Maho, St. Maarten: The Beach Under the Approach Path
Aircraft over the sand, casinos behind it, and the island's latest nights.
Why Go
Maho is where jets come in over the beach at the end of Princess Juliana's runway, which is the single most photographed thing on the island and the reason most people know the name. Behind the sand is a compact village of restaurants, casinos and bars that stays open long after everywhere else has closed. It is loud in every sense — the planes, the music, the crowd — and it is completely unapologetic. Stay here for nightlife and convenience; stay at Grand Case or Dawn Beach if the sound of a widebody at fifty metres is not your idea of a holiday.
The Experience
The beach itself is small and gets crowded, and the crowd is there for the aircraft rather than the swimming — people gather at the fence end for the arrivals and the water is often busier with spectators than swimmers. Behind it, the Maho village is a few walkable blocks of bars, restaurants, jewellers and casinos, purpose-built and dense, with hotels above. Everything is within a couple of minutes of everything else. From late afternoon it starts filling and it keeps going: this is where the island's nightlife is concentrated, and where it runs latest. During the day the better swimming is a short drive away at Mullet Bay, which is the best beach on the Dutch side by some distance, or at Cupecoy just west. What Maho gives you instead is proximity — you can be back in your room from the airport in the time it takes to clear the terminal, which for a short trip counts for a great deal.
What to Try
Eat across the village: JAX Steakhouse for the serious dinner, Roma Restaurant for Italian and pizza, Spices Of India and Winnie Chinese Restaurant for the range, Cantina Paradiso for the informal one and Le moulin fou sxm for the French-leaning end. Mimosa Skylounge is the drink with a view over the strip. Casino Royale is the big one for the evening, and BE Sports Club covers the other kind of night. The shopping here is duty-free and jewellery-heavy — Island Treasures Jewelers, J.N. Jewelers, Jewels & Beyond and SXM Cigars are the strip — with Island Spirit and Love SXM for the souvenirs. Aqua Sint Maarten runs the water side of things. And the aircraft: stand at the far end of Maho Beach in the afternoon and check the arrivals board, because the big ones are worth timing for.
Insider Tip
Stand well clear of the fence at the runway end. The jet blast from a departing aircraft is genuinely dangerous — people have been badly hurt and worse — and the signs are not decoration. Watch the arrivals from the beach, not the departures from behind the engines. For a swim rather than a spectacle, drive five minutes to Mullet Bay, which is a far better beach and does not have a runway at the end of it.
The Practical Stuff
Maho is about five minutes from Princess Juliana airport, which is the whole point and the whole problem — the convenience is unmatched and so is the noise. The village is walkable end to end and you do not need a car within it, though you will want one or a taxi for Philipsburg, twenty minutes east, and the French side twenty to thirty minutes north. Parking around the village is limited and busy in the evening. Aircraft movements stop overnight, so the noise is a daytime feature; the bars are the night-time one. Shops keep cruise and tourist hours and stay open later here than in Philipsburg. Hurricane season runs roughly June to November, and this corner of the island took heavy damage in 2017, so some of what you read about older venues no longer applies.
Common Questions
Can you watch planes land at Maho Beach?
Yes — that is why most people come. Aircraft pass low over the sand on approach to Princess Juliana, and the afternoon arrivals of the larger jets are the ones worth timing for.
Is Maho Beach dangerous?
The jet blast from departing aircraft is genuinely dangerous and people have been seriously hurt and killed by it. Stay well clear of the fence at the runway end and watch arrivals from the beach rather than departures from behind the engines.
Is Maho a good place to stay?
For nightlife, casinos and being five minutes from the airport, yes. For a quiet beach holiday, no — the beach is small and crowded and the noise is constant by day and by night.
Where is the best beach near Maho?
Mullet Bay, about five minutes west, which is the best beach on the Dutch side. Cupecoy just beyond it is more dramatic and rockier. Maho itself is a viewing gallery more than a swimming beach.
How far is Maho from Philipsburg?
About twenty minutes east by road, longer on cruise mornings when the Cole Bay junction jams. The French side and Grand Case are twenty to thirty minutes north.
What is there to do in Maho at night?
More than anywhere else on the island. Casino Royale, the bars along the village and the restaurants all run late, and this strip is where the island's nightlife has always concentrated.
Pair It With
- Maho Beach Guide — The arrivals, from a safe distance.
- Casino Royale Guide — The evening, once the last flight is in.
- JAX Steakhouse Guide — Dinner without leaving the village.
