Maho Beach in St. Maarten

[Viking Lad]

Has anyone been to Maho Beach? The beach is right smack at the end of the international airport's runway and a very renowned "must do" for aviation photographers.

 

How far is Maho from the port and does anyone have suggestions about how to get there and back quickly?

[HB Cruiser]

We did this very thing on our own. We took a cab to Maho, there will be plenty of cabs there at the port that will take you. We asked the driver to come back and get us at a certain time. He did not make it but sent another driver. Worked out well for us.

 

You can swim there at the beach also. The beach area is not the best but you can get wet and see the planes also.

 

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!

 

Tim & Crystal

[brn2crz]

Check out Radios explorer video...He has a pretty good one of a plane landing there.

[gfargo53]

we stayed in maho area this past april for 10 days.you can grab a cab in phillipsburg where you dock and go to maho in less than 1/2 hr.as long as the bridge opening near the airport isn't for too long.there is a small beach near the end of the runway where everyone hangs out to watch the planes come in.there is also some shopping and great eats in the maho area.but the best sights are the KLM and AIR FRANCE jumbo jets coming in for their landings everyday between 1:30 and 2:00 pm. hope you have an enjoyable cruise

[wraithe]

Cab will take you to the beach and then pick you up at the time you tell them to, if you so desire. There really isn't much to the beach but it's awesome to watch the planes. I have lots of pics, and if you're sailing Mariner, and stopping in St. Thomas first, watch for the sea planes taking off and landing in the harbor at Charlotte Amalie. I enjoyed seeing that as well.

[runner15km]

Go to youtube.com and type in maho beach and see some great video of planes landing.:)

[It'sRC4ME]

We do this every time we go to St. Maarten, which is pretty much every cruise we take.

 

You will be able to get a cab from the pier. I think it was $8 or $9 each for DH and I. Be aware that if there are lots of ships in port, it may take the cab dispatcher a little while to find a cab driver who wants to take you - they can make more money taking people on a tour, so they're sometimes reluctant to drive all the way over to the airport. The dispatcher WILL find you a cab though. If you're the only ship in port, drivers will be eager to take you.

 

The big planes land in the afternoon, so DH and I usually sleep in, get a late breakfast, and leave the ship around 11:30.

 

At the beach is the Sunset Beach Bar, which is a great spot to hang out and watch the planes. Beers were $1 the last time we were there (January '06). The bar will call a taxi for you when you want to leave. Be aware that the bar/taxis only take cash, so you'll want to make sure to bring enough with you.

[Viking Lad]

:) :) :) :)

 

Thank you all for the excellent advice, especially as when to leave the ship, and the cost of taxis. Truth be told, this was one of the reasons why I suggested a cruise for our late 2006 holidays.