Plane Spotting
Have you seen the TV show world's craziest airport?
You know that airport in the Caribbean where people cling for life on the fence of the airport as the planes take off?
The place you are thinking on is Princess Juliana Airport in Simpson Bay of the Caribbean Island of St Maarten.
A lot of Caribbean cruise lines port here for the day and you can have your own plane spotting expereince.
We docked into Phillipsburg St Maarten on our Eastern Caribbean 7 night cruise in October 2016. We really wanted to visit the famous beach but none of the shore excursions on offer to us visited the famous beach. We were a little unsure about how to visit it by ourselves but just outside the cruise terminal is a huge transfer/ taxi company and you tell them where you want to go and they will direct you to the right vehicle.
Taxi's are all government operated and are a set price. The price from the port to Maho Beach is $20.00 for 2 one way. You will share a van with maybe 8 -10 other tourists too but you will all be visiting the same destination. When in the Caribbean Only use Taxi's with the number plate TAXI and drivers wearing orange shirts as some others are not legal and do not have set rates.
Maho beach is the beach made famous for the planes taking off so close to the beach. The beach itself is just stunning with warm caribbean waters and beautiful white sand. It is a great swimming beach too. The beach can get pretty packed as most people get there pretty early. There are no other attractions in the area so once you get here its the beach and the end of the runway.
There is a bar / restaurant just next to the beach where they have TV's that advise you the flight arrival and departure times so when you arive you can go and check the screens to make sure you are in the right spot for take offs and landings. I do not recommend clinging onto the fence at all. It is extremely dangerous and there is concrete blocks along the road which in the past has killed people from being blown from the fence and into the concrete blocks. If you want the best views then i suggest you just stay on the beach. You will still get a real thrill with the planes just overhead for take off and landing.
The Bar / Restaurant on the beach offers lunch and drinks there too. Its an open air restaurant also another great spot for plane watching. This place is usually packed too and will most likely struggle to get a table. We only got room to sit at the bar.
If you're looking for something out of the ordinary to do on your Caribbean Cruise than i would really recommend a visit to Maho Beach.
for more information on Maho Beach or Caribbean Cruising please get in touch.
Thanks again for reading!
Jess