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Today I am going to share with you a series of tips for when you travel to St Martin and want to enjoy the main attraction of the island: Maho Beach and spotting there.
To get into the matter, What you will find here are recommendations based on my experience during my 4 days of visit to St Martin, which included two trips to Maho Beach. Surely there are others ways to spot or you will find other guides, but this is my honest guide and in saying this, I mean maybe you don't have to spend as many hours in the sun as you thought..
Guide to spotting in Sint Maarten
before starting, I share my video taking photos in Maho, so you can see the different shooting options that can be done on this beach. Available on YouTube channel too:
First we must understand that taking photos of airplanes in Maho Beach is not what it used to be., since aircraft now pass a little higher than before because they moved the wheel stop zone or TDZ, This means that we will no longer see the planes spectacularly low as we have surely seen in photos and videos for a long time..
Too, the spectacular nature of huge planes like the Boeing 747 was lost at KLM y Air France having retired this legendary aircraft, But don't worry, not everything is bad and the Airbus A330s do a very good job of entertaining us and leaving us "flying" thanks to the jet blast..
Having said that, We are going to delve into the recommendations and data that will surely interest you when you make your dream come true., as I did, to know this sought-after beach:
let's be honest, It is a beautiful place and a nice airport., but it doesn't have as many flights as you would think, well yes there is more than 80 daily operations, but not all of them are large or commercial airplanes, which are what interests us., thus, if you want to see small planes like Twin Otter With Boeing 737yes and A330s, these are the precise times you should go, This way you don't spend extra hours without seeing anything very entertaining, what can we say?:
- Every day, spotting gets good from 12 from noon until 16 hours.
- If you want to go earlier to save your spot, that's fine., but maybe you'll get bored.
- If the day you go a cruise arrives, prepare for massive chaos and little personal space.
- KLM does not fly every day, solo 3 times a week, so maybe one day you will just see Air France as the biggest plane arriving and departing.
- Flight Radar Review 24 to see each day's flights, that there could be surprises or very attractive private planes that would be worth going earlier or staying later.
Cataloged in 4 main areas for spotting in St Martin. Two are bars / restaurants and two other geographical points, I explain to you…
In Maho Beach there are two bars and restaurants, the most famous is the Sunset bar and grill and the second is Driftwood Boat Bar.
- Personally I prefer the Driftwood option., much calmer, cheaper and you can quickly go out to take photos of arriving and departing planes, leaving your things without worries.
- Sunset Bar seemed overrated to me, crowded, You have to fight for a table and it is more expensive, without being good food.
The other point that I recommend is obviously Maho Beach, in the middle of the sand, If you don't want to spend you can do it without problem, I leave you some tips:
- Obviously beach clothes, glasses, sunscreen, cap and lots of water.
- If you want to be more comfortable, you can rent chair and parasol for $25 Dollars, you stay as long as you want without problems.
The other point that I loved is not near the airport, but if you have a little more budget and you like adventure, you can go up to Rainforest Adventures St Maarten – Rockland Estate, which is an adventure center with a zip line or canopy that has chairlifts to take you to the top of a mountain, From there you will have a beautiful view of the airport and the planes taking off directly towards you.
- Take into account that going up costs from $52 per person, depending on the attractions you want to do.
- You will only be able to see the planes take off if they do so on the runway 10.
- In the distance you can see planes landing, but you will need a great lens.
photo camera
Regarding what photographic equipment to use, don't worry, They are so close to the planes that they will not need much equipment, maybe a fisheye is a good option for shots of planes over the beach, but if you only have your cell phone, believe me it's more than enough.
As we can see, It is a very good and easy place to do spotting, The whole island is safe so at this point nothing to worry about. It is a recommended experience, but surely when the Boeing arrived 747 This was even more entertaining., Despite this, I totally recommend it., worth doing at least once in your life.
General recommendations
- Bring sunscreen and water.
- Comfortable clothes, hat or beach clothes if you want to get into the water.
- Bring cash in case you want to pay for beach chairs and parasols.
- Flight Radar Review 24 to know the location of all flights.
- You can reach Maho with small public buses that cost from $1.50 per person or by taxi.
- WARNING: jetblast is a real thing and can be dangerous, if you stand right behind the engines, you could suffer injuries, so be very careful and follow the warning signs. Don't do what no one else does.
Gallery
Finally, I share with you a few photos that I took the days I was in Sint Maarten, he will move, but I leave a small collection so that you have an idea of what it is like and are encouraged to go:
Do you want to know something more? Let me know in the comments.
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