Over the summer, we classified the Princess Juliana airport (SXM) on St. Maarten as one summer vacation with an edge simply because piloting big jets on the stunted runways is rather tough. And because nearby sunbathers on the beach could be exposed to a sandstorm stirred up by the planes.
But one tourist is like "whatever!" about all that because it's the best place for jet enthusiasts to get up close views of their favorite flying machines. Sue writes:
I went to St. Maarten for a week last Christmas (2006), strictly and solely to watch big jets approach and land at Princess Juliana Airport. Had a BALL. Most awesome week of my life. Can't wait to go back.
If something changes during the airport renovation so that jet enthusiasts can't get close to the landing jets, I won't go back. There are too many other places in the world I haven't visited to blow any more time on St. Maarten if jet-watching thrills are removed from the docket.
PLEASE HEAR ME, ST. MAARTEN ... DON'T CHANGE YOUR NEATEST TOURIST ATTRACTION! YOU'LL LOSE OUT ON LOTS OF TOURIST BUCKS!
Whoa, Sue means business. As for renovations, we know that the airport opened a new terminal back in 2006. But if traffic to the island of St. Maarten continues to increase a new terminal will be built as well as a full parallel taxiway system.
Ok, this never gets old. Yes, that's a 747 and no, there's no CGI wizardry involved. Welcome to St. Maarten, home to possibly the only beach where you can catch a wave by the good graces of both Mother Nature and Air France.
The beach in question is right outside the Princess Juliana airport (SXM) on the south side of the island. Pilots consider it a tough spot to land heavier jets as that the bare minimum length runway forces pilots to come in extremely low, about thirty feet over the heads of sunbathers on the strip of sand outside the boundary fence. The effects of arriving jets seems tolerable in the video clip but word has it that departing planes can stir up enough of a sandstorm to clear the beach or, in some cases, enough wake for surfers to catch waves heading out to sea.
Guadeloupe gets a lot of French tourists. If you'd rather avoid the crowds, your best bet is to go private or stay in a small hotel like Le Jardin Malanga. This small, nine-room inn is set above the beach (15 minutes from it, in fact) with a view of the coast and outlying islands of Guadeloupe. For even more seclusion, try the island of Marie-Galante, which you can reach via the L'Express des Iles ferry--it's a piece of the old Caribbean, preserved. Beware that Le Jardin, with its secluded, romantic setting, is popular with couples: you'll need to smooth over that chip on your bitter, single shoulder in advance.
The L'Express ferry will also take you Dominica, home of the Jungle Bay resort--one of the region's most buzz-worthy and unique hotels. A week in the Guadeloupe archipelago plus a visit to Dominica, with its dearth of beaches but abundance of hiking opportunities and gorgeous tropical scenery, equals the perfect taste of the Caribbean's lesser-visited destinations. Get in there before hurricane season threatens to mess with your reservations.
Looks like we have identified one of the beach locations for the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition--Reserve Naturelle Barine Saint-Barthelemy. As of late last week, both Giselle Bundchen and Adriana Lima were being heavily photographed on that particular St. Barth's beach.
If you are in the area, be sure to hit up Le Tom Hotel for beach chairs and umbrellas, as long as you run up a nice lunch tab their they are usually accommodating. The umbrella is key, you don't want to be red as a lobster when you finally get your chance to talk with the supermodels.
For more St. Barthelemy beach pics of Gisele Bundchen and Adriana Lima just read more.
Speaking of scary airports, the approach that airplanes make into St. Maarten's Princess Juliana Airport is famous. Planes as large as a 747 jet fly extremely low on approach, nearly clipping Maho Beach in the process. You may recognize the scene above from a "fake" image sent to you by a friend, but the photo and the video are 100% real. We posted a different clip a while back, but this one's even better, mostly because of the cameraman, who really adds to the effect by asking his fellow planespotters for their "last requests."
Though the airport is in the second phase of a significant renovation, news out of the island doesn't indicate that the close call arrival for jets has changed much.
Have you been to St. Maarten recently? Let us know what the approach is like nowadays (by email or in the comments).
