St Maartens - Sunset Beach best way to get here?

[NoWorriesMate]

we would like to go and warch the planes land on st maartens and were wondering the best way to get there.
can we get there by taxi? if so how much should it cost and how long does it take and can we easily get a cab back?
also we have small children so what is the situation with car seats across there?

thanks in advance

 

[pmarcum]

From what I can remember take a taxi to the beach. The planes come in so low over the beach that the beach over the path is closed off for safety and security reasons. We were there a few years ago and a big KLM 747 was coming in for landing. Scared my kids to death as it was so loud. Looked like the plane was going to land on the beach as the runway is so close.

The airport is fairly small and the runway is also utilized as a taxiway. Plane traffic is moderate very early in the AM as the Air France & KLM are coming in from Europe. The American flights are sporadic during the day. I was told that the airport can only handle 5 planes at a time due to the size of the airport.

 

[DrCavin]

I have a link to a website that you can see just how close the planes come. It is not a web-site that I want to post here, because it has some pictures of how women can drink for free... PM me & I will send you the link...

 

[TheWog]

I have a link to a website that you can see just how close the planes come. It is not a web-site that I want to post here, because it has some pictures of how women can drink for free... PM me & I will send you the link...

hehehe I have seen that site. But word is that bar has closed and the assetts have been auctioned off (fridge, freezer, etc.)

PHILIPSBURG--Sunset Beach Bar in Beacon Hill will be auctioned to the highest bidder today, Friday.

Marshals of the Island Receiver on Thursday morning closed the bar, a popular hangout at the start of the airport runway in Beacon Hill, confirmed Island Receiver Sherry Hazel. She explained that the marshals had itemised the inventory to prepare for the auction that is scheduled to take place this morning at the bar’s location.

A large crowd gathered at Sunset Beach Bar in Beacon Hill Friday to participate in an auction of assets of the company by the Island Receiver’s Office. In photo: The standing freezer (right) is auctioned, with bids starting at US $600.

appears the bar may still be opened if you read further down on this thread ....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=192422

webcams from the link DrCavin can provide seems to be showing patrons utilizing the bar and it is up and running, so who knows... sorry if this is bad information.

 

[KathyTX]

The Sunset Beach Bar on the beach at the end of the runway at Juliana airport is definitely still open, as I enjoyed a burger and a couple of beers there last week while watching the big planes come in. Actually, one week ago today!

The little beach is open and fully accessible, too. There are warning signs around telling that the blasts from the planes can be strong and could cause damage. The bar itself is not DIRECTLY under the flight path, but slightly offset. I wouldn't worry much about that.

The roads there are... interesting. Small, and people tend to stop in the middle of the road to visit a lot. The taxis will typically be along the lines of a Toyota Corolla (anything larger is pretty rare). Getting taxis is pretty easy.

Not sure what the carseat question really is, but I wouldn't expect the taxis to provide them. If you have them, and there's room in a car about that size, I'd imagine that they'd let you use them.

The reason the other poster didn't post the link is that it's pretty common to find topless women on all the beaches on Sint Maarten/St. Martin, and I believe that topless women drink free at the Sunset Beach Bar, although there were no topless women drinking there the day we were there. There were a few on the beach, just a few steps away from the bar. The kids probably won't notice, can't speak for your DH, though.

Here's a page with some awesome photos of planes coming into the airport. Lots of them are taken from the Sunset Beach Bar. (I haven't spotted any "objectionable" content in these photos.) Planes landing at Maho Beach/Juliana Airport

DH and I loved sitting and watching the planes come in, so low you feel like you could almost touch them from the sand! They have a chalkboard where they list some of the incoming flights, and they have speakers mounted that are tuned to the air traffic control frequency, so you can actually listen to the tower talking to the pilots as they land.

You should be able to get a taxi from the port to the bar easily, and relatively cheaply (sorry, don't know the price.) It's not far, maybe a 20 minute drive?

The entire island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin is smaller than the area of WDW, just to give you a little perspective.

LOVE that island, and I'm ready to go back (even though I just got home from there in the wee hours of this morning!!!)

 

[KathyTX]

Interesting post about the bar's troubles, TheWog!

I had no idea, and saw no signs of trouble or pending closure on June 28. Everything was functional, the menu was normal and the grill and the bar were both pretty busy. The beer was cold, and the planes were magnificent.

Hmmm...