Hello from Sint Maarten! I'm currently island hopping through the Caribbean as part of my four month trip. There were an overwhelming number of options to choose from when looking at which Caribbean islands to visit, especially as I had never visited the region before. This was the second stop, after Aruba. I picked Sint…
Continue reading: Plane Spotting At Maho Beach, Sint Maarten
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I've been to SXM a few times for plane spotting and Maho Beach is amazing. Not sure how recovered they are for this high season, but some days there are 3-5 cruise ships and the beach become crowded as hell. As we're getting closer to Christmas, the airport will get very busy with an incredible number of business jets and probably Abramovich private 767.
It's just a shame jets generally don't come as low as they used to come a few years ago.
"The beach was actually surprisingly small (much smaller than it looked in photos and videos I had seen online), but that was actually part of its charm."
The beach shrinks and grows with hurricane season. After the island got destroyed last year, the beach was entirely gone, but it is coming back.
Just beware that the signs with warnings are there for a reason; in the past, people have died as a result of being thrown around by jetblast...
It is irresponsible to not mention deaths have occurred in this "thrill seeking" behavior. Would it stop me? No. Nonetheless, a callout of the hazard including death itself should have been duly noted.
St Maarten/st Martin used to be a wonderful place, very affordable and easy to reach. Things have changed and hurricane Irma did not help too. If you have the chance, go to Pinel, a wonderful small island 10min by boat a few miles up from orient beach.
I lucked out with an awesome visit at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort in May of 2016, as the KLM 747 and Air France A340 were still in service to the island. They've done a lot of work since the hurricanes and I'll be back.
I have alot of family that live in St Maarten so I have been to the beach many times! However one of my family members lived in Phillipsburg and the planes always went directly over the house. So I could sit on the balcony and watch the massive planes fly over head. Unfortunately I was never allowed to go plane spotting at the beach for the KLM 747. I was a kid back then but I still remember seeing her.
Visited Sint Maarten/St Martin many times, years ago, always around Thanksgiving, staying at the famous Mary's Boon just to the right of the runway, on beautiful Simpson Bay (my opinion -- the most beautiful beach on the island). We'd get the upper level room (above the office/restaurant) and watch the planes come & go (ID by aircraft radio). Most of the day, it's the small planes going to nearby islands. The afternoon would be the big ones, LH, AF, KLM, Pan Am, American et al.
Thank you @James for a well written and great report as always.
Where did you decide to bunk for the night? The known chains with points options either for earning or burning are limited.
@ Peter Fox - yes the hotel options are limited. We wanted to stay on the french side (which has even less hotel options) to ensure it felt a different to Aruba where we had just come from so we stayed in an airbnb near the beach.
Thanks for the happy reminder: spent my honeymoon in Saint Marteen in 2000 and our favorite activity was plane watching off that beach from the bars on the beach. Sad that the 747 is no longer flying there.
Never visited Maho beach in St Maarten but I did visit JSI- Skiathos airport which is the equivalent of St Maarten in Europe. Definitely worth visiting, tho don't expect wide-bodies there.
This is bucket list for me too, but wasn't sure how recovered the island was after last year. Glad to hear its on the way back!
Just came through HKT the other week and I didn't realise the end of that runway also has a beach under it, and there was a crowd watching our Malaysian flight coming in. They get widebodies, so maybe another potential spotting location.
Such a shame you missed the 747, I was there 2 years ago and it was jaw dropping as it came over.....a once in a lifetime spectacle. I often play my video to remind me.
I was always very intrigued by St Marteen, so this is a great post! Finally a great article from you James!
Ok, so nobody's gonna comment on the Zambian Airlines flight, supposedly arriving at 14:55 almost 10 years after they ceased operations?
I feel like someone mentioned Pan Am and now I'm going crazy... Does anyone else not see that?
"This should go without saying but do not hold on to the fence closest to the runway when planes take off."
It SHOULD go without saying, but I still kinda want to do it....
Skiathos, Greece has a similar located airport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsI1jZce-64
I've been to Sint Maarten once for plane spotting for several days. Will cherish that memory. I would alternate between the balcony of my room at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Maho Beach and Sunset Bar.
James - thanks for the wonderful report. I've been wondering how the island has been doing since the devastating hurricane. I can't believe the progress that has apparently been made. Good luck to the people of the island. What a tragic hurricane it was that basically destroyed the island.
Such a pity 747s aren't coming in any more. KLM is my favourite airline! Widebody joke hilariously awful, by the way.