Mullet Bay, St. Maarten: The Best Beach on the Dutch Side
White sand, sea-grape shade and beach shacks — and no resort behind it.
Why Go
Mullet Bay is the beach the Dutch side would put on its own postcard if it had one: a broad crescent of genuinely white sand, water that goes from clear to deep turquoise, and a line of sea-grape trees behind it that supply the one thing most Caribbean beaches lack, which is free shade. What it does not have is a resort. The hotel that stood here closed decades ago and never reopened, and the ruins behind the trees are the reason the beach in front is the least developed good beach on this half of the island.
The Experience
The bay is a wide, shallow arc with a handful of wooden shacks selling food and drink at the northern end and nothing at all at the southern one. Because there is no hotel claiming the sand, the crowd is mixed in a way the resort beaches are not — locals at the weekend, families, cruise passengers on excursion days, and a steady group who simply come here every afternoon. The one thing to respect is the shore break: on days with swell the waves dump right at the water's edge and the drop-off is abrupt, which catches people out every season. Behind the beach, the golf course occupies the land the old resort left, and the airport approach passes overhead, so this is Maho's quieter neighbour rather than an escape from it. The absence of anything built on the sand is the whole character of the place: no rows of loungers, no beach club music, no one charging you for shade, and correspondingly nothing at all if you forget to bring water.
What to Try
Eat at the shacks, which is the whole style of the place: Rosie's Snack Bar at Mullet Bay Beach and Da Waterhole are the fixtures, Oasis Snack Shack and Da Sweet Tooth handle the between-meals part, and Kalatua Beach Restaurant and Kalatua Beach Club are the sit-down version with loungers attached. La Fontana Restaurant is the proper meal nearby. Mullet Watersports Jet Ski Rental & Tours and Kalatua Watersports cover the water, and Mullet Bay Golf is the island's course, immediately behind the trees. Otherwise the correct thing to do here is very little: claim a patch of sea-grape shade early, swim when the water is calm, and walk south along the sand until the noise stops, which takes about five minutes.
Insider Tip
Get here before ten if you want shade. The sea-grape trees are the only shade on the beach, they are free, and they are taken early — this is the local equivalent of Palm Beach's palapa competition, just with better trees. The other thing worth knowing is the shore break: when there is swell, it breaks hard directly onto the steep sand rather than rolling in, and people are knocked over and hurt here every year. If it is dumping, swim at the calmer southern end or go around to Simpson Bay instead.
The Practical Stuff
Mullet Bay is about five minutes from Princess Juliana airport and Maho, ten from Simpson Bay and twenty-five from Philipsburg. Parking is free along the road behind the beach and fills at weekends and on heavy cruise days; there is no formal lot. Bring cash for the shacks. There are no hotels on this beach and no facilities beyond what the shacks provide, which is the trade for how good the sand is — bring water and whatever else you need for the day. The beach is public, as all Sint Maarten beaches are. Aircraft pass overhead on approach, considerably higher than at Maho next door. Hurricane season runs roughly June to November, and this coast takes swell in the winter months as well.
Common Questions
Is Mullet Bay the best beach in St. Maarten?
On the Dutch side, most people say yes — the widest white sand, clear water and free shade from sea-grape trees. Orient Bay on the French side is bigger and more organised; Mullet Bay is the better sand and the plainer experience.
Is Mullet Bay safe for swimming?
Usually, but the shore break is the real hazard. On days with swell the waves dump directly onto steep sand and the drop-off is sudden, and people are injured here every year. Swim at the calmer southern end or go elsewhere when it is breaking hard.
Are there facilities at Mullet Bay?
Only the beach shacks. There is no resort, no formal parking lot and no lifeguard, which is exactly why the beach is as undeveloped as it is. Bring cash, water and anything else you need.
Where do you park at Mullet Bay?
Free along the road behind the beach. It fills at weekends and on heavy cruise days, and there is no organised lot — arrive earlier rather than circling.
How far is Mullet Bay from the airport?
About five minutes, the same as Maho next door. Simpson Bay is ten minutes and Philipsburg roughly twenty-five.
Why is there no hotel at Mullet Bay?
The resort that stood here closed decades ago and was never rebuilt, and its ruins are still behind the tree line. That absence is the reason the beach in front is the least developed good beach on the Dutch side.
Pair It With
- Rosie's Snack Bar at Mullet Bay Beach Guide — Lunch on the sand, at shack prices.
- Mullet Bay Golf Guide — The island's course, directly behind the beach.
- Kalatua Beach Club — A lounger and service when the shacks are not the mood.
