Summer Vacations With An Edge: Surf Jet Exhaust || Jaunted

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Summer Vacations With An Edge: Surf Jet Exhaust

Where: Guadeloupe

8/22/2007 at 1:57 PM
Tags: Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge, Caribbean Travel, St. Maarten, Princess Juliana Airport (all tags)

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.

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St. Martin (Sint Maarten if you're Dutch) strikes a nice balance of oddities and amenities, perfect for the traveller who's too badass to lounge in just any tropical paradise but still hates bugs and wants fresh towels. Split between sections administered by France and the Netherlands, each side has its own charms. French nude beaches, Dutch casinos and homegrown guavaberry liquor all over should provide more than enough mischief for travelers looking for something outside of St. Martin's reputation as a "shopper's paradise".

More Summer Vacations With an Edge are this way.

Related Stories:
· Jaunted: 747 to Beachcombers: Outta My Way, Bitch [Jaunted]
· St. Martin Hotels [HotelChatter]

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