Plane Spotting in Sint Maarten / Saint Martin

Have you seen photos of a massive airplane flying super low over a beach with hundreds of tourists standing underneath almost touching the plane? Yep, this beach actually exists! It’s not photo-shopped! I saw it with my own two eyes. You can freely go plane spotting in Sint Maarten / Saint Martin Island.

Since I started flying at the age of 21, I’ve developed an interest in the aviation industry. As much as I am aware that airplanes are really bad for the environment, I cannot help but be fascinated about the fact that these creatures can stay up in the air. 

I love landing at ‘dangerous’ airports just as much as I love watching planes landing and taking off. 

That being said, it’s no wonder Sint Maarten / Saint Martin’s famous plane watching beach has been on my bucket list for years! So, when I chose a cruise around the Caribbean it was important that this island was one of the stops.

Do you like plane spotting too? 

If so, then read about my experience and some useful advice I collected whilst watching planes landing literally above my head at the No.1 ‘Plane Spotting’ destination in the world! 

About the Carnival Cruise

The first time we went on a cruise we chose a 7-day Southern Caribbean cruise departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. After thorough research, this was the cheapest way to see five Caribbean Islands in just one week. Depending on the route, a Southern Caribbean cruise can take you to places like St Thomas, St Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, Barbados and Sint Maarten. 

If you’re on a cruise, you don’t have to worry about finding your own mode of transport between the islands or food and accommodation. However, the only downside is that you’ll have a very limited time on each island. If your main purpose to being on a cruise is to see something of the islands, then you’re in the right place. 

Firstly, my biggest advice is to leave the cruise ship as early as possible. Rise early, so you’ll have a chance to see the sunrise and have a fulfilling breakfast. Secondly, bear in mind that the cruise will leave without you if you’re not on it by the time you’ve been told to be back! So whatever plans you have for the day, I recommend starting with the one furthest away and be close to the port before departure. Last, but not least, just try to enjoy your day off sea! You have to accept the fact that you won’t be able to see everything, but it will give you a great opportunity to decide whether to return to an island in the future or not.

Sint Maarten or Saint Martin?

I bet you’ve asked this question before, haven’t you?

Well, it’s actually both…

The reason you have seen both forms is because the island is shared by two different nations: the French and the Dutch. 

The French territory (Saint Martin) is basically part of Europe, whereas the Dutch side (Sint Maarten) has been independent since 2010. Therefore, even though it’s part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it isn’t considered European territory. Crazy, isn’t it? And here are some more differences:

• While the French side is quieter and more rural, the Dutch side is buzzing with restaurants and hotels. Even the islands only airport (Princess Juliana International Airport) is located on the Dutch side;
• No surprise then that the French side speaks French and the Dutch side’s official language is Dutch. However, everyone speaks English;
• You guessed it, even their official currency is different. The French side uses the Euro while the Dutch uses the Netherlands Antillean guilder. However, I wouldn’t bother exchanging money for one day as you can pay with US Dollars. (Be aware that the exchange rate could be a bit more expensive!).

Hurricane Irma

Just like Puerto Rico and St Thomas U.S.V.I, Saint Martin / Sint Maarten was also hit by the Category 5 hurricane in September 2017. We were lucky enough to visit the island and have an undisturbed week of cruising around the Caribbean Islands just before Hurricane Irma. (We actually had to evacuate from Florida a few days later). 

The effect of the hurricane was really devastating here. The famous airport with the beach we were enjoying ourselves only a few days prior to the arrival of Hurricane Irma was basically gone. It was heartbreaking to see all the video footage locals and news channels shared on social media at the time.

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have seen some of the amazing Caribbean Islands before the disaster happened. However, a few years after the catastrophe it seems like the island has slowly recovered (probably not entirely) and tourism is pretty much back to normal. (As with everything on this island you’d probably not be surprised when I say that one side of the island recovered a lot faster than the other).

What do you need for a day of plane spotting?

If you’re planning on spending the day plane spotting, I recommend leaving the cruise ship with the following items:

• Enough money for the day. (They accept US Dollar);
• Phone and camera to capture the arriving planes;
• Portable charger for your phone (it can be for safety reasons too, so make sure you’re not without battery life);
• As you’ll be on the beach for most of the day I’d ware flip-flops, but you can wear sandals too;
• I highly recommend wearing just your swimwear and some sort of cover for the whole day;
• Take a quick-dry towel if you’d like to lie on something on the beach;
• SUN-CREAM!! Don’t forget to take care of your skin while gaining a nice tan;
• Sunglasses to protect your eyes;
• Water bottle, to save you from buying bottled drinks and it’s the best way to be environmentally friendly.

All in all, don’t take too much stuff with you and leave your valuables on the ship. First of all, you won’t need them. Secondly, it’s hard to keep an eye on both your stuff and the arriving planes. Last but not least, they will be blown away every time a plane takes off so better to not worry about collecting your items from the sea!https://kittiaroundtheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/filmm_035.mov

Plane spotting at Maho Beach, Sint Maarten / Saint Martin

As mentioned above, if you only have less than a day on the island and you enjoy watching airplanes whilst being on the beach, spend the whole day at Maho Beach.

How to get there?

I recommend jumping into a taxi at the port which will drop you off at the beach. It cost approximately $20 each way for two people. Try to share the taxi ride as it will be cheaper.

The actual drive to the beach is pretty nice too, so make sure you look out of the car window. Because you need to get back to the cruise ship make sure you get a taxi back in time. We got stuck in a traffic jam, so you don’t want to leave the beach at the last minute!

What to do once you’re there?

First of all, I would head over to this amazing handwritten board and check what time the bigger planes should arrive on the day of your visit. 

As you can see, we didn’t have the famous KLM coming that day, but we still had a few bigger flights. Smaller planes are landing here very frequently and whilst the impact isn’t as great it’s a good way to get prepared for the bigger ones. 

Flights not just come in, but also take off which is a completely different experience so make sure you watch a big one leaving. Don’t forget to hold onto your belongings!!!

During the day the main plane watching area of the beach can get very crowded, so I suggest walking a bit further for some peace and quiet. 

If you’re hungry or thirsty the best place to go is the Sunset Beach Bar. From here you can still watch the planes coming in, laugh at others chasing after their belongings and order a special airplane themed pizza. 

Important Health & Safety

Okay, I don’t want to be your mom and tell you what you can and cannot do. But there are some things I feel like you should be prepared for. Especially if you haven’t experienced planes landing and taking off this close before.

It can be really scary when they land but you can actually end up blown off your feet when a big one takes off! Between the beach and the runway there is an asphalt road and a fence around the airport. People actually try to hold onto the fence whilst experiencing the blast from the airplane. Unfortunately, someone couldn’t hold onto the fence, fell back onto the asphalt road and lost their life only a few months before our visit. 

They have warning signs up on the fence for a good reason, so please respect that. Believe me you will feel the blast from the beach too. I definitely did when I was blown back and nearly ended up in the water! 

So have fun but be responsible!

Final Thoughts on Plane Spotting in Sint Maarteen

While it’s a shame I couldn’t explore the island more I didn’t regret spending my entire day on one beach. The experience was not just fantastic, but also a bucket list activity I was excited to tick off. Have you ever been to Sint Maarten / Saint Martin before? How much of the islands did you manage to explore? Let me know in the comments below.