If you are planning a Caribbean cruise with St Maarten on the itinerary, I would highly recommend taking a trip to Maho Beach, better know as Aeroplane Beach. It’s the perfect opportunity to sit, eat, drink and watch the incredible sights of aeroplanes coming in to land, literally just metres above the heads of beach goers. This Caribbean destination is well-known for thrill-seekers clinging to the fence whilst aircraft take off from Princess Juliana International Airport.
Where is Maho Beach?
Maho Beach AKA Aeroplane Beach is situated on the Dutch side of St Maarten. The popular cruise port is in Philipsburg in the South East and Maho Beach is on the South West coast of the island. A taxi ride from the cruise port to Maho Beach is approximately 25 minutes and costs $18 return per person (2020 price).
We visited in 2017 and 2020 during Caribbean cruises. We arrived first thing in the morning as it gets quite busy, especially when there are multiple cruise ships in port (this is common in St Maarten).
Sunset Bar and Grill at Maho Beach
The best place to enjoy the aeroplanes landing is at the Sunset Bar and Grill. From here you can see them coming in from the Caribbean Sea, over the beach and on to the airport runway. In the Sunset Bar is a daily board that provides information about arrivals and departures.
The Sunset Bar and Grill is a great spot to watch the aeroplanes whilst sipping cocktails and the food is also excellent.
The beach bar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as drinks and cocktails.
The Beach
The beach is a great place to stand and watch the aeroplanes soar overhead. Since the hurricane that hit St Maarten in 2017, the beach has become smaller and so there is limited space on the beach. It’s mostly people standing and watching the aeroplanes rather than tourists sunbathing.
Top Tips for Visiting Maho Beach
Top tips for visiting Airplane Beach on a cruise:
- Get there early, Maho Beach and the Sunset Bar and Grill can get busy as it’s a popular tourist spot on St Maarten, we arrived around 9.30am and got a great table overlooking the beach.
- If you can, check the arrivals and departures for Princess Juliana International Airport in advance.
- Arrange a return journey to the cruise port with your taxi driver to avoid getting stranded at Maho Beach. Our taxi driver recommended that we arranged the return journey with plenty of time to spare as the route back can get busy in the afternoons.
- Watch the aeroplanes land from the beach or the Sunset Bar, don’t be tempted to hang on to the fence when planes are getting ready to take off. Unfortunately, there have been injuries and fatalities when people have been blown on to the road and concrete blocks.
- If you’re planning to swim in the sea, beware of the strong waves that were knocking people over (amusing for those watching but probably not as enjoyable for the swimmers!).
- Enjoy the atmosphere and tick this amazing experience off your bucket list!
For a more relaxing day on a Caribbean beach, I’d recommend Magens Bay, St Thomas.
Happy cruising!
Love this! Watching planes land from that close must be an exciting – and slightly terrifying – experience.. But I guess a few cocktails would put the anxious traveller right at ease 🙂 Great tips too, especially about the strong waves to watch out for.
Author
Thank you, it was an exciting day and the cocktails made everyone happy! I’m so glad that we chose to do this when we visited St Maarten!
I like your idea of watching it from the Sunset Bar and Grill instead of up close and personal. Sounds way less dangerous that way! Plus, it might be funnier to watch the crazy people crashing on the sand and in the water when you’ve had a drink or two. I just can’t seem to believe that people have died there and they don’t do anything about it?? I suppose it’s just Darwinism at it’s finest.
Author
Yes, the view from the bar was great, we go to do a bit of people watching too, which I love. Very happy to watch the action from a distance!
Author
I’ve got to say, the guacamole was the best!
Watching planes land from the beach sure sounds exciting! You also provided some great tips on staying safe too. It’s really shocking that people actually died there and they don’t do anything about it.
Not sure if I will enjoy it that close, but for sure watching people knock over by the wave will bring smile, even laugh, to my face. How many orders of guacamole did you get while sitting at Sunset Bar & Grill? It looks delicious! Cocktails and drinks also looks refreshing!
Author
I believe we ordered one portion on guacamole!
We loved our visit to Maho Beach. You were so lucky to get a table at the Sunset Bar! Checking flight times is a great idea. Isn’t that beach so small to handle so many people? Great tips for a cruise excursion.
Author
Yes we got there early to get a good table with a view. The beach isn’t very deep and as the day goes on more people arrive and fill the beach.
Haha, I have heard of this place before but had no idea where it was. Thanks for the tips on it! This would be an interesting experience.
I loved reading your posts as some parts are really very funny. Aeroplane Beach is again an interesting one as kids would love to see the planes flying over them when they are soaking into sea waves. I really laughed when you got only a part of your forehead when taking a selfie with flying plane. I think you try for adjusting your mobile camera for burst shots when taking photo with speedy stuff.
Author
Yes, that is a good tip, why didn’t I think of that?