A weekend with my mom was long overdue. For the past 11 months, I have been on the road for work – I left on Mondays and returned on either Thursday or Friday of each week. In addition, I have been leaving the country at least twice a month on weekends for pleasure. Not spending more than a few days at home each month, I felt like I had not spent time with my family in way too long. I needed a quick trip to a nearby destination that my mom would willingly travel to. Of course, that meant an island with a beach.
St. Martin / Sint Maarten
Somewhere between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, two nations peacefully share one small island: the north side of the island, St. Martin (French) and the south, Sint Maarten (Dutch). The two sides do have their differences – different governments, languages, cuisines, and currencies. And, if you pay close attention, you will notice some other differences such as the French side having nicer roads (paved and marked, unlike on the Dutch side). Additionally, the French side has more of a European feel to it, while the Dutch side is more Americanized. Along with countless casinos, the cruise ship terminal and Princess Juliana International Airport are both located on the Dutch side. However, wandering around the island, you will likely not even realize when you leave one side and enter the other. No fences. No guards. Just a marker.
Choosing where to stay was quite easy – Groupon only gave me one choice: the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort Casino and Spa, located on the Dutch side of the island. In terms of comparable hotels, this was also the cheapest option.
I only had two full days on the island. Having arrived late at night after work on Friday, June 9, 2017, I did not do much aside from meet my mom at the hotel for dinner and drinks.
Maho Beach
The next morning, we woke up early and headed to the beach. Nothing special. No pearly white sand or crystal clear water. Just an average beach.
After laying out in the sun all morning, I could not do it anymore. I could not even make it one day lounging around, doing nothing. After lunch, we hopped in a taxi and headed to Maho Beach.
Although most people are likely not able to locate this tiny island on a map, they probably have heard of it. Famous for its airport, Maho Beach is the island’s main attraction. Princess Juliana International Airport’s runway practically ends on this beach – only a flimsy fence separates beach goers from entering.
The thrilling approaches continue to captivate tourists. Located on one end of the beach, the Sunset Bar and Grill offers the perfect place to grab a drink and watch the arriving aircrafts approach the beach or depart into the horizon.
We stood on the beach for at least an hour watching the low flying airplanes land and waiting for others to takeoff, each time hoping for a large aircraft. Unfortunately, the real excitement ended in 2016, when the last 747 landed at Princess Juliana International Airport. The jet blasts from these jumbo jets had the ability to pick people off the ground. That was part of the thrilling experience. Although not as powerful, where else can you get hit in the face by a jet blast? The tradition continues – adrenaline junkies still line up along the fence and wait for the jet blasts to blow them and other beachgoers backwards. Of course, we had to take part in this unique experience.
I could have sat there for hours, but I did not want to waste what was left of our day. I hired a local to drive us around the island (both Dutch and French sides). The landscape diversity is quite amazing. Beaches. Mountains. Dense vegetation. The tour took us out of the Dutch side, around Marigot (the French capital) with stops at Fort Louis and Orient Bay, and down the eastern coastline to our hotel where the tour concluded and our only full day on the island had ended. [see post: Anguilla from Sint Maarten]
