for tips so want to make sure they have happy people.

This question is for all the people who have used Bernard's tours and went to Maho beach to see the planes, In the short time the tour has you there do you get to see many planes land?

 

This is a once in a lifetime chance here and I would hate to visit the beach and not see a plane land.

 

Should I take a cab and skip the Bernard tour ?

The bigger planes usually come in the afternoon. Bernard's guys definitely know the schedule and will make sure you are there to see the really good ones. They will also keep up with traffic ( which can be a bear in the afternoons) to make sure you are back to the ship in plenty of time.

No worries with Bernard......everyone on St Martin knows him!

Yes, Bernard will make sure you are there when the big planes arrive/depart. We saw a couple of small planes then the BIG one come in. That was awesome. As soon as it landed he asked if everyone was ready to go; we were.

Definitely do Bernard's tour ... there are tons of cool things to see on the island!

We (family of 6 adults) did a private tour with Bernards and went to Orient Beach, Marigot & Maho..we spent just the right amount of time at each (per our guide/driver's knowledge)..We got to Maho in the early afternoon and saw some big planes...He then had us back to Philipsburg in time for some shopping, dropping some of us off there (we took the water taxi back to the ship) and the other's back at the ship...a great day...Bernards knows their stuff....Enjoy !!

What you don't want to miss is the KLM flight from Amsterdam. That's a 747 and is quite an experience. I'd look up the schedule on KLM's website and confirm the time for your day. Note that they can be early or late, so I'd want to at Maho at least 45 minutes before the scheduled arrival time. You would be looking for the flight from AMS to SXM.

We were on Freedom in October and did Bernard's tour. We missed the earlier planes and only saw one land. As we were driving toward the beach and saw the BA plane coming in the driver said they had changed schedules and were coming in earlier than expected. I would take the cab and skip the tour with Bernard's if that is really what you want to see. We did enjoy everything else about the tour, but not the late arrival to the beach.

We were there last month and had a ball. Saw air France large plane land. Bernard's is great. Lots of smaller planes land. Saw large one take off too. Quite an experience. I say do it.

We were there last month and had a ball. Saw air France large plane land. Bernard's is great. Lots of smaller planes land. Saw large one take off too. Quite an experience. I say do it.

That was an A340 from Paris. Not quite as large as the 747, but still an impressive sight so close. That routing would be CDG -> SXM.

We took Bernards Tours Last year on the Freedom and it was wonderful. You see so much, we chose the shopping tour. Unfortunately we had a big delay in Marigot and the group opted to stay and shop there and skip Maho. If that is your only requirement in St. Marten, you might want to do it on your own. With Bernards Tours you see so much and it is worth every penny. They know the schedule at Maho and really try to time it right.

This question is for all the people who have used Bernard's tours and went to Maho beach to see the planes, In the short time the tour has you there do you get to see many planes land?

 

This is a once in a lifetime chance here and I would hate to visit the beach and not see a plane land.

 

Should I take a cab and skip the Bernard tour ?

Obviously it is up to you in the end if you do a tour or not. Last year my GF and I just hopped in a cab and went direct to Maho. We had a great time at the beach bar there and got to see a bunch of planes land including the big boy that day the Air France A340. If all you want is to sit on the beach, drink beer, and watch planes, I'd skip the tour. The only place better to watch planes than Maho, is the Sepulveda Blvd In-n-Put burger at LAX.

Bernard definitely keeps up with arrival schedules of planes to plan the best time to get there. We saw many planes, including 2 747's landing!! That was impressive! As they come in closer and closer, you find yourself stepping off to the side just a little more!

Had a wonderful day with Bernard's Tours.... saw the island, Orient beach bar was..... interesting.... lol.... Maho was the highlight

Great tour, and great guides! Like eveyone has already said, they know the schedule and they get you to Maho in time to see the big planes come in. I think we spent about an hour or so at Maho. It was enough time to see the planes come in, have a drink, and visit the souveneir shop. :D Enjoy!!

We have toured with Bernard twice, and both days were fabulous! Try to reserve Bernard himself, and you won't be sorry! What a great guy!

Maho Beach is definitely a great experience, but there's lots more to see there, too. We are going to St. M. in June for our 3rd time, and we will plan the day ourselves this time. We will have a great lunch on the French side, do a little shopping, and spend some beachtime at the bar at Maho. Sounds like a fun day to me!

We used Bernard's in Dec. on the early morning tour, Maho beach was the last stop before returning to the ship, if you wanted to I am sure they would leave you there so you could view more planes, and you can take one of the numerous taxis back to the ship.

thanks for the replys, I am interested in seeing the island too and orient beach, not sure what the one poster meant by interesting, i think i do,lol. nudity is not a big deal to me.

I want to see more of the island than just the planes but do not want to miss the planes so i don't think i would chance missing a good tour and also take a chance of a taxi making me late when the local tour guide would be better at planning times and travel than me.

sounds like i will book them.

do they offer free drinks on the tour and lunch ?

what is the extra costs for lunch if so.

How much do we tip?

thanks for the replys, I am interested in seeing the island too and orient beach, not sure what the one poster meant by interesting, i think i do,lol. nudity is not a big deal to me.

 

I want to see more of the island than just the planes but do not want to miss the planes so i don't think i would chance missing a good tour and also take a chance of a taxi making me late when the local tour guide would be better at planning times and travel than me.

 

sounds like i will book them.

 

do they offer free drinks on the tour and lunch ?

what is the extra costs for lunch if so.

 

How much do we tip?

Drinks and lunch not included..... we had lunch at the bar on the beach....

A selection of the drinks from Orient beach bar prices may very well have gone up.... I don't have a pic of the menu from Maho

The bigger planes usually come in the afternoon. Bernard's guys definitely know the schedule and will make sure you are there to see the really good ones. They will also keep up with traffic ( which can be a bear in the afternoons) to make sure you are back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

No worries with Bernard......everyone on St Martin knows him!

Totally agree with this. We have used the tour twice and always been there to see a biggie arrive.

Make sure you get "The Mailman" - HE ALWAYS DELIVERS :D

Drinks and lunch not included..... we had lunch at the bar on the beach....

A selection of the drinks from Orient beach bar prices may very well have gone up.... I don't have a pic of the menu from Maho

 

Bernards tours include free drinks - soda, water, beer and his infamous Rum Punch :D Drink and beware. Beware and dare.

We've taken Bernard's Tours twice....and we loved his tour and Maho Beach we saw large jets both times. It's worth the money!

The Air France A340. I took this last year while on the Allure and we took a cab to Moho for the day. See my review

allure 1-6-13 with Pictures.

We are going again on the Oasis March 22 and booked Bernard's for a private tour for the 6 of us this time.

Caneguy

Bernards tours include free drinks - soda, water, beer and his infamous Rum Punch :D Drink and beware. Beware and dare.

I'd forgotten about the rum punch.... more rum than anything.... yeah.... lol

I've been back and forth whether to reserve this with Bernard and I may be convinced to do so after all the good things you all have to say. One question we will have a 5 and 13 year old with us. Any children on your tour? Not really concerned about Orient and the nudity. I know there is a part of the beach where there is more than others. I think they would love to see the planes.