MAHO BEACH ST MAARTEN

Traveling to St Maarten? Then you MUST check out Maho Beach St Maarten.

It’s the perfect beach to lounge at while watching airplanes come in to land right over your head.

That’s right, you are feet away from the Airport Landing strip. The runway is short, so planes come in really low to land on the small runaway.

SAINT MAARTEN NAMES

Saint Maarten is a small island in the Caribbean made up of two countries. Half of the country is Dutch (Sint Maarten) while the other is French (Saint Martin)

Maho Beach (Airplane Beach) St Maarten INFO

Name: Maho Beach or Airplane Beach
Where: Saint Maarten, right next to the SXM Airport runaway.
Cost: Free
Best time to go: When the biggest planes are landing which is typically between noon and 3 pm. Just make sure you check the schedule for the day

HOW TO GET TO MAHO BEACH

There are a few different ways you can get to Maho Beach.

If you are on a cruise, you might have a stop in St Maarten. Or maybe you are flying to stay in St Maarten.

We stayed in St Maarten and our hotel was within a 3-minute walk to Maho Beach so we went to the Airplane beach (Maho Beach) multiple times. If you are not within walking distance, you can take a taxi or bus.

If you decide to rent a car, there is street parking nearby so you can drive to Maho Beach St Maarten.

AT AIRPLANE BEACH (MAHO BEACH)

Before you head to Airplane Beach (or Maho Beach at St Maarten), check the schedule of the planes for the day.

The schedule can vary day by day but typically the best time is between noon and 3 pm because you want to see the biggest planes land.

You can also check out the nearby restaurants, they typically have the schedule. Sunset Bar has a sign at their entrance that has a schedule of the biggest planes for the day.

Before you go on your trip, check out the live webcam Sunset Bar has on their website to see a live view of the planes landing at Maho Beach St Maarten.

When the airplanes start coming in, stand on the beach that is in line with the runaway. You can stand in the water, on the sand, or at the top of the beach right next to the road.

You’ll feel the jet blast when the plane lands. It’s a really cool feeling to have the plane so close to you as it lands (or takes off).

Be aware and pay attention when standing below the planes. The jet blast is strong. It blows the sand around too.

They no longer allow people to stand right next to the fence of the runaway because of all the accidents people had from holding on to the fence. So just be aware of your surrounding when the planes land at Airplane Beach.

THE BEACH

When you are at the beach, you’ll see the sand is white and the water is a gorgeous clear blue Caribbean water.

There are some vendors that you can rent chairs from if you you want to swim.

There are no free facilities nearby unless you are staying at one of the nearby hotels. If you’re not staying nearby, you go to one of the nearby restaurants.

Depending on when you visit the beach, the water could be high or low. Sometimes the beach is on the smaller side.

This happens when there are storms. Sometimes the sand gets pulled into the ocean to cause a smaller beach. After a few days, the beach does come back.

Regardless if the beach is small or large, it doesn’t take away from the Airplane beach experience. It’s an incredibly feeling.