Fun times at Maho Beach

2011 December 7
by Mike

Maho Beach may not be the most famous stretch of sand in the world but it’s got to be in the running for the most photographed, or at least the planes that take off and land right over it are.

Rebecca and I hopped on a local bus yesterday and paid our $1.50 US to make the short trek there from the Lagoon. What we found upon arriving were bus loads of tourists, all enjoying the same exciting views that we went there looking for. The planes are obviously important for the tourism at Maho Beach and we noticed that one of the bars even went so far as to post the arrival schedule for the big jets.

As you can see from the pics, there are numerous signs around warning people not to get stupid and for good reason. The blast from the big jets is pretty powerful. Unfortunately for us, the weather deteriorated mid way through the afternoon forcing us to hide from the rain in one of the bars. We definitely plan on heading back to Maho Beach again on a nicer day… it’s a fun excursion.

22 Responses leave one →
  1. December 7, 2011

    I love going on You Tube and watching the video of the planes landing…..Did you guys hang on the fence with Jet taking off….

    • December 8, 2011

      No, nor have a watched any youtube videos on the place. Perhaps I should.

  2. Michele permalink
    December 7, 2011

    What a thrill!

  3. December 7, 2011

    Wow, looks pretty cool! Hanging out in a bar while it rains, drinking and eating that pizza doesn’t sound bad!

  4. December 7, 2011

    OMG that is totally awesome! HAHA..what a site. Can’t wait for Tate and I to see it one day.

    Was it crazy LOUD??
    Dani

  5. December 7, 2011

    Heh the view from the cockpit is pretty awesome too. I retired from USAir before I became a fulltime sailor and flew the 757 into SXM lots. The drinks are better on the beach though.
    Ted and Rhonda
    ex-winginit

    • December 8, 2011

      Nice. I was thinking it must be cool from the cockpit.

    • February 7, 2013

      Nice. There’s nothing quite like a 757 for stirring up the air. I seem to recall a study on aircraft wake turbulence a while back in which they flew a series of jets past an array of wind instruments on a tower… they got some scary numbers from the first few jets, and then the 757’s wake tore the instruments apart.
      (Am I off-topic?…. ;) )

      • February 8, 2013

        Just letting your inner geek shine out, it’s OK. :)

  6. December 7, 2011

    That’s amazing! Prime real estate.

  7. Rosemary Leone permalink
    December 7, 2011

    OMG that looks freaky… I noticed in some of the pictures there were not alot of beach chairs directly under the flight path :)

    • December 8, 2011

      That’s likely more to do with the fact that the chairs are owned by the bars at the ends of the beach.

  8. December 7, 2011

    Great shots man. Cheers!

  9. Mark permalink
    December 8, 2011

    Looks like another rough day in the Caribbean for the “Fun-Loving Couple”!!! Was the pizza half as good as it looks?

  10. Brett permalink
    December 9, 2011

    Great pics Mike. I have flown that approach many times in the 757. We sit for an hour then takeoff for Washington DC again and every time I am there I have thoughts of just quitting right there and walking off the plane to look for a boat to sail away on. On takeoff we get the occasional woman flashing us from the beach as we get ready to turn onto the runway!

    • December 9, 2011

      There was a sign at Sunset Bar at the end of Maho Beach that said “topless women drink free at this bar.” There were no free drinks being passed out when we were there though.

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